Like many Jacksonville natives, when Christopher Kalin graduated from the University of North Florida, his early career took him to other cities.
He came home and he’s glad he did.
Kalin, 36, became North Florida regional president of Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank on Oct. 7.
“It’s great to have a job and a role that inspires me and it’s great to work for an organization that I respect,” Kalin said.
Kalin, a 2008 graduate of the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s in business administration, worked for two years in Jacksonville with Wachovia and then took a job in Southern California.
He then moved again to Illinois, where he received an MBA from the Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago before returning to his hometown in 2014.
Kalin was a senior vice president and corporate relationship manager with BBVA in Jacksonville in 2020 when PNC acquired the U.S. operations of Spain-based Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.
The acquisition included 36 bank branches in the North Florida region that encompasses Jacksonville, south to Daytona and Gainesville and west to Tallahassee.
His banking experience includes middle market and corporate banking roles, with responsibilities that included credit analysis, commercial strategy, portfolio management, relationship management and market expansion.
Kalin said when he enrolled at UNF, his initial major was criminal justice, inspired by watching television shows like "CSI."
“After I took some classes, I figured out it wasn’t like it is on TV. I talked to an adviser and since I liked numbers and math, I gravitated toward a career in finance,” he said.
Kalin has been with PNC and legacy organization BBVA for more than five years and helped lead the corporate banking efforts in North Florida.
“Jacksonville is a great market. The population growth is bringing new people with banking needs. We also have a lot of companies coming to Jacksonville that are corporate and middle market clients for us. Being in a high-growth market is where we want to be,” he said.
In addition to providing clients with a range of services from consumer retail banking and corporate banking to wealth management and private banking, Kalin said he also is proud of PNC’s commitment to its communities.
The bank began PNC Grow Up Great in 2004, a $500 million national early learning and development program that has benefited more than 8 million children.
Kalin said in the past four years, the bank has invested more than $3 million for grants and sponsorships for organizations in North Florida such as the Early Learning Coalition of Duval and Junior Achievement of North Florida.
In 2021, PNC established an $88 billion fund to help improve economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income people, people of color and other underserved communities.
Kalin said the bank also supports access to local arts and culture, including PNC Free Fridays at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, providing free admission from 4-9 p.m.
Another partnership with Downtown Vision Inc., Sip & Stroll Presented by PNC, brings people to the Southbank Riverwalk for drinks and live entertainment from 5-8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.
“We have about 1,500 people show up every month. We love that partnership,” Kalin said.
“Pittsburgh gives us a budget every year, but they trust us to make local decisions,” Kalin said.
While there are no immediate plans to expand PNC’s presence in the market with more branches, Kalin said the bank will continue to invest in updating its online banking services that gained popularity during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Folks are looking at more digital experiences. Our bankers will be more on the advisory side as the retail landscape transforms. The pie will continue to grow and we expect continued growth in our share of that pie,” Kalin said.
