Article at the Bond Buyer by Shelly Sigo
APR 14, 2015 2:49pm ET
BRADENTON, Fla. — First Southern Securities LLC, the Alpharetta, Ga.-based boutique investment banking firm, added four new professionals as part of its expansion effort.
FSS announced Monday that Broc Spradlin and Alexander Watts were hired to join the institutional sales force. Spradlin and Watts, both vice presidents, are working in the firm’s Puerto Rico office. In March, FSS hired Kevin Haase as a senior vice president and John Maxey as vice president of municipal trading to work in the Alpharetta office.
Spradlin and Watts have nearly 15 years of industry experience in municipal bond sales and trading, and bring a sizeable client base to FSS, according to chief executive officer W. Heath Hawk.
“We look forward to continuing to grow our business with Broc Spradlin and Alexander Watts as new members of the First Southern team,” Hawk said.
Spradlin and Watts most recently were employed at Crews & Associates Inc. in Little Rock, Ark. Spadlin attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Watts received a degree from the University of Central Arkansas.
Both Haase and Maxey previously worked at BB&T Capital Markets — Haase as a managing director and Maxey as a municipal bond trader.
Haase attended Franklin Pierce University. Maxey received a degree from the University of Georgia.
First Southern Securities, which opened in 2010, specializes in trading high-grade and high-yield munis, said managing partner Vasileios Sfyris.
FSS is in a hiring mode, and taking advantage of consolidation in the industry, he said.
“We’re slowly expanding in public finance right now,” Sfyris said. “We’re a pretty nimble, low overhead firm.”
First Southern is registered to operate in 37 states and territories, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The firm has 19 employees and clears deals through First Southwest Co.
The firm is owned by Hawk, Sfyris, and Ben Eiler.
Hawk and Sfyris formerly worked at Bergen Capital, a division of Scott & Stringfellow. Eiler previously worked at Crews & Associates.