James W. “Jimmy” Cannon, who has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Pinnacle Bank in Jasper since 2005, recently announced the completion of his final term. Cannon joined the bank board in 1990, following in the footsteps of his father, Woodrow W. Cannon, who served in the same capacity for a number of years. 

After graduating from Walker County High School in 1961, Cannon attended the University of Alabama, completing a B.S. in industrial engineering in 1966. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1966 to July 1968 before accepting a job in the private sector for U.S. Steel in Birmingham. 

While working for a large corporation, Cannon soon discovered his desire to work for a smaller company and dispatched his resume to Burton Manufacturing Company’s owner, James R. Burton, Jr. The Jasper company originally began as a leather tannery but shifted its focus to manufacturing golf bags and related accessories. Fortuitously for Cannon, Mr. Burton had recently had a couple of engineer techs leave the company and was looking to hire. The rest is history. 

Over the next thirty years, Cannon worked his way up the corporate ladder at Burton on the operations side of the business. He was eventually promoted to Executive Vice-President, and later, President. When Burton restructured in 1995, Cannon and his wife, Lenora, moved to Destin, Florida, to oversee the entire company’s operations, located in Ft. Walton Beach. The Cannons stayed in Florida for over a decade before moving back to Jasper for good in April 2006. 

Cannon’s retirement from Burton that year allowed him to focus on serving on the bank board. He says it has given him something to do in his retirement life and that he enjoys going to the office every day and checking messages and e-mails. “I’ll miss that, because it’s kept my mind more active than it probably would have otherwise been,” he says. 

Part of Cannon’s duties as director was to offer support and guidance for the institution’s overall success, not necessarily to get involved in the day-to-day running of the bank. He says the most rewarding aspect of his job was watching the bank shift from a mortgage lender to a true commercial bank over the years. “Fifteen or 20 years ago, we started trying to transform our bank and our balance sheet into more of a commercial bank,” Cannon said. “I think the board has contributed somewhat to that, but (bank president) Bob (Nolen) and the staff that he has put together over the last 15 years has really made our job as directors a whole lot easier.” 

Since Cannon joined the board, Pinnacle has added branches in Gardendale and Trussville, as well as a drive-thru branch in Jasper. 

President and Chief Executive Officer Robert B. Nolen stated, “It has been an honor and privilege to work with Jimmy the past 31 years. I appreciate the insight and experience he has brought to the bank during his tenure on the Board. He has been a great help making the bank successful.”   

According to bylaws, the age limit for board participation is 75 years of age. Cannon, 77, was last elected at age 74 and was able to finish out his final term, which ended at the annual meeting on May 26. The current 9-member board is comprised of Robbin Reed Allen, Bob Nolen, O.H. Brown, Sam Murphy, Eddie Jackson, David Kilgore, Greg Batchelor, Billy Humphries, and Al Simmons. 

Cannon says he is appreciative for all of the hard work of his fellow board members and the relationships he has built along the way. “I would like to say thanks to Pinnacle, the officers and staff that I worked with over all of these years. It’s been a pleasure to work with them.” 

Though Cannon is stepping down as board chairman, he will continue working with the bank in the role of consultant. “I look forward to continuing my relationships at the bank,” he says. “I’m not going anywhere.” 78