Business First Bancshares is acquiring financial consulting firm American Planning Corporation, Baton Rouge. .The American Planning Corporation team is expected to join b1BANK affiliate Smith Shellnut Wilson. APC was founded in 1972 and advises community banks through outsourced CFO services. As of March 31, Baton Rouge-based Business First Bancshares had nearly $9 billion in assets. Smith Shellnut Wilson manages $5.7 billion in assets.The deal expands Smith Shellnut Wilson’s platform into “a comprehensive suite of strategic advisory services,” said Business First Bancshares President and CEO Jude Melville. "We've worked together since our founding twenty years ago, and I have complete confidence that by formally joining forces, we will amplify the positive impact [American Planning Commission Owner and CEO Jeff Fair] already has had on the community banking industry," Melville added.
