BNY Mellon Wealth Management has continued its expansion strategy with the appointment of two managing directors of sales in Georgia and Florida, in a move which the firm says underscores its faith in the resilience of the south-eastern economy.

Garrett Alton will be based in Atlanta, reporting to Georgia chairman Dana Halberg, while Timothy Goering will be based in the firm’s West Palm Beach office, reporting to Craig Sutherland, south-east US president.

Mr Alton was most recently a financial advisor focusing on business development for Merrill Lynch in Atlanta, and prior to this was a senior vice president and wealth strategist at GenSpring Family Offices. Mr Goering, meanwhile, joins BNY Mellon from Seaside National Bank, where he was a president for nearly two years. Before this he was a senior vice president with GenSpring Family Offices.

Florida has been a focus of BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s expansion strategy for some time now, with two new offices having been opened in the state in recent years and plans afoot to add more staff in the coming months. In Florida BNY Mellon Wealth Management has increased its assets under management by more than tenfold since 2004, and Atlanta has also seen significant growth, leading to the creation of the role of chairman for the state, as well as internal promotions and new hiring, the firm said in a statement