I guess you could say that I like lots of stuff.

My early years were a fun hodgepodge of bike riding, Commodore 64, video games, skateboards, constant learning, playing guitar, and listening to A LOT of music.

I grew up on the Jersey Shore before relocating, at no choice of my own, to the Florida Gulf Coast where I attended high school. So I basically moved from a dirty beach close to places with lots of fun stuff to do, to a clean beach close to far less places with fun stuff to do.

I moved to Orlando in 1997 to attend the University of Central Florida where I fumbled around a mix of digital media, radio & TV, information technology, and liberal arts courses before earning my Bachelor of Arts degree in 4.5 years…which isn’t that bad, right? I also worked full-time during college doing tech support and was able to earn my CompTIA A+, Network+, and some Microsoft database administrator certifications.

I leveraged my tech support jobs during college into a post-college gig as an onsite network support technician at convention centers all over the central and eastern US. When stuff wasn’t broken, I was “on call”. This meant that I had a pager (which was a device we had back then that was sort of like a cell phone that didn’t make phone calls and only texted numbers not words). If the pager was not vibrating to alert me to a broken computer at the convention, I was free to roam various convention cities of the eastern and midwestern US. I spent most of that time listening to local college radio stations and discovering new music at independent music venues.

I co-founded an audio production company called Check Plus Productionz in 1999, while attending college. That company eventually ended up delving into some record label activities. We produced a handful of radio ads for local businesses and nonprofits; then moved to live event booking & promotion, and eventually releasing music from independent artists. After exiting the partnership, I started Post*Records, an Orlando, FL based indie record label and distribution service, in 2004. In a seven year run, we produced over 100 live events, released a bunch of albums on CD, vinyl, and cassette and hosted music showcases at CMJ Music Marathon and SXSW festivals, among many others. We still release albums from time to time, much less often that we used to…over 60 albums released in the past couple decades.

In 2009, I founded theDIYteam, a digital music distribution service which I still operate today with my brother Joe. Together, we have released and distributed music for over 300 independent artists worldwide. Through this venture, we strive to support the independent musicians and give more than we take. To that point, we are proud that theDIYteam is a donor and business member of 1% For the Planet.

In 2002, I accidentally became a banker. I stumbled into a bank during an open house event asking for a job in their IT department and got suckered into what was essentially a management training program. I thought I would hang out there for a few months and make some money before skipping town on another IT consulting gig but it’s been a couple decades now and I’m still waiting for that dream consulting gig to come along!

In my current role as Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer at Climate First Bank, I tend to do all sorts of things but broadly speaking, I focus on leading strategic initiatives that inform the marketing and growth strategy of the company, both at the bank and at our fintech affiliate. Much of this work includes the creation and deployment of values-aligned business initiatives that support our fast-growing bank which is focused on providing environmentally and socially impactful banking solutions nationwide. Before joining Climate First Bank, I held various positions in commercial lending and leadership at SouthState Bank, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase.

In 2022, Climate First Bancorp launched fintech subsidiary OneEthos to focus on building digital solutions that expand markets, accelerate loan and deposit growth, and strengthen communities for mission-driven financial institutions. I serve as a Senior Advisor to OneEthos, working to source new business opportunities and identify new ways that technology can address the challenges faced by mission-driven FI’s in bringing sustainable finance to low income & disadvantaged communities (LIDACs).

In 2020, I earned the CCIM designation which recognizes extensive professional and educational experience in the commercial real estate industry. I have worked as a consultant providing due diligence, feasibility study, and financial analysis work on CRE projects spanning all asset classes with investors and developers across the US. I have also provided ghostwriting services to authors in the CRE sector.

In between all that professional and educational meandering, I also managed to get married to an amazing human, have an awesome child with said human, play some live music and record some music. I also booked a bunch of live music for other bands and put together some small festival events in Florida and live music showcases in Austin for SXSW and NYC for CMJ Music Marathon among others.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not already busy enough merely being a commercial banker, business founder in the music industry, husband, and dad…so I do some volunteer work as well –

Currently, I serve on the board as a Past President for CCIM Central District and Board Chair for Osceola Community Health Services – a federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC) providing medical care to uninsured and underinsured people in the local community. Last but not least, I serve as a mentor to young people through the Valencia Horizons Take Stock In Children program.

I am honored to have been a founding member of CEO Leadership Forums, an organization that provides educational workshops and develops internship programs for middle-market companies in Central Florida. I also did a stint serving on the City of Orlando’s OBT Development Board where I supported initiatives to promote responsible development, new business opportunities, and community engagement in the Orange Blossom Trail neighborhood just west of downtown Orlando.

My adult years are a fun hodgepodge of bike riding, Commodore 64, video games, thinking about getting on a skateboard (but usually not doing it), constant learning, playing guitar, and listening to A LOT of music.

“I like to think that if 12 year old me could see me today, he would be mostly okay with how things are going.”
– Chris Cucci