Blue Ridge Bankshares in Va. hires former Middleburg CEO for key post

Blue Ridge Bankshares in Luray, Va., has hired an industry veteran as its bank president.

The $423 million-asset company said in a press release Monday that Gary Shook had also become its chief banking officer.

Shook was president and CEO of Middleburg Financial before Access National bought it last year for roughly $233 million. After the deal closed, he briefly served as president of the Middleburg Bank division, chairman and CEO of Middleburg Investment Group and chairman of Middleburg Trust.

Shook is a former chairman of the Virginia Bankers Association.

Shook, who will be based in Charlottesville, Va., said in the release that the move is designed to "create a central base of operation for my work while continuing to strengthen our growing presence as a market leader in the region.”

Shook "brings incredible experience and success as a proven bank leader who can successfully build and sustain a growing franchise that connects different geographies,” Brian Plum, the company's president and CEO and the bank's CEO, said in the release.

Blue Ridge is also looking to expand in North Carolina, where it already has several mortgage offices. The company is planning to raise capital to create Carolina State Bank in Greensboro, N.C.