MIAMI—Miami-bred, Eddy Arriola sits at the helm of Apollo Bank based in Brickell's Financial District. The locally owned and operated bank serves Miami's business community, including leading industries such as commercial real estate, healthcare, and technology.

Founded in 2010, Apollo focused on organic growth coming out of the gate and proved that a small community bank can grow and be profitable in Miami, even amidst a flood of new brands entering the market. Recently, Apollo agreed to acquire First Bank of Miami.

The deal, which is now subject to regulatory approval, will grow Apollo's asset base from $275 million to roughly $500 million and expand the bank's branch network to seven locations throughout Miami-Dade, including Downtown Miami, Kendall and Hialeah. GlobeSt.com caught up with Arriola, chairman of Apollo, to discuss the bank acquistion in part one of this exclusive two-part interview.