**Exhibit31.1**

 

CERTIFICATIONS

 

I, Hugh J. Garchinsky, Chief Executive Officer of Peoples First,Inc., certify that:

 

1.                                       Ihave reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Peoples First, Inc.;

 

2.                                       Basedon my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this annual report;

 

3.                                       Basedon my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial informationincluded in this annual report, fairly present in all material respects thefinancial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant asof, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

 

4.                                       Theregistrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishingand maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and we have:

 

(a)                                  designedsuch disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries,is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during theperiod in which this annual report is being prepared;

 

(b)                                 evaluatedthe effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures andpresented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of suchdisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisreport based on such evaluation; and

 

(c)                                  disclosedin this annual report any change in the registrant’s internal control overfinancial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarterthat has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, theregistrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                                       Theregistrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our mostrecent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to theregistrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board ofdirectors (or persons performing equivalent functions):

 

1

----

 

(a)                                  allsignificant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation ofinternal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely toadversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize andreport financial information; and

 

(b)                                 anyfraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees whohave a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financialreporting.

 
| Date:   March 16, 2004 |   |                    |
|--------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------|
|                                       |   |                    | /s/ Hugh J. Garchinsky |   |
|                                       |   | Hugh J. Garchinsky      |
|                                       |   | Chief Executive Officer |

 

2

----