**Exhibit  31.1**

 

Rule 13a-14(a) Certificationof the Chief Executive Officer.

 

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Rule13a-14(a) Certification of the Chief Executive Officer.

 

I, R. Arthur Seaver, Jr., certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form10-QSB of Greenville First Bancshares, Inc.;

 

2.                                       Based on my knowledge, thisquarterly report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact oromit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in lightof the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.                                       Based on my knowledge, thefinancial statements, and other financial information included in this report,fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results ofoperations and cash flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, theperiods presented in this report;

 

4.                                       The small business issuer’sother certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer and have:

 

a)  Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to thesmall business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiary, is made known tous by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisreport is being prepared;

 

b)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the smallbusiness issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in thisreport our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls andprocedures as of the end of the period covered by this report based on suchevaluation; and

 

c)  Disclosed in this report any change in thesmall business issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurredduring the small business issuer’s most recent fiscal quarter that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the smallbusiness issuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                                       The small business issuer’sother certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluationof internal control over financial reporting, to the small business issuer’sauditors and the audit committee of the small business issuer’s board ofdirectors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a)  All significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financialreporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small businessissuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves management or other employees who have a significant role in the smallbusiness issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Date:  | August 10, 2004 | By:    | /s/ R. Arthur Seaver, Jr.              |   |
|--------|----------------------|--------|----------------------------------------|--------|
|   |                 |   | R. Arthur Seaver, Jr.                  |
|   |                 |   | President and Chief  Executive Officer |
|   |                 |   |                                   |

 

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