Houston-based Amegy Bank named a Fort Worth market president in May, signaling the bank’s intent to build a presence in the area.
Brandon Bledsoe was promoted to the position, where he will be responsible for the bank’s overall strategy in Fort Worth, including middle-market/corporate banking, real estate, private banking, treasury and retail.
In addition to servicing existing Fort Worth–based clients and calling on new prospects, Amegy Bank said it is “exploring the option to develop a retail presence in Tarrant County and to secure a longer-term office for its Fort Worth bankers,” according to a company news release.
“As we have been looking for opportunities to expand into the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, one critical component has been to identify the right leadership. I believe we have accomplished that with the promotion of Brandon Bledsoe,” said Amegy Bank Dallas CEO and President Kirk Wiginton. “His diverse banking background and knowledge of the Dallas/Fort Worth market make him a tremendous asset to our team and our clients.”
Bledsoe has more than 30 years of banking experience. Prior to joining Amegy Bank’s commercial real estate lending team in 2005, he was a regional executive with Bank of America in Dallas. He has extensive experience in middle market commercial banking, commercial real estate and credit.
A third-generation Fort Worth native, Bledsoe received his bachelor’s degree in real estate and urban land development from the University of Texas. He is a former deputy mayor pro tem for the City of Southlake and current board member of Downtown Dallas Inc. He is also active in the Urban Land Institute-North Texas District.
A Fort Worth presence makes sense for Amegy and not just for business reasons. Amegy was started by Texas Christian University alumnus and Texas Business Hall of Fame member Walter Johnson over 25 years ago with $50 million in assets and one Houston location. Amegy has since grown to $13 billion in assets with over 75 locations throughout Texas. It was previously known as Southwest Bank of Texas and is a subsidiary of Zions Bancorporation of Salt Lake City. Each Amegy Fort Worth employee is a native of the city or a TCU graduate so, the roots are pretty deep.
Along with Bledsoe, members of the Amegy Bank Fort Worth team include: James Day, senior vice president, commercial banking manager; Sarah Mayer Jackson, senior vice president, commercial real estate manager; Russell Laughlin, associate vice president, relationship manager; and AnnaDee Stewart-Johnson, associate vice president, portfolio manager. The bankers work out of an office in Sundance Square at 420 Throckmorton St., Suite 200.
Bledsoe recently answered some questions from the Fort Worth Business Press.
Banks from Abilene to Kansas City, among other places, have created a Fort Worth presence in the past five or so years. Amegy has 75 Texas locations so the first question that comes to mind is, “Why has it taken so long to discover Fort Worth?”
Amegy Bank has been banking businesses and financing real estate projects in Fort Worth for over 15 years (equating to roughly $400 million in loan commitments). We have always believed in Fort Worth, and developing a physical presence here is simply an opportunity for us to better serve our existing customers in the market and build relationships with new prospects. We are well established in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, and expanding into Forth Worth has always been in our plans.
The city manager projects that Fort Worth will add 20,000 new residents for each of the next five years and will grow almost 75 percent by 2040. Likewise, employment will increase nearly 70 percent by 2040. Are these factors in deciding to create a more permanent operation in the city or are there other indicators that you considered?
The anticipated increase in population and employment in Fort Worth was taken into consideration when we made the decision to open a regional office here. We also want to diversify our client base, and we’re excited to enter a region that offers a healthy distribution among industry segments (e.g. manufacturing, aerospace, health care, retail and energy).
Other banks arrived in Fort Worth with a deep bench of experienced bankers. Amegy seems to have gone a step further by creating a team that includes people who either grew up in the city, including yourself, or who went to college at TCU. Was this deliberate and what do you think it offers in terms of difference and strengths?
This expansion is truly exciting for our bank since we have such strong ties to the Fort Worth community. We made a purposeful decision to build a team of bankers who have all either grown up in the area or graduated from TCU. As a community bank, we recognize the importance of having local bankers who understand the nuances and traditions of a community, and we believe that is part of our competitive advantage in Fort Worth.
You’ve said that Amegy is primarily a commercial bank. What does that mean as far as the services you offer and customers you pursue?
In our formative years, we primarily served businesses. However, as our organization has grown and evolved, it makes sense for us to offer comprehensive banking services, such as wealth management, mortgage lending and consumer products to the principals and owners of those businesses.
What are the key sectors that make up the bank’s lending portfolio and customer base? Same or similar clients?
We are equally balanced across commercial banking, the energy sector, commercial real estate and consumer lending.
Is there one area, such as commercial real estate development, that stands out for Amegy?
Like the composition of our lending portfolio, we offer a strong value proposition across all lines of business. While we are community-focused, we can also offer a global perspective on banking needs through our International Banking Group working in conjunction with the Export-Import Bank of U.S.
How does this position Amegy among its competitors, many of whom claim to be focused on the same or similar clients?
Quite simply, we have the feel of a local bank that has the capabilities of a much larger banking organization. As businesses grow and their needs change, we can maintain that strong banking relationship. We are also recognized nationally by Greenwich Associates as a leader in product and service categories for middle market and small-business banking.
There are studies that show that smaller banks – relative to those with branches on every corner – have a record of being much more aggressive in business lending activity. Availability of financing is critical to business development. What’s your view of this?
Access to credit and banking services is a pillar of our economy, and community banks like Amegy will always continue to play a strong role in business lending activity. We believe there is a continuum of risk that various banking products can appropriately address. Along with that must come the consultative, relationship approach to banking that will help guide those businesses with products that best fit their needs. That ensures the availability of financing for businesses in the long term.
How does Amegy work with small business? Are there any programs focused on them?
Small-business customers have full access to our commercial bank both with our commercial lending team and with our products and services. We have various financing programs tailored for small businesses including our owner- occupied real estate program, cash management services and various financing options. In addition to traditional Small Business loans, Amegy has a notable SBA program. Currently, it is in the top 5 programs in Houston in terms of loan volume. We are very proud of that statistic, considering our size and the size of the large banks in the market. Small business and SBA will be an important area of focus for us in Fort Worth.
Tell us about Amegy’s Women’s Initiative and how that might fit into Fort Worth’s economic landscape?
Amegy founded our Women’s Initiative program in 2004 with the mission to enhance the growth and success of women. The initiative provides opportunities for clients and potential clients of the bank, employees and women in the community. We have been recognized by industry leaders in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, and we’re already involved in the Fort Worth community. CREW Dallas recently recognized Amegy Bank with the Career Advancement of Woman Company of the Year Award. Our focus in Fort Worth will include initiatives in both the professional marketplace and in empowering women in various community organizations and women’s charities.
Amegy Fort Worth has members in CREW Fort Worth, as well as a board member of Women to the Power of 10 Leadership Committee, an initiative supported by the TCU Neeley School of Business. Amegy is proud of our female employees, and our statistics prove it. Over 70 percent of Amegy employees bank-wide are women.
Entrepreneurs make up an important segment of Fort Worth’s business scene. Is there anything that makes them a different type of customer or are there Amegy programs aimed at working with this group of risk-takers?
Amegy was founded by Fort Worth native, TCU alumnus, and Texas Business Hall of Fame member Walter Johnson. Walter is a true entrepreneur and his spirit resonates with our bankers and customers. Many of our original customers in the early 1990’s were startup companies, and today we have countless companies that started with Amegy (previously Southwest Bank of Texas) and are large, successful companies and true industry leaders across Texas.
Our focus is to provide flexibility to allow small to mid-sized businesses the ability to grow. Entrepreneurs need flexibility and guidance. Amegy focuses on “connecting” business leaders and people that can add value to our clients so they can position their business for success. We have already connected Fort Worth entrepreneurs to industry leaders across Texas.
Fort Worth entrepreneurs can get a loan from anyone, but having a bank that can grow with your company and aids in positioning your business for success is invaluable.
What is your outlook for Amegy in Fort Worth? Do you foresee expansion, and if so what are the factors that will lead to that and on what timeline?
The Fort Worth market offers significant growth potential for Amegy Bank. Everyone at Amegy is excited for us to be here, and we know our Texas-based roots, business culture and capabilities are a great fit.
In terms of expansion, we recognize the distinct characteristics of Fort Worth and the importance of it to the state of Texas. We do aspire to grow here, but historically we’ve tended to do that on an organic, measured basis, rather than one dictated by a timeline.