How did you start in banking?

I almost didn’t. When I graduated from Texas A&M, I went back home to El Paso and worked as a teller at Sunwest Bank for the summer. Then I turned down a job at First National Bank in El Paso, got married and moved to Indiana. After two brutal winters and a less-than-satisfying job at a consumer finance company, I called First National Bank and asked if they still had that job. They did. We moved back to El Paso, and I went to work for them in 1995. That started my 31 years and counting as a community banker.

Any advice for young bankers?

I was very lucky at First National Bank to have the opportunity to learn all aspects of banking. I started on the operations side, and after five years, they moved me to lending. Having the experience of both sides of the bank was a tremendous asset. My advice would be to learn as many jobs in banking as you can and don’t turn down any opportunities to learn something new that comes your way.

Who was the greatest influence on your career?

In my early years, Phil Lane and Doug McLean at First National were a tremendous influence. These guys ran a very efficient, profitable small community bank. They gave me more responsibility than I probably deserved as a young banker and let me figure it out. I spent a lot of time watching them and learning how to run a bank.

How did you end up at Pioneer Bank?

I went to work for Pioneer in 2017. I had previously been their market president in El Paso from 2006 to 2009. Christopher Palmer was the new president. He was looking for a CFO, and I was looking for a new challenge. When I took the job, one of the expectations was to get my CPA license. I had been a commercial lender for 17 years; it had been a while since I had prepared the call report and wore an accounting hat. I basically stopped all outside activities for two years and worked on getting my CPA license. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the most rewarding. I mean, who becomes a CPA at 48?

What challenges do you foresee for bankers in New Mexico?

Until the government leadership in New Mexico embraces business opportunity and the oil and gas industry in this state, we are going to continue to struggle with creating jobs and growing the economy. Bankers in growth states like Texas and Utah have it much easier than bankers in New Mexico. Despite that, bankers in New Mexico are doing their best to help business owners grow and prosper.

Another issue that all bankers are dealing with is fraud, both at the bank level and the customer level. I have never seen as much fraud in my entire career as I have in the last few years. Every day, the bad guys call our customers and scam them out of their money. We do our best to stop it from happening. Cybersecurity threats continue to increase. I don’t have the answers, but it scares the heck out of me where this is all heading. Protecting the bank and your customers takes a team of experts, with new threats every day.

Don’t get me started on credit unions. It’s not fair, and there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about it. It’s very frustrating. I’m ready to go to war with them if anyone has any ideas.

What’s on your agenda for the next year as president of the NMBA?

Don’t be surprised when the NMBA joins forces with neighboring state banking associations in providing joint conferences and seminars. We can all work together to see and hear great speakers and provide excellent learning opportunities for bankers in New Mexico. We might learn something new from our neighbors.

Tell us about your family and interests outside of work.

I have been married to my wife, Shana, for 33 years, and we have two adult sons (they both tower over me). Shana runs a nonprofit, low-cost spay-neuter clinic in Roswell. It is her passion (and mine as well) to help control the pet population in our community.

I have been on the board of directors at the Boys & Girls Club of Chaves and Lincoln Counties since I moved to Roswell in 2017. For the past five years, I have served as the board president. The Club does amazing work and has a positive influence on many children in the communities they serve.

If I am not at the bank or at home, I am at the golf course. It’s pretty easy to find me.