Named Vice-Chairman of the holding company Vista Bancshares in 2018, John D. Steinmetz is laser-focused on continually increasing shareholder value.

Serving as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Vista Bank, Steinmetz oversees all commercial and retail functions and has been recognized for transforming the Bank’s digital experience at a time when clients needed it most. The first non-family member appointed to Bank CEO, the 113-year-old company was a West Texas Bank domiciled in Ralls, headquartered in Lubbock, and focused primarily on agricultural lending when Steinmetz took the helm. Leading the charge on a rebrand that would encourage metro market expansion with middle-market companies, John Steinmetz grew the Bank’s capital and influence, raising $40mm and expanding the footprint into the Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and, most recently, Palm Beach, Florida markets. He also led the Bank to ‘level the playing field’ by opening the first Banking Center and Financial ecosystem in Fair Park of South Dallas in over three decades. 

Since taking the helm, Steinmetz has ensured responsible, disciplined organic growth surpassing 700%. And while it took 108 years to reach $1 billion in assets, it only took three years for the Bank to eclipse the $2 billion mark, evidence of a strong financial trajectory. Listed among North Texas’ Top Commercial Banks since 2020, Vista recently ranked #10 out of 606 banks nationwide between $1-5 billion asset size nationally by CB Resource, Inc.

In the wake of the global pandemic, Steinmetz made certain the Bank was on the front lines of the CARES Act, participating in an exclusive community bank DC roundtable with U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and helping minority-owned businesses across the country access the Paycheck Protection Program.

When other bank leaders tapped out during the Main Street Lending Program, Steinmetz ensured Vista was one of just thirteen original Texas banks to participate. Processing 80 loans at over $775mm, Vista Bank was Texas’ largest Main Street lender and the second-largest lender nationwide, positioning Texas businesses to lead the way forward while leveraging the opportunity to grow and diversify the Bank’s portfolio.

A proud graduate of the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business, Steinmetz was first appointed to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents in 2011 and was subsequently reappointed in 2017. Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee of the two-billion-dollar university for two terms, Steinmetz fought to keep higher education attainable while serving the students of his alma mater.