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ENTREPRENEURS BANKING ENTREPRENEURS

Steinmetz

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VISTA BANK

John D. Steinmetz

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 was noted 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 111-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 urban market expansion with small business and 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.

Since taking the helm, Steinmetz has ensured responsible, disciplined organic growth surpassing 700% in the last decade, breaking the top 100 Banks in Texas by asset size list in 2018. Listed among North Texas’ Top Commercial Banks since 2020, Vista recently ranked #10 out of 606 banks 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 Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and rising to Dallas entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s challenge helping minority-owned businesses better 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.

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 by Governor Rick Perry and was subsequently reappointed in 2017 by Governor Greg Abbott. 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.

A 2022 DCEO Financial Executive Award Nominee for Outstanding Public Service, 2021, 2022, and 2023 DCEO Dallas 500 recipient, 2019 Dallas Business Journal (DBJ) Most-Admired CEO, and 2018 honoree of the DBJ and Fort Worth Business Press 40 Under 40 programs, John’s leadership earned the Bank multiple listings on the SMU Cox School of Business Dallas 100, and Dallas Business Journal’s Middle-Market 50 list. Steinmetz is a member of the Young Professionals Organization (YPO) Dallas and Aspen chapters, the Dallas Museum of Art’s Finance Committee, and serves on the Cotton Bowl Board of Directors and Dallas Citizens Council’s Board of Directors. Having relocated the Vista Bank domicile to Dallas due to his belief in the strong North Texas economy, Steinmetz prioritizes philanthropic efforts throughout the state.

Community Involvement

  • Texas Tech University System, Past Board of Regents
  • Young Presidents’ Organization, Member
  • Dallas Citizens Council, Director
  • Dallas Museum of Art Budget & Finance Committee, Member
  • Texas Tech University System, Chancellor’s Council
  • Texas Lyceum, Past Director
  • Boys and Girls Club, Past Board President
  • U.S. Senate Leadership Summit, Past Texas Delegate
  • Texas Tech Student Government Association, Past President

Recognitions:

Education

  • Texas Tech University, B.B.A. Finance, Emphasis in Real Estate

  • Texas Tech University, School of Community Banking

Words to Live By

  • Loyalty is king.