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Author: SouthStar Bank

Employee Spotlight- Jeff Harris

Jeff Harris, Senior Vice President of Lending/Branch Executive| SouthStar Bank Kerrville A member of the SouthStar Bank family, Jeff Harris works at the Kerrville Branch as SVP and Branch Executive. He enjoys helping people and seeing them obtain their goal of home ownership. Jeff prides himself on the relationships he builds with his clients. While they start as regular bank customers, by the end of the lending process, Jeff views everyone as a friend. Before joining the banking industry, Jeff served in the United States Marine Corp. for six years, achieving the rank of Sergeant. Jeff has a passion for helping his fellow veterans achieve their financial goals. Helping a veteran buy their forever home is Jeff’s favorite part of his job. In the Kerrville community, Jeff holds leadership roles with multiple organizations that work to help veterans. This list includes his appointment by the County Judge to the County Veterans Advisory Council, Together with Hill Country Veterans and The Hill Country Gala. Beyond his work with local veterans, Jeff is also the current President of the Rotary Club of Kerrville, Vice President of the Hill Country Crisis Council, Commissioner with the city’s Planning & Zoning Committee, and a Deacon at First Presbyterian Church. Marrying his wife is Jeff’s highest personal achievement. Together they enjoy fishing and traveling. They have a tradition of going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, every year to celebrate their anniversary. He hopes to one-day cross cage diving with Great White Sharks off his bucket list while in Mexico. If Jeff could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, he would go back to his Marine Corps. past and meet General Lewis “Chesty” Puller. Jeff Harris NMLS# 1678994

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Customer Spotlight- Oil Field Products International Inc.

Oil Field Products International Inc. (OPI) is a family and women-owned company established by Paul Tompkins and wife, Marilyn Tompkins, in 1997. Paul has been in the manufacturing business for over 40 years. OPI primarily manufactures tools to grab and turn pipe in the oilfield. Paul was able to secure a US Patent for his drill pipe spinner tool which effectively grabs and spins pipe – creating a built-in cheater bar solution previously unavailable. 30 OPI spinners now span the globe, and they also create the dies to grab pipe in-house. Paul and Marilyn were previously renting space in the Kyle area near Austin, TX. With the rising cost of space, the duo grew increasingly interested in owning their own property. Through a recommendation from a neighboring business and friend, Paul was connected with SVP of Lending, Gary Mobbs. When they identified the property, Paul recognized it was slightly out of the norm and discussed the potential with Gary in detail. The structure included a roof and slab, but no existing sides, and sat on a 2-acre piece of land previously used for watermelon farming. A preferred SBA lender, SouthStar Bank was able to structure an SBA 7a loan to meet the needs of OPI including working capital, property purchase and construction to retrofit the building. “Gary is a banker, but he offers so much more,” says Paul. “I have found good bankers have the ability to draw upon their broad experience in working with many businesses. Gary is able to take that knowledge and share it with other SouthStar Bank customers, like me. He provided valuable information to help me make a solid business decision.” During the move, OPI was able to move their large equipment into the building before constructing the walls and retrofitting it to their needs. OPI now operates out of the new climate-controlled facility with plans to expand, paying only a quarter of what they were previously committing to rent each month. The move came at an ideal time and OPI continues to thrive. “I could not have done it without SouthStar Bank and obtaining an SBA loan,” says Paul. He and Marilyn hope to expand into additional industries like the pipeline and the HDD markets.  A family-run business, Paul and Marilyn make the day-to-day operational decisions, son Paul Jr., leads machining operations, and daughter, Michelle, assists with the website and marketing. The Tompkins have 4 granddaughters ages 9 to 16 who they hope will share their passion for engineering and developing new solutions. SouthStar Bank thanks the Tompkins for their valued business and we wish you ongoing success! CONTACTS: Oil Field Products International Inc. (OPI) Paul and Marilyn Tompkins, Owners 281.482.0827  |  sales@oilfield-products.com 9587 N Highway 80 | Leesville, Texas 78122 SouthStar Bank Gary Mobbs, SVP/Area Manager, NMLS# 586586 p: 830.672.1081 x1605 | m: 830.857.1418  |  gary.mobbs@southstarbank.com

Employee Spotlight- Faith Shrader

Faith Shrader, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin Faith Shrader is a Personal Banker at our SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin Branch. She joined the team in 2021 and has quickly become an integral member of the operations team. “Getting to know and assist all of our wonderful customers is the best part of my job,” she says. When she’s not at work, Faith volunteers with Solid Ground, a ministry that provides showers, laundry, clothing, and haircuts to the homeless community. A unique fact about Faith is that she is a licensed cosmetologist and did hair professionally for six years before joining the SouthStar team. Some of her other favorite past times include spending time with family, reading, and traveling.

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Customer Spotlight- Body Wise

Supplied funding to established business partners for land acquisition and construction of a 9,000 square foot, two-story retail building in Lakeway, TX. The new facility will house the partner¹s BodyWise Gym along with two retail storefronts for tenants. “After experiencing nothing but hassles trying to work with two large banks we’ve had relationships with for years, an associate suggested we try SouthStar. It quickly became clear that SouthStar cares about local business and the benefits we anticipated from owning our own building. We were surprised at how easy the process was and how important they made us feel every step of the way.” Amanda Aaron, SVP/Branch Executive, NMLS# 1819235 | p: 512.456.0035 | m: 512.645.7902 |  amanda.aaron@southstarbank.com

Employee Spotlight- Estefania Torres

Estefania Torres, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Hearne Estefania Torres is a Personal Banker positioned out of SouthStar Bank’s Hearne branch. Estefania has been with the team for a little over a year and enjoys continually learning something new about her role every day. As one of SouthStar Bank’s bilingual team members, Estefania has been essential in building lasting relationships with all of the bank’s customers. When Estefania isn’t working, you will find her shopping with her family, journaling, and listening to music. The number one item on her bucket list is to one day visit her grandparents in Mexico.

Employee Spotlight- Donny Lehmann

Donny Lehmann, Vice President of Lending | SouthStar Bank Kerrville Donny Lehmann joined the SouthStar Bank Kerrville team in October 2021 during the acquisition of Community First National Bank. After 20 years in banking, Donny knows that no two loans are alike. He views every new customer as an individual and works to find the unique loan solution that fits their specific needs. Walking homebuyers through the process and eventually assisting them with fulfilling their homeownership goals is Donny’s favorite thing about lending. Maintaining an active role in the community, Donny is involved with the Kerrville Board of Realtors, the Kerrville Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of First United Methodist Church. He is also active in his kids’ extracurricular activities specifically the Golf and Drill teams. Donny enjoys hunting, golfing, fishing, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and spending time with his family. A surprising fact about Donny is that he really enjoys cooking and his favorite food to make is BBQ. His favorite vacation that he has taken was to the French Quarter in New Orleans because of the food and atmosphere. Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender | NMLS# 428594

Congratulations Curtis Wren! New Executive Vice President

Congratulations to Curtis Wren on his promotion to Executive Vice President! Curtis has spent the last four decades in banking and finance. He has been with SouthStar Bank for the last eight years, where he has made a significant impact on the Bank’s loan approval process as a Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. In his role, Curtis is responsible for the Credit Administration Group and the administration and maintenance of the Bank’s Lending, Appraisal & Evaluation, and Environmental policies, and the adherence to them in analyzing, underwriting, and approving loans. Prior to his promotion, Curtis was awarded the 2021 President’s Award, which is given to the individual who has made the organization’s strongest contribution over the past year. As Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, Curtis will continue to share his extensive knowledge and experience with the loan officers and credit analysts. “I don’t look at lending just from the viewpoint of the collateral and cash flow,” he says, “I look at lending in the context of the request and as making a smart investment in the people behind the request, and I will continue to share that philosophy.”  A proud member of the Georgetown community, Curtis is involved with several local organizations including Main Street Baptist Church, Ducks Unlimited, and the Coastal Conservation Association. He has also held leadership positions with the Georgetown Rotary Club where he was the Director and the Sargent-at-Arms. In his free time, Curtis enjoys barbecuing, traveling, and spending time with his family and friends, particularly his four grandchildren. Two of  his most significant personal accomplishments are his marriage to wife, Charis, for 38 ½ years and the wonderful family they have raised. A surprising pastime is that he enjoys making renovations to his 1890s home and yard. Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender | NMLS# 680305

Employee Spotlight- Deanna Ellison

Deanna Ellison, Loan Operations Processor | SouthStar Bank Calvert Deanna Ellison is a Loan Operations Processor at our Calvert location. In 2017, she graduated from Sam Houston State University with her Bachelors in Business Administration. One of Deanna’s favorite things about her role is getting to interact with her co-workers. A career highlight for Deanna was the amount of non-real estate loans that she booked in 2021. Deanna and her family enjoy sports, fishing, and taking advantage of the outdoors whenever possible. One of their favorite activities is taking care of the family animals. Currently, they own, one dog, Brahman cattle, two horses, chickens, and ducks. One of her kids’ favorite hobbies is collecting all of the different colored eggs, as of recent, they had collected blue, green, white, and brown eggs. Deanna also loves to spend time in her garden. Her favorite things to grow are cucumbers for canning and sunflowers which is her favorite flower.

Welcome Emily Gamez

Emily Gamez, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Bee Cave Emily Gamez is joining the SouthStar Bank team as a Personal Banker at the Bee Cave location. A proud roadrunner, she graduated with her Bachelors from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2020 and is currently working towards getting her MBA from UTSA as well. While Emily is new to banking, she is excited to use her top-notch customer service skills and small-town touch to build strong relationships with her customers and co-workers. Away from work and her studies, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and exploring all of the unique things and places Austin has to offer. Welcome to the SouthStar Bank family, Emily!

Employee Spotlight- David Kapavik

David Kapavik, Chief Executive Officer/President | SouthStar Bank Moulton The leader of the SouthStar Bank team, David Kapavik, offices out of the Moulton Branch as President and Chief Executive Officer. David is an alumnus of Southwest Texas State University, where he received his MBA. He has worked in the banking industry for the last 34 years, spending the first seven years working as a bank examiner. In 1995, David joined the bank under its former name of First State Bank of Moulton/ Lone Star Bank as President. Following the 2015 merger of Lone Star, Texas Star, and First Star banks, David was selected to continue his role of President and CEO for the newly unified SouthStar Bank. In his position, he enjoys interacting with team members and helping develop new ideas and niche products into successes. It makes him proud to lead a team that has grown a small community bank that once held only $23 million in assets to where it is today at $1.2 billion in total assets. David is a member of multiple professional organizations, including Independent Bankers Association, Texas Bankers Association, Federal Home Loan Bank, and BCL of Texas. In his community, he has served on the stock show board and was a member of the school advisory committee for Shiner Catholic School. An active member of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church, David currently sits on the Finance Council and serves as a Eucharistic Minister. One of David’s many loves in life is nature. He enjoys hunting, fishing, raising cattle, developing ranches, and improving the land for all to enjoy. He credits his agricultural experience as one of the main drivers in his career. To this day, he operates a ranch that raises Wagyu and Brangus cattle. A second passion of David’s is traveling and seeing global landscapes. His favorite destination that he has traveled to is the beautiful country of Greece. The number one item on David’s bucket list is to continue his travels with his wife and their three children. David Kapavik NMLS#627916

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