Kristi Connell, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Harker Heights
The SouthStar Bank Harker Heights branch recently added, Personal Banker, Kristi Connell to their team. Fairly new to the banking industry, Kristi is excited to bring her positivity and drive to the job. She strives every day to be better in all things she does. An interesting fact about Kristi is that she put out her own album in 2018 titled “Through it All.”
The SouthStar Bank family recently grew with the addition of the new Kerrville location. The acquisition brings ten new members to the team.
Kyla Gesell will lead the Kerrville Operations team as Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager. In her new role, she is excited to create a relaxed and fun work environment that people enjoy coming to every day while keeping strong customer service skills as a top priority. In her personal life, Kyla considers her most significant achievement to be the life she is building with her husband and soon-to-be son.
Meghan Jackson is a Personal Banker on the Kerrville team. Meghan started her career in banking in 2009 and was promoted from teller to Personal Banker. She considers her friendliness, attention to detail, creativity, and quirkiness to be some of her greatest assets. Outside of work, Meghan loves to spend time with her two teenage sons.
Personal Banker, Sche Kehner, began as a teller and has now been in the banking industry for 10 years. Sche enjoys using her fantastic communication skills to build relationships with customers. Away from the bank, some of Sche’s favorite hobbies include wade fishing and hanging out with her husband and fur babies.
Claudia Gonzales has been with the bank for the last four years and is transitioning to the role of Personal Banker. She enjoys learning about the banking industry and assisting her customers. Claudia strives to continue learning more about the banking industry as a whole. In her free time, Claudia enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and animals. She also enjoys makeup applications and loves to try out new techniques.
Rounding out the operations team is Personal Banker Brittany Selement. She began her career in the banking industry two years ago when she joined the Kerrville team. Brittany loves applying the knowledge she has gained from her time with the bank and is always eager to learn more about the industry. A mountain girl at heart, Brittany loves to travel to Colorado. Exploring the mountains and hiking are some of her favorite activities.
Sherri Steadham is a part of the Kerrville lending team as a Loan Assistant. Sherri joined the team and the banking industry under two years ago. Her strong customer service skills have made her a valuable asset to the team. Sherri has lived in Kerrville for nearly 40 years and enjoys spending her free time with family and crafting.
Shelby Mossman began her banking career as a teller quickly worked her way up to Personal Banker and later to her current position of Loan Assistant. In her role, Shelby strives to always apply her outstanding work ethic in each customer interaction. Shelby likes to spend her leisure time in the great outdoors, camping and hiking with her pup Buddy.
The Kerrville Lending team is growing with the addition of Donny Lehmann. He joins the team as a Vice President of Lending. Donny has been in the industry for almost 20 years and specializes in Secondary Market Mortgage Lending. He is excited to be adding commercial and portfolio lending to his list of services. Donny loves to spend his time away from the bank with his wife Felicia and their three daughters Hailey, Hannah, and Hollie. NMLS# 428584
Jeff Harris is also a Vice President of Lending at the Kerrville Branch. As a US Marine Corps Veteran, Jeff is committed to helping his clients through local expertise, professionalism, and compassion. There is nothing more satisfying for Jeff than assisting clients in achieving their dream of homeownership. Outside of the bank, Jeff likes to travel with his wife, Kristy. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Key West, Florida are two of their favorite destinations. NMLS# 1678994
Kent McKinney will be the Business Development Advisor for the Kerrville location. After 46 years in banking, Kent is excited for his new role with SouthStar Bank. He is looking forward to assisting customers and the Kerrville team through the transition. Away from work, Kent likes to spend time with his family, reading, playing golf, and traveling. His favorite place he has traveled to is Zambia.
Trent Sconiers, Portfolio Manager | SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin
Trent Sconiers joins the SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin branch as a Portfolio Manager. He holds three years of banking operations experience and is currently beginning his new role in the lending department. He started his career as a teller and worked his way up the ranks as a personal banker, operations manager, and Compliance Officer. Trent is excited to connect with prospective customers and learn the lending process from top to bottom. As a graduate of Texas A&M, Trent is a college football enthusiast and enjoys cheering on the Aggies on Saturdays in the fall. He also enjoys hunting, golfing, Texas barbecue, and the occasional craft beer.
Kandice Bethke, Vice President of Lending | SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin
Kandice Bethke is a Vice President of Lending in the Fredericksburg area. Working in the industry for the last 15 years, Kandice started her career in a teller position and was quickly promoted up the ranks to customer service representative, Lending Assistant, trainer, loan officer, Market Manager, and now Vice President of Lending. Kandice has worked with multiple types of loans in her past roles, including portfolio, mortgage, and commercial.
In her community, Kandice has been on the board of her local Habitat of Humanity chapter for the last two years and recently became the President in 2020. “It is amazing to see so many people come together to help a family in need,” says Kandice.
When not at work, Kandice enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their three children. Some of their favorite activities include fishing and kayaking.
Kerrville Team (L-R): Jeff Harris, Brittany Selement, Shelby Mossman, Kyla Gesell, Meghan Jackson, Sche Kehner, Sherri Steadham, Claudia Gonzales. Not Pictured: Kent McKinney, Donny Lehmann
It’s Official: SouthStar Bank Joins the Kerrville Community
MOULTON, TX, August 27, 2021 – SouthStar Bank has purchased the Kerrville branch of Community First National Bank with the full approval of the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
The branch, located at 1101 Junction Highway in Kerrville, TX, will be open for business as a SouthStar Bank branch on Monday, August 30th.
The community is invited to attend a ribbon cutting celebration on September 24th at 3:30 PM. BBQ will be served and there will be live music from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The event is free, family-friendly, and open to all.
SouthStar Bank has been a fixture in Texas banking since 1920. It’s headquartered in Moulton, TX and now has 16 locations throughout Central Texas (including the new Kerrville branch).
According to SouthStar Bank President & CEO David Kapavik, the sale represented a strategic initiative for both organizations. “The Kerrville branch is a perfect fit. Community First National Bank built a strong reputation for local, friendly service. These values are in line with SouthStar Bank’s mission to provide friendly, flexible, common-sense financial solutions—Texas style! Their values are aligned with ours as a true community bank. We are excited to grow the Bank’s footprint into the Hill Country area.”
SouthStar Bank retained the Community First National Bank Kerrville team at the branch, including Brittany Selement (Personal Banker), Claudia Gonzales (Personal Banker), Jeffery Harris (Vice President of Lending), Donny Lehmann (Vice President of Lending), Kent McKinney (Business Development Advisor), Kyla Gesell (AVP/Branch Manager), Meghan Jackson (Personal Banker), Sche Kehner (Personal Banker), Shelby Mossman (Loan Assistant), and Sherri Steadham (Loan Assistant).
When speaking of the Kerrville team, Kapavik said: “The local team is strong, helping to make the transition as seamless as possible both internally and for the new clients we are bringing into the SouthStar Bank family.”
Kent McKinney, Business Development Advisor and former Community First National Bank Senior VP feels the team will be in great hands.
“During the transition, I have had the opportunity to meet many of the SouthStar Bank people, from owners, to managers, to staff members at several levels. Without exception they are some of the nicest, most pleasant, most dedicated individuals you could hope to meet. There will always be some changes resulting from this kind of transition, but what you won’t see is a decrease in friendly, efficient customer service.” McKinney notes that the staff has been looking forward to the change, and praises SouthStar Bank for the investments they’ve made in local nonprofit organizations.
“SouthStar Bank looks forward to a long-term presence,” adds Kapavik. “Extending our 100-year history of helping local residents reach their financial goals.”
SouthStar Bank, S.S.B., specializes in residential mortgage, real estate, and construction lending, operating 16 full-service branches across the Central Texas region. Established in 1920, the bank continues to focus on community involvement and personal relationships. Decisions are made locally, allowing the flexibility to apply common-sense standards to products, services, and loan requests.
In addition to residential and commercial lending, SouthStar Bank offers a full line of competitive consumer and commercial banking products. With the latest conveniences, including online banking and mobile banking with check capture, debit card alerts, and freeze capabilities, and a free worldwide Allpoint ATM network, clients can easily bank on the go.