Mark Evans sees far more than buildings while looking out his office window these days; he sees limitless possibilities. It’s been Evans’ mindset since assuming the leadership role as Regions Bank’s Commercial Banking leader and first market executive in San Antonio, Texas, nearly one year ago.
Saying Evans is energized by the challenge of entering a new market – the latest chapter of his nearly 40-year banking career – is an understatement. He proved himself a business and community leader in Shreveport, Louisiana, and East Texas. With his four children now grown and living across the Lone Star State, the time was right to make the move.
Besides, Regions offers San Antonio businesses a range of financial services that go well beyond traditional banking, a clear competitive advantage.
We caught up with Evans to learn more about what’s happening as he and his now team introduce Regions to people, businesses and community partners in the Alamo City.
Regions announced your new San Antonio market executive role last April. What’s changed since that time?
A lot. We’ve hired two Commercial Banking relationship managers, doubling our group’s size and complementing a group of Regions Mortgage associates, who were first in the market. Each member of our Commercial team brings something unique and valuable to the table, whether that’s experience with government and nonprofits, working with local industries or with family offices. What they share is the trust they’ve built with clients.
We’ve moved into a new building featuring crown signage thanks to support from our Corporate Real Estate partners. Our offices are on the first floor, and we have access to modern common space allowing us to host events on the third floor. In January, we invited members of the business community to join us as we cut the ribbon at our new location with the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
In late 2023, we hosted a market outlook luncheon for prospects and centers of influence with Regions’ Chief Investment Officer Alan McKnight. Our guests appreciated hearing from Alan and the opportunity to ask him questions.
Tell us more about San Antonio. What stands out about the city, and what do you see as the greatest opportunities for the market’s growth?
What surprises a lot of people about San Antonio is its size as the second-largest city in Texas and the seventh largest in the country. The area’s major economic drivers include bioscience and health care, the military, manufacturing, cybersecurity and tourism.
We’re now investors with greater:SATX, a private-public nonprofit of 200-plus companies and municipal partners dedicated to attracting companies to the area and elevating workforce and economic growth opportunities. They’ve also been focused on growing the corridor between Austin and San Antonio with new technology headquarters, warehouse developments and more.
You mentioned Regions’ involvement with the Chamber and greater: SATX. How else is the bank engaging in the San Antonio community?
We made our community debut last April by participating in the Fiesta Night Parade, the nation’s largest nighttime parade drawing more than 100,000 spectators. We sponsored a float featuring our Regions brand, as well as the University of Texas Health Science Center. We’re looking forward to returning as a parade participant this April and spotlighting The Arc of San Antonio as our nonprofit float partner.
We’re now almost three months into the year. What’s on your radar for the remainder of 2024?
In the past year, we’ve grown our team, we’ve moved into our office and we’ve developed our list of client prospects. We’re now focused on reaching out to those prospects and introducing them to the financial advice and guidance Regions can offer business owners. That’s our primary focus this year.
We’re also exploring ways to bring Regions’ specialty teams to the table, whether that’s our Small Business Administration group, Government and Institutional Banking team, International Banking partners, New Markets Tax Credit group and more. I think our specialty groups are something our local competitors either don’t have or aren’t touting as much, so it’s a differentiator representing opportunity for us to better serve our clients. We also provide Treasury Management options to help companies optimize cash flow, streamline purchasing, and allocate more resources toward actual revenue generation. Together, these services and our focus on relationships set us apart.
Our team is here because they really like our culture and how we do business. With those we’ve brought on board, the prospect of adding a couple of additional team members into the fold this year, and the unique capabilities and solutions we have to serve our clients, I’m confident 2024 will be a great year for our San Antonio team.