The board and bank leadership saw the need to serve the South Dallas community early on, committing time and resources to a task force aimed at innovating in this space. Dallas Carter High School graduate and Oak Cliff resident Lubbock Smith III volunteered on the committee and was soon hired full-time as Vice President, Director of Community Development and Vista Outreach.
From their initial encounter, he and Vista President & CEO John D. Steinmetz shared a vision to engage South Dallas community leaders, invest in area schools and student athletes, and provide financial literacy training as well as bank products and services to the under-championed region.
Vista quickly stepped up as Title Sponsor for Camp Exposure, a supporting role that lasted three years. The Bank provided key funding and manpower to help the young organization empower area high school athletes to garner D1 attention, while elevating their skills both on and off the field.
The Bank then sponsored a 75″ digital board at Dallas Carter High School acting as a real-time scrapbook of the school’s rich heritage and current achievements, with financial literacy tips interspersed throughout to train curious students.
A strong believer in collaboration, Vista would go on to partner with DISD, the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, Southern Dallas Progress, DEC, and over 40 other great organizations to impact over 21,000 individuals while working towards real solutions for the community.
A location was then secured in the Fair Park region and will be the first of its kind in almost three decades. Once renovation efforts of the old social security building at 3225 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. are completed, the new location will serve not only as Vista’s largest and latest Banking Center footprint, but also provide office space to house the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce where Mr. Smith serves on the Board of Directors, as well as Southern Dallas Progress and the SDFP Innovation Center. The completed office space will be anchored by a Financial Literacy Center offering year-round trainings to students, young adults, families, and small businesses.
“I am beyond thrilled that Vista Bank has announced the opening of a Branch in South Dallas,” stated Dallas City Councilman Adam Bazaldua. “The commitment to our community and investment in resources is going to touch District 7 in ways unseen before. It’s no secret that for decades our side of I-30 has been intentionally overlooked and deprived of equitable access to capital financing and resources. Vista Bank’s presence is not only symbolic of what we hope is to come, but their partnership with the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce adds another element of trust and confidence to their presence. Further, Vista Bank’s intentional decision to remodel and utilize the old social security building, instead of building a new facility, is a fantastic way to show what dedication to our community looks like. A bank with the intention of aiding our local businesses and residents with access to financial capital will drastically raise the quality of life for so many. Vista Bank’s partnership is a trailblazing step for banking in South Dallas, and I am confident that the outcome will allow other banks to see what our community has known for so long – there is no difference between North and South Dallas, only what is accessible and equitable.”
“I’ve always had a passion to teach people to fish, providing a hand up, not a handout,” noted John Steinmetz. “Having grown up the son of a father who served in the military and TGIFriday’s server, the Boys and Girls Clubs across the country provided some basic life lessons for me, including financial principles rarely taught even today. We will continue working with community partners to find the right balance of financial literacy education and access to funding for qualified loans; providing the training needed for entrepreneurs to learn how to fish as well as a ‘quality pond’ for them to fish from.”
“Growing up an Oak Cliff native, now South Dallas resident, I’ve chosen to work and raise my family here because I wanted to help others elevate in my local community,” stated Lubbock Smith III. “When I first met John and saw his passion to do the same, I knew his vision complemented my own which was no coincidence. Small business is the best hope to see generational wealth created in South Dallas, and I am humbled to serve a company who is as committed to furthering that pursuit as I am.”
About Vista Bank
Best known as the Entrepreneurs’ Bank, Vista Bank is headquartered in Dallas and serves markets across North, Central,
Read More: Vista Bank Will Soon Open the Doors to Fair Park’s First New Bank in Almost