Woodforest National Bank Wins Two IBAT Best of Community Banking Awards for Community Service and Financial Literacy. Pictured front row: Krystian Reyes, Doug Schaeffer, Julie Mayrant, Daniel Galindo and Brenda Wendt from Woodforest National Bank Pictured back row: Christopher Williston, President and CEO, and Ronnie Miller, Immediate Past Chairman from Independent Bankers Association of Texas. (PRNewsfoto/Woodforest National Bank)
Woodforest National Bank Wins Two Best of Community Banking Awards
Independent Bankers Association of Texas recognizes bank’s community service and financial education programs
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Oct. 9, 2019 — The Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT)—the largest state community banking association in the nation—recently honored Woodforest National Bank® (Woodforest) with two 2019 Best of Community Banking (BOCB) Awards. Woodforest received a gold award in community service for its Woodforest FoundrySM program that promotes entrepreneurship activation and a silver award for its New Beginnings financial education program with Family Promise that helps families who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness.
2019 marks the 28th year that IBAT has celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of Texas community banks with the BOCB Award. Community banks, such as Woodforest, play a critical role in their local communities. The Best of Community Banking competition is designed to honor banks for their commitment to helping their customers, neighbors and community. BOCB Awards recognize community banks throughout the state for their innovation, creativity and success in fulfilling a specific community or internal need. Each submission was rated as a gold, silver or bronze award in one of five categories: architectural design, bank culture, community service, financial literacy and marketing.
Woodforest’s community service gold winning entry, Woodforest Foundry, is facilitated by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs, as mentors to enhance local entrepreneurial ecosystems, which revitalizes underserved communities and helps grow businesses. With the Woodforest Foundry, entrepreneurs find a community of mentors and trusted guidance from peers, Woodforest employees and community partners.
Its silver winning entry addresses an unmet need it saw in communities, not only across its 17-state footprint, but also throughout the nation. Through a community partnership with Family Promise (the leading national organization fighting homelessness in the U.S.), both entities created the New Beginnings program to serve families across 43 states.
