amarillo chamber of commerce - HPN Books

Are you Happy today? Chairman and CEOJ. Pat Hickman says he wants their customersto have a “Happy Experience” when visitingthe bank. In fact, the mission and credo ofHappy State Bank is “Work hard, have fun,make money, while providing outstandingcustomer service and honoring the GoldenRule.” Founded in 1908 as First State Bank,Happy, Texas, by L. T. Lester, the bank operatedonly one banking office located in the townof Happy during its first eighty-one years.Hickman and other investors purchased thebank with its one banking office in 1990 andformed Happy Bancshares, Inc. A plan to servethe Panhandle as a whole was implementedwith the concept of providing area residentswith a regional bank dedicated to serving multiplecommunities. As a result of an aggressivegrowth strategy tied to buying healthy bankswith great bankers and providing exceptionalcustomer service, Happy now has a presencein nineteen communities with twenty-eightbranches across the Texas Panhandle.Now named Happy State Bank & TrustCompany to reflect its attitude and identify itsroots, the bank has been the fastest growingbank in the Texas Panhandle, increasing fromsix employees to approximately 450 employeesand from $13 million in total assets in1990 to over $1.6 billion in total assets in2011. Hickman says “we like, know, andunderstand the Texas Panhandle as wellor better than anyone. We understandagriculture, oil and gas, and real estate.We know the people of the Panhandle.”That understanding gives Happy theability to offer a full array of bankingservices including personal and commercialbanking, investment and trust services,and cash management services forcommercial customers. As a leader inthe banking industry, Happy providesonline banking, ATM/MasterCard debitcards, text banking, and offers a freemobile app for Android, Apple, andBlackberry devices.Happy believes in the strongPanhandle culture where it is customaryand normal to be genuinely friendly andcourteous. What sets Happy apart is thatit wants its customers to have a ‘HappyExperience’ where the level of service exceedsthe normal standard. Hickman says, “We wantpeople to talk about us. When good serviceis commonplace, people don’t talk aboutgood service, exceptional service is what ‘getspeople talking’ and that’s their objective.”As an excellent corporate citizen, HappyState Bank supports and serves the Panhandleby being involved in the arts, faith-basedcharities, and “kid related” activities. Happyhas stayed involved with education and hassupported schools across the Panhandle.Employees are encouraged to serve on school,hospital, and civic boards. The goal at Happyis to keep serving the Panhandle by makingpeople happy and helping them fulfill theirpersonal and financial dreams at Happy StateBank and throughout the community.HAPPY STATEBANK &TRUSTCOMPANYAbove: L. T. Lester, (seated on safe) foundedHappy State Bank in 1908.Below: J. Pat Hickman, chairman and CEO,(center under arch) is surrounded by theofficers of Happy State Bank &Trust Company.THE MARKETPLACE257