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On a Saturday morning in early June 2007, Elaine Martin and Linda Hoover nervously made their way inside the double-wide modular building that had been recently located on the outskirts of Elgin.
They were hoping to find a very important piece of mail in the drop box upon their arrival, but to no avail. The two were there to tidy up a few remaining details in anticipation of the announced opening of a new Texas bank the following Monday. They both knew, however, the opening would not be possible without the official bank charter that had yet to arrive from the Texas Department of Banking.
As the two bankers dejectedly finished up and prepared to leave, there was a bumping sound at the front door as the mail drop box clanged shut. The charter had arrived, the bank opened on time and Frontier Bank of Texas was in business.
Elaine Martin’s elation that Saturday morning not only marked a fresh start and new beginnings for the state’s newest community bank, it also represented the culmination of months and months of hard work and long hours. A year before, Elaine had been happily employed by what was then known as Elgin Bank of Texas, when five central Texas partners approached her about writing a charter for a new bank.
“I’ve worked with and around banks most of my life,” remembered Martin. “How hard can it be?”
Over the ensuing months, the answer to that question would become abundantly clear.
Not only was Elaine tasked with developing the charter for Frontier, she was part of the original team that raised $26 million in capital that first year to get the bank off the ground.
As Martin announces her retirement this month as one of the most respected bankers in central Texas, she enjoys looking back at that first year with the founders of the Frontier brand.
“I had worked for the state as an accountant early in my career,” said Martin. “That background along with my early years in banking gave me the confidence to tackle what was a pretty daunting challenge.”
In fact, taking on difficult tasks became a trademark during Martin’s career, and the list of beneficiaries goes far beyond Frontier Bank. Time and again, Elaine shared her wealth of experience and skills with other community banks who were in need, including consultation, evaluation and recommendations for bank operations, performing those duties for the common good of Texas banking and the communities they serve. Martin’s coworkers call her the definition of a servant leader.
“I have known a lot of good bankers in my life, but I am confident in saying that no one person has been more instrumental in the development of Frontier Bank than Elaine Martin,” said Chairman Kirk Watson. “She was here from day one, she performed the critical tasks from day one and she is a big reason we are where we are as a bank today.”
Martin remembers with fondness those early days of the little bank in the portable building. “We were so proud.” she said. “We had 11 employees who were the cream of the crop, a teller line and two drive through lanes, but the building was so small the tellers had to sit on the floor to balance their cash drawers at the end of the day.
“But to get to the floor,” Martin said with a laugh, “the tellers had to slide down with their back to the wall to sit.”
Those days are long gone. Today, Frontier purports to be one of the fastest-growing companies in the Austin metro and one of the area’s top places to work. Six of those original bankers, including tellers, now hold leadership positions within the bank. Frontier has almost $700 million in assets and serves the region from nine central Texas locations, including a modern Elgin headquarters, just steps from where the portable building sat.
“I’m often asked about the extraordinary growth of our bank and the answer is pretty simple,” said Patrick Johnson, Frontier Bank president and CEO. “Frontier was built from the ground up by people who value our communities, know our customers, and love the banking business. Frontier was built with Elaine’s leadership and stewardship. When I got here in 2016, Elaine took me under her wing as we embarked together on our next stage of growth. The results of her selfless leadership have been fantastic for our communities, our customers and our bank. Elaine mentored me as she has done countless others, and I am so very grateful for her.”
As for retirement, Martin says there is one thing that will change in her life.
“I will not have an alarm clock,” she laughed. “I look forward to continuing the wonderful friendships I have because of the bank and that will not change. My life revolves around my family and the relationships I have with the Frontier family. Nothing about that is going to change.”
