Spotlight On: Tommy Forsythe, President, Ozona Bank
Key points:
- • Ozona Bank is scaling its San Antonio presence around small-business demand.
- • Talent development and relationship banking remain central to its growth strategy.
- • Technology and AI are improving efficiency without replacing human relationships.
September 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Tommy Forsythe, president of Ozona Bank, discussed the bank’s growth strategy, San Antonio’s small-business economy, talent development, and investments in technology. “Technology will drive our processes and our products, but at the end of the day, when you’re working with people’s money, deposits, wealth management, and lending needs, it is a very human business,” Forsythe said.
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What are Ozona Bank’s strategic priorities over the next few years?
Our biggest priority is continuing to lay the foundation so we can scale as we expand within San Antonio, evaluate other markets, and consider acquisitions.
Those priorities span the entire company, including talent, processes, technology, infrastructure investments, and the use of AI to create efficiencies. We are very much in growth mode. These are the building blocks that will allow us to serve our customers and communities over the next several years.
Why is San Antonio such an important market for Ozona Bank?
San Antonio is home to more than 53,000 small businesses, which aligns closely with our value proposition and target clients. The market also has a diversified industry base across healthcare, manufacturing, tourism, and hospitality.
Approximately 80% of SBA loans are under $500,000, and that segment, whether through SBA or conventional lending, represents a large part of the business banking customer base we want to serve.
San Antonio is the largest market in which we operate and offers the greatest opportunity for us to grow within our existing franchise. That is why it is a strategic investment for us over the next three years.
Several mergers and acquisitions have occurred among local and regional banks. As those institutions become larger, the small-business segment can become increasingly underserved. That creates an opportunity for us because we have dedicated bankers working directly with those clients. Our bankers visit clients at their locations, meet with them, and develop relationships.
How are economic pressures affecting conversations with small-business clients?
We have concerns right now, not only about San Antonio but also Texas and the broader U.S. economy. Transportation costs have increased significantly; supply chain pressures remain; wages are still rising; and there is the possibility of future interest rate increases along with lingering inflation.
Our target business client generally has up to $25 million in revenue. Those businesses often do not have the same access to information or internal resources as larger companies. They may not have someone on staff who monitors economic trends or evaluates economic headwinds and the impact on their business.
That is where we can create value. We can bring information to those clients and have one-on-one conversations with them. Smaller businesses need dialogue, resources, and options as they navigate inflation, transportation costs, supply chain issues, and interest rates.
As bank consolidation continues, that advisory gap can widen. We see an opportunity to fill that void and help businesses evaluate the challenges they are facing and provide appropriate banking solutions.
Where are you seeing the greatest demand for banking services?
Lending remains the area of greatest demand because businesses need capital. This includes capital for business and commercial clients, commercial real estate, and the borrowing needs of our retail customers. Beyond lending, treasury management and cash flow management are paramount for our business clients.
Once a business has capital, whether through term debt for equipment or facilities or a line of credit for working capital, it has to manage that capital efficiently and maximize its use while keeping the cost of debt as low as possible.
Cybersecurity and fraud protection are also increasingly important. Businesses and consumers face risks involving malware, spyware, compromised login information, fraud schemes, and unauthorized movement of funds.
How are you approaching talent development and recruitment?
We are taking a two-pronged approach. First, we are investing in younger talent within the company and helping develop individuals who have demonstrated the commitment, values, and responsibility we expect when serving our clients. Growing from within is a longer-term strategy, but it is well worth the investment.
We also need experienced talent to meet our immediate needs, and we have been successful over the last year by creating an environment where bankers can be the best version of themselves.
Bank M&A has created disruption not only for customers, but also for bankers. I experienced that firsthand after spending 27 years at an institution that went through multiple acquisitions and grew from approximately $350 million to $65 billion. That experience reinforced my belief that culture, values, and a shared vision are critical to attracting and retaining talented people.
We are finding that experienced bankers displaced by consolidation are prioritizing connecting deeply with an organization and its values and vision.
We have hired people whose strengths align with strategic initiatives already underway at Ozona Bank, including employee wellness, SBA lending, frontline training, and client experience. This allows bankers to contribute beyond a traditional job description while helping us execute priorities across the bank. This approach has paid exceptional dividends for us.
How are you balancing technology investment with Ozona Bank’s relationship-based model?
Technology is a challenge for every bank. We are using AI and seeing immediate efficiencies from it, although I would still say we are in the early stages.
Technology already helps us with policies, workflows, presentations, and strategy. I do not see AI replacing people, but I do see it replacing certain types of work that people currently perform and then review, particularly repeatable activities where logic can be built within the bank’s risk tolerance.
For clients, technology can create a more consistent, convenient, and responsive banking experience. Lending is one example. By automating the process, a customer can receive an application link, apply at a time that is convenient for them, and move from application to funding more quickly and with greater transparency throughout the process.
Technology should make banking easier without making it less personal. By streamlining the lending process, we give our bankers more time to understand complex situations, provide thoughtful guidance, and strengthen client relationships. Technology is also important for marketing, understanding our customer base, and improving how we engage our clients.
What role do you see community banks playing as fintech continues to grow?
You hear a lot of rhetoric that banks will eventually be displaced by fintech. I think that could not be further from the truth. Will fintech play a role? Yes. Will it make banks better? Absolutely. It will make banks faster and more streamlined.
But we also hear from clients who have used fintech products because accessing funds seemed easy, only to discover that the cost was far greater than they understood. Some later return to a bank for help because of the difficult position in which they find themselves.
Banks will continue to provide a level of value to their communities and clients that cannot be displaced solely by fintech and technology. Technology will drive our processes and our products, but at the end of the day, when you are working with people’s money, deposits, wealth management, and lending solutions, it is a very human business.
For strategic banks such as ours, the future is bright!
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