Jeff Austin III, chairman of Jacksonville-based Austin Bank, recently announced the hiring of Leigh Gilland and Jed Crow for its new Montgomery branch. Scheduled to open in June, Montgomery will be Austin Bank’s 36th location and further expand its Southeast Texas service area.
“Expanding into Montgomery is a natural progression for Austin Bank,” Austin says, “and we are so pleased Leigh and Jed have joined Austin Bank to lead in opening our new office.”
Gilland joins the bank to oversee retail operations. With 12 years of banking experience, she comes from Spirit of Texas Bank in Montgomery, where she was an assistant vice president/branch manager. Prior to that, she served as a branch manager for Woodforest National Bank. Involved in her community, Gilland has served on many chamber of commerce and nonprofit organization boards and is a former member of Junior Achievement.
A member of the banking community for 38 years, Crow has spent much of that time involved in commercial and real estate lending. He previously served as market president for Spirit of Texas Bank and First Financial Bank. He will now oversee loan operations in the new Montgomery market. Crow holds a BBA degree in finance from the University of Texas–Arlington and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. His civic participation includes service on various chamber of commerce boards and for several nonprofit organizations.
Established in 1900, Austin Bank operates 36 Texas locations within 26 cities and 14 counties.
