The Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce recently bestowed Beaver, Oklahoma-based First Security Bank with its 2023 “Start-Up Business of the Year” Award. The honor was presented during the Beaumont Chamber’s Annual Meeting and Awards Event, which “celebrates excellence and ethical conduct in the marketplace, along with active community involvement.”

First Security Bank CEO Clint Walters said in a press release that he is proud and humbled to work with his team members and now see that work recognized.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire First Security Bank team, who continuously prioritize our valued customers and the Southeast Texas community,” the release states. “We have been fortunate to build an exceptional team of financial professionals and friends who continue to grow with our community bank and business.”

Walters and his brothers, along with local shareholders, purchased First Security Bank in 2021. While the bank has been operating in Beaver since 1916, its Beaumont location just opened in June.

“We are truly locally owned and the staff…is very instrumental as far as customer service is concerned and being that differentiator most banks, the larger banks, have to offer,” Walters says. “[The larger banks] talk about it, but they don’t do it—we actually execute it.”

Pictured above: Standing: Austin Williams, Clint Walters, Mike Hatton and Jennifer Walters; seated: Bailey Blanchard, Amye Walters and Brenda Dickerson