HEREFORD, Texas, Oct. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of First Financial Bank, N.A., announced today the promotion of Robert de la Cruz to Chairman, President and CEO of the Hereford Region upon the announcement that Mike Mauldin will become the inaugural Director of the Excellence in Banking Program at the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, effective November 1, 2019. 

"Robert de la Cruz has earned the opportunity to lead our Hereford Region, and Mike Mauldin has done an excellent job preparing Robert for this important leadership role," said Ron Butler, Chief Administrative Officer of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. "We are excited to see another one of our younger management team members being recognized for their contributions to our Bank and being promoted to a position of more responsibility.  Additionally, we are excited about Mike Mauldin becoming the first Director of the Excellence in Banking program at Texas Tech."

"These are great announcements for both the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University and our Bank," said Scott Dueser, Chairman, President and CEO of First Financial Bankshares, Inc.  "I can't think of anyone better to lead the Excellence in Banking Program at the Rawls College of Business than Mike Mauldin who has been in the industry more than 42 years, been President of three banks and has served as Chairman, President and CEO of our Hereford Region for the past 17 years with an excellent track record.  Mike brings to the Excellence in Banking Program vast knowledge in banking, lending, agriculture, operations, teaching, lobbying at the federal and state level, and is a person who knows almost every banker throughout the State of Texas." 

"We are also fortunate to have such a great successor to Mike in Hereford, and we are excited for Robert on this well-deserved promotion.  Robert is a first-generation college graduate and started with our Bank 16 years ago in our contact center and worked up the ladder from there.  He will be the sixth Regional President who has started with our Bank right after college, advanced through our numerous training programs and positions within the Bank and has become President of one of our Regional Banks.  Robert is also our first Hispanic Regional President, which reflects the importance of diversity in our Company," added Dueser.

Mauldin has more than 42 years in the banking industry and joined First Financial Bank in 2002. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from West Texas State University and  has held numerous leadership positions with both the American Bankers Association and Texas Bankers Association, including serving as the Chairman of TBA from 2012 to 2013.  He has received numerous honors through the years including Texas Bankers Association 2010 Chairman's Award, Deaf Smith County 2010 Citizen of the Year, West Texas State A&M 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2019, inducted into the Old Main Society. 

De la Cruz holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from Hardin-Simmons University, is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, the Texas Bankers Association management development program and FFIN University.  He has more than 16 years of banking experience, beginning his career in the Abilene contact center and then as a loan review analyst.  De la Cruz moved to Hereford as a commercial lender in 2006 and was named Executive Vice President for the Hereford Region in 2018.  De la Cruz serves on the Texas Bankers Association Bank Leadership Council, as well as the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee.  His civic involvement includes the Lions Club, the Hereford ISD School Board, and the Career Technology and Education Advisory Board for Hereford High School.

About First Financial Bank, N.A.

First Financial Bank, N.A. is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIN). Headquartered in Abilene, Texas, First Financial Bankshares, Inc. is a financial holding company that through its subsidiary, First Financial Bank, N.A., operates multiple banking regions with 73 locations in Texas, including Abilene, Acton, Albany, Aledo, Alvarado, Beaumont, Boyd, Bridgeport, Brock, Burleson, Cisco, Cleburne, Clyde, Conroe, Cut and Shoot, Decatur, Eastland, El Campo, Fort Worth, Fulshear, Glen Rose, Granbury, Grapevine, Hereford, Huntsville, Keller, Kingwood, Magnolia, Mauriceville, Merkel, Midlothian, Mineral Wells, Montgomery, Moran, New Waverly, Newton, Odessa, Orange, Palacios, Port Arthur, Ranger, Rising Star, Roby,  San  Angelo,  Southlake, Spring, Stephenville, Sweetwater, Tomball, Trent, Trophy Club, Vidor, Waxahachie, Weatherford, Willis, and Willow Park. The Company also operates First Financial Trust & Asset Management Company, N.A., with eight locations and First Technology Services, Inc., a technology operating company.

The Company is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol FFIN.  For more information about First Financial Bankshares, please visit our website at http://www.ffin.com.

Certain statements contained herein may be considered "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the belief of the Company's management, as well as assumptions made beyond information currently available to the Company's management, and may be, but not necessarily are, identified by such words as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "target", "forecast" and "goal".  Because such "forward-looking statements" are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include competition from other financial institutions and financial holding companies; the effects of and changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the  Federal Reserve Board; changes in the demand for loans; fluctuations in value of collateral and loan reserves; inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; and acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses, and similar variables.   Other key risks are described in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which may be obtained under "Investor Relations-Documents/Filings" on the Company's Web site or by writing or calling the Company at 325.627.7155. Except as otherwise stated in this news announcement, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise.

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SOURCE First Financial Bankshares, Inc.