Banking on Integrity

Getting fired from an internship can launch a career faster than you ever planned. Hazem and Mack sit down with Joseph Jackson, longtime Houston real estate investor and builder. They hear how a Houston kid went from a Brevard, North Carolina internship, where he was fired for showing up late, to buying a $10,000 condo at age 22, fixing roofs himself, and building a construction company out of a little Chevy S10. Joseph explains why he hunts for the worst house on the block, how he stress-tests every deal, and why he calls relationships the real foundation of the business. He also shares why he wrote his first book, There is a House for That, and what he wants his children to learn from it. Buy Joseph's book There is a House for That: https://a.co/d/05BNq30k To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Joseph got his start after an internship firing showed him he could cover six months of bills. He bought his first properties in the early '90s, when the savings-and-loan fallout had pushed prices down to the $6,000–$13,000 range. 2. He stress-tests every deal by asking whether the property can still cash-flow if rent and occupancy both drop by half. If it can, he knows he can hold it through any market. 3. He looks for the worst house on the block. Renovating the eyesore makes neighbors upgrade their own homes, and they then bring him leads for the next job. 4. Joseph built his contractor network by asking how he could help each subcontractor, not just who offered the lowest price. Some of his crews have worked with him for 20 years at close to 20-year-old pricing. 5. There is a House for That is a book on life philosophy that uses real estate as the backdrop. It starts with a "True North" self-evaluation, and it comes from his "travel house," "college house" and "car house" approach, where each property funds one part of life. It took about 18 months to write after ten years of thinking about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A great office does more than look good. It makes people feel cared for. Hazem and Mack sit down with Shelli Lambert, founder of Interior Green International, to hear how she turned creativity, cold calls, and a willingness to learn the hard parts of business into a 30-year Houston company serving roughly 450 corporate clients. Shelli shares what plants can do for an office, why her technicians are the heart of the company, and how a business that began with one tree grew into a major interior, exterior, and holiday-design operation. Learn more about Interior Green International (https://igiplants.com/). To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Shelli always knew she wanted to own a business, but she found her path after leaving an unfulfilling sales job, working for another plant company, and starting Interior Green International. 2. The company grew through persistence. Shelli recalls setting aside full days to make as many as 75 cold calls, learning how to earn appointments and build long-term client relationships. 3. Interior Green serves roughly 450 corporate accounts through weekly plant care, design, maintenance, and replacement, taking the burden of plant care off office teams. 4. Holiday design became a major extension of the business. The company begins production in July, installs interior and exterior décor in the fall, and continues removals well into the new year. 5. Shelli credits much of her longevity to taking care of employees. Some team members have been with her for nearly 20 years, and their relationships with clients are central to the company’s success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can measure a bank in assets. Or you can measure it in the people who trust you with their next step. Hazem and Mack mark Integrity Bank’s two-year anniversary with a candid conversation about building a community bank from the ground up, approaching $400 million in assets, and earning the trust of customers through referrals and relationships. They discuss interest rates, bank consolidation, hiring experienced bankers, supporting Houston nonprofits, future branches, and why the best measure of growth is not a balance-sheet number but the businesses, families, and employees behind it. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Integrity Bank approaches its two-year anniversary with nearly $400 million in assets, surpassing the original projections Hazem and Mack made during the chartering process. 2. The bank has grown through relationships and referrals, not simply by chasing deposits or loans. Hazem and Mack emphasize learning each customer’s story, needs, and goals. 3. Integrity Bank’s roughly 27 employees bring an average of 22 to 23 years of experience, combining seasoned bankers with younger talent who may become the next generation of community bankers. 4. Community involvement is part of the model, not an afterthought. The bank supports efforts including turkey drives, schools, and other Houston nonprofit organizations. 5. Hazem and Mack believe community banks remain essential because customers need decision-makers who know them personally, understand their businesses, and can help them navigate both opportunity and risk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A normal scan does not always mean a brain is okay. Hazem and Mack sit down with Bishoi Attia and Michael Darrow of Brain Injury Blood Test, also known as Head Got Hurt, to explore how blood biomarkers may help identify traumatic brain injury after car accidents, concussions, and other impacts that do not always show up on traditional imaging. Bishoi shares the personal experience that drew him toward brain health, while Michael, a biomedical engineer and neuroscience researcher, explains the science behind biomarkers, recovery, and earlier intervention. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about Head Got Hurt (https://braininjurybloodtest.com/). Key Takeaways 1. Traditional imaging looks for structural damage, but a concussion or traumatic brain injury may not show an obvious lesion even when a patient has real symptoms. 2. Head Got Hurt uses a blood test and proprietary scoring approach to examine biomarkers, symptoms, timing, and injury factors that may help clarify brain injury risk and recovery needs. 3. The company focuses largely on personal injury cases, helping people and attorneys document potential brain injury after car wrecks and find appropriate rehabilitation resources. 4. Michael explains that biomarkers have always existed in the body. Advances in research and testing now make it possible to identify and interpret them more effectively. 5. Bishoi and Michael see future applications beyond car accidents, including proactive brain-health monitoring, military care, and eventually youth and collegiate sports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A family business can become your future faster than you ever planned. Hazem and Mack sit down with Fred Leonard, longtime leader of Val-Tex, to hear how he stepped into his father’s struggling valve lubricant and sealant company, lost his father just a few years later, and spent decades rebuilding the business one customer and one carton at a time. Fred shares what community banking meant when the company needed someone to believe in it, why he chose patience over overreach, and what he learned after selling Val-Tex in 2015. Key Takeaways 1. Fred joined his father’s company after college, then assumed far greater responsibility when his father’s illness and death left him leading a business with deep operational and financial challenges. 2. Val-Tex survived by becoming smaller before it could grow, shedding unprofitable operations, lowering its payroll, and focusing on its specialty manufacturing business. 3. Fred built Val-Tex through patience, describing the work as growing the company “a carton at a time” without overextending its resources. 4. Community banks gave the company its footing when larger institutions showed little interest, creating a relationship that became a decades-long friendship with Mack. 5. Fred sold Val-Tex in 2015 after more than 47 years with the company. What he missed most was not the work itself, but the people who had built the business alongside him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.