In the age of banking apps and online services, Hilltop Bank continues to be grounded in community.
And it’s a community that is expanding.
The family-owned bank celebrates 60 years in 2024, and recently opened a trust and wealth management office in Gillette. It has plans for full-service branch in Cheyenne in the upcoming years.
President and CEO Greg Dixson said while the bank embraces technology, it also wants to keep an arm around its customers as well. He repeats an edited phrase he heard a few years ago and has adopted into the bank’s strategic thinking.
“Community banking isn’t simply something you do, it’s a place you visit. We don’t want to deploy technology that takes away our ability to communicate with the customer. We still have customers that like to come in here.”
In addition to its headquarters location at 300 Country Club Road in Casper, Hilltop has branches around the Oil City, in Glenrock, and now offices in Cheyenne and Gillette as destinations for financial services.
The bank also boasts a robust mobile app that allows customers to track spending and provide insights, mobile deposits, and the ability to communicate travel plans. Hilltop offers online account opening and access to thousands of surcharge-free ATMs through the MoneyPass network.
‘Sterling Reputation’
Dixson said he joined the bank nine years ago after spending part of his career in Colorado financial institutions. He said while outside the state, he kept an eye on Hilltop and Wyoming banking.
“It’s always had a sterling reputation. It’s been the model bank in Wyoming since the True (family) acquired it,” he said.
Hilltop Bank began when Casper business leaders recognized the need for a financial institution to serve the growing east side of Casper. Hilltop National Bank originally opened its first branch in a shopping center, with fewer than a dozen employees.
In 1977, H.A. True and his family, of Casper, bought the bank, and the ownership has remained unchanged ever since. The True family owns and manages True Companies, which serves the energy, agriculture, real estate/development and financial industries. Last year, the True companies celebrated their 75th anniversary.
Dixson said the bank thrives today because owners have created a healthy employee culture and strong board of directors and understand the needs of those in Casper and Wyoming. Unlike publicly traded banks where decisions are made based on quarter-to-quarter results — Hilltop takes a longer view.
“Our owners have never focused on those short-term profits,” he said. “They know that if we take care of our customers and our community that those revenues will come naturally. They are more focused on the next five or 10 years, not quarter to quarter.”
For example, Dixson said the bank works to be creative and structure loans to meet customer needs.
“Each deal is different, and we get to work with those customers and see what we can do to help them,” he said. “Certainly, staying within the regulatory guidelines.”
As he looks over the banking industry, Dixson said a couple decades ago there was not much difference between corporate banks and community banks. Today there is. Corporate banking does not respond well to customers experiencing difficult times. He said his bank gets feedback from customers who say they “love” Hilltop because when they call, they can connect with someone or get a return call.
Bank staff are willing to roll up their sleeves and work for a positive solution.
“It’s easy to be a banker during the good times. It’s more challenging to be a banker during the bad times,” he said. “But the bad times can really show the true character of a bank. It is how you react. We have customers who are fiercely loyal because we knew their problems were temporary and we worked together to find solutions.”
Community-Focused
Hilltop Bank is passionately involved in the communities that they serve and give back to organizations and nonprofits. Employees donate thousands of hours each year to worthwhile events, projects, and nonprofits around the state.
A well-known community project that Hilltop Bank supports is Lemonade Day Casper. Since 2014, the bank has sponsored this program where young entrepreneurs build and run a lemonade stand.
Dixson characterizes it as a “cool and constructive way” to get kids interested in entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Youngsters who participate are invited to the bank for lemonade and cookies where they receive a little backpack with information on how to create their own lemonade stands. Participants work out a budget and learn concepts such as revenue and expenses.
In 2024, 383 children registered and participated in the program.
“It’s just plain fun,” Dixson said.
Learn more about what the bank offers at online at hilltop.bank.
