1. George Martinez
8807 W. Sam Houston Parkway N., Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77040
(281) 970-3090
August 15, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
I highly recommend Mark Kamin & Associates to any organization interested in
extraordinary levels of growth and performance.
I am a co-founder and the retired Chairman and CEO of a regional commercial bank. I
worked with Mark Kamin and his associates for over 15 years. When Mark began
consulting with us we had four locations and $150 million in total assets. By the time I
retired after 30 years of service, the bank had 35 locations and total assets of $3.5 billion.
The bank’s value proposition was better service for owner-operated businesses in
exchange for a higher price, competing primarily with low-cost providers. We operated in
a way that allowed us to make quick decisions locally for the benefit of the customer
instead of resorting to centralized decision-making. Leadership was exercised in all areas
and at all levels of the bank. Mark consulted with the executive team and designed
programs for developing the officers and key employees to be independently responsible.
During that period the bank outperformed most US companies in many measures. We
had 15 consecutive years of record earnings beginning in 1988 and our stock price
increased 2000% during that time. Our customer service as measured by secret shoppers
increased from 43% to over 80%, considerably over industry standard. As a result of the
culture our bank was listed on Fortune Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For” three
years in a row beginning in 2003. The work of Mark and his associates factored in as a
major component for these accomplishments.
During that period, I also used Mark as a personal coach. His commitment to the integrity
of our relationship and to serving my interests and the interests of our shareholders was
impeccable. Mark continually challenged me beyond the comfortable. This allowed me to
develop and enhance my life and my value to the organization. It was a career-making
relationship for me.
Sincerely,
George Martinez