b'C o m m u n i t yNew Bank Helping Small BusinessCorpusChristiisnotaone-size-fits-allPort Aransas Realty Becomes market,saidScottMcManus,CEOof National Bank and Trust (NBT), one of the oldest banks in Texas that opened a walk-inKuper Sothebys in Mergerbranch in June 2024, located at 4401 South Staples, across from the famed Stingray AlleyLuxury brokerage network expands to islandscar lot, in Central Corpus Christi. Were not about building branches, were about build- Sothebys in the worlds mostAbove: (L to R) Port Aransas Realty Managing Partner, Keith ingrelationshipsandunderstandingwhatfamous auction house, found- McMullen, Kuper Sothebys Principal Broker, J Kuper, Port our customers need, McManus added. ed in Britain in 1744 and nowAransas Realty Partner, Suzette Freeman; Below: Luxury NBT was chartered as the First National Bankheadquartered in New York. Inisland homes in Cinnamon Shore, priced in the millions.of La Grange, on July 5, 1888, in the historic1978, capitalizing on its brand Texas town located half-way between Austinas the preeminent brokerage of and Houston. When McManus was promot- the worlds most valued art and ed to CEO two years ago, one of his first stra- artifacts, the company formed tegic moves was to open a second branch ina real estate franchise network Corpus Christi, where he worked for years asknownasSothebysInterna-the chief lending officer for a growing, local- tional Realty.ly-owned bank. Amongthecompanysfirst McManus was joined by fellow former Cor- affiliates was Austin-based Ku-pusChristian,RobertSchultz,whoservesTop: NBTs new branch on South Staples;perRealtyCorporation,with as NBTs chief lending officer and who alsoUpper: NBT CEO Scott McManus; Above: Firstexclusive rights to the CentralKeith McMullen, a former mayor of Port Aransas, worked for years in the area. We saw an op- National Bank of La Grange, chartered in 1888;Texasmarket.Inthedecadeshas led the company through its greatest period of portunity in a market we understand to of- Below: Pauls Seafood Market in Flour Bluff. since,KuperSothebysInter- growth and prosperity that caught hold following fer exactly what customers need, includingnationalRealtyhasestab- the 2009 national real estate crash. The success of small business owners, said McManus. lished itself as the first-in-linehigh-endcommunitieslikeCinnamonShoreand One of those small business owners is Paulluxury real estate brokerage inPalmilla Beach, where prices can approach $1,000 Stamatakis, owner of Pauls Seafood Mar- the region, with offices in Aus- per square foot, has established Port A as the hottest ket and several area seafood restaurants. Af- tin, San Antonio, Boerne, Newluxury home market on the Gulf Coast. Generations ter Hurricane Harvey, we needed to rebuild,Braunfelsand now, Port A. of Texasfamilieshaveenjoyedsplittingtimebe-and thought we should try to expand whileBeckyCorderfoundedPorttween their vacation home in Port Aransas and their we were at it, said Stamatakis, whose loanAransas Realty in 1986, just asprimary residence in Austin or San Antonio, said Mc-officer at the time was Scott McManus, whothe sleepy fishing village wasMullen, whose company has merged with Kuper.funded both projects in Pauls time of need. beingdiscoveredenmasseWhats slated for the Coastal Bend, especially Port When McManus informed Paul of NBTs ex- by newcomers to San AntonioAransas.istrulyimpressive,saidJKuper,princi-pansion to Corpus Christi, he switched banksand Austin. Port Aransas Real- pal broker at Kuper Sothebys International Realty. and is proud to act as one of NBTs most en- ty has been my lifes work, andThere is a true legacy behind Port Aransas Realty, thusiastic endorsers. We take time to under- it has been truly rewarding toand we are now proud custodians of that legacystand what your needs are so we can say yeshave been a part of buildingready to carry it forward. What theyve built here is more often, McManus concluded. this company, said Corder. nothing short of extraordinary. he concluded. 58THECOASTALBENDMAGAZINE TheCoastalBend.com'