Title: Vice President
Company: American Heritage Bank
Location: NM/USA
Education: Two Bachelor’s Degrees, Texas Tech University
Career History: Vice President, American Heritage Bank (2020-Present); With, Family’s Ranch; IT Help Desk Software Technician; With, Defense Contracting
Colten L. Grau, Vice President at American Heritage Bank, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of financial service.
After graduating with two degrees from Texas Tech University in 2011, Mr. Grau moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for a defense contracting company for a number of years. During the government sequester under President Barack Obama’s administration, he found himself in a “last hired, first fired” situation, after which he relocated again to northern Texas with his wife, and began working as an IT help desk software technician for a law firm. Afterward, they returned to his hometown in New Mexico, where he worked on his family’s ranch; as a fourth-generation farmer and rancher, his family had been settled in the New Mexico area since 1906, informing his current approach to agricultural lending.
While working on the farm in 2020, Mr. Grau went to the American Heritage Bank to apply for a loan to purchase some cattle, but the loan officer there had recently quit without leaving behind notes on the pending applications, leading to some confusion. In the midst of expressing his frustration to one of the tellers, the bank president overhead him and asked if he would be interested in becoming a loan officer. By the end of that day, despite having no prior banking experience, he was officially offered the job. Given his family’s deep roots in agriculture, the bank took a chance on him; he received on-the-job training and was able to apply his personal background in agribusiness to the role, handling the responsibility of managing Paycheck Protection Program loans within just a month of joining, during a period of significant uncertainty and pressure.
Since Mr. Grau was hired, American Heritage, the second smallest bank in the state, has grown by 35%. As a testament to his adaptability and strong work ethic, he’s advanced to vice president, working as a lender in agriculture lending, commercial lending, consumer lending, and acting as the IT Manager, Information Security Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer. In addition, he oversees and directs the bank’s marketing, sponsorships and charitable initiatives.
While still learning about the banking industry, Mr. Grau’s work has been widely recognized in the field, most recently listed among the “Top 40 Under 40 Community Bank Leader” list by Independent Banker Magazine and the Independent Community Bankers of America in June 2025. To further bolster his credentials, he earned a Commercial Lending Certificate from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Cox School of Business within Southern Methodist University in 2025. He also recently graduated with a certificate in Commercial Banking from Texas Tech School of Banking at Texas Tech University.
Outside of his primary endeavors, Mr. Grau was selected alongside five other individuals to be in the inaugural class of the Linda David Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Academy, a program of the New Mexico Cattle Grower’s Association, of which he’s a board member. He has also served as a volunteer with the Reality Check program at United Way—providing young people the opportunity to experience adult financial responsibilities through simulation— and a youth basketball coach. He’s currently president of the local school board and has been a member of the board since 2016.
Mr. Grau attributes his success to the support his parents and family, especially his wife, with whom he has three children. Professionally, he owes a lot to his supervisor at the bank, who allows him to learn independently, own his mistakes, and learn from them. This mentorship has played a significant role in his growth and has helped him reach his current position. He’s grateful that his boss took a chance on him despite his lack of experience. Looking toward the future, he strives to continue to grow and advance in roles at the bank.