Impactful $30,000 Donation in 2023: Good for Our Country

UBank: The Coolest Bank in Texas

With help from our sponsors and the entire city of Lufkin, we're thrilled to donate $30,000 to the East Texas Food Bank!

We're proud to announce that Saturday's Good For Country show was a huge milestone for not only UBank, but also for the East Texas Food Bank! As the first SOLD OUT show at the Lufkin Expo Center in over a decade, our Good For Country show continues to prove that UBank is the coolest bank in Texas. With over 5,000 people in attendance, Scotty McCreery, Travis Denning, and Jackson Wendell showed Lufkin what country music was all about! By selling tickets for ONLY $10, we were able to create a packed out show that was affordable and family-friendly for everyone. 

None of this would be possible without our sponsors!

With over 70 sponsors and 600 VIP guests, UBank is able to bring big-name talent to Lufkin, Texas! WIth sponsorships ranging from $500-$10,000, there are opportunities for business of all sizes to be involved in the Good For Country effort. With 90% of the sponsorships coming from the Lufkin area, we are proud to say that the vast majority of the ETFB donation is coming from right here in East Texas. This is a huge feat, given the overall size and demographics of the area. Because UBank is a relationship bank that prioritizes human connection at every turn, we have very personal relationships with our sponsors and are proud to say we know each of them by name. Sponsors Include:

A.T. Staffing Lufkin, TexasAcorn ForestryAbeldt's Gaslight PharmacyAngelina CollegeBadders Law Firm, P.C.Best Western Hotels & ResortsBrookshire BrothersCHI St. Luke's Health Emergency ServicesCity Of Lufkin, TexasEpic Office SolutionsFerrara's Heating & Air Conditioning, IncFiservFitzpatrick ArchitectsGrimes Tree ServiceHigginbotham Commercial Insurance - Sam LongbothamHijinx Trampoline ParkHotaling Insurance ServicesINtegraJay Jackson - State Farm AgentJim Ann's ClubJMitchell Ventures, LLCJohnson Pools & Spas Lufkin, TexasJRD Mail StoreLaird Funeral HomeLiveWell Athletic ClubLucky Puppy GroomingLufkin/Angelina County Chamber of CommerceLufkin Coca Cola Bottling CompanyLufkin FordLufkin JewelryMelvin Linton Homes LLCMorgan BBS Insurance AgencyOncorPetrotx OperatingRay's Drive InS&W Expert Collision RepairShafer Funeral HomeSkelton Slusher Barnhill Watkins Wells PLLCTom Brown A/C & HeatTommy Williams Drywall Co., Inc.Total Point Emergency Center - Lufkin Unforgettable Events by Lolli Jeff Wood, Wes Dinlger, Chase Hood & Family, Grady & Mallory Hughes, 359 Innovations

Mission Behind The Music

Born out of a post-COVID need for uplifting entertainment and financial support in the Angelina county community, the first Good For Country concert took place in November of 2020. While an exciting, light-hearted night of country music is a guarantee, the real purpose of this event is to raise money for the East Texas Food Bank (ETFB). UBank’s founder and their family has been working with the ETFB for over 30 years, so supporting this cause in an even bigger capacity means the world to our organization. As one of the last standing community banks in East Texas, UBank understands the importance of giving back. The vast majority of our staff was born and raised in East Texas, so giving back to the people and places that raised us is a key initiative of the UBank brand.

Shana De Paoli (CEO) and Justin Armstrong (President), pictured below, make giving back to UBank's local community a fundamental pillar of the brand's DNA. Both Shana and Justin are from the East Texas area, so they are committed to pouring back into this community as much as possible. Even though UBank is on a powerful growth trajectory, reinvesting in our local communities will always be at the forefront of UBank's mission because UBank is a relationship that infuses humanity into an industry that's known for being cold and impersonal. 

The Talent

With Scotty McCreery and Travis Denning coming from Nashville, and Jackson Wendell being a Lufkin native, the Good For Country show had a well-rounded musical lineup. In addition, the infamous Danny Merrell from Kicks 105.1 emceed the night. It's an honor for UBank to be able to bring such big name talent to Lufkin. 

About Scotty McCreery

Scotty McCreery’s current album Same Truck contains his No. 1 RIAA Gold-certified singles “You Time” and “Damn Strait,” and his current single “It Matters to Her.” McCreery co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on Same Truck. An expanded edition, Same Truck: The Deluxe Album, will be released on November 18, 2022 with 6 additional new songs. He achieved new heights byearning three back-to-back No. 1 hits from his last album Seasons Change, the RIAA Gold-certified project which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart: the RIAA Double Platinum-certified “Five More Minutes,” the RIAA Platinum-certified “This Is It,” which stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks, and RIAA Gold-certified “In Between.” McCreery co-wrote all 11 songs on Seasons Change, which Rolling Stone named as one of the “40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2018.”

Four of his albums have debuted at No. 1 on a Billboard Albums chart, with current combined sales surpassing 4 million copies. With five consecutive No.1 hits to his credit, he’s earned one Double Platinum, four Platinum and four Gold singles; one Platinum and two Gold albums; won the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011; was named the ACM New Artist of the Year in 2011; won the CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year (‘The Trouble with Girls’) in 2012; American Country Awards for New Artist of the Year in 2011 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2013; BMI Awards for writing One of the Top 50 Country Songs of the Year four times (in 2015 for “See You Tonight,” in 2018 for “Five More Minutes,” in 2019 for “This is It.” and 2021 for “In Between”); a Carolina Beach Music Award for National Dance Song of the Year (‘Barefootin’’) in 2018; and the NSAI Nashville Songwriter Award for One of the Top Ten Songs I Wish I’d Written (‘Five More Minutes’) in 2018.

The North Carolina native released his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, in 2016; it was re-released in paperback in 2020. His song “Five More Minutes” inspired a popular movie of the same name which aired on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Network during November-December 2021. McCreery launched his recording career by making history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear as Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

About Travis Denning

A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, singer/songwriter and Mercury Nashville recording artist Travis Denning just released his “clever kiss-off” (Billboard) and “wickedly fun good-riddance anthem” (PEOPLE) “ABBY.” Already amassing over 17 million streams and the track reaching the No. One spot on Sirius XM’s Highway Hot 30, the track earned the most adds at country radio upon add date. Denning celebrated his first No. One and GOLD-certified single in 2020 with the “shadowy” (Rolling Stone) “After A Few.” Accelerating his ascend from a chart-topping single, the song is taken from his debut EP BEER’S BETTER COLD that debuted in the Top 20 of Billboard's Country Albums chart. Denning first made waves with the release of his Top 40 debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs." Denning has toured as direct support for Dustin Lynch and has previously opened shows for Cole Swindell, Alan Jackson, LANCO, Riley Green and his first headlining “Heartbeat Of A Small Town Tour.” With over 398M million streams worldwide, Denning has been spotlighted for his head-turning sound and was previously selected as one of CRS New Faces, an Opry NextStage recipient and a CMA KixStart Artist, as he makes his mark within the industry. Inspired at a young age, Denning developed a love for country, pop, rock and heavy metal and started playing local bars from the age of 16, as he built a strong following from his distinctive songs and raucous guitar solos. A prolific writer with an unquestionable stage presence, Denning moved to Nashville and secured outside cuts by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and more. Denning’s newest songwriting cut includes Michael Ray’s Top 20 single “Her World Or Mine.”

About Jackson Wendell

Born and raised in our very own Lufkin, Texas, Jackson Pigg is an up-and-coming country music singer/songwriter who is chasing his dreams. From a very young age, this boy has had a love for all things music. At the age of 16, he began playing shows around the East Texas area and has even bigger plans to share his talents across the country. Around the same age, Jackson figured out he also has a love for writing music of his own. Fast forward to today, he is in the midsts of recording and releasing his own music. As Jackson finishes out his senior year of high school, he plans to keep writing and recording throughout his college years.

UBank is excited to continue building on Good For Country's success to be able to donate even more money to causes that are important to them!