More Than Partners: 15 Years of Trust, Growth, and Friendship

The Prietos didn't always get the tools or attention they deserved from their previous banks. But Juan Tisera, their relationship manager with First Citizens, has helped open the door to growth and opportunities.

Martin's Distribution

Martin Prieto, the CEO and founder of Martin's Distribution, worked in restaurants for many years. Envisioning a better life for himself and his family, he started his business from his garage.

Every night, Prieto would come home from work and pack spices with his wife and two daughters. They started with just black pepper and garlic—two ingredients that every restaurant uses. And early in the mornings, Prieto would load the spices they packed together into his pickup truck, drive around the city and sell them door to door to local restaurants.

"What drove me to start my own business was to be able to provide a better opportunity for my kids, for my family, and accomplish the American dream," Prieto says. "And also to be able to support the community and provide jobs in a different way, where people can feel like they're really part of a family business."

Fast forward several years: The Prietos are running Martin's Distribution out of a 35,000-square-foot facility, with 20 commercial delivery trucks in their fleet. They've expanded from offering spices only to distributing all types of fresh produce and dry goods.

While their family's vision and work ethic have carried them to where they are today, another factor Prieto credits for their success is Juan Tisera, their First Citizens commercial banker.

Seeing the vision, sharing the excitement

"I met Martin 15 years ago, in his smaller warehouse, and immediately I saw his potential in the business," Tisera says. "He just needed a little help navigating the banking system."

Initially, Tisera worked with Prieto on optimizing his basic banking tools. "The tools he had at his disposal from his previous bank were too elementary for his growing business," he says. "He knew the industry and his business, but I was able to give him advice on how to leverage more suitable borrowing vehicles and how to manage his working capital better."

Tisera connected Prieto with a commercial real estate agent, who helped them get into the 35,000-square-foot facility they work out of today. And instead of paying for equipment with cash, Tisera was able to provide Prieto with a guidance equipment line, which allowed him to grow his fleet from just five trucks to 20.

"Juan and our team at First Citizens have helped us grow and improve our business in many ways," Prieto says. "We didn't always know how we were going to get to the next step, but they've always believed in us. He's become a trusted and important part of our operations."

As Prieto's relationship manager, Tisera also brought in several specialists to help his business in different ways, including a controller and CPA to keep his company's finances in order, an attorney, and an insurance partner to protect everything he'd built.

"Juan has been a great asset to our company," Prieto says. "He's someone who's proactive, and he totally understands our business and our needs. He's ahead of the game in bringing solutions to the table. It's the reason why we're with First Citizens Bank."

A partnership that goes beyond business

"When we meet a client, it's not just a transaction—it's a relationship," Tisera says. "Some of that relationship develops through planning and understanding the business—not just the lending piece of it, but more on the holistic plan or growth plan for someone like Martin and his family."

Prieto says Juan fully understands his business—and that it's been more than just a successful partnership. "It's been great working with First Citizens and someone like Juan," he says. "It's become a friendship."

Tisera and Prieto worked on a personal plan as well. "I was thinking more about his personal finances … the why behind his business and how he protects it," Tisera says. This process included bringing in a First Citizens Wealth consultant to help manage more of the Prietos' personal finances and long-term wealth planning.

Reflecting on everything they've been through and accomplished together, Tisera recalls the weeks after Martin's Distribution moved into its current warehouse, which was a multimillion-dollar investment.

"Two days later, COVID happened and his business shut down," Tisera says. "But I remember that call with him and we were like, 'Martin, we're going to be fine. We're going to be here for you.'"

"He actually gained more business because he focused on his service and his roots," Tisera says. "He knows the industry, and we're here to support him during times like that."

When others required minimum orders for produce, Prieto captured the white space for orders below the minimum threshold. "If a customer needed just one box of tomatoes, that's what we delivered," he says. "We showed up for them in the ways they needed at that time when our competitors couldn't."

Today, the Prietos and Tisera believe the future for Martin's Distribution is bright.

"They can certainly compete with the big guys," Tisera says. "They don't just listen to our advice when they ask questions about business growth. They actually implement it. And if they continue on the path that they're on, the sky's the limit."