Forty Under 40: Kent Williamson

A senior vice president at Springdale Bank & Trust Co., Kent Williamson, 34, says he landed at that institution seven years ago for a reason.

Springdale Bank & Trust president Buddy Philpot offered Williamson a position as a commercial lender shortly after his wife, Kelly, accepted a job with the Springdale Public School District. Williamson, then an examiner for the Arkansas State Bank Department, says the timing was perfect.

“We were getting married and I got the call from Buddy,” Williamson says. “I look at how we got to Springdale, out of all the places we could have ended up, and it was like the good Lord saying, ‘This is where you’re supposed to be.'”

Since Williamson’s arrival, Springdale Bank & Trust’s commercial portfolio has grown dramatically. He’s been a vice president for the last two and a half years and still manages the bank’s largest commercial portfolio. But Williamson says he spends most days helping his fellow lenders manage their portfolios.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas and the Southwest Graduate School of Banking, Williamson says the best part of his job is not just taking care of customers’ needs, but getting close to them outside of banking.

Williamson is a member of Springdale’s Noon Kiwanis Club, the Washington County Library Board and First Baptist Church of Springdale.