Forty Under 40: John Scott

John Scott, 32, of Atkins, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from Arkansas Tech University in 1992.

A year later, he received an MBA from the University of Arkansas and landed a job at McIlroy Bank in Fayetteville.

Initially, Scott worked as a trainee in McIlroy’s loan/sales area, but he soon transferred to the information systems department. Scott left McIlroy for Arvest Bank in Lowell where he installed IS networks and did network administrative management.

In 1995, Scott returned to McIlroy as a commercial loan officer. Burt Hanna hired him away in 1998 to become chief financial officer of Hanna’s Candle Co. Scott said Hanna’s Candle Co., founded in 1987, makes millions of candles annually and is the third or fourth largest candle manufacturer in America.

At first, Scott was over finance and accounting at Hanna’s. But now operations have also been added to his list of duties.

“My parents raised me to always do my best,” Scott said. “They left me to judge whether I had done my best or not. It really makes you step back and judge yourself on a daily basis … Everything that has happened in my career has exceeded my expectations. I feel extremely blessed.”