Dennis Smiley Resigns as President, CEO of Arvest Benton County

Longtime banker Dennis Smiley, local bank president and CEO of Arvest Bank in Benton County since April 2012, has resigned.

Arvest spokesman Jason Kincy confirmed Smiley’s departure but did not give a reason. Smiley, who had worked for Arvest for 25 years, could not immediately be reached for comment.

“We thank Dennis for his time with Arvest Bank and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Kincy wrote in an email.

Kincy said Scott Grigsby, executive vice president and regional manager for the Arvest Bank Group, is serving as the interim president for Arvest Benton County until a new local president is in place.

“We are in the process of selecting a new local president for Arvest Benton County, and will make an announcement when the appropriate time comes,” Kincy wrote.

Fayetteville-chartered Arvest Bank operates 16 autonomous, locally-managed banks, each with its own local president, board of directors and management team.

Arvest Benton County includes 23 branch locations and the geographic footprint covers an area including Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville, Centerton, Gravette, Pea Ridge, Berryville and Bella Vista in Arkansas, and Jane, Anderson, Noel and Shell Knob in Missouri.

Smiley joined Arvest in 1989 as a commercial loan officer with McIlroy Bank in Fayetteville.  In 1991, he joined the then-Springdale Bank and Trust as a loan manager and moved to sales manager in 1999.

He was promoted to president and CEO of Arvest Bank in Springdale in 2001 and remained there until replacing the retiring David Short in the Benton County market.

Smiley is a University of Arkansas graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in business administration. He is currently chairman of the board of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation.