Forty Under 40: Natalie Bartholomew

Natalie Bartholomew has deep roots in Prairie Grove and banking in her blood.

She and her twin sister grew up on a farm that was one site of the Civil War’s Battle of Prairie Grove, and has been in her family for five generations.

At age 18, Bartholomew went to work at Arvest Bank in Prairie Grove, representing the third generation of her family to do so.

Originally Farmers & Merchants Bank, the institution employed her mother for several years and her grandfather for 45. 

“I kind of grew up in that bank and grew up around the people and was always very interested in banking,” Bartholomew said.

In 2013, Bartholomew took a job at First National Bank of NWA as vice president of private banking and marketing, where she helped the bank transition to a new name and logo, under new leadership.

She credits her team for the success of the rebranding and the progress the bank has made in building its company culture.

“Regardless of the tasks at hand and the stress level, if you work with a good, supportive group of people, it just makes a big difference,” she said. “I really enjoy coming to work with these people every day.”

Bartholomew was recently named 2015 Young Woman of the Year by the NWA Business Women’s Conference, and is involved with the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of NWA and the Benton County Boys & Girls Club.