Arvest promotes Willard to leadership role in Benton County

Longtime Arvest Bank executive Mike Willard is the company’s new regional director of community banks for its Benton County market.

Willard started the job June 6. He replaced Greg Stanfill, who retired earlier this year.

Willard has held various roles at Arvest, most recently as the president and CEO of its North Central Arkansas region. He also was president and CEO for Arvest in Prairie Grove and community bank president in Mountain Home.

In his new role, Willard will lead and direct Arvest’s community bank presidents in Berryville, Eureka Springs, Gravette and Pea Ridge in Arkansas, and Anderson and Cassville in Missouri.

Arvest Benton County is the largest of the company’s 14 locally managed markets in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

“Much of Mike’s career has been spent leading community banks and he has a passion for our community banking system and the important role it plays,” said Brad Crain, president and CEO for Arvest Benton County. “Those strengths, along with his servant-leader attitude and understanding of the need for collaboration with our local teams and strategic partners, make him an ideal fit for this role.”

Willard earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma and is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking. He has served in leadership roles for several organizations including the Arkansas Economics Advisory Board and the Baxter Regional Medical Center Foundation

By assets ($26.6 billion), Arvest is Arkansas’ largest bank.