Forty Under 40: Kyle Cupp

Baseball took Kyle Cupp to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., his hometown. He graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., but it was cancer that “reconnected” him to Northwest Arkansas.

Initially, Cupp followed his mother into the banking industry. He moved up the ranks, becoming a vice president at Community Bank & Trust in Joplin. In 2015, he and his wife Amanda moved to Northwest Arkansas when he accepted a job offer to be the marketing director at Fayetteville-based Signature Bank of Arkansas. His first involvement with Hope Cancer Resources was as a model for their fashion show in 2016.

He left Signature Bank in 2019 to work with a financial tech firm based in Des Moines, Iowa. And while he liked the job, it required a lot of travel. In late 2021, Cupp began thinking about other career options. And then his mother was diagnosed with cancer in late 2021. His “crazy high career aspirations” were refocused. And then the development job was created at Hope.

“I’ve been in finance and in the banking industry for a long time and loved it. I’ve met some unbelievable people, but I was ready for a change,” Cupp said.

Another good part of being in the area is working as a business partner with his wife of 13 years, who is a licensed Realtor, Cupp said.

He’s also enjoyed “getting reconnected” with former colleagues and friends.

“I get to fundraise for cancer. I’m not selling widgets anymore. I’m not trying to sell anything personal. I’m fundraising for cancer in Northwest Arkansas,” Cupp said. “I think for the first time in a long time I’m just ready to chill and relax … and just try to raise as much for cancer as I can right now.”