Forty Under 40: Sara Heck

Watching her parents serve others in their careers as a Methodist minister and a schoolteacher encouraged Sara Heck to do the same. “While I didn’t feel a call to either of those areas, being able to serve in an organization that focuses on taking care of people has been a wonderful opportunity,” she said.

As president and CEO of Waco Title, Heck’s goals are to take care of her team and employees and make a fair profit. She works with the executive team to provide strategic direction for the company.

Heck has adopted a “be better” mentality, and town hall meetings with the company’s associates are key. “We want to make sure every associate in our company has a chance to voice what they see on a day-to-day basis” and give thoughts on the customer’s and their own experience. She works with her team to develop a strategic vision with that feedback.

She is enthusiastic about helping leaders develop their skills and said, “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing people grow, shine and be successful.” She believes the key to her success is “hiring people smarter than you.”

From Salem in north central Arkansas, Heck graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2005 with a business economics degree and then in 2008 with a law degree. She practiced creditor and real estate law for Hood and Stacy in Bentonville for three years, counting Rick Hood and Chip Stacy as mentors.

In 2011 she became corporate counsel for Lindsey Management before joining Arvest Bank in 2013 as consumer lending division director of operations and moving to vice president/director of mortgage loan servicing in 2015. In 2021, she was named Waco Title’s president and CEO.

Heck enjoys baking, biking, running and canoeing.