Fast 15: Max Harrell
by May 6, 2024 8:20 am 642 views
Max Harrell joined Generations Bank in 2014, becoming the sixth generation of the Harrell family to work in banking. His father, Jon, is the chairman and CEO of the Rogers-based bank.
Asked what led him into banking, Max Harrell said, “It runs in my blood” and “grew up around it.” He said he enjoyed seeing the impact and relationships his father and grandfather made and have in the community. “It fits my personality … and gave me an exciting opportunity to work for something I could be passionate about in a family business as well,” he said. “I was thankful to grow up in an environment like that.”
When he was 10, he and his family relocated to Rogers. He previously lived in Camden. During high school, his first job was working in landscaping as “the dedicated mulch guy,” he joked. In 2014, he joined Generations Bank as a teller. In college, he was a credit analyst for the bank.
In 2018, he graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in finance with a concentration in banking.
His first full-time job with Generations Bank was as a loan officer at the Fayetteville location. In early 2022, he became the bank’s youngest market president when he started as Rogers market president. He successfully managed a $65 million loan portfolio in that role and grew the Rogers market amid rising interest rates.
Harrell was promoted to his current position in July 2023, making him the bank’s youngest executive. He oversees three employees and is responsible for the bank’s marketing and Hispanic outreach teams. He said the role allows him to find unique and non-traditional ways to help the bank grow its assets and footprint.
Harrell is also a co-host for The Next Generation podcast, which was launched to reach younger generations and help them understand money. The bi-weekly podcast has between 50 and 100 listeners.
He is attending the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado and plans to graduate in 2025. In 2020, he participated in the Walton College inaugural cohort of Leadership Circle for Banking and Finance Professionals. He is also a community group leader at Fellowship Bible Church in Rogers. He spends his free time playing golf.