Forty Under 40: Keith Bowles

Keith Bowles was attending college when he joined Arvest Bank in Fayetteville as a teller in 2009. He’s remained with the bank because of the culture and mentorship.

“When I graduated, I got promoted a couple of times, enjoyed the culture and stuck around,” he said. “Best decision I made since.”

He’s worked in multiple branch management roles. In 2017, he was named branch administrator for the Siloam Springs market. He became senior vice president in 2018 before being promoted to regional branch administrator in Oklahoma City in 2020.

In 2021, he was named regional branch administrator for the Benton County market and manages eight branches in Bentonville and Bella Vista. He’s also responsible for branch operations and security. He oversees about 75 employees.

In 2018, Bowles was one of 20 bank employees to be selected for its executive leadership training program. He’s a 2021 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado and was invited to teach classes there this year. He’s also received multiple certifications through the American Bankers Association and is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Bowles plans to complete an MBA from Louisiana State University in 2023. The Anchorage, Alaska, native played basketball during high school and college in Arkansas before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2011 from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. He completed the degree virtually while working for the bank in Fayetteville. He’s also working virtually to complete the MBA.

The next step in his career is to become executive vice president, sales manager.

He supports Big Brothers Big Sisters and L.I.F.E. Prep, a youth mentorship nonprofit he co-founded in 2020. He enjoys watching sports.