Forty Under 40: Chad Evans

Who says you can’t go home again?

Not Chad Evans.

Evans, 38, spent his freshman year of college at Tulsa, only to notice a trend that left him scratching his head.

“I was thinking, ‘Why is everyone trying to move to the place I’m trying to move away from?’” he said.

So, after a year away, Evans made the move back to Northwest Arkansas, where he began studying microbiology and working part-time at Arvest.

“It was intended to be a college job,” he said, “just some running money, so to speak.”
It turned into a career for Evans.

“Opportunities at the bank just started presenting themselves,” he said.

Evans now wears many hats for his hometown company. He splits the bulk of his time between marketing, public relations and community involvement.

Other career highlights include being part of the start-up teams when Arvest opened banks in Fort Smith and Joplin, Mo. Evans also is a graduate of the SW Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

In his spare time, Evans enjoys “anything outdoors” with his family. As for the future, Evans sees himself in a familiar place.

“I’m in the town I’d like to be in,” he said. “If I look five years down the road, I see myself right here, trying to grow the bank and be a part of all the progress here in Bentonville.”