Forty Under 40: Wendi Phillips, 39

Armed with degrees in journalism and law, Wendi Phillips took a job as resource director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas in 1997.
The group was about “people helping people find solutions for life,” she said. “That really spoke to me.”
Phillips carries that spirit now in her role at Arvest. Whether it’s forging a strategic marketing plan or tending to a detail in ad production, her focus is doing “whatever our local banks need.”
“The key, always, is to be a good listener … to understand the challenge the best we can and then take that challenge as our own,” Phillips said of the six-person staff that serves 230-plus locations.
That approach has worked, as J.D. Power and Associates has awarded Arvest the highest score in the nation — in terms of retail banking customer satisfaction — two years in a row.
Phillips is equally proud of helping Arvest execute a naming rights partnership with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
“When I go there, I still get butterflies in my stomach,” she said of Arvest Ballpark.
Away from work, Phillips likes to read, write and spend time with her family. Her son, Fletcher, counts a crawfish, a turtle and a dog among his pets, more proof of Phillips’ nurturing nature.
“Sometimes I feel like a zookeeper,” she said with a laugh.