Forty Under 40: J.R. Meeks

During the dozen years J.R. Meeks has worked at Chambers Bank, the peaks have been magnificent and the valleys deep.

He joined the bank, which his great-grandfather founded, while finishing a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking at the University of Arkansas. During the early years, “things couldn’t have gone better,” he said. Surviving the deep turbulence of the subsequent recession left him more cautious, diligent and determined.

Now a vice president, Meeks is seen as a thoughtful leader who’s committed to the real estate culture in Northwest Arkansas as a banker, builder and developer. At Chambers, he has successfully focused on reducing the bank’s OREO portfolio, such as from foreclosures and special loans, and is the fourth generation in his family to take a leadership role.

Meeks has completed two years of an elite three-year program at the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in Philadelphia, but said his most valuable education has come from working closely with his uncle, John Ed Chambers III, whom he hopes to succeed as president and CEO.

“Being able to work closely with my uncle over the past years has given me more of a true business education than I could have received at any graduate school; that is something that I will always remember and appreciate,” he said.