Bank of Gravett serving the area for 117 years and counting

The Bank of Gravett is the oldest bank in Benton County, having been chartered on March 1, 1898.

In the 117 years that have followed, the bank has overseen many changes, but still prides itself on being a community bank that is invested in its communities and supports its customers.

One question often asked is why the Bank of Gravett is spelled without the ‘e’ while the town is spelled Gravette.

Originally, both the bank and the town were spelled Gravett. Around 1920, in order to avoid confusion with another Arkansas town whose name started with ‘G’ and ended in ‘ett,’ Gravette was asked to add the ‘e’ on to the end of its name.

Bank of Gravett, meanwhile, maintained the original spelling.

Current president and CEO Rick Pollreis is in his 27th year at Bank of Gravett, serving the last three years in his current position.

“We did well in 2014 and are expecting 2015 revenues to exceed last year’s; recent reports, however, showed negative earnings and a drop in our rating which was only due to a one-time entry to close our previous employee retirement plan,” Pollreis said. “The future is very bright here. We’re planning a remodel of our Gravette location and we’re going to move the drive-thru and attach it to the main bank, and we’re going to remodel the lobby so everything can be streamlined for our customers and employees both.”

Sharron Edmondson, appraiser and currently on the Board of Directors, is the great-greatgranddaughter of the founder of the bank. She remembers the story of when the banks were ordered closed by the federal government in 1933 during the Great Depression and how her great-great-grandfather rode to Joplin, Mo., by horseback so he could bring cash back to lay on his desk, showing depositors their money was there and safe. They could have taken it back if they wanted, yet no one did, allowing the bank to remain open. A run on another bank in town caused it to close its doors while Bank of Gravett remained open and is still serving its customers today, thanks to the ingenuity of its founder.

Bill Meade is a former loan officer, and his father, John Meade, served as bank president for many years. One of Meade’s earliest recollections from his childhood is when the bank was robbed in the early 1960s.

“I was probably elementary school age, and we had gotten home from school and found out the bank had been robbed,” Meade said. “A guy who had covered his face with a handkerchief with a clothespin had rounded up everyone and locked them in the vault. My grandfather went up there and entered the combination and let everyone out. It was a sad deal. The guy who robbed the bank went away for a while, but luckily no one was hurt.”

The current board of directors are Pollreis, Jim Allen Edmondson, Sharron Edmondson, Bill Meade, Rex Waggoner, David Wills, John Lykins, Kenny Hancock and James Smith.

Bank of Gravett has locations in Gravette, Hiwasse and Centerton and can be found online at

Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette Bank of Gravett has been serving its community since 1898.