Brian Glenn named president of 120-year-old Bank of Gravett
New leadership role includes plans for the future, honoring bank’s legacy
SPRINGDALE — Brian Glenn will serve as president of the Bank of Gravett, the 120-year-old bank announced last week. Glenn will also continue his role as executive vice president and chief operations officer of Legacy National Bank. The two banks are owned by the same holding company, Legacy Bancshares Inc., since acquisition in July.
One of the oldest banks in the state, Bank of Gravett was founded in 1898 and includes locations in Hiwasse and Centerton in addition to the two branches in Gravette. Glenn plans to re-establish the bank within the Gravette community with a renewed energy.
“I’m looking forward to meeting our neighbors, customers and potential customers and telling our story. Bank of Gravett is now a willing lender, and we’re looking for opportunities to make quality loans,” said Glenn. “We want to represent ourselves well every day to our customers here in Gravette and the surrounding area, and bring a faster pace and sense of urgency to our work.”
In addition to the acquisition of the Bank of Gravett, a new Legacy National Bank banking center opened on Walton Boulevard in October 2018. CEO Patrick Swope said Glenn and his staff in Gravette are part of the effort to build and better serve relationships in Benton County.
“Our business philosophy has always been to operate as a locally-owned, community-minded bank. It was important for us to have a welcoming banking center for our customers in Gravette and the surrounding area and allow our staff to get to know them and their financial needs,” said Swope. “We want to build banking relationships and invest in the community.
As part of this investment, Glenn said there are plans to remodel the existing main branch in downtown Gravette sometime in the near future. Details of the plan will be released in the coming months.
According to Glenn, the immediate future of the Bank of Gravett will also include a renewed focus on agricultural lending. The local agriculture industry has played a vital role in the history of Legacy Bank, which is something Glenn hopes will resonate with the people of Gravette and the surrounding communities.
“Our goal is to become Gravette’s leading ag-lending bank. With our holding company’s ownership ties to the local poultry industries, we’ve built strong relationships with all of the integrators in Northwest Arkansas. We want to leverage those relationships to grow our ag-lending portfolio,” said Glenn.
Despite the new changes coming to the Bank of Gravett, Glenn said the values of the branch will not change, and the financial institution’s own legacy and identity will remain intact.
“Existing customers can expect the same relationships they’ve developed over the years with the solid core employees who have decades-long experience banking in this community, people like Sundee Hendren, Brenda Bridge, Jackie Lambert, Rhonda Jarvis, Kathy Bass, Patty Marchbanks and Rickie Stark,” said Glenn.
About Brian Glenn
Brian Glenn began his banking career at Springdale Bank & Trust (now Arvest) in 1992. He started at Legacy National Bank as senior vice president and chief lending officer in 2004.
As a child, Brian would spend time at his grandparents’ farm in McDonald County on Highway 43 near Southwest City. He says it was there he learned the values and culture of the American farmer.
He has been a Northwest Arkansas resident since he was seven years old and is an alumnus of Shiloh Christian School. Glenn graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance. He and his wife Jenn have nine children, one grandchild and also operate a small blueberry farm.