When George Makris joined Simmons in January 2013, the bank had operations in three states and total consolidated assets of approximately $2.1 billion. Today, the company stretches across a seven-state footprint with more than $21 billion in consolidated assets. While serving as CEO of Simmons First National Corporation, Makris has overseen the acquisition of numerous financial institutions. Previously, he worked with M. K. Distributors Inc., a family owned wholesale distribution business, serving as president from 1985 to 2012. He also was on the local board of directors of Pine Bluff, Arkansas’s Worthen Bank and successors from 1985 to 1996, serving as chairman of the board from 1994 to 1996.
Makris currently serves as a member of the board for Jefferson Regional Medical Center and is chairman of the board for the Economic Development Corporation for Jefferson County. He has previously served as board chair for the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, the Greater Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce and Trinity Episcopal School. He also served as chair for the King Cotton Classic basketball tournament, as a director with the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Arkansas and the National Beer Wholesalers Association and as a board of visitors member for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the UAMS College of Medicine. A Rhodes College alumnus, Makris also holds a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas.
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