CEO, Chairman of the Board
At some point in his life, Gary Head was as likely to end up as a fishing guide as he was a bank CEO. With no idea what direction his career would take and a world of possibilities before him, he knew that no matter where he landed, his success would be built on relationships. One of those early connections, finance professor John Dominick — who now sits on Head’s board at Signature Bank of Arkansas — set up the then-recent University of Arkansas graduate with an interview at a bank.
“Education gave me the opportunity to get a job, which led to an opportunity to learn how to do that job correctly,” Head said.
Head soon climbed his way from the basement to the C-suite. On his way up, he received a piece of advice from none other than coach Frank Broyles, his longtime mentor and, later, another member of his board. “You can never have too many friends,” Broyles told him.
That lesson proved especially true when Head decided to strike out on his own and start a bank from scratch. Though he had not asked any colleagues to follow him, some three dozen did so, becoming the first employees at Signature Bank of Arkansas.
“We started out with the largest round of capital funding in the history of our state,” he said. “After that, I was sure it was going to work.”
That was nearly two decades ago, and the time has flown by for Head. His vision for Signature was a bank founded on local, personal customer service, and employees are held to the highest standards of quality and excellence. The company’s culture, diverse leadership and business success have already made it a pioneering institution, but Head is not one to rest on his laurels. Enter Banco Sí, the first entirely Hispanic-dedicated bank in the state, which Signature opened in 2022.
“My inspiration for Banco Sí came from an awareness that the Hispanic and Latino community was not being well served in our region,” Head said. “A community bank is established to provide services to the entire community, not just parts of it. I made sure that Signature Bank culture was the same at Banco Sí — learning to provide the same level of service in Spanish as in English.”
One of the bank’s directors, who is Latino, has helped create the atmosphere and direction for Banco Sí, Head said, and he and the rest of the board are all committed to making the venture a long-term success. Head is proud to see the people around him grow into the business and achieve great things, and his vision for the future is simple: to do more of the same.
“I want people to know that we’ve built a bank for the community,” Head said. “Whether you’re at Banco Sí or Signature Bank, in any market, you’ll receive the same personal service — and if anyone treats you otherwise, you can call me yourself.”
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