Pictured above: Heather Baker and George Makris
It’s hard to believe after the August we just endured, but fall is right around the corner. For Arkansas Money & Politics, that means banking and finance in the September issue.
We’re lucky to live in a strong banking state with such quality institutions — large, medium and small. Lucky to have banking legends like George Makris, executive chairman of Simmons Bank, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year.
Mr. Makris was gracious enough to have his picture taken for me at the announcement of the Simmons-sponsored PGA Champions Tour event that will take place at Pleasant Valley in Little Rock starting next year. Simmons sponsors the field at War Memorial Stadium, has the naming rights to Central Arkansas’ magnificent multipurpose arena, and now it will have its name attached to a PGA event. To put it simply, pretty cool.
Also inside this issue, we list FDIC-insured banks in the state by market share and the state’s largest credit unions, visit Pine Bluff to chronicle 120 years of Simmons Bank and look at how Signature Bank of Arkansas is serving Northwest Arkansas’ growing Hispanic community through Banco Sí.
We’ll also feature our annual list of Achievers in Their Forties and the state’s top financial advisors, as voted by AMP readers; talk to some of those advisors about the volatile market and what to expect; and we’ll shine a spotlight once again on women in banking.
Plus, it’s almost State Fair time, and the September issue goes behind the scenes of the business of the fair. We’ll take a look at the new Big Red’s Club, which debuts this month at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
There’s so much more packed into this September issue of AMP. Get your banking and finance fill inside and enjoy the magical run of football, fairs and cooler temps as we get closer to fall proper.
Thank you for reading. We appreciate your faith in us. Hit me up with story ideas, questions or comments anytime at HBaker@ARMoneyandPolitics.com.
READ ALSO: Oaklawn Now Presenting Sponsor, Future Host of Broyles Award
