Pub. 1 2021 Issue 5

10 | The Show-Me Banker Magazine Would you please tell us about growing up in Independence, Missouri? I was very fortunate to have a great experience growing up. While Independence had a population of about 100,000, it felt like a small town. My family lived in town, but they owned farmland and my grandparents and extended family all farmed. I spent a lot of time in the country. My parents were both educators. My father was the former basketball coach at the high school I attended and was an administrator in the school district in addition to teaching drivers’ education. My mother taught home economics in another high school in Independence. Growing up, I played a lot of sports. We had a YMCA in town, and I took advantage of a lot of their programs. I swam competitively through college. Most people know that President Truman lived in Independence. I remember seeing him walking past our elementary school with his Secret Service agent almost every day. We would also see him eating in small restaurants around town. No one bothered him when he was out. It was a different time. I also remember seeing President Nixon come to his house for a visit. Why did you go into banking? It wasn’t a grand, well-thought-out plan. George Lehr was an adjunct professor at William Jewell my junior year. He was also the chairman of the board and CEO of Traders Bank of Kansas City. He asked me what I was going to do during the summer after the spring semester, and I told him I was going to haul hay and paint barns. He offered me a bank job instead. The only question I asked before agreeing to accept the job was, “You’re going to pay me to sit in air conditioning?” I didn’t even ask him how much I would make. That was the summer of 1980. It was over 100 degrees for 15 days in a row that year. I think the good lord must have been looking out for me. That summer at the bank, I did a little bit of everything, such as proof and transit and working as a teller. It went well, and that was the beginning. Why did you double-major in business administration and economics at William Jewell College? I had some exposure to small business from being around our family farm. My cousin and I also had a cow-calf herd that we built up over the years. I had also purchased and leased out some real estate while in college. At the time, I didn’t think anything about the lessons I learned by doing those things. But I was able to see what I learned in business and economics classes could be applied to real life. What did your college and university experiences teach you about banking? The classes I took in college laid the building blocks for my career in banking. They taught me how to understand accounting, marketing, banking, etc., from a theoretical viewpoint. Some of the classes I took at William Jewell were even taught by bankers like Larry Janacaro, Frank McCarthy and George Lehr. They tended to bring the theoretical information into real-life situations. It was a special opportunity. Maybe some of the more important lessons were learned outside the classroom. Being involved in a fraternity and helping run the business side was a big part of my college experience. College also exposed me to a lot of people who had different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. When I decided to attend graduate school, I went to Rockhurst College at night and on the weekends. It seemed like every class I took was something I could apply to my job at the time. How has your background in economics benefited you? A background in economics and business administration has helpedme understand what our clients are facing as business owners and consumers. It has also helped me in business decisions involving the bank. What drew you into community banking? I like doing a variety of things, and I like to help folks. Big banks can be more like white-collar factories. You must follow Q&A WITH INCOMING MIBA PRESIDENT JACK HOPKINS