ABA Chairman Jon Harrell: Faith, Family, & Work....in that order
(Photo from left to right) Daughter-in-law Josie, son Max, Jon, Sheila, and daughter Mackenzie.
who is a commercial lender at Generations Bank and Mackenzie, 20, a junior at the U of A in Fayetteville majoring in nutrition. When asked about his greatest achievement, Harrell is quick to respond, “family.” That can apply to his work and his personal life. “I am proud to carry on the tradition of managing a family bank and that I am able to continue and hopefully improve on the culture and character of our bank. Personally, I am so proud that Sheila has put up with me for 27 years! If you’ve ever seen us together, she’s 5’ on a good day (she wears a lot of high heels) but her personality and charm carry me and has certainly helped my career. I’m proud of my kids and the kind of adults thy have turned out to be. They are much better humans than I was at that age!” he laughs.
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on Harrell is not someone you would overlook in a crowd. For one thing, he towers over most people, measuring in at 6’5”. Plus his wide grin, warm personality, and southern gentleman manners just naturally draw people in. Getting to know someone like Harrell is a definite plus in the banking industry and not just because he’s the current chairman and CEO of Generations Bank. He’s the fifth generation Harrell to lead the bank. Generations is a family owned bank that began in Calhoun County in 1907. They branched into Northwest Arkansas in 2010 and moved their main location to Rogers in 2019, where it is now headquartered. They are a $530 million community bank. Harrell was born in southwest Arkansas in 1966, in the sleepy little town of Prescott. The Harrells moved to Camden in 1969, where they lived for Jon’s childhood. After graduating from Camden high school in 1984, Harrell headed north, to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he graduated in 1988, with a BSBA in Finance and Banking. After graduating college, Harrell obtained a graduate banking degree at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 1997. In 1992, Jon met his future wife, Sheila and they are the parents of two children: Max, 24,
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The Arkansas Banker n Summer 2020
But Harrell isn’t all work. He keeps his large frame fit by being a member of Orange Theory fitness. Although, he does point out with a smile that he’s the senior member of most of the classes he attends. He’s an avid golfer and whenever their schedules allow, he and his wife like to get away to a family condo in Destin, Florida. A trip much easier to take now that they are “empty nesters.” Harrell began his banking career as an examiner with the Arkansas State Bank Department. He thought climbing the professional ladder in a large bank in a metropolitan area was how he wanted to spend his career but with time, goals can change. He realized that he wanted to work in a community bank and carry on the family legacy. Something that didn’t seem as important to him starting out. Harrell also learned the importance of patience. “This isn’t an industry that you quickly accelerate up the organizational chart,” he says. He offers this observation, “I think our industry has to embrace and challenge our newer, young employees with tasks and responsibilities that our industry has previously made you earn with time. Millenials and Gen-Zers aren’t as patient as we were and we have to acknowledge this and recognize young talent and provide opportunity for rapid growth.”
