Simmons Bank to Sponsor ‘Future of the Delta’ Conference Simmons Bank will sponsor a one-day conference on the future of the Arkansas Delta on Friday, May 19, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be the featured luncheon speaker. The conference, titled “The Arkansas Delta: Why It Still Matters,” is designed to help community leaders network with each other and discuss how to deal with a declining population base. The conference will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. A catfish lunch will be served. There’s no registration fee, but those planning to attend are required to register in advance at www.simmonsbank.com/delta. This is the second consecutive year for Simmons, which has called Pine Bluff home since it was founded in 1903, to sponsor the conference. All 135 members of the Arkansas Legislature, county officials and city officials have been invited to attend. The co-chairmen for the Delta conference are Raymond Abramson of Holly Grove and Ritter Arnold of Marked Tree. In addition to the governor, speakers will include: Dr. Laurence Alexander, chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, who will discuss the importance of higher education in the Delta. Mike Preston, the executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, who will speak on economic development strategies for the region. Randy Zook, a Delta native who now heads the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. Robert Moore Jr. of Arkansas City, a member of the Arkansas Highway Commission and a longtime Delta advocate. Dr. Fitz Hill, the former president of Arkansas Baptist College, who will speak on the importance of mentors for Delta youth. Dr. Shane Speights, the site dean for the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, who will talk about the need for more doctors in the Delta. Kane Webb, the executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, who will speak about efforts to increase Delta tourism. Scott Simon, the director of the Nature Conservancy’s Arkansas chapter, who will discuss conservation efforts in the region. Dr. Ruth Hawkins, the director of the Arkansas State University Heritage Sites program, who will talk about Delta heritage and how it can tie into economic development.
Home BancShares Awarded Raymond James Community Bankers Cup Home BancShares, Inc., parent company of Centennial Bank, announced they received a 2016 Raymond James Community Bankers Cup award. The Raymond James Community Bankers Cup awards recognized the top 28 community banks with assets between $500 million and $10 billion based on various profitability, operational efficiency, and balance sheet metrics. Of the 281 community banks across the United States analyzed for the awards, Home BancShares ranked eighth among the Cup winners. Home BancShares, Inc. has been awarded the Raymond James Community Bankers Cup on four occasions since it the award’s inception in 2011. According to the analysis, Home BancShares, Inc. has shown superior stock performance in the last five years. Among the group of Community Bankers Cup winners, Home BancShares ranked fourth in five-year return at a 328.7% return, which significantly outperformed the NASDAQ BANK Index, S&P 500 Index and NASDAQ Composite Index in the five-year return category. Across the six financial measures analyzed, we ranked first in return on average tangible common equity and second in return on average assets, net interest margin and efficiency ratio as compared to the remaining Cup winners. “We are honored Home BancShares has been included with the best of the best of community banks for the fourth year in a row bank by such a respected financial investment and services company as Raymond James,” said John Allison, Chairman. “We are proud of our recurring strong financial performance and consistency in creating exceptional shareholder value.” Home BancShares, Inc. is a bank holding company, headquartered in Conway, Arkansas. The holding company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Centennial Bank, provides a broad range of commercial and retail banking plus related financial services to businesses, real estate developers, investors, individuals and municipalities. Centennial Bank has branch locations in Arkansas, Florida, South Alabama and New York City. April 2017 | The Arkansas Banker
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