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2016 Trusted Advisers Up-and-Comer: Marcus Harmon

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Marcus Harmon’s clients are more than numbers on a spreadsheet.

“They are real individuals with goals and business aspirations. With each person or business, I focus on developing a deep relationship that is centered on building a partnership,” says Harmon, a loan officer at Old Missouri Bank. “I strive to know all the pieces of their business, but, more importantly, who they are their core and what their vision and desires are. I am committed to their interests and well-being as a whole, while working as hard as I can to provide for their needs.

“Their success is my success.”

Harmon started at Old Missouri Bank in 2014 as a credit analyst, moved to the position of relationship manager the next year, and after another year, was promoted to loan officer focusing on the commercial market.

He describes his primary role as helping small-business owners become successful and grow, saying he believes small businesses are the lifeblood of the community and local economy. It is his goal to ensure each small business has the financial means to succeed. If a client hits hard times, Harmon works with them on funding to help them through low points.

“Recently, I have had a few of my clients struggle,” he says. “With one client, we sat down and went through every piece of their financials so that I could get a sound grasp on any opportunities that might exist,” he says. “This business was previously on the edge of closing, and I was able to figure out how to keep them open. If I can work hard to save a small business, it is a major win for all of us.”

Harmon’s interest in his clients extends beyond the financials to include their purpose and interests. He says the approach allows him to understand his clients from a holistic perspective, which ultimately leads him to take a consultative approach that is not centered on products.

“I help each client critically think through the implications of their financial decisions on the rest of their lives,” he says. “This is something many of them might never have done otherwise. When my clients succeed, our families succeed, and our region succeeds.”

Harmon increases his industry knowledge through memberships in the American Bankers Association, Missouri Bankers Association and its Young Bankers Leadership Division as well as the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

One of Harmon’s most meaningful endeavors is the nonprofit Together Forever: A Sklyer Sanders Family Foundation, which he helped found in memory of his nephew, who lost his battle with childhood cancer. Harmon is past president and current treasurer. The foundation provides families going through the trauma of treatment an all-expenses-paid vacation.

“We have helped 10 families receive this gift and create precious and lasting memories with their loved ones,” Harmon says. “I appreciate the opportunity to provide these families with a breather, a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company while they let us worry about the details.”

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