In the last four years, Great Southern Bank has grown dramatically through Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-assisted purchases of failed banks such as Ellington-based Sun Security Bank and Kansas-based Team Bank. Through Great Southern’s mergers acquisitions and conversion team, Dave Puckett has worked with representatives from the FDIC as the initial contact for the staffs and clients of the banks acquired.
With his employer growing from 39 locations to more than 100 during that time frame, Puckett has been busy. Still, being the face of Great Southern to many newcomers hasn’t kept his branch at 2735 W. Chestnut Expressway from being recognized as the top banking center for loan production companywide the last two years.
In addition to his bank management skills, he regularly demonstrates his time management skills by keeping several commitments to organizations he helps lead in the community.
At work, he’s guided by financial performance goals, but relishes the fact that his job allows him the space to build relationships through his service to organizations such as Springfield Sertoma Club, Community Blood Center of the Ozarks and the HOPE – Helping Overcome Pediatric Emergencies – Foundation.
“Like any other business, we’re here to make money, but it’s very rewarding to be able to operate in a way that benefits my customers and community while also growing the business so my co-workers and shareholders can enjoy security and stability,” Puckett says.
As a board member and event committee chairman for Sertoma Club, he helps plan and budget four annual fundraisers, which generate between $20,000 and $200,000 each. He’s also the board treasurer for CBC, where he regularly faces decisions that can impact its tens of thousands of recipients of blood and blood products, its thousands of donors and hundreds of employees. And as a board member with HOPE, he has a direct impact on a smaller group of people by offering assistance to families who may be facing their greatest challenges.
Additionally, Puckett is helping others become financially independent by teaching financial literacy courses through the Community Partnership of the Ozarks CASH – Come and See How – Program. He’s been impressed by the progress of one single mother in particular.
“Obviously, she’s the person who’s doing all the work, but her telling me that she’d never have been able to accomplish this without my help is one of the best compliments I’ve ever received,” Puckett says.
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