2019 Men of the Year: John Everett

SBJ photo by Jessica Rosa

In His Words

Family: My wife Cyd and I have four children; Chet, Joy, Ashley and Catherine. Joy and her husband Ben blessed us with our first grandchild in March.
Dream dinner guest: My dad, who passed away in 2000. He was a lifelong banker and I would love the opportunity to talk shop with him one more time.  
Favorite place to be: At Hammons Field with the entire family.
Childhood dream: A fireman or sports broadcaster. 
Critical trait in employees: Attitude. Aptitude is great, but we have found that aptitude without the right attitude doesn’t work well for us.

In his role as president and CEO of Legacy Bank and Trust, John Everett has a creed that defines him most as a leader: “Accountability runs in both directions.”

He holds his employees accountable for their actions and performance, but believes the same holds true for himself.

“I believe that our culture is healthy and that we are able to retain our employees because we support and endorse a workplace that does not allow special treatment for anyone in any position,” Everett says.

As a marker of success, he points to Legacy Bank being named in 2018 by S&P Global Market Intelligence as the nation’s 16th highest-performing community bank in the under $3 billion in assets category. But he says outside acknowledgement is only part of what it takes to succeed.

“I don’t believe that the bank would have achieved this level of success if I was unable or unwilling to empower my personnel to bring new ideas and trust them to execute the game plan,” he says.

Legacy is one of only three banks in Missouri that is a community development financial institution and the U.S. Treasury has only designated 140 as such nationwide, he says. The certification is his proudest professional achievement. To be certified as a CDFI, the bank must originate 60% of its loans in low- to moderate-income census tracks. Everett notes the bank focuses on financing projects that address areas with an inadequate supply of affordable housing and jobs.

“I am proud that I represent an institution that has a passion for not only reinvesting in our communities, but for reinvesting in the portion of our communities that need it the most,” he says.

In his civic work, Everett helped create the Community Foundation of Rogersville, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. He currently serves as the organization’s treasurer.

In less than three years since forming, the Rogersville foundation’s endowment has grown to $150,000. That’s largely been bolstered by Rockin’ Rogersville, an annual outdoor concert that drew roughly 2,000 people and raised nearly $40,000 for the foundation in 2017, its inaugural year.

“This endowment will help address needs of the Rogersville area for generations,” he says. “I will always be proud of my role in helping create the foundation, and I look forward to seeing it flourish in the future.”

He’s also served in past leadership roles as president of the Rogersville Area Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Missouri Bankers Association’s regulatory affairs and legislative affairs committees. He remains involved on the MBA board as a regional director.

Although providing financing to bank customers and contributing to their success is rewarding, Everett says his greatest impact has been to mentor young professionals. He’s previously served at Drury University as president of its Alumni Association and an advisory board member of the Breech School of Business.

However, Everett says he doesn’t see being a leader as a popularity contest.

“A leader puts any personal gain or popularity behind them and does what’s best for the entity,” he adds.