A Conversation With ... Randy Johnson

Tell us about OakStar Bank, which was founded in 2005 with $10 million and a focus on commercial banking.

OakStar is unlike any other community bank in Springfield in that they have put together a marriage of a strong board, a premier facility in an excellent location (along with) technology, and in doing so, have created a community bank that ... utilizes the various technologies that are available. ... We look for opportunities to do both lending and depository relationships with our customers.

What's your background in banking, and what brought you to OakStar as president in late February?

I started at United Missouri Bank in Monett. I was an agriculture lender, and United Missouri Bank ... focused on, basically, rural customers engaged in business and farm operations. After that, I was at Empire, and I was with the original group that started The Bank in Springfield several years ago. The Bank and Signature Bank merged (as The Signature Bank), and I was at BancorpSouth just prior to OakStar. At some point in time, I knew that there would be an opportunity to maybe get involved with another community bank. I think the strength in this market has been community banks.

While the bank awaits regulatory approval of some new investors, what can you tell us about efforts to grow OakStar?

We're in a time when banks are struggling with capital, and there are key capital ratios that banks seek to hit and then maintain. Our goal is to be the strongest capitalized bank in Springfield, and we're nearly there. ... Our bank ended the first quarter of this year with a capital-to-assets ratio of slightly more than 10 percent, and that will benchmark strongly against other community banks.

What might make a startup bank such as OakStar an attractive investment?

Right now, it is a tough time in banking, and banks are struggling with problem loans. OakStar has come through this downturn ... in much better condition than maybe a more mature bank. OakStar Bank has not been actively involved in a lot of construction and development, and those two key areas are ... hurting right now. Local investors of a local community bank who do business with the bank and refer their business associates, friends and families, feel like there's something where they can have input on the outcomes, and I think people like being part of that process.

Will OakStar add branches?

We don't have any plans right now for additional facilities. Our third floor is largely available to us for expansion (and will) carry this bank a long way into the future without adding bricks and mortar. We think technology (such as remote deposit capture) helps us with that ... and makes being a single-facility bank an option today. We have 61 ATM locations in the greater Springfield area. That doesn't mean we would rule out other locations if (adding them) became important to attract business and deposits.

Is there accessible capital for businesses?

Yes. One of the key things we look at is how much staying power a borrower has. Capacity is pretty easy to judge right now, because people who are weathering the storm have demonstrated capacity, and the people who (don't), unfortunately, are struggling. (We have) the opportunity to get busy with some good loans at a time when a lot of banks are focusing all or a great deal of their attention on bad loans.

Tell us about your family.

I have four children. My oldest daughter, Mandy Reed, and her husband, Jesse, who works at Victory Mission, live in Springfield. My middle daughter, Sheena Pena, and her husband, Eddie, live in Kansas City and (she) is expecting her first baby. My youngest daughter, Haley, is a freshman at Kickapoo, and a 12-year-old son, Chad, who is a sixth-grader at Wilson's Creek. My wife, Shelly, and I have been married for three years, and I have two wonderful stepsons: Nathaniel Tennis, 22, and Zach Tennis, 19.[[In-content Ad]]Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover.