Compensation rises for Great Southern execs

Compensation rose in 2023 for four of the five top executives at Great Southern Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: GSBC), according to the company's latest proxy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

President and CEO Joe Turner, the company's top-paid executive, had total compensation last year of nearly $1.8 million, according to the proxy filing issued this morning. That's up by roughly 4.9% from nearly $1.7 million in 2022.

Included within Turner's total compensation is a $487,463 salary, which is up from $467,991 in 2022, according to the SEC filing.

Great Southern's top executives, by 2023 total compensation reported in the proxy filing, are:
• Turner, $1.8 million, up 4.9%.
• William Turner, board chair, $627,160, up 16.1%.
• Rex Copeland, senior vice president and chief financial officer, $719,223, up 23.6%.
• Kevin Baker, chief credit officer and vice president, $633,426, up 16.5%.
• John Bugh, chief lending officer and vice president, $565,766, down less than 1%.

The top Great Southern executives had combined total compensation in 2023 of $4.3 million, according to the SEC filing.

In 2023, Great Southern's profits dropped by nearly 11% to $67.8 million, according to past reporting.

GSBC shares were trading at $54.28 as of 10:37 a.m., compared with a 52-week range of $45.39 to $61.94 per share.