On June 10, Gary Jordan was inducted into the Missouri Bankers Association’s 50 Year Club. The MBA recognizes professionals who have spent 50 years in the banking industry during its annual convention. Jordan, who started banking in 1958 as a mail boy at Union National Bank, was honored during this year’s convention at Chateau on the Lake in Branson. Q: How do you feel about being the 50 Year Club’s newest member? A: Oh, I think it’s great. I’m excited about it because I’ve been attending those conventions forever. And I’ve seen a lot of people come in and I’ve always admired them, that they’ve been able to do that, be in the industry for 50 years. Now, I’m one of them.
Q: You’ve said your favorite job, and the one you now hold at Great Southern Bank, is as correspondent banker. What does the job involve? A: A correspondent banker as I know it, I was always stationed in Springfield, even when I worked for UMB in Kansas City, I still stayed in Springfield, and my territory went out about 100 miles in every direction from Springfield. It is my job to call on (Great Southern branch) banks periodically and make sure that we are serving them correctly and find out what their needs are and so forth.
Q: You spent the majority of your career at one bank. What kept you at the same place for 39 years? A: I worked at, it started out as Union National Bank, and (then it became Boatmen’s) and then sold to Nation’s Bank. That’s when I decided to retire at 39 years and three months. … I took the job temporarily until I was going to find something I liked, and I guess I did.
Q: What are some of the bigger changes you’ve seen in the local banking market? A: The fact that in Springfield, Mo., when I started in banking – and somebody will correct me, I’m sure – but I believe there were five banks. … You could not even have a branch back then. … Now, of course, there are banks everywhere. That’s one of the big changes, and the technology certainly has changed. I was there when we got our first computer at Union National in January of 1965.
Q: Do you have any advice for people just starting out in the industry? A: Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open and your nose clean, you know. Just work hard and take good care of the customers and they’ll take good care of you. … Listen to the customer and they’ll tell you what they want. That’s not a secret, it’s just most people don’t understand it.[[In-content Ad]]
