Great Southern transitioning to new COO

Doug Marrs has worked at the company for more than 25 years.

Next month is slated to kick off a transition in the works for at least a year at Great Southern Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: GSBC).

Chief Operations Officer Doug Marrs is scheduled to retire July 6 after more than 25 years with the company, according to a news release. He'll be succeeded by Mark Maples, Great Southern’s vice president and managing director of Bank Secrecy Act and loss prevention.

Great Southern previously disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing last summer that Marrs would retire a year later, but a formal news release had not been issued until June 18.

“Great Southern appreciates Doug’s significant contributions throughout his career,” President and CEO Joe Turner said in the release. “His leadership over the last 25 years has played a key role in the growth of the company. While Doug will be greatly missed, we wish him a healthy and enjoyable retirement.”

During Marrs' tenure, Great Southern grew to $5.6 billion in assets with operations in 11 states from less than $1 billion in assets primarily in southwest Missouri. He has more than 43 years of banking industry experience.

His successor, Maples, has worked in banking for 39 years, 16 of which have been with Great Southern, according to the release.