Guaranty Bank appoints board chair

Provided by Guaranty Bank

Jim Batten has been on the Guaranty Bank board for 16 years.

Guaranty Bank has installed a familiar face as board chair.

Businessperson Jim Batten took on the position, according to a news release. He previously was Guaranty Bank’s board chair prior to Moline, Illinois-based QCR Holdings Inc.'s (Nasdaq: QCRH) $152 million acquisition of Guaranty Bank earlier this year.

As board chair, Batten succeeds Jim Anderson, who came into the role when QCR purchased Guaranty in April. Anderson previously was board chair for Springfield First Community Bank, a QCR division that merged into Guaranty as part of the acquisition.

Anderson became board chair of SFC Bank when QCR bought the company in 2018, according to the release. He's been a board member for SFC Bank – and now Guaranty Bank – for eight years.

“I cannot thank Jim enough for his mentorship over the years," Guaranty Bank CEO Monte McNew said in the release.

Batten previously served as Guaranty Bank's board chair leading up to the QCR purchase, according to past reporting. He's been on the Guaranty Bank board for 16 years, and he was named chair in 2016.

Batten has leadership experience at International Dehydrated Foods, Convoy of Hope, O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) and the Whitlock Co.

"We are looking forward to achieving even more expansion in our markets with the leadership of Jim Batten. Jim’s experience in leading transformational growth for local companies and his strong community involvement will be tremendous assets to the Guaranty Bank board leadership," McNew said in the release. "Our mission is to be the preeminent community bank in southwest Missouri, and we look forward to the board’s guidance to assist in achieving this objective.”