Ozarks Profile

NationsBank senior vice-president and marketing executive for the southwest Missouri region. NationsBank, 2940 S. Glenstone, has eight banking centers in Springfield and 22 throughout southwest Missouri. Soon to be Bank of America due to a Sept. 30, 1998 merger, NationsBank is the largest bank in the United States with $618 billion in assets. It has full-service operations in 22 states and the District of Columbia and provides financial products and services to 30 million households and 2 million businesses. Fox joined Boatmen's Bank in 1988 and worked in the credit administration department and was named senior credit officer in 1996. In 1997, Fox assumed his current position when Boatmen's Bank merged with NationsBank. Fox is president-elect of the Springfield Public Schools Foundation, treasurer of the Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust, past Telethon for Technology corporate chair and past chairman of Robert Morris Associates. He is a Leadership Springfield Class VI graduate, is on the Springfield Business and Development Corporation Board of Directors and the University of Missouri Development Council's Corporate Relations Committee.

Age: 41

No. of years in Springfield/area: A native of Monett, Fox has lived in Springfield for 11 years.

Education: Fox has a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master of business administration from MU and the National Commercial Lending Graduate School.

Early career: Fox began his career in banking in high school working for the Gillioz Bank in Monett. He also worked as a teller in college. After receiving his bachelor's in 1980, Fox moved to Dallas and began working at First National Bank, now NationsBank, in the management development training program and later worked as a banking officer in the national accounts division with responsibility for the southern California market. In 1983, Fox joined Cherrywood Development Trust Inc., a Dallas investment advisory and financial management company, as vice president and chief financial officer. He returned to the Ozarks in 1988 when he joined Boatmen's Bank.

Current projects: Fox is working on implementing a client-centered team approach to commercial banking. "Once a need is discovered, we bring in a teammate who is an expert in his or her field to consult with the client. Banking and financial services is a very exciting and dynamic industry to be in today, and to be successful you must be adaptable and truly add value as a financial consultant, as opposed to just selling products and services."

Management philosophy: "Surround yourself with people more capable than you, set aggressive goals, empower teammates to be able to be successful at their goals, reward top performances and be there for support if needed."

Spare-time pursuits: Spending time with family and friends at Table Rock Lake, reading especially biographies, and scuba diving and underwater photography. Fox is also an avid Mizzou fan.

Family data: Fox and his wife, Emily, the executive director of the Discovery Center of Springfield, are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. They have two children: Taylor, 12, is a sixth-grader at Jarrett Middle School and Christina, 11, is a fifth-grader at Sunshine Elementary School.

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