Ozarks Profile

Vice president/chief lending officer, Wood & Huston Bank, 204 W. Primrose, Springfield. Wood & Huston Bank was founded in 1874 and is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. The bank was established by Will Wood and Joseph Huston in Marshall, where the bank's headquarters is today. The bank has been in Springfield since 1994 and has locations in West Plains and Cape Girardeau. The bank now has $300 million in assets and is the 10th largest in the state. Wood & Huston can attribute its success over the past 125 years to providing value-added services to its commercial, personal and agricultural customers, Clarke said. Clarke joined the bank in October of 1995. He is on the board of directors for the Developmental Center of the Ozarks. The bank is involved in the Small Business Development Center's Champions for Success program.

Age: 38.

No. of years in Springfield/area: Four years; calls Manhattan, Kan., his hometown, though his family was career Air Force, so he lived in a number of places in the United States, as well as Okinawa and England.

Education: Holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Kansas State University and will complete the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, Wis., this summer. Clarke is a Dale Carnegie graduate.

Early career: Clarke began working for a large regional bank in Florida in 1986. He completed that bank's management training program for commercial lenders and left as an assistant vice president in 1991. From there he joined Union National Bank in Hutchinson, Kan., and stayed until 1995 when he came to work for Wood & Huston. "They were looking for an experienced commercial lender with an extensive background in working capital lines to oversee a new program within Wood & Huston, the Commercial Funding Services," Clarke said. The Commercial Funding Services program is a service whereby the bank purchases the accounts receivable for a business that is growing and experiencing tight cash flows. That program was Clarke's primary responsibility for his first two years at the bank. In 1998, he became the chief lending officer of the bank and oversees all the lending functions for Wood & Huston in Springfield.

Current projects: Finishing the Graduate School of Banking and focusing the growth of the Commercial Funding Services program, as well as other opportunities within the bank's loan portfolio.

Management philosophy: "I believe in hiring good people who have the drive, knowledge and customer service skills to perform their tasks without being micromanaged. Hiring employees who are professional, courteous and focused on the job at hand are the keys to high-quality customer service."

Spare-time pursuits: Spending time with his family; he has two sons, ages 12 and 16, who are involved in a variety of sports and musical productions. He also plays golf, enjoys reading and is a member of the St. Agnes Catholic Church.

Family data: He and his wife, Susan, have two sons: Adam, a freshman at Parkview and Tyler, a sixth grade student at Carver Middle School.

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