Ozarks Profile - Michael Henry

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Tell us about your company.|ret||ret||tab|

"Jack Henry & Associates Inc. provides integrated computer systems to community banks and credit unions." The company was founded in 1976 by Jack Henry (Michael's father) and Jerry Hall in Monett, which is where the company's headquarters is located. "Our company became public in 1985 and we currently trade on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol JKHY." |ret||ret||tab|

The company has 2,100 full-time employees in 26 offices, serving more than 2,800 customers in all 50 states. In 2000, the company received an Ec-onomic Impact Award from Spring-field Business Journal in the information technology category.|ret||ret||tab|

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What is your role in the |ret||ret||tab|

company?|ret||ret||tab|

"As chairman and CEO, I have given the day-to-day operations of the business over to the president and chief operating officer while I concentrate on the strategic part of the business, such as acquisitions and overall direction. I think the biggest part of my job is to make sure that our company remains healthy and doesn't lose sight of the basic things that made us successful." |ret||ret||tab|

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What is the biggest change you've seen in the industry?|ret||ret||tab|

"When you have been in one marketplace for 25 years, you get to see a lot of changes. We have seen banks go through good times and bad, but probably the most dramatic changes we've seen have been in technology. Computing power, PCs and the Internet have all changed the way banks serve their customers and the expectations and conveniences that customers demand. Services like ATMs, debit cards and Internet banking, which are commonplace today, didn't exist when we started our business. Part of our challenge is to continue to provide our customers with the products they need to compete in their marketplace."|ret||ret||tab|

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What would you most like to see Jack Henry accomplish in 2002?|ret||ret||tab|

"Our company has experienced excellent long-term growth over the last several years, which has recently become more difficult due to the soft economy. I would love to see us get back to our typical growth pattern, but since I can't do anything about the economy, we will simply continue to run our business the way it needs to be run and not worry about the things we can't control." |ret||ret||tab|

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What prepared you for your career?|ret||ret||tab|

Henry describes his career path as a bit atypical. "I've been with the company for 23 years, and although I have had different jobs here during those years, it's been the only company I have ever worked for. I started working with Jack and Jerry as part-time help while I was in high school. After I graduated I thought it would be more fun traveling and working than attending college, knowing that I could always take the college path if things didn't work out. Needless to say things did work out and the decision turned out to be the right one for me. Please just don't tell my son he doesn't need to get a degree!"|ret||ret||tab|

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Tell us about your family.|ret||ret||tab|

Henry said he and his wife Cynthia have been married for seven years, and they have three children ages 10, 17 and 18.|ret||ret||tab|

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What do you most enjoy in your spare time?|ret||ret||tab|

"My wife and I own a home in Tucson and we enjoy spending as much time there as my job allows, especially when winter comes to the Ozarks. I enjoy golf and tennis, but my golf game suffers from lack of play and my oldest children can now soundly beat me on the tennis courts. With my job and my travel schedule spare time is hard to come by."|ret||ret||tab|

by Maria Hoover [[In-content Ad]]