The Bank of Missouri hires Springfield president

The Bank of Missouri hired a new Springfield community bank president, following a promotion for David Cook.

Tony Lewis, a Springfield native who played baseball professionally before starting his banking career, is now serving in the leadership role for The Bank of Missouri, according to a news release. His LinkedIn account indicates he joined the company this month after multiyear stints at Great Southern Bank and Regions Bank.

“With 12 years of banking experience and a developed passion for lending and serving the community, Tony is a natural fit to lead our Springfield team,” said Tim Scott, The Bank of Missouri's southwest regional president, in the release. “He is focused on relationship management and understands the Springfield market, being born and raised here."

Lewis succeeds Cook, who assumed new duties as vice chair of the southwest region for Perryville-based The Bank of Missouri. In that role, Cook serves all markets in the region, including Springfield, Branson, Ozark and Republic.

The founder of the Grip-N-Rip Baseball League, Lewis most recently worked for more than seven years at Great Southern Bank as a vice president and senior commercial lender, according to his LinkedIn profile.

After playing baseball for Missouri State and Drury universities, Lewis went on to play professionally in Bois-Guillaume, France; Toronto, Ontario; Chicago; and Quebec City, Quebec. He left professional baseball in leagues such as the Frontier League in 2010 and entered the banking industry, according to the release.

“Helping the local community is where my passion is, and I have found that I can do that through the lenses of banking and baseball,” Lewis said in the release. “As someone who is invested in the growth of the southwest Missouri area, I feel that this is the next natural step in my banking career.”