DAVIS FAMILY LECTURE SERIES BRINGS JOHNNY ALLISON TO CAMPUS

Johnny Allison

Home BancShares Chairman Johnny Allison is the keynote speaker for the Davis Family Lecture Series on Oct. 30 at the UCA College of Business.

His talk will begin at 1:40 p.m. in the College of Business Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Allison has more than three decades experience in the banking industry. He co-founded Home BancShares, Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, in 1998 with Robert H. “Bunny” Adcock Jr., vice chairman of Home BancShares and University of Central Arkansas trustee, and established First State Bank.

After a series of acquisitions in Arkansas and Florida, the bank charters were combined into one in 2009: Centennial Bank. Today, Centennial Bank has locations in Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and New York.

Home BancShares, which has nearly $15 billion in assets, was the top-ranked bank in Forbes’ 2018 Best Banks in America list. The banks are rated on 10 metrics related to growth, profitability, capital adequacy and asset quality.

Allison serves as chairman of the board of Home BancShares. Prior to Home BancShares, Allison was chairman of First National Bank of Conway from 1983 to 1998 and director of First Commercial Corporation from 1985 to 1998.

The Davis Family Lecture Series was established in 2010 through a gift from Granger and Jan Davis, and Milton and Claudia Davis. The series features prominent business leaders who have made a significant impact in an industry. Past speakers include John W. Bachmann, Steve Williams, Hank Henderson, Reynie Rutledge, Marcy Doderer and Millie Ward.

The UCA College of Business is the fastest-growing college at the University of Central Arkansas with more than 1,650 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students. It offers 13 baccalaureate degrees, two master’s and one graduate certificate across four academic departments and houses the state’s only insurance and risk management program. Visit uca.edu/business for more.