Jim Cargill recently retired as the President and CEO of Arvest Bank in central, southwest, and northeast Arkansas, overseeing Arvest’s retail, consumer, and commercial banking operations.  

Cargill is a fourth-generation banker. His great-grandfather, R.L. Bradshaw, was affiliated with the First National Bank of Lewisville in Arkansas in 1909. Jim began his banking career in 1979 working with his grandfather, J. Edmund Cargill, Sr., who was president of the Lewisville bank. Cargill’s grandmother, Bessie, worked along side her husband for many years. Later, Cargill’s father, Ed Cargill, Jr., became chairman and CEO, and Jim’s mother, Sharon, joined the bank and served as senior vice president and cashier, until her retirement. 

Cargill began his Arvest career in 1985, serving the communities and customers in Rogers and Bentonville, Arkansas, as well as Bartlesville and Shawnee, Oklahoma and has been in central Arkansas since 1999. Throughout Cargill’s career, he has personified Arvest’s mission statement of “People helping people find financial solutions for life” through his deep commitment to community and customer service. This commitment can be seen in his involvement in community development organizations, non-profits and industry groups. He is passionate about fostering a culture throughout Arvest that prioritizes treating all customers and associates with respect and compassion.

Jim attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he majored in finance and banking. He is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association Graduate School of Commercial Lending and of The Professional Masters of Banking Program at The Graduate School of Banking, Louisiana State University.

Cargill is a member of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Executive Committee and was installed as Chairman in December 2021.  He also serves on the Fifty for the Future Board of Directors.  He is a member, and Paul Harris Fellow, of the Little Rock Downtown Rotary Club, the Governor’s Circle, the UAMS Chancellor’s Circle and the LRAFB Community Council. Active in his church, he serves as an Elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Little Rock.

In 2019, Jim was awarded the Word Services for the Blind “Vision Award.”  He was also honored previously by the Pulaski Technical College as the business honoree at the 2014 Business of Art.  Additional community involvement includes previously serving on the Board of Directors of the following organizations:  Former Chairman of the Arkansas Bankers Association Board of Directors, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Our House, Downtown Little Rock Partnership, the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation, Centers for Youth and Families, Big Dam Bridge Foundation, the UA-Little Rock Foundation, the Baptist Health Foundation, the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce as Chairman, and the Bartlesville, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee.

Jim and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Little Rock and enjoy spending time with family. They have two adult children, Kelly and Ben and two grandsons, Thomas and Charlie.