# George Gleason

> George G. Gleason II is the chairman and chief executive officer of Bank OZK, the Little Rock-based bank he acquired control of in 1979 at age 25. A former Rose Law Firm attorney, he oversaw its expansion into national commercial real estate lending. His public interviews also describe a demanding work routine, employee participation in decisions and a longstanding interest in collecting art. In October 2026 he emphasized diversifying the bank’s lending portfolio, deposits and fee income.

- **Role:** Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Bank OZK
- **Organizations:** Bank OZK, Rose Law Firm
- **From:** Dardanelle, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Business and Economics, Hendrix College, J.D., University of Arkansas School of Law
- **Known for:** Led the institution from $28 million in assets at the 1979 acquisition to $43.19 billion at September 30, 2026., Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, class of 2022., Hendrix College Odyssey Medal for Professional and Leadership Development, awarded October 21, 2010.

## Career timeline

- **1974** — Graduated from Hendrix College after two years, receiving the Mosley Award for Economics.
- **1977** — Completed law school; began his legal career at Rose Law Firm, focusing on corporate, banking and securities work.
- **1979** — At age 25 purchased controlling interest in Bank of Ozark with a $10,000 down payment and a $3.6 million loan.
- **1995** — Moved the bank headquarters to Little Rock.
- **1997** — The bank went public.
- **2003** — The bank established its Dallas-based Real Estate Specialties Group.
- **2010** — Received Hendrix College’s Odyssey Medal for Professional and Leadership Development.
- **2013** — The bank announced a New York loan production office as an extension of RESG.
- **2018** — Bank of the Ozarks changed its name to Bank OZK on July 16.
- **2020** — Gave a public video tour of the new Little Rock headquarters, discussing its art and campus.
- **2022** — Inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.
- **2026** — Outlined continued portfolio diversification on the October third-quarter earnings call.

## Achievements

- Led the institution from $28 million in assets at the 1979 acquisition to $43.19 billion at September 30, 2026.
- Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, class of 2022.
- Hendrix College Odyssey Medal for Professional and Leadership Development, awarded October 21, 2010.
- Built Bank OZK’s presence in national commercial real estate construction lending.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 20 Bank OZK reported Q3 net income available to common stockholders of $164.3 million, down 9.0% year over year, and diluted EPS of $1.50. Total assets reached $43.19 billion at September 30.
- **2026-10** — On the October 21 earnings call Gleason said RESG had fallen below half of the loan portfolio and discussed further corporate and institutional banking growth and deposit diversification.

## Links

- Website: https://www.ozk.com/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/george-gleason
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23