Bank of Cave City wins 2026 Exceptional National Community Bank Service Award 

By: Roshan McArthur– Independentbanker.org

On March 15, 2025, an EF3 tornado hit Cave City, Arkansas. Winds up to 165 mph swept through in the dead of night, collapsing the cell tower, hitting 50 homes and demolishing 25, destroying both local fire stations and affecting 20 businesses.

Jonas Anderson, mayor of the 1,900-resident town, had never seen anything like it. “I’ve grown up here, and we’ve had some close calls over the years, but we had never taken a direct hit from a tornado like that,” he says. “It didn’t wipe out a huge segment of the community, thankfully, but the path that it took destroyed what we’ve come to call our ‘only list.’ It knocked out our only grocery store, our only dentist office, our only funeral home, our only auto parts store.”

The Bank of Cave City, one block from the tornado’s path, survived, and the community bank’s team, many of whom were personally affected by the storm, sprang into action. 

“From the bank’s perspective, the first thing was making sure that the bank was secure and able to provide the banking services that people need,” says Anderson, who also serves as chief technology officer for the $190 million-asset bank. “Beyond that, we had a lot of people who didn’t have a home or a business, and they needed to be fed and taken care of, and we had a lot of that going through the bank, too.”

Communications were down and the power was out, but the bank’s team dug through the wreckage of their storage building, pulled out their grill, utensils, chairs and tents, and started feeding the community. 

The tornado hit on A Friday night. On Monday, the Bank of Cave City was open. And for the next few weeks, as the town waited for power and communications to return, the team pitched in wherever they could.

A volunteer culture

The Bank of Cave City has been showing up since it was founded in 1906. “The bank has … always been very involved in the community,” says Anderson. 

In 2009, John Beller, now the bank’s president and CEO, was looking for a way to structure an incentive program for the team and decided to base it on volunteer participation. 

“In the beginning,” he recalls, “we [focused] on specific projects that we asked everybody to get involved in. Over the years, we’ve allowed it to become … more about what individuals are really passionate about.”

That can mean beautifying a park, building a float for the parade at Cave City’s legendary watermelon festival or coaching soccer at the local high school, Beller’s own passion. 

“We identify our mission as empowering our neighbors to flourish,” he says. “A lot of times, an organization might act out of its own interest first, which is totally normal. But … we try to pay attention to what our community needs and figure out how we can serve that need.”

The incentive program, called “We Live Here Too,” is a success. “People go way beyond the minimum that qualifies for the incentive,” Beller says.

For Crystal Crow, the bank’s marketing director, it’s all about looking for the “sparkle” in a team member’s eyes when you talk about helping the community. What’s their passion? What’s their purpose? Then, she directs their attention to it.

Customer service representative Isabelle Hooker found her sparkle with The Call, a program that works with foster children and families. 

“I was a foster child when I was younger,” she explains. “It’s just so meaningful that I’m helping these kids know that there is love in the world.”

Building back stronger

On the night of the tornado, Beller’s home was hit and his farm destroyed. It was, he says, “personally devastating.” But what he remembers most is the number of people who showed up, offering a chainsaw, or in the case of his pastor’s wife, spending days on her knees picking up shards of glass from his yard so his kids could play safely. 

During the tornado, Hooker and her family took cover in their cellar, but when the storm passed, they found their neighbor’s huge oak tree had fallen across the cellar door. Though they were able to get out, their front door had been destroyed, leaving a direct view into their living room, and the air smelled strongly of gas.

“We had two walls left,” she says. But by Monday morning, she was back at work. “I couldn’t just stare at the rubble. So, I came to work and stayed with the teller line. We gave out food. We were checking on neighbors, we were running supplies, we were feeding everyone. It kept me from completely spiraling.” 

Today, her home has been rebuilt, and Cave City is well on its way to a full recovery. “I think resilience is built in ordinary days,” says Crow. “You do things on a daily basis or at the yearly events. And then when you really need the help, your people are there, they’re involved. … And that’s how we recovered as well as we did.”

Crystal Crow, Director of Marketing said for the Bank of Cave City said. “The award recognizes more than the bank’s response to one storm. It reflects 17 years of employees giving their time, experience and care across Sharp, Independence and Lawrence counties.”

“Our team cooks and serves meals, calls bingo with senior neighbors, supports volunteer fire departments, helps local festivals run smoothly, works with schools and youth programs, serves on civic and nonprofit boards, and invests time in projects that help our towns keep moving forward.”

“This national recognition reflects the commitment our employees demonstrate throughout the year. They give their time to causes that matter to them and serve their neighbors in moments of crisis, as well as through the steady, everyday work that helps make our towns stronger and more resilient. We are incredibly proud of our team and honored to see their service recognized far beyond the places we call home. It is a meaningful reminder that impact is not measured by the size of a town or any single act. When people show up consistently and with care, their efforts can become something far greater than any one contribution.”  

She went on to say. “We’re grateful and honored to see Bank of Cave City’s service recognized alongside community banks across the country.”

You can also find Bank of Cave City in the September issue of Independent Banker, ICBA’s national magazine for community banking news, trends, insights and advocacy: Independent Banker.com.