1. B A C K G R O U N D O N
Randy Baker
By Kristin Rulon, Assistant Editor, BankNews Media
F
or many, golfing gives people a
chance to unwind, enjoying peace
and quiet. For Randy Baker, CEO
and president of Lawson Bank, it’s
a hobby for his brood of four.
Baker and his wife, Katye (owner
and dance director of All About Dance
by Katye), daughter Jenna and stepson
Braden all enjoy swinging the golf club
whenever they all can get together. Jen-
na is a senior in high school and Braden
is a freshman at California Polytechnic
State University.
“Golf is our family hobby,” Baker
said. “All four of us golf together,
whenever possible.”
Even though playing golf is a family
hobby, carpentry and spending time
with his dogs, two
Golden Retriev-
ers and Zorro the
family Bischon,
take up a lot of his
free time.
“I see so many
homes that could
be beautiful again.
I enjoy the car-
pentry work and
would like to fix
up homes to cre-
ate more value
and curb appeal
in the neighbor-
hood,” he said. “I
could see myself
in the home rehab
market if I weren’t
in banking. I also
really enjoy mar-
keting, especially
in the social me-
dia, digital media
and kiosk arena.”
Wood-working may be off the clock,
but during business hours Baker is using
his Kansas State University bachelor’s de-
gree in finance and economics and Law-
son Bank’s traditional banking values to
build a strong rapport with customers.
“We are still old fashioned and believe
in relationship building and going out
in person calling on our customers and
prospects,” he said. “Our bank can of-
fer all the ‘big bank’ products but with
the personal touch and a very quick re-
sponse. At the end of the day, almost all
banks offer the same products. It really
comes down to how well and how fast
you can deliver.”
One of Lawson Bank’s main focuses
has been staying up-to-date with tech-
nology, from mobile apps, mobile depos-
it, ATMs, online banking, its website and
social media.
“We utilized and mixed age groups in
multiple industries to form our advisory
board, which helps give us feedback and
direction,” Baker said.
Lawson Bank opened its doors in 1883
in Lawson, Mo. It was founded by broth-
ers, Washington and Addison Smith,
who, according to Baker, had their fair
share of stories being part of the Mexican
War and California Gold Rush before be-
ginning Lawson Bank.
Today, Lawson Bank, has four locations
(the main bank in Lawson and branches
in Excelsior Springs, Mo., Gladstone, Mo.,
14 The Show-Me Banker / March 2016

2. and Kansas City, Mo.) and
the same pride that has
kept them going for more
than 130 years.
The Lawson Bank in
Lawson was built in 1885,
serving then a community
of 600. Lawson’s popula-
tion now stands closer to
2,500. In 1914, a fire de-
stroyed the building, but
the “integrity and grit that
began the bank kept it going,” Baker said.
Although the bank has had a few own-
ership changes over the years, it has been
owned by Dr. Stephen McCray since the
early 1980s. Baker became president and
CEO of Lawson Bank in 2014.
Originally from Aurora, Colo.,
Baker began his career in 1986 with
Unipac student loans, a division of
U.S. Bank in Denver, Colo. He is also
a graduate of the CUNA School of
Lending in Madison, Wis.
For the past 30 years, Baker has
held the positions of chief credit offi-
cer with K-State Credit Union; senior
vice president with Bank Liberty chief
operating officer with Hillcrest Bank;
director of marketing and sales with
First Federal Bank; and senior vice
president of corporate development
with Citizens Bank & Trust.
Baker advises young bankers starting
out to not let regulations scare them away
from the industry.
“Young bankers need to understand
there are so many career paths in bank-
ing,” he said. “You can go the retail bank-
ing avenue, loan or deposit operations,
commercial banking, agriculture bank-
ing, finance, investment, bond trading,
etc. Take your time and learn all the
departments and then decide what you
like best. Be patient. Instant gratification
doesn’t exist.”
And as far as dealing with those not-
so-scary regulations, Baker knows many
banks are struggling because of the extra
costs to outsource or hire additional staff
to meet the increasing regulation demands.
“It seems like we have an audit for ev-
erything today,” he said. “Most of us are
looking for the most cost-effective ap-
proach. I believe that most of us are re-
ally looking at our business model and
explaining it to our examiners because
the majority of regulation doesn’t seem
to apply to a lot of community banks.”
So what does the future hold for
community banks with regulations
breathing down their necks? Baker
disagrees with the so-called trends of
doom and gloom.
“I believe community banking will
grow again. People still believe in the
relationship and knowing where they
bank,” he said. “Community banks tend
to be more open and eager to work with
our customers. The only thing I see get-
ting in the way are bank regulations and
technology costs. The costs are challeng-
ing, and we have to get more creative on
how we make money.”
www.miba.net / The Show-Me Banker 15