Kelly Carlson has been named president for the bank’s Greater Kansas City market. He succeeds Mark Larrabee, who announced his retirement after 44 years in the industry, including 16 with Arvest in the Kansas City region.
Carlson, who joined Arvest in 2008, had served as executive vice president and loan manager for the bank’s Benton County market since 2024. Prior to that, he held various roles primarily in commercial banking, including senior vice president and commercial loan manager in Benton County. In his new role, he will oversee all operations and strategic initiatives for Arvest in the Greater Kansas City area.
Arvest entered the Kansas City market through acquisitions in 2009. Since then, the bank’s market has grown to $2.1 billion in total assets with 20 branches and 200 bank associates in the metro.
“We’re thrilled to have Kelly lead our Greater Kansas City team," said Kirk Hays, Regional Executive for Arvest Bank’s Northwest Region. “Kelly’s deep understanding of commercial banking, coupled with his proven track record of leadership and community engagement, makes him the ideal choice to advance our mission of serving our customers and communities in Greater Kansas City.”
Carlson received both his bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from Harding University. He is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association National Commercial Lending School and American Bankers Association Graduate Commercial Lending School at Southern Methodist University. In 2024, he completed the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.
