Ben Steinberg

Ben Steinberg’s interest in economic development with a nonprofit twist led him on a globetrotting career path that brought him to Arkansas. His trip began in his native California, shifted to the East Coast and then went abroad for nearly a decade.

Steinberg, 38, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations from the University of California at Davis and a master’s in public affairs from New Jersey’s Princeton University.

After a short stint with the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C., he pursued his yearning for field work. That resulted in assignments to help build a middle class in places such as Armenia and Tanzania.

During an early tour of duty in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, Steinberg stumbled into microfinance and developed a passion for it.

He enjoyed building a self-sustaining loan program established on small, nontraditional loans in underserved markets and seeing the ripple effect of economic development.

In 2003, Steinberg returned to the U.S. and ended up in Little Rock working as a volunteer in Wesley Clark’s presidential campaign.

By July 2004, he had found an avenue to take his overseas experience and put it to work domestically: Southern Financial Partners.

The affiliate of Southern Bancorp has helped put together $10 million in grants and loans for the Delta Bridge Project in Helena. The program has helped improve blighted areas of the city, education, housing and tourism to make the city a more attractive place for internal and external investment.

“It’s a long and winding path that, I’m happy to say, brought me to Phillips County,” Steinberg said. “People are taking renewed interest in the community. There’s a momentum that’s developing that’s really exciting.”

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