Lunsford Bridges*

Banker Oversees Growth at Metropolitan

Lunsford Bridges has served as president and chief executive officer of Little Rock’s Metropolitan National Bank since joining the bank in 1985.

Under his leadership, Metropolitan has grown from total assets of less than $100 million in 1985 to $550 million today. Since 1997, the bank has averaged 18 percent annual revenue growth.

Unaided by acquisition, the bank has tallied its internal growth by paying attention to the people it hires, up-to-date facilities and cutting-edge technology.

The Metropolitan staff, which numbered about 50 when he came aboard, now totals 275.

During his 15-year tenure, Metropolitan was transformed from a tiny southwest Little Rock bank with two locations into the largest independently-owned bank in Central Arkansas, with a network of 25 locations.

“We’ve been able to be nearby and neighborly to more people in the market,” Bridges says. “By far, the biggest investment we’ve made is in people. We’ve been very focused on bringing in key executives who bring a lot to the table.”

Bridges began his 36-year career in banking after graduating from Hendrix College in Conway in 1963. He joined Commercial National Bank in Pine Bluff as a management trainee and rose to senior vice president and marketing manager before leaving to take over the helm at Metropolitan.

Among his civic duties, the 58-year-old executive serves on the board of directors at Little Rock’s St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center and the Federal Reserve Bank Board in St. Louis. He also is treasurer of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Committee.

He cites as his greatest weakness the need to better understand that perfection is not always possible. He lists as his greatest strength dedication to the financial success of the bank, while building an institution that both employees and customers love.

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