Member Article

Celebrating 30 Years of Successful Leadership

Warren Stephens was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and poised for success from birth. His parents were Mary Amerine Stephens and Jackson T. Stephens, who was a financier and investor.

Stephens graduated high school from Trinity Presbyterian High School located in Montgomery, Alabama in 1975. Then he attended Washington and Lee University, graduating in 1979 with his B.A. in Economics before earning an MBA from Wake Forest University where he graduated in 1981. He serves as a trustee for Washington and Less University today.

Warren Stephens in Business

Stephens joined the family business in Little Rock after graduating from Wake Forest University. Stephens Inc. had 139 employees at the time and operated much like a British merchant bank. The philosophy was to invest funds from the firm and the family into a variety of business ventures. Doing this allows the business to invest in ventures other investment banks might find too risky. Some of the projects Stephens Inc. has been known to handle include the IPO of Walmart in 1970 and the Louisiana Superdome. Much of those early values remain essential to the firm’s success today.

Stephens began his career as an associate working in the corporate finance department. He was specifically focused on oil and gas. By 1983, he was promoted to head of the department where he shifted his focus to mergers and acquisitions. On February 18, 1986, Stephens’ 29th birthday, he was promoted to the role of president and CEO of Stephens Inc.

This appointment, after his father stepped down from the role, made him the third CEO of Stephens Inc. in the history of the company, which dates back to 1933.

In addition to his role as CEO of Stephens Inc., Warren Stephens served as senior advisor when Tyson Foods acquired Holly Farms in 1990 and serves on the Board of Directors at Dillard’s, an upscale chain of department stores with headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Stephens owns stakes in Donrey Media Group, Bank of America, Alltell, and Oklahoma Gas and Electric.

Warren Stephens Role at Stephens, Inc.

The things that happened after Stephens became CEO of Stephens Inc. that have defined him as a professional role model for so many. He took a company that had a little over 100 employees and transformed it into a company that employs more than 900.

He took a company that operated mostly on a local or regional scale and made it a global force. The entity that is Stephens Inc. has influence today that reaches far beyond Little Rock or even Arkansas. His leadership has taken a business that was already successful and multiplied that success for the past 30 years.

What’s so remarkable about someone holding the role of CEO for 30 years?

It’s almost unprecedented. The average “life span,” if you will, of a CEO is seven to eight years in that capacity. It’s a high demand role that burns men and women made of the stiffest stuff, out in a relatively brief tenure. In fact, there are only 11 CEOs in the S&P 500 that have lasted 30 years in the role. Stephens seems to thrive and become energized by his responsibilities as CEO.

Despite the many wonderful things he has done in his role as CEO of Stephens, Inc. it is perhaps the things he hasn’t done that are the most remarkable. Stephens hasn’t moved away from the family values and family focused attitude of the firm. His children work with him and he remains committed to his employees. Even during the recession when so many banking entities and financial firms were laying off employees, he did not.

It is things like this that you won’t find about Warren Stephens in Bloomberg, though. Bloomberg paints a “just the facts” portrait of the man who has meant so much to the men and women that work for and with him for the past 30 years in his capacity as CEO and even longer during his tenure at Stephens Inc.

In 2006, Stephens purchased all remaining shares of Stephens Inc. from family members to become the full owner of the business.

Warren Stephens – The Man We Know Today

Warren Stephens is a man who believes in hard work. He grew up in the business and became CEO at an early age. Despite that, he also plays hard too. He is an avid golf fan. His love of the game was behind the building of the Alotian Club, one of the best golf courses in America.

In 2014, Stephens made the Forbes 400. He was number 190. In 2015 he was ranked #628 on the Forbes List of Billionaires. He was also ranked #225 among U.S. Billionaires. Other things you won’t find about Warren Stephens in Bloomberg is his philanthropic commitment to various organizations like the Arkansas Arts Center or the Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by aby .