Arvest Bank KC Market President & CEO Retiring, New Successor Named

Posted June 26, 2025

Arvest Bank’s president of the Kansas City market, Mark Larrabee, has announced his retirement following 16 years with the bank.

Larrabee is retiring from his position and will be succeeded by Kelly Carlson, Arvest Bank’s executive vice president and loan manager for the Benton County market in northwest Arkansas, according to a Wednesday release. The transition will begin in the coming weeks, an Arvest Bank spokesperson told Ingram’s Magazine.

Larrabee has led a 44-year-long career in the banking sector. He first began as a banking officer at InterFirst Bank in Dallas in 1981, according to his LinkedIn profile. He would go on to hold several other leadership roles at banks over the years, including executive vice president at Mission Hills Banks for 8 years, senior vice president at Bank IV Kansas for 4 years, executive vice president at Country Club Bank for 2 years and president of the Kansas region at Harrington Bank for nearly 12 years.

In 2009, Arvest Bank acquired Harrington. Since then, Larrabee has served as the Arvest Bank president and chief executive officer of the Kansas City-area market. Under his leadership, the bank’s market grew to $2.1 billion in total assets with 20 branches and 200 bank associates in the Kansas City metro.

“I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished together – not just in building a strong financial institution, but by supporting and investing in the community,” Larrabee said in the release. “I have full confidence that under Kelly’s leadership, he will carry our momentum forward, inspire our teams and deepen our impact in the region.”

Carlson has been with Arvest Bank for 17 years. He began his career at Arvest as a commercial loan assistant in 2008 and worked his way up the corporate ladder to several key leadership positions. He started his role as executive vice president and loan manager for the Benton County market in January 2024.

Kelly Carlson will become the new president and CEO of Arvest Bank’s Greater Kansas City market. Photo credit: Arvest Bank.

Carlson received both his bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.

“Mark has built a phenomenal foundation for Arvest, and it’s an honor to follow in his footsteps,” Carlson said in the release. “I’m excited to start working alongside our talented team in Greater Kansas City as we continue to serve our customers and help contribute to the economic vitality of this incredible region.”

Larrabee and Carlson will work closely together over the next several months during the transition. In April, Arvest Bank announced the promotion of Kirk Hays to the role of regional executive for the Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas markets.

Founded in 1961, Arvest Bank is a full-service bank with more than $27 billion in assets. Today, it operates over 200 locations throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.