Orvin Kimbrough prides himself on being ‘a thinker and a doer’

The beginning of Orvin Kimbrough’s pathway to success was far from smooth.

Yet, he now serves as the chair and CEO of Midwest BankCentre. He is the first and only African American to lead one of the 100-plus mainstream banks in the St. Louis region.

Midwest BankCentre is St. Louis’ second largest privately owned local bank, with over $2.4 billion in assets and 2 billion in loans. It brands itself as a values-based financial institution that influences and advances its communities by empowering people, enabling business and energizing neighborhoods.

Prior to joining Midwest BankCentre, Kimbrough spent nearly 20 years in leadership roles in prominent nonprofit agencies, most recently as the president and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. During his tenure as CEO, the United Way of St. Louis grew to the nation’s largest affiliate, raising nearly $80 million annually.

After being born to a single mother in East St. Louis, Illinois, Kimbrough grew up in an abusive household that was followed by foster care at Annie Malone Children’s and Family Services and Emergency Children’s Home in North St. Louis City.

He is a product of the St. Louis Public Schools, graduating from Gateway Tech in 1994 with probationary acceptance to the University of Missouri-Columbia. He went on to earn bachelor and master’s degrees in social work from Mizzou, an MBA from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Master of Theology degree from the Aquinas Institute of Theology. 

He serves on the board of Missouri Bankers Association, UMSL’s Chancellor Council, Core & Main, American Bankers Association’s Community Bankers Council and on the board of United Way Worldwide. 

Kimbrough will be honored as the 2023 Corporate Executive of the Year during the St. Louis American Foundation’s special 21st Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon at 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis.

The event’s 2023 theme is “Expanding Inclusive Growth.”

The American spoke to Kimbrough about what’s next for himself and the banks he leads, his experiences with banks growing up poor, his efforts to build relationship between more Black households and banks, and things he thought he would be able to do as a bank president that, in fact, he can’t do.

The St. Louis American: What’s new and what’s next at Midwest BankCentre?

Orvin Kimbrough: What’s renewed is our commitment to our region and the communities we serve. We continue to double-down on our commitment to helping more people access reasonably priced capital. We want more people to own homes. We want more people to start and scale businesses. We want more people to live thriving, self-determined lives. 

In 2023, we are planning to open an innovation center in Dellwood that will serve as the center of gravity for us to test ways to better serve low- to moderate-income, small business, mortgage, and consumer finance needs throughout St. Louis and beyond.

This is tied to our recent commitment of $200 million incremental investment in loans. Although our goal is $200 million in dedicated lending, it is not the primary driver for us. Creating the condition for transformation of neighborhoods is the primary driver. To level set and make sure we are all speaking the same language – what do we mean by “transformation”? 

Our working definition of “transformation” is historically disinvested-in neighborhoods – thriving, historically marginalized individuals – supported, historically forgotten communities and the people living in those communities – remembered and empowered. We acknowledge that we cannot unilaterally create the kind of transformation we are speaking about, but what we can do is be a sound community partner and invest our capital and time wisely to create a ripple effect.

What’s renewed is the confidence that I have in our board and executive leadership. We are philosophically aligned – we understand the conditions for improved performance is optimized risk-taking and execution. I bet on our colleagues and board to continue navigating the unprecedented uncertainty that we have experienced since 2019. The bank has grown from $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion in assets in the span of four years. The team has doubled profitability and improved all key performance metrics. What’s next for Midwest BankCentre is continued profitable growth.

One last thing: I am excited that we will operationalize the Midwest BankCentre charitable foundation, doing business as Rising Together. This is one more quiver to help the bank to efficiently test new ways of providing access to capital through small-dollar business and consumer loans and mortgage assistance, all while inviting the broader community to play an active role.

The St. Louis American: What’s new and what’s next with you personally?

Orvin Kimbrough: I joined the board of the bank in 2015 and was named CEO in 2018. I officially took the helm in January of 2019, so I am entering my fifth year as chair and CEO.

I look at the bank as a flexible platform on which to do many things. My goal is to continue having fun, learning, and creating value. My goal is to help the bank achieve its next level of growth. I’d love to see more Black ownership of banks and businesses which have mainstream appeal, no different than current majority-owned institutions like Midwest BankCentre enjoy. I’d love to spur more direct mentorship and risk-taking from among America’s leaders who have made it – one measurement of success is how many jobs you’ve created, another measure of success is how many business owners you’ve created, another measure of success is how many people have you helped get on a corporate board or in a C-suite of a major company. A measure of success is how many diverse businesses you helped get into supply line so they can build their business. 

I have had a couple of mentors who have provided more than words of encouragement. While words of encouragement are important, alone they are insufficient. I had a mentor who told me years ago that my dream needed to be bigger, so I enlarged it and ended up leading an organization that I revered as a young foster kid. I now serve on the global board of that organization. He didn’t just tell me to dream bigger – he was always downfield blocking, mentoring, and leveraging his influence. 

I had a mentor who told me I was ready to take a next big career step, one that was bigger than I ever thought possible. He didn’t just say that, he made himself a casualty of my ascent by vacating a key role when he was on top. He taught me to know when your time is up and make way for others. 

I had a mentor who believed that I could lead a bank and like a party whip aligned the right interests to give me a shot. I had a mentor who believed I could sit on a major corporate board – these were not just words, he followed up his words with action. 

So, you ask what is next for me? I want to inspire more people to take these risks – both in words and actions. Encourage someone and do something specific to help them position themselves. And for the person being positioned, I want you to enlarge your confidence and perspective on what is possible for your life.