Dominik Mjartan's American Dream

Arkansas Online
Sunday, September 20, 2015

Dominik Mjartan, CEO of Southern Bancorp Community Partners hopes to level the economic playing field for the underserved. Mjartan said success should not be determined by ZIP code. Living in Helena-West Helena -- a place where Southern is active in economic development -- shouldn't mean people there can't be upwardly mobile. Southern Bancorp makes about $56 million a year in loans in Helena-West Helena’s Phillips County. In the last three years, Southern invested an additional $3 million focused on job creation and downtown revitalization. “To us, profit is a secondary focus," Mjartan said. "That's not to say it's subordinate. We see profit as a means to accomplish our mission." He said, "Southern makes capitalism work for folks who don't have access to capitalism."