Personal Bankers of Little Rock: Kristi Shuster
October 6, 2017
Talking about Pete Maris and the rest of her Bank of Little Rock family brings Kristi Shuster to tears. But not out of sadness. “Pete always stands behind us 100% and never lets us down. I can’t tell you how important that is and how it makes this such a special place to work.”
Kristi’s story starts in Dallas, Texas, but while still a baby, she and her family moved to Southwest Little Rock, where she grew up. Interestingly, Kristi started her banking career while she was growing up! “Before I graduated from McClellan High School,” she said, “I participated in a work study program starting in my sophomore year so my first job was working at First Federal Savings and Loan while I was going to school. Once I started, I never left the banking business!”
After graduating from McClellan in 1985, Kristi continued to work at First Federal as a teller until moving to Metropolitan National Bank in 1991. Then, in 1992, she joined Bank of Little Rock where her banking career began to blossom. She started with Bank of Little Rock as a teller, working at the Green Mountain Road branch but shortly afterward moved to the Heights branch at 5600 “R” Street, where she worked with Pete, Lee Ann Hogue, and Cindy Spencer.
Kristi relocated into the new Heights branch (still located at 5120 Kavanaugh Boulevard) as Branch Manager and Assistant Vice President and in 2001, moved to the downtown branch at 200 North State Street.
Since then, Kristi has advanced to become Bank of Little Rock’s Vice President, Security Officer, and Head of Retail Banking over all five branches. She is also a lender for both commercial and consumer customers.
When not helping Bank of Little Rock customers, Kristi spends as much time as she can at Greer’s Ferry Lake with her husband, Gus, along with their 22-year-old daughter Shelby and 19-year-old son Dalton. They also love sneaking away to the beaches on the Gulf Coast when they can find the time. But since Kristi is a self-described workaholic, much of her passion is found in and around her work. According to Kristi, “My customers have my cell phone number and often times email me on weekends. But that’s OK -- they know they can count on me to go above and beyond the normal call of duty and it’s rewarding to feel their appreciation for that.”
If you’re downtown, stop by and meet or simply say “hi” to Kristi. She’s got a smile ready for you, backed by many years of personal banking experience.