Swift, Cobb Promoted to Full Directorship on BoD.

West Plains Bank and Trust Company Chairman of the Board S. David Gohn has announced Charles (Nate) Swift, DO, and Sam Cobb, have been promoted to full directorship positions. Swift and Cobb were first appointed to the board as advisory members in July 2020. 

Gohn said both Dr. Swift and Cobb have undergone extensive training and have gained a solid understanding of the banking industry. “We have been pleased with the experience and leadership Nate and Sam have brought to the table,” Gohn said. “They contribute valuable perspectives to discussions and help guide the bank in a progressive direction. These actions led to a unanimous decision to promote them to full directorship positions.” 

According to Gohn, Dr. Swift and Cobb were originally selected to serve on the board based on their experience and skills, which have proven valuable in making decisions that aid in maintaining West Plains Bank and Trust Company’s reputation as a strong, community bank.”

Dr. Swift said he appreciates being part of the bank board. “I am very thankful for this opportunity to serve on the board,” he said. “I have very much enjoyed being part of a community-centered group of people. It has been a great experience, and I am looking forward to what’s in store for the future.”

Cobb said serving as an advisory board member for the last 18 months has been a real pleasure. “I'm honored to be elected to serve as a full board member,” Cobb said. “I've enjoyed learning about community banking from the inside and I've been so impressed with the team at West Plains Bank. To have a local bank that is both highly involved in the community, and is excellent at what they do, is a huge benefit. I'm looking forward to seeing the bank continue to grow and serve West Plains and the surrounding area in the coming years.”

Dr. Swift, a local internal medicine physician, is a native of the area having graduated from Alton High School, Alton, Mo., in 2003. Dr. Swift chose to return to the area following his medical education and training.

Dr. Swift graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in biology in 2007 and from Kansas City University of Medicine in 2011. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tenn., in 2014. 

He joined the Burton Creek Rural Clinic in West Plains, Mo., in 2014 where he continues to see patients today. He currently serves as medical director at West Vue, National Health Care (NHC), Mountain View and Rock Point (Birch Tree, Mo.) nursing homes. In addition, he volunteers at the Christian Clinic in West Plains. 

Dr. Swift served on the Ozarks Medical Center Board of Directors from 2016-2018. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching Mizzou sports, golfing, watching Alton Comet basketball and reading. He and his wife, Erin, were married in 2004 and have two children, Willa and Jude.

Sam Cobb is a 1995 graduate of West Plains High School, West Plains, Mo., and went on to graduate from Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo., in 2001 with a B.A. in Geography. Cobb then moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to join his father-in law’s emerging hardwood distribution company. 

Two years later, he was tasked with opening a second location in Oklahoma City. 

In 2005, Cobb entered the world of international business, partnering with his father-in-law, to start a wood products company, Real Wood Floors, which specializes in producing finely crafted wood floors. In 2009, Cobb relocated the Real Wood Floors head office to West Plains, Mo., where he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. 

Cobb serves as a board member of Asia’s Hope, a non-profit based in Columbus, Ohio, that provides family-style care for orphans at particular risk for sexual and economic exploitation in Cambodia, Thailand and India. 

In 2002, Cobb married his wife, Rachel, and the couple are raising their 7 children in West Plains. The family attends Genesis Church where he serves as an elder. In addition, the Cobb’s enjoy traveling and experiencing the culture, food and sights of new places.

West Plains Bank and Trust Company President and CEO David M. Gohn added, “As West Plains Bank and Trust Company continues to grow its footprint in southern Missouri, we want the best business minds from diverse backgrounds to guide our decision-making process.  Nate and Sam satisfy both of those requirements and know the Ozarks culture, having been born and raised here.  They share West Plains Bank and Trust Company’s commitment to remaining an independent, community bank, and are helping to strengthen this principle going forward.”

Other members of the West Plains Bank and Trust Company Board of Directors are:  Chairman S. David Gohn, Vice Chairman Mark Dake, DDS, MSD, Secretary Courtney Beykirch, Jacob Garrett, David M. Gohn, Ken Joplin and Cary Stewart.  R.B. Grisham serves as an Advisory Director.  

West Plains Bank and Trust Company opened its doors to customers in 1883, making it the oldest continually operating business in the area.  With more than 138 years of service to the local region, total assets of West Plains Bank and Trust Company have grown to more than $600 million with seven locations and a loan production office.