TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- New BancorpSouth CEO Dan Rollins has hit the ground running. He has only been in Tupelo seven days, but he said every second counts.
"The worst thing that could happen is for somebody new to come in and start making changes. I want to be a part of the team that's already here. I'm going to spend the next weeks and months learning and meeting people and trying to figure out how BancorpSouth works so that I can be apart of this team," said Rollins.
Rollins said while he is learning the culture of BancorpSouth, he is also learning the culture of North Mississippi.
"I've had a great opportunity to go to multiple Christmas parties. Today was a Christmas luncheon. I was at a Christmas party last week here (Tupelo), and there is another one here (Tupelo) next week. It's a great chance to meet people," said Rollins.
He's no stranger to banking as the former president of Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. out of Houston, Texas. He said while he is aware of the changes in banking, the future looks bright for BancorpSouth.
"We are going to be larger. We are going to grow. The question is where. I don't know the answer to where, but we are going to grow. We are going to grow our loan portfolio. We are going to grow our insurance portfolio, and the mortgage business here has been fantastic," Rollins added.
The transition of leadership will happen over the next several months. He replaces Aubrey Patterson, who retired this year after more than 40 years with the company, 22 of which as president. Rollins said Patterson's knowledge of the company is invaluable.
"I know where to find him. I know where he will be hiding," Rollins said jokingly. "We will be talking a lot to make sure we don't make changes or make decisions that will negatively impact the organization."
Rollins said his ultimate goal is to build on the company's strengths and core values.
