Baton Rouge, La.- b1BANK has announced the launch of b1 FOUNDATION (the Foundation) and the appointment of Will M. Campbell, Jr. MA as Director. The Foundation was established to support b1BANK's ongoing community outreach efforts by providing education and economic development support to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

'The crux of b1BANK is supporting local businesses and entrepreneurship growth,' said Jude Melville, president and CEO of b1BANK. 'The launch of b1 FOUNDATION is the next step in b1's business development and community engagement efforts put into action on a much larger scale.'

To support its initiatives, The Foundation will provide one-on-one counseling and in-person and virtual trainings that will help small business owners attain the knowledge they need to gain access to capital. Trainings will include breaking the lending code, business planning, growth planning, credit readiness, understanding financial statements, legal structures and more. The foundation will also support financial literacy and education within b1BANK's Market Service Areas.

'I'm excited to be at the forefront of the launch of b1 FOUNDATION, which will expand upon the b1BANK's philanthropic efforts and economic development accomplishments thus far,' said Will Campbell, director of b1 FOUNDATION. 'As director, I will combine my passion for community and entrepreneurship knowledge and experience into programs that will support our local communities and nurture economic development.'

'Will's contagious energy and successful experience in leading economic development and community outreach initiatives will result in the development of programs and resources that will further support our community and entrepreneurs,' said Heather Roemer, president of b1 FOUNDATION.

A former Captain in the United States Army Reserves, Will Campbell has over 27 years of experience in the financial services industry and has held several positions including VP of Commercial Lending, Small Business Administration (SBA) Lending Manager, and served as the Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University. Campbell received his Master of Arts degree in Management and Leadership from Liberty University, earned a certificate of Entrepreneurship Educators from Babson College, and is currently pursing his Ph. D. in Management and Leadership.

About Business First Bancshares, Inc.

Business First Bancshares, Inc., through its banking subsidiary b1BANK, formerly known as Business First Bank, operates 42 banking centers and two loan processing offices in markets across Louisiana and in the Dallas, Texas area. b1BANK provides commercial and personal banking, treasury management and wealth solutions services to small to midsize businesses and their owners and employees. Visit www.b1BANK.com for more information. Business First's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol 'BFST.'

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Business First Bancshares Inc. published this content on 17 August 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 17 August 2021 16:13:04 UTC.