Day In The Life: Ashton Davis

My career in banking began earlier than most—back in high school. I went along on farm visits with my dad for job shadowing credits and quickly fell in love with talking with farmers and seeing their operations firsthand. That experience set the direction for my education and career. I attended Missouri State University, where I earned bachelor’s degrees in Animal Science and Ag Business, followed by a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics.

I joined the Heritage Bank family in 2021 as a junior credit analyst. Over the past four years, my role has evolved several times, giving me the opportunity to learn different areas of the bank. Today, I serve as the Business Development Officer. This role was created to help alleviate some of our loan officers' day-to-day responsibilities while allowing me to focus on building strong relationships with our business and agriculture customers.

From Farm Visits to Financial Statements

One of my favorite parts of the job is conducting farm and business inspections. I love connecting with our agricultural customers and seeing a wide variety of operations. Many days involve riding around on side-by-sides, touring farms, and learning what works best for each operation.

Those visits have included checking water gaps after a flood, handing syringes to a customer doctoring a sick calf, getting ambushed with water guns by customers’ kids, and even having meaningful conversations about faith. While I am there to take photos and collect numbers to report back to the bank, the most important part of these visits is getting to know the customer and their family. Building relationships, understanding their needs, and learning how the bank can best support them is what matters most to me. I learn something new on every farm visit.

I also enjoy the numbers side of my role and helping farmers prepare financial statements and assess cattle values. It’s a great balance of relationship-building and analytical work.

Living the Life I Serve

My family lives on a Century Farm, and we run about 125 head of cattle. Being actively involved in farming myself is critical to the way I connect with the farmers I work with. It allows us to have real conversations about market trends, weather challenges, and the realities we’re all facing at any given time. That shared experience helps build trust, accountability, and common ground.

When I’m not out on farm visits, my headquarters is at home. Working remotely gives me the flexibility to be there for my sons, respond quickly if a cow gets out, or help manage farm needs during hay season. Once I’m back home, I compile the photos and information from my visits, review weekly cattle market reports, assign values, find equipment comparables, and prepare financial statements that I’ve discussed with customers.

More Than One Hat

While farm visits are often the most exciting part of my week, my job includes more than that. I conduct property valuation assessments, taking photos and confirming that appraised values remain accurate. One of my favorite parts of this responsibility is getting to see the beautiful countryside I might not have discovered otherwise.

I also love being involved in our local county fairs. Heritage Bank is a strong supporter of youth in agriculture, and I’m proud to represent the bank by handing out showmanship buckles, supporting livestock shows, and being there when the bank purchases sale animals.

In addition, I review every appraisal that comes through the bank, check for errors, and prepare summary reports. I continue to assist the credit analyst department with annual reviews, new loan requests, and data updates. This was my first role at Heritage Bank, so I enjoy staying connected to that part of the bank and doing what I love—running the numbers.

Another part of my job includes completing construction inspections. When customers reach certain milestones in their construction loans, I visit the site to take photos and confirm that the percentage completed matches the funds advanced. These inspections often let me see incredible homes being built, especially around the Lake of the Ozarks.

Why Heritage Bank

From the beginning, I knew Heritage Bank was where I wanted to work. Our team truly feels like a family—working hard together while supporting one another along the way. They treat customers like family, too, and it’s special to see customers become close friends over time.

I’m proud to work for a bank that gives back to the community and supports customers through both good and challenging seasons. Being able to work from home while still getting out to meet with our local farmers and customers is truly a dream job for me.