Guaranty names chairman, vice-chairman

James Batten was named chairman of Guaranty Federal Bancshares, Inc., Springfield, Mo., and its subsidiary Guaranty Bank..John Griesemer was also named vice chairman of the $652 million holding company and bank..Batten is a CPA and executive with more than 30 years of experience in for profit and non-profit organizations including Convoy of Hope, AG Financial Solutions, and O'Reilly Automotive. Prior to starting his own consulting firm in 2014, he was responsible for the overall operations at Convoy of Hope, growing revenue from $45 million to more than $100 million. Before joining Convoy, he was responsible for all operations at AG Financial Solutions, a faith-based financial institution with more than $2 billion in assets. From 1993 to 2007 Batten led all finance and accounting areas for O'Reilly Auto Parts, taking the company public in April 1993 and growing it from $110 million to $2.3 billion in revenue while maintaining industry-leading performance..Griesemer is executive vice president and chief operations officer and a board member of Springfield Underground, Inc., a privately-held construction materials supplier and real estate developer. He is chairman Mercy Springfield Communities, an affiliate of Mercy health system. He is also an officer of the Missouri Limestone Producers Association, and was recently elected to serve as an officer of the Springfield Catholic School's Development Board and the National Stone Sand & Gravel Association Board.."Both of these high caliber and talented individuals have provided strong leadership and guidance to our Company over the past several year," said Shaun Burke, Guaranty president and CEO. "This transition demonstrates Guaranty's commitment to long-term succession planning and our future growth and success.".Don Gibson, the current chairman, will be retiring May 25, after reaching the company's mandatory retirement age of 72. He has served as a director for the company since 2002 and has been chairman since 2005.