About Richard
Richard became president and CEO of Bell Bank (then State Bank of Fargo) in 1982. He grew up in Finley, N.D., studied business at Concordia College and became a banker, as his father had been, after graduating.
Richard took a keen interest in advertising, sales and marketing, which – combined with the company’s philosophy that people matter more than profits – helped grow the bank from a single north Fargo location to a regional bank and trust company with multiple locations. Today, Bell is one of the nation’s largest family- and employee-owned banks.
Richard has served on numerous community boards, including the F-M Economic Development Corporation and the Concordia Board of Regents. He has received the college’s Alumni Achievement Award, President’s Award, Regents Award and Mission Medallion. He also received the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce’s Legacy Leader Award, recognizing leaders who shape and serve the community and region.
Richard and his wife, Jo Ellen, live in Fargo and have three grown children and 11 grandchildren.