The Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce announced its the Top Five Young Leaders to Watch, which included Candace Bowen, Bayou Title, Inc.; LaToya Houston, Quality Care at Home, LLC; Sarah McKinnie, Origin Bank; Oliver Neal, Meyer, Meyer, LaCroix & Hixson, Inc.; and Phillip Smart, City of Ruston.
This profile concludes our series on these individuals and their contributions to our parish.
Choudrant resident Sarah McKinnie with Origin Bank said business leaders need to find their passion and pursue it.
“Lincoln Parish is such a special place to be,” McKinnie said. “We are so fortunate to have what we have here. Through my position, I have the opportunity to work with a lot of non-profit organizations. I get to connect the employees of Origin Bank to volunteer opportunities that help our community.”
McKinnie has worked at Origin Bank nearly 11 years and said the call about her recognition took her by surprise.
“I thought I was getting a call for something else the Chamber needed so I started to answer those questions first, until they stopped me and said they wanted to share some other news,” she said. “I was shocked and so honored.”
McKinnie grew up in Shreveport but is a Louisiana Tech graduate. After graduation, she returned to Shreveport, but it wasn’t even a year before she was ready to return to Ruston.
“I interviewed at the Chamber of Commerce and accepted a position as membership director where I met so many individuals in this amazing community,” she said. “In 2011 I interviewed with origin Bank for the position I am in now and I have loved every minute of building my career here.”
She added that her family has helped her in her growth with support and love.
“My parents Bill and Bambi Trickett have had a huge impact on my life,” McKinnie said. “The have taught me the importance of relationships, and I am so blessed of the love and support they give me. I met my husband Cory McKinnie a month before I graduated college. I’m so thankful I was able to find a job and move back to Ruston after I graduated. Cory and I have two beautiful daughters, Harper and Ella, and we will have been married 10 years this March. The day he proposed is the same day I got the job offer for Origin Bank.”
She said she is thankful for Origin Bank and how it has allowed her to thrive.
“I have been a part of the business community for the past 12 years, including when I interned, and I am so impressed with how it has grown,” McKinnie said. “I am proud to be a part of our community and I am fortunate to work for an organization that allows me to.”
