John Karas announced his retirement from Harford Bank’s Board of Directors after serving at the helm of the community bank for more than 23 years. The announcement was made at the most recent meeting of shareholders. Bel Air business owner and member of the board, Henry Holloway will assume the role at the next meeting of Harford Bank’s Board of Directors.
Only the second chairman since Harford Bank’s founding in 1964, Karas led the institution’s restructuring and modernization efforts, successfully navigating a recession and pandemic in the process and ultimately growing the regional bank’s assets from $133 million to its current $600 million.
“Being the chair over the last 23 years has been a rewarding job because of the people I have served with,” Karas says. “The last two decades have been transformational, and so much credit is owed to my fellow board members, the senior management of the bank, and all of our employees. Everyone on our team has been instrumental to the success of the institution.”
“Our leadership, staff, and customers will be in great hands with Henry Holloway as Harford Bank’s next Chairman,” he continues. “Henry has been a trusted partner on the Board of Directors since 2000 when we both joined, and he lives our mission of superior service to our customers and community.”
In addition to his longtime service on the board at Harford Bank, Holloway owns and operates The Mill, a historic local icon in Bel Air. Holloway took over operations of the family business in 1986, opening 6 new locations, quadrupling the retail space at the flagship store, and expanding the business’s customer base to include deliveries within a 150-mile radius.
“If you can support local business, local industry, and local people, you can lift up the entire community around you. That’s been my business approach and it’s an outlook that Harford Bank shares,” Holloway says. “It’s why I not only serve on the board, but I’m a customer too.”
“I’m grateful to John Karas and everyone at Harford Bank for the opportunity to serve as the next Chairman. It’s a real honor, and I’m looking forward to carrying the torch in support of our customers, the team staffing our branches, and our entire community.”
Harford Bank is locally owned and managed, offering both commercial and retail banking products to individuals, businesses, and public sector consumers. Founded in 1964, Harford Bank serves customers locally across its branches in Harford and Cecil counties, with extended reach through its online banking platforms. A comprehensive and full-service financial institution, Harford Bank is committed to superior customer service and its philosophy of strength rooted in community.
