Dennis Sheppard

Dennis has played an integral role in the SRC growth story from its earliest days. Dennis began serving on the company’s Board of Directors in 1983, where he still sits today. Dennis is also SRC’s General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer, and Vice President of the SRC Development Group, which manages the company’s growing real estate portfolio.

Dennis has deep roots in his hometown of Springfield. After earning his accounting degree at Missouri State University, Dennis pursued a law and MBA degree at Southern Methodist University. After graduation, Dennis began practicing law in Springfield. In December 1982, he met Jack Stack who was then leading a group of individuals attempting to execute a leveraged buyout. Stack was particularly interested in finding a way to share equity in the new company—SRC.

At the time, ESOPs were few and far between as the legislation that made them possible had been created in 1974. Dennis had two other clients that had adopted ESOP’s and used that knowledge to help lay the foundation for what would help SRC eventually become a 100% employee-owned company.

While in private practice, Dennis served concurrently on over twenty corporate boards of directors. He has also been a steward of the Springfield community, where he has served on multiple non-profit boards over the years, including Burrell Behavioral Health for over 20 years.

During his time as an active board member, Dennis determined that the best way to provide meaningful director-level advice, in his opinion, was to analyze financial ratios. Assuming you know how to calculate the ratios, this allows someone to track the performance of multiple entities in different industries.

After joining SRC’s Board of Directors, it took Dennis another seven years before he decided to join SRC as a permanent member of the team. What appealed to Dennis most about SRC was its culture, values, and shared equity. As SRC’s General Counsel, Dennis has earned the nickname “red liner” for his penchant for editing and marking up documents.

Outside the office, Dennis spends time reading to keep up on current events and trying to improve his golf game.