Former Central Bank executive Bob Roper grew up in southern Indiana before moving to Lamar, Missouri and later to Columbia, where he earned a law degree from Mizzou. He practiced law for 12 years and didn’t like it and was then hired by Boone County National Bank (now known as Central Bank), where he was an executive. He is also a former business partner of Stan Kroenke, who spent years in business in Columbia, primarily in real estate. Kroenke now owns the Rams NFL and the Denver Nuggets NBA team. Mr. Kroenke and Mr. Roper owned a business some of you will remember in downtown Columbia, near the Blue Note. They’re still friends today. Roper joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” They discussed Bob’s career at Central Bank, Columbia’s homeless situation, a proposed Columbia homeless shelter and ARPA funding. Fred Parry tells listeners that the ARPA money should be transformational and worries the money will be wasted, with no accountability for those who receive the funding:
