b1BANK Promotes Heather Roemer to Chief Administrative Officer 

BATON ROUGE, La., July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- b1BANK, the banking subsidiary of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), announced the promotion of Heather Roemer to executive vice president and chief administrative officer. 

Roemer oversees the teams responsible for business transformation programs and product management, marketing and communications, and human resources and talent development, and continues to serve as president of b1 FOUNDATION. In her expanded role, she helps align people, priorities and operations across the organization, and serves on various steering committees focused on the bank’s strategic direction.

"Heather combines institutional knowledge, operational excellence and a deep sense of care for our people and communities,” said Jude Melville, chairman and CEO of b1BANK. “She has helped shape the culture and infrastructure that support our mission, and I've asked her to take on the critical responsibility of leading integrations as we continue to expand through acquisitions. I look forward to the impact she will have on the direction of our organization in this role." 

Over the past 16 years, Roemer has played a key role in the bank’s growth and community engagement, helping shape its culture, operations and long-term vision. A founding leader of b1 FOUNDATION, she has led initiatives focused on financial literacy, entrepreneurship education and community empowerment throughout the bank’s footprint. 

“I am honored to step into this role and continue building on the strong foundation we’ve created together at b1BANK,” Roemer said. “As we look ahead, I’m excited to work with our talented team to further strengthen our organization and deepen our impact in the communities we serve.” 

Roemer is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, where she served as class president. She also holds a degree from Louisiana State University.

About Business First Bancshares Inc. 

As of March 31, 2025, Business First Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), through its banking

subsidiary b1BANK, has $7.8 billion in assets and $7.1 billion in assets under management through b1BANK’s affiliate Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC (SSW), excluding $0.9 billion of b1BANK assets managed by SSW. b1BANK operates banking centers and loan production offices across Louisiana and Texas, providing commercial and personal banking products and services. b1BANK is a 2024 Mastercard “Innovation Award” winner and a multiyear recipient of American Banker magazine’s “Best Banks to Work For.” Visit b1BANK.com for more information.

Media Contact: Misty Albrecht

b1BANK

225.286.7879

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at