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Business First Bancshares Executive Compensation (FY25)

BFST · Executive and director compensation, fiscal 2022 to 2025
Chief executive, fiscal 2025
◇
David Melville, III
Latest say-on-pay support
=
May 21, 2026
Chief executive pay ratio
◇
To the median employee
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Data as of November 11, 2026Latest filing (8-K): May 27, 2026
11 filings cited on this page
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Published by Velarion Company Intelligence
Business First Bancshares brief$299Get the executive brief
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305 figures on this page: 299 cited to the filing that reported them, 6 calculated from figures it prints. See the citations

More on Business First Bancshares

Five data products on this company. Each one is requested through the developer setup page.
What changed from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025
The figures that moved, and by how much. Analysis of these figures is part of the Velarion platform.
Chief executive total compensation — David Melville, III: $3,116,949 → $2,582,764 (17.1% lower)
Say-on-pay support: 92.7% → 97.9% (5.2 points higher)
CEO pay ratio: 51:1 → 33:1 (35.3% lower)

Frequently asked questions

Answers drawn from the data on this page.
Who is Business First Bancshares' chief executive and what were they paid?
David Melville, III, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, received $2,582,764 in total compensation for fiscal 2025. Melville, III's total was 17.1% lower than the $3,116,949 reported for fiscal 2024.
What was Business First Bancshares' say-on-pay result?
For fiscal 2025, shareholders backed the say-on-pay proposal with 97.9% of votes cast including abstentions in favor at the meeting held May 21, 2026.
Which companies are in Business First Bancshares' peer group?
The disclosed peer group includes Amerant Bancorp Inc., Equity Bancshares, Inc., First Bancorp, Inc., First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. and Great Southern Bancorp, Inc., among others.
What is Business First Bancshares' chief executive pay ratio?
The disclosed chief executive pay ratio for fiscal 2025 is 33:1, against median employee compensation of $77,409.

Executive compensation

Every element reported for each named executive officer, by fiscal year.
Fiscal 2022
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
David Melville III
President and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Philip Jordan
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Gregory Robertson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Keith Mansfield
Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Saundra Strong
General Counsel and Secretary
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Fiscal 2023
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
David R. Melville, III
President and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Jerry Vascocu
Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
◇◇◇—◇—◇◇
Philip Jordan
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Gregory Robertson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Keith Mansfield
Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
◇—◇—◇—◇◇
Fiscal 2024
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
David Melville, III
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Norman Vascocu
President of the Bank
◇◇◇—◇◇◇— not reconciled
Philip Jordan
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Gregory Robertson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Keith Mansfield
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Fiscal 2025
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
David Melville, III
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Norman Vascocu
President of the Bank
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Gregory Robertson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Philip Jordan
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
Keith Mansfield
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
◇—◇—◇◇◇◇
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. A negative change in pension value is shown but, as the company reports it, not included in the total.

Equity awards granted

Individual awards as disclosed: type, date, unit counts at each level, and grant date value.
Fiscal 2025
OfficerAwardGrant dateThreshold unitsTarget unitsUnits grantedMaximum unitsExercise priceGrant date fair value
David R. Melville IIIPSU◇—◇———◇
David R. Melville IIIRSU◇——◇——◇
Gregory RobertsonPSU◇—◇———◇
Gregory RobertsonRSU◇——◇——◇
Keith MansfieldPSU◇—◇———◇
Keith MansfieldRSU◇——◇——◇
Norman VascocuPSU◇—◇———◇
Norman VascocuRSU◇——◇——◇
Norman VascocuRSU◇——◇——◇
Philip JordanPSU◇—◇———◇
Philip JordanRSU◇——◇——◇
Fiscal 2022, 2023, 2024 are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. Threshold, target and maximum apply only to performance awards and are never shown for time-based or option awards.

Outstanding awards

Awards still held at fiscal year end.
As disclosed at fiscal 2025 year end
OfficerAwardUnvested unitsMarket value of unvested unitsExercise priceExpires
David Melville, IIIPSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
PSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Norman VascocuPSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
PSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Keith MansfieldPSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
PSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Philip JordanPSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
PSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Gregory RobertsonPSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
PSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.

Severance and change in control

The terms as written in the agreements.
David Melville, III
Chief Executive Officer · Terms as described in the company’s compensation discussion
Severance multiple◇
Severance cash amount◇
Change-in-control multiple◇
Benefits continuation on change in control◇
Benefits continuation◇
Gregory Robertson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer · Terms as described in the company’s compensation discussion
Severance multiple◇
Severance cash amount◇
Change-in-control multiple◇
Benefits continuation on change in control◇
Benefits continuation◇
Excise tax treatment◇
Non-compete period◇
Non-solicit period◇
Keith Mansfield
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer · Terms as described in the company’s compensation discussion
Severance multiple◇
Severance cash amount◇
Change-in-control multiple◇
Benefits continuation on change in control◇
Benefits continuation◇
Excise tax treatment◇
Non-compete period◇
Non-solicit period◇
Norman Vascocu
President · Change-in-control agreement
Severance cash amount◇
Change-in-control multiple◇
Benefits continuation on change in control◇
Philip Jordan
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer · Change-in-control agreement
Severance cash amount◇
Change-in-control multiple◇
Equity acceleration on change in control◇
Benefits continuation on change in control◇
Benefits continuation◇
Excise tax treatment◇
Non-compete period◇
Non-solicit period◇

Director compensation

What each non-employee director was paid.
Fiscal 2025
DirectorFees earned in cashStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Mark P. Folse
Lead independent director
◇◇————◇
Rolfe H. McCollister, Jr
◇◇————◇
David A. Montgomery, Jr
◇◇————◇
Arthur J. Price
◇◇————◇
Patrick E. Mockler
◇◇————◇
Steven G. White
◇◇————◇
John P. Ducrest
◇◇————◇
J. Vernon Johnson
◇◇————◇
Ricky D. Day
◇◇————◇
Carol M. Calkins
◇◇————◇
Zeenat Sidi
◇◇————◇
Keith A. Tillage
◇◇————◇
Aimee Quirk
◇◇————◇
Alejandro Sanchez
◇◇————◇
William G. Hall
◇—————◇
Kenneth Wm. Smith
◇—————◇
James J. Buquet, III
◇—————◇
David R. Melville, III and George W. Cummings III served on the board in fiscal 2025 and received no compensation for board service. Executive directors are typically paid through their executive roles, shown above.
Earlier years are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.

Director fee schedule

The standing retainers and premiums the board pays, as published.
Board cash retainer◇
Board equity retainer◇
Total board retainer◇
Lead independent director premium◇
Equity is delivered as Stock.

Disclosed peer group

The companies this board named as its compensation comparison group. The list is disclosure; the comparison is analysis.
Fiscal 2025
  • Amerant Bancorp Inc. AMTB
  • Equity Bancshares, Inc. EQBK
  • First Bancorp, Inc. FBNC
  • First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. FGBI
  • Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. GSBC
  • Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. GNTY
  • Home Bancorp, Inc. HBCP
  • HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. HTB
  • National Bank Holdings Corp. NBHC
  • Origin Bancorp, Inc. OBK
  • Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida SBCF
  • SmartFinancial, Inc. SMBK
  • South Plains Financial, Inc. SPFI
  • Southern First Bancshares, Inc. SFST
  • Southside Bancshares, Inc. SBSI
  • Stellar Bancorp, Inc. STEL
  • Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc. SYBT
  • The First Bancshares, Inc. FBMS
  • Third Coast Bancshares, Inc. TCBX
  • Triumph Financial, Inc. TFIN
  • Veritex Holdings, Inc VBTX

Say-on-pay history

Shareholder support for the compensation program, by year.
YearMeetingSupportVotes forVotes againstAbstentions
2025May 21, 2026=◇◇◇
2024May 22, 2025=◇◇◇
2023May 23, 2024=◇◇◇
2022July 27, 2023=◇◇◇
2021June 23, 2022=◇◇◇
2020May 27, 2021=◇◇◇

Chief executive pay ratio

As calculated and reported by the company.
Ratio
◇
Median employee compensation
◇
Chief executive total compensation
◇

Ask our research desk — $99, 24h, every figure cited to its filing.

Sample answer — “What is the CEO’s total compensation?”
- David Melville, III (Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer), FY2025 total compensation $2,582,764 (base salary $801,500) [exec_comp, SEC accession 0001437749-26-011695, filed 2026-04-08]

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What this page does not include

Everything above is a fact Business First Bancshares disclosed, and it is free. Everything below is our analysis of those facts, and it is not.
Peer benchmarking
Where Business First Bancshares sits against its disclosed peers — percentile position by role and by pay element, and the ranking behind it. The disclosed peer group is free; comparisons across it are part of the Velarion platform.
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Written compensation analysis
A read of the pay program as designed and as paid: incentive structure, goal rigor, the alignment between the committee's stated philosophy and what the numbers show.
Executive Compensation Report — $299
Board and governance analysis
Committee composition, independence, director pay positioning, and the governance provisions read together rather than listed.
Board Governance Report — $299
Realizable pay
What the awards above are actually worth today against what they were valued at on grant, and what the gap says about the pay-for-performance link.
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Citations

Every figure on this page is cited to the document that reported it. Select any figure to see its citation.
305 figures on this page: 299 cited to the filing that reported them, 6 calculated from figures it prints.
299 cited to the filing
6 calculated from the filing

Documents cited

  1. 0001437749-26-018540
    5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
  2. 0001437749-26-011695
    Director Compensation · Employment Agreement · Potential Payments Upon Termination · Summary Compensation Table
  4. 0001437749-25-018487
    5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
  5. 0001437749-25-011536
    Summary Compensation Table
  6. 0001437749-24-018146
  7. 0001437749-24-011572
    Summary Compensation Table
  8. 0001437749-23-021032
  9. 0001437749-23-017125
  10. 0001437749-22-015814
  11. 0001437749-21-013565
    Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
Cite this data
This page is free to cite. Attribution we ask for:
Velarion, “Business First Bancshares executive compensation, FY2022–FY2025.” https://intel.velarion.ai/comp/BFST (accessed 2026).
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The paid brief for Business First Bancshares

Positioning against its disclosed peers, the governance read, incentive design, and the CD&A alignment analysis; the full peer table; a committee-ready PDF.
$299 for the Executive Compensation Report. Both reports for $449.
Get the executive briefGet the board briefNo account needed.
11 filings cited on this page
Method: intel.velarion.ai/methodology
If a report fails to generate we keep working until you have it. No refunds on one-time reports.
Published by Velarion Company Intelligence
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Banking rankings

Chief executive pay — BankingCEO pay ratio — BankingSay-on-pay support — Banking

Peers Business First Bancshares discloses

The companies named in BFST's own disclosed peer group.

Amerant Bancorp Inc.Equity Bancshares, Inc.First Bancorp, Inc.First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc.Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.Guaranty Bancshares, Inc.Home Bancorp, Inc.HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc.National Bank Holdings Corp.Origin Bancorp, Inc.Seacoast Banking Corp. of FloridaSmartFinancial, Inc.South Plains Financial, Inc.Southern First Bancshares, Inc.Southside Bancshares, Inc.Stellar Bancorp, Inc.Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc.The First Bancshares, Inc.Third Coast Bancshares, Inc.Triumph Financial, Inc.Veritex Holdings, Inc

Terms on this page

Say-on-Pay VoteCEO Pay RatioMedian Employee CompensationAll companies

Free to read and cite. Redistribution or bulk use of the dataset requires a data license. Talk to us about the data license.

Cite this data
APA
Velarion Company Intelligence. (2026). Velarion database: executive and board compensation data (Version 2026Q3) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854
BibTeX
@misc{velarionData2026,
  author = {{Velarion Company Intelligence}},
  title = {Velarion database: executive and board compensation data},
  year = {2026},
  version = {2026Q3},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22283854},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854}
}
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