Bankers Trust Mourns the Loss of Chairman Emeritus John Ruan III

It is with great sadness that we share our Chairman Emeritus, John Ruan III, has passed away. For nearly six decades, Mr. Ruan faithfully served and led the Ruan family of companies, including Bankers Trust. Under his dedicated leadership, Bankers Trust has grown to be the largest independently owned financial institution in the state of Iowa, and expanded to markets outside of Des Moines, including Cedar Rapids, Phoenix, AZ, and Omaha, NE. In addition to serving as Chairman of Bankers Trust, Mr. Ruan provided oversight to the entire Ruan family of companies, including Ruan Transportation Management Systems, the World Food Prize, Concentric International, City Center Corporation, the John Ruan Foundation Trust, Ruan Center Corporation, and Ruan, Incorporated.

Mr. Ruan and his family have played a significant advocacy and philanthropic role in Des Moines and communities around the country. The Ruan family is dedicated to the fight against world hunger through its support of the World Food Prize Foundation, of which Mr. Ruan was chairman. His extensive list of board memberships has included Hubbell Realty Company, Iowa Business Council, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Downtown Community Alliance, Chief Executives Organization, and Castle Pines Golf Club. He served as trustee of Culver Educational Foundation and was past chairman of the Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Greater Des Moines YMCA. The Ruan family was presented with the Bravo Award by Bravo Greater Des Moines in 2011 for its significant contribution to arts and culture in Greater Des Moines. 

Mr. Ruan also served on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and held a one-year term as chairman of the board in 2011. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions.

As part of the family’s succession plan, John Ruan IV assumed the role of Chairman of the Bankers Trust Board of Directors in May 2021 and of the BTC Financial Corporation Holding Company Board (including BTC Capital Management and the other businesses within the Ruan family of companies) in August 2021, with the guidance and support of the boards of directors and executive teams. 

We will be forever grateful for the leadership Mr. Ruan provided that has led the bank to sustained success. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ruan family as they mourn this tremendous loss.