Arkansas Money and Politics February 2021 by AY Magazine

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FEBRUARY 2021/armoneyandpolitics.com

BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

DRIA ETIENNE HAS BIG PLANS FOR MICKEY’S CAKES & SWEETS By Dwain Hebda/16

INSIDE: Tech leaders | The legacy of McClard’s | College coaching buyouts $5 USD

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FEBRUARY CONTENTS

This month, AMP visits with Black business leaders about their journeys and some of the unique challenges they’ve faced.

36 | Tech leaders

Arkansas has launched tech giants and spawned a strong startup ecosystem. AMP shines a light on some of the state’s tech leaders.

70 | Meeting the demand

64 | EXECUTIVE EXTRACURRICULARS Whether vintage or built for performance, car enthusiasts love their rides. In this new standing feature, we’ll visit with business leaders who like to hit the open road.

Landscapers are working hard to keep up with demand as the pandemic keeps many focused on their homes, which now serve as office too.

88 | Vital still

Farming equipment dealerships in the Delta have long helped keep crops growing. These local dealerships are vital still.

96 | The Last Word

Arkansas legend George Dunklin remembers the late Allen Homra of Stuttgart, one of the state’s leading financial advisors.

ON THE COV E R 82 | THE BUSINESS OF COACHING BUYOUTS The college football coaching carousel has become an annual tradition while contract buyouts are reaching the tens of millions. F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

Dria Etienne, owner of Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets in Little Rock, is this month’s AMP cover. Etienne, photographed in her home city of Charlotte, N.C., by Danielle Coe, has big plans for one of Little Rock’s favorite bakeries.

Page 16

ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

FEBRUARY CONTENTS

PUBLISHER

Heather Baker | hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com EDITOR Mark Carter | mcarter@armoneyandpolitics.com STAFF WRITER Katie Zakrzewski | katie@armoneyandpolitics.com ART DIRECTOR Jamison Mosley | jmosley@armoneyandpolitics.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Rebecca Robertson | rrobertson@armoneyandpolitics.com DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kellie McAnulty | kmcanulty@armoneyandpolitics.com

54 | A LEGACY ENDURED In Digs of the Deal, AMP looks at the legendary McClard’s in Hot Springs, its origins in an old tourist camp and its rise to political prominence.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lora Puls | lpuls@armoneyandpolitics.com COPY EDITOR Lisa Fischer | lfischer@armoneyandpolitics.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dustin Jayroe | djayroe@armoneyandpolitics.com ONLINE EDITOR Tyler Hale | thale@armoneyandpolitics.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Greg Churan | gchuran@armoneyandpolitics.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Tonya Higginbotham | thigginbotham@armoneyandpolitics.com Mary Funderburg | mary@armoneyandpolitics.com Tonya Mead | tmead@armoneyandpolitics.com Kyle May | kyle@armoneyandpolitics.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Jacob Carpenter | ads@armoneyandpolitics.com CIRCULATION Ginger Roell | groell@armoneyandpolitics.com ADMINISTRATION Casandra Moore | admin@armoneyandpolitics.com

CEO | Vicki Vowell TO ADVERTISE CALL

501-244-9700 or contact hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com TO SUBSCRIBE | 501-244-9700 ADVISORY COMMITTEE

60 | SMALL BUSINESS, HUGE IMPACT

Joyce Elliott, Arkansas State Senator; Gretchen Hall, CEO, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau; Stacy Hurst, Secretary, Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism; Heather Larkin, CEO, Arkansas Community Foundation; Elizabeth Pulley, CEO, Children’s Advocacy Centers; Gina Radke, CEO, Galley Support Innovations; Steve Straessle, Principal, Little Rock Catholic High School; Kathy Webb, Representative, Little Rock City Board

Since the pandemic hit, small businesses like A&A Services in Cabot have had to rely on help from outside resources such as the Arkansas office of the SBA.

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Kayla McCall, Lauren McLemore

CONTRIBUTORS

Madeline Burke, David Conrads, Evin Demirel, George Dunklin, Greg Hartz, Dwain Hebda, Ken Heard, Keith Hoelzeman, Carl Zylowski

74 | TONTITOWN Tontitown — one of Arkansas’ unique spots. Though now essentially a suburb of Springdale, this community founded by Italian immigrants is growing. ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

AMP magazine is published monthly, Volume III, Issue 9 AMP magazine (ISSN 2162-7754) is published monthly by AY Media Group, 910 W. Second St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Periodicals postage paid at Little Rock, AR, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to AMP, 910 W. Second St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Subscription Inquiries: Subscription rate is $28 for one year (12 issues). Single issues are available upon request for $5. For subscriptions, inquiries or address changes, call 501-244-9700. The contents of AMP are copyrighted, and material contained herein may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Articles in AMP should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised in the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AMP. Please recycle this magazine.

FE B RUA RY 2021

PLUGGED IN

Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero represented the 2021 class of AMP Influencers of the Year on January’s cover. Romero ascended to the state’s top health spot in August as the pandemic raged. Circumstances forced him to adopt a more direct leadership approach.

Three Arkansas companies were named to Fortune magazine’s annual “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for 2021.

FEEDBACK AY MEDIA PUBLISHER HEATHER BAKER “Congratulations on your four-year anniversary. Vicki hired the absolute best!” Robbie Murry

INSTAGRAM

FIRST SECURITY BANK OF JONESBORO NAMES STOTTS AS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING OFFICER “Thanks for the feature, Arkansas Money & Politics!” Haley Stotts 2021 INFLUENCERS OF THE YEAR: JAY CHESSHIR “Hearty congratulations! Jay, we are proud of your accomplishments and truly appreciate your leadership.” Rajesh Chokhani GOING UPTOWN: HAAG BROWN AIMS TO BRING NEW BOOKSTORE TO JONESBORO “Great forward thinking in Jonesboro!” JD Rainwater “Great news for Jonesboro and the surrounding Northeast Arkansas communities!” Matt Lawless

AY Media Group Publisher Heather Baker and nursing homes owner Michael Morton pose for a picture.

TOP ONLINE ARTICLES 1. Bill Gates Becomes Biggest U.S. Farmland Owner, Has Extensive Arkansas Land Holdings 2. 2021 Influencers of the Year 3. How Farmland Owners Earn Income 4. Williams Named Permanent Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement at A-State 5. New Chapter: Sarah Huckabee Sanders is Back in Arkansas 6. Walmart Extends COVID-19 Emergency Leave Policy to July 2021 7. Former Hog Bradley Forever an Arkansan 8. Monteverdi Brings Her Personal Touch to KARK 9. Costco Looking at July 2021 Opening for WLR Location 10. Dannelly Acquires Full Ownership of Magna IV Corrections Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, included in the 2021 class of AMP Influencers of the Year, is the state epidemiologist and medical director for immunizations and outbreak response. Dr. Joe Thompson, another member of the 2021 Influencers class, is president and CEO of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. He is a professor of pediatrics and public health at UAMS and served as state surgeon general in both the Huckabee and Beebe administrations. Brent Birch, executive director of the Little Rock Tech Park and a 2021 Influencer, founded the Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame in 2016.

F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

Kristi Dannelley has acquired ownership of Little Rock-based print and marketing firm Magna IV. Best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates now lays claim to a new title: the biggest farmland owner in the United States.

@AMPPOB ARMON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

EDITOR’S LETTER

By Mark Carter

SEE YOU LATER

y old high school buddy Aaron reminded us, in the eulogy, of something his dad would always say in place of a traditional farewell. Mr. Squyres would tell friends, family, presumably even strangers, not to bother saying goodbye. “It’s not ‘Goodbye,’” he’d insist. “It’s ‘See you later.’” And he’d do so through an infectious smile that communicated a sincere desire to actually see you again soon. I truly believe he felt that way, every time. (That he could convey as much to some of Aaron’s friends, surely suspecting what we’d been or would be up to, speaks to his innate buoyancy.) Mr. Squyres’ unyielding optimism came to mind recently as we said goodbye — wait, make it, see you later — to our two boys heading back for the spring semester, one eight hours away and the other three. Letting go is never easy (George Strait notwithstanding) and mastering the technique is becoming a process. The further along each of these young men progresses in his journey, the closer he gets to fulfilling God’s promise for his life, the more painful it is after another all-too-brief

trip home to say, yet again, “See you later.” Even though we know it’s the right thing, a necessary thing; even though we know that letting go is part of its own process and a responsibility handed down through generations. But like Razorback sports this century, it’s still a gut punch. All of which, finally, brings us to the point (in this space, a true delicacy). This month’s Word of the Month, and the source of the lingering dull ache in my belly — the Greek storge. C.S. Lewis readers and viewers of New

York Life commercials may recognize storge as one of four primary terms used by the ancient Greeks for the concept of love. Storge refers to familial love or natural affection, such as that of a parent towards a child. Lewis called it the empathy bond. The others, as described by Lewis, are philia, the bond of friendship; agape, selfless, unconditional love (God’s divine love); and of course, eros, romantic love. Of this affectionate love, Lewis wrote plainly, “Affection almost slinks or seeps through our lives. It lives with humble, un-dress, private things; soft slippers, old clothes, old jokes, the thump of a sleepy dog’s tail on the kitchen floor, the sound of a sewingmachine…” Or the sounds of a son shooting hoops out back or bouncing down the stairs to answer the dinner bell… The muffled honk of a son’s car being locked and the front door opening after another shift at work, home just in time for supper. The sounds that assure you. In its subtle way, the passage from Lewis accurately

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

By Heather Baker

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

avid Hall told us last summer that one of the biggest obstacles facing Blackowned businesses in Arkansas is simple awareness. Hall took over from his father as proprietor of K Hall & Sons Produce, a staple of the Central High neighborhood in downtown Little Rock. It’s a produce stand, grocery store, caterer, butcher and lunch counter rolled into one, and Hall’s sons likely will take over one day from him. An occasional lunch-hour diversion for downtown employees, it’s a true neighborhood institution serving an almost exclusively Black clientele. We interviewed Hall in July 2020 for a piece about Black businesses and equitable economies, and he acknowledged being exposed to racism in the process of building the business his dad started almost 50 years ago. But mostly, Hall thinks Black businesses suffer from anonymity. Opportunity is there, he said back in July. “But it just always doesn’t trickle down to us.”

ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

See EDITOR’S LETTER, page 63

The February issue of Arkansas Money & Politics hopes to shine a light on Black businesses that get lost in the shadows. Dwain Hebda will tell the story of Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets, one of Little Rock’s best bakeries and itself a Central Arkansas institution. We’ll list 100 of the state’s prominent Black businesses, from barbecue joints to ad agencies, and this month’s executive Q&A is dedicated to Black business owners and execs who’ll share with readers some of the unique challenges they’ve faced in building their businesses. Plus, this month we introduce our “Executive Extracurriculars” feature, visit the world-famous McClard’s in “The Digs of the Deal,” consider the business of college football coaching changes, and finally, we’ll hear from George Dunklin in The Last Word. Thank you for reading. Send your comments and story ideas to me at HBaker@ARMoneyandPolitics.com.

FE B RUA RY 2021

VIEWPOINT

THE INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE, CIRCA 2021

nly 18 months ago, we had just begun to learn of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), a concept that was beginning to attract attention in academic circles. As we understand it, MMT espouses the idea that the government should create all of the money it “needs,” and the amount of the federal deficit and debt doesn’t really matter as long as the currency remains sound (soundness, no doubt, being a relative term). It was probably no coincidence that this construct was the topic of increasing discussion as government deficits around the globe became more irreconcilable. Fast forward to today. It turns out, the amount of money the government “needs” is quite a lot! MMT seems to have been adopted wholeheartedly by governments and central banks around the world, though most would not admit to it. Heightened government demand for credit of the current magnitude would have raised interest rates back in the good old days of, say, 15 years ago. No longer. Central banks, with the U.S. Federal Reserve leading the way, are buying this debt in order to suppress interest rates, thus monetizing the debt (using money creation as a permanent source of financing for government spending). By doing just this, the U.S. Fed doubled the size of its balance sheet in 2020 (see chart 1 in which periods of economic recession are shaded). No small portion of the debt that was financed by the Fed this past year was used to facilitate the direct stimulus payments in an amount never contemplated before ($1,200 per single adult, $2,400 for a married couple). With the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), an enhanced $600/week federal unemployment supplement, and other stimulus, the bill for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) came to $2.2 trillion (this F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

BY GREG HARTZ, CPA, CFA

on top of a projected $1 trillion annual budget deficit before the pandemic was even a thing). This money, for the most part, was put directly into the hands of the American people, as witnessed by the vertical rise in the M1 definition of money (coin, currency and checking deposits in circulation) as shown in chart 2. This was a much faster and more direct method of getting money into consumers’ hands than was used during the Great Financial Crisis when a lot of the money ended up sitting idly in bank reserves. More COVID-19 relief money, the Fed’s Epochal Credit Expansion, is on the way at this writing, much needed by those whose income stream has been interrupted by the pandemic. Evolving modern money has never grown more rapidly or been as potentially bewildering. From the charts, one can see that monetary practice is evolving rapidly. Also, it is easily seen that for more than a decade, the quantity of money has been inflating at an unprecedented pace. It is the lack of apparent consequences of Fed policy that has most folks bewildered. Many money-savvy and suspicious observers tend to express this bewilderment that can be summed up in three questions. Our short answers follow. Q: Why are inflation and interest rates so low? Cost-of-living inflation is impossible to measure precisely. We do know that it is in the federal government’s interest to have low inflation statistics because that reduces the statutory increases in cost-ofliving adjustments on transfer payments. However, many major household expenses have been inflating at a high rate (e.g. meat and other food products). To this point, the lack of recognition of inflation has helped keep money velocity low. That could change very quickly, in our 8

opinion. Interest rates are so low because much of the lending in the economy is not done from a finite source of savings as in the past but from a seemingly infinite source of debt monetization by the Fed (refer back to the first chart). Q: Where does all of this money come from? The U.S. Treasury issues the debt through contracts with its primary dealer banks throughout the country, which currently number 24. These banks must sell the Treasury’s debt. The Federal Reserve has been out-bidding other potential buyers, thus pushing down interest rates. The Fed cannot buy directly from the Treasury, because the Federal Reserve Act states that the Fed can only buy and sell Treasury securities in the “open market.” Take out the middlemen (the primary dealers), and in effect, direct buying has been taking place. Q: How long can this go on and will the government’s debt ever be paid back? No one knows how long the Fed and the federal government can continue this practice without having long-term negative effects on the U.S. dollar’s value vis-àvis other currencies. We have now accumulated a level of federal debt that will almost certainly be repudiated by the government or paid back with seriously inflated dollars. A form of repudiation is already taking place at the expense of savers with the intentional artificial suppression of interest rates by the Fed. Due to the policy actions described above, so many forms of traditional investing for current income have now been made unattractive. Cash yields are practically zero, and government and investment grade corporate bonds yield zero or below after inflation. This environment seductively beckons those with capital to rush to equity ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

Chart 1

investing, regardless of valuation, in the hope of generating total returns from dividends and stock-price appreciation. This is referred to as the “TINA” approach, or “There Is No Alternative.” This acquiescence ignores the fact that investors with shorter time horizons cannot prudently invest in equities. We strongly believe that one cannot rely on liquidity in the stock market always being maintained by monetary machinations at the critical time when cash is needed. The TINA approach has fostered an emphasis on potential growth that has driven growth stocks to absolute valuation levels and valuations relative to value stocks that are at all-time highs. The short-term performance mania that has infected modern investing is currently producing tremendous pressure on professional managers to lower their margin of safety and go with the flow. It is also encouraging retail investors to dive into speculation in a way that has not been seen since the technology bubble of the late 1990s. That “flow” is being aided and abetted by the Fed’s policy actions in response to the pandemic. As in every crisis and potential crisis of the last 30 years, the Fed’s answer has been… “more money.” In spite of a deep worldwide recession caused by the pandemic, broad stockmarket indices had a huge year in 2020. The more speculatively one was positioned, the better was the result. Chart 3 shows one aspect of how the Fed’s money printing has bled over into the stock market. The FANG+ Index contains many of the most popular and speculatively valued stocks. The concurrent rise of this index with the expansion of money and credit was almost totally the result of stock market-valuation expansion, not improved fundamentals. We see the current margin of safety in the broad market as very narrow. We have never experienced a more important time to be positioned in companies representing strong fundamental values, good balance sheets and attractive margins of safety. ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

Chart 2

Chart 3

Greg Hartz, CPA, CFA, is the founding partner of Foundation Resource Management, an independent, value-based investment advisory firm in Little Rock. 9

FE B RUA RY 2021

VIEWPOINT

HOW TO SURVIVE A FACEBOOK VS. APPLE SHOWDOWN BY KEITH HOELZEMAN

e’re all familiar with the saying, “The only constant in life is change.” Those of us who work in digital marketing know that the adage certainly holds true. Social media ads, specifically Facebook and Instagram ads, have been great for many businesses over the last few years. I’ve seen many a business using ads on these platforms as an “easy button” to acquire new customers. I’m not here to knock them. I’ve used these same platforms very successfully for my own businesses and clients, and I continue to use them. However, I’ve also learned the hard way that relying on any one channel to provide new customers for a business is incredibly risky and usually ends poorly for the advertiser. If you’ve been paying attention to technology and marketing news over the last few months, you’ve probably seen the ads, articles and posts from Facebook saying that Apple’s iOS 14 update is going to hurt small businesses. As I type, rumor has it that Facebook is working on an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The update essentially would force Apple mobile device users to explicitly allow companies to track user actions across their devices. If Facebook is to be believed, this update will hurt everyone from corner coffee shops to large consumer brands. Facebook currently tracks user actions across a multitude of applications on mobile devices. Chances are that most of us have unknowingly allowed them to track more than we intended. With the recent awareness of privacy issues online, it’s hard to believe that most consumers will willingly opt-in to allow developers to track their actions in applications unrelated to their social networks. F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

With Apple having almost half of the smartphone market in the United States, it’s reasonable to conclude that changes to Facebook’s — or any other online advertising platform’s — ability to gather information about consumers’ interests, shopping habits, etc., will result in poorer performance for certain ad placements on platforms. The updates to iOS are going to bring a lot of changes, but changes should be expected when advertising online. It’s important to remember that you’re playing in someone else’s yard when you build an audience on their platform and that you are renting an audience when you buy ads online. At any moment, your ability to reach your target audience is subject to the benevolence of the channel owner, and chances are their interests are not 100 percent aligned with yours. Those of us who spend our days working with online advertising platforms have seen changes that take hyper-successful ad campaigns and render them utterly useless. It’s frustrating, but it doesn’t have to wreck a business. The biggest defense against changes is to build an audience that a business owns. What I mean by an owned audience is an audience that is portable, that has granted the business permission to contact them. Perhaps the most common, and probably the most valuable owned audience for many businesses, is an opt-in email list that has been regularly contacted and properly pruned. Other examples of owned audiences can include customer mailing lists and regular blog readers. Having an owned audience allows a business to not stress about the day-today fluctuations in the effectiveness of online advertising. If things are going well with your digital ads, it’s time to dou10

ble down; if things are going poorly, you can back off of your advertising spend and re-evaluate your strategy and the accompanying tactics. With email addresses, if your email service provider starts providing subpar service or lacks features that you need, you can take your list to a new provider. Try taking your social media audience to another platform if/when your reach drops. Online advertising channels can be an integral part of building your owned audience, but many businesses make the mistake of relying on ads for every step of the customer journey. Those who rely on ads for every step of the process are the most susceptible to changes in algorithms or platforms. Since very few customers purchase from a business the first time they visit its website, it will likely take multiple interactions with your online presence before a customer is ready to make a purchase or schedule an appointment. Businesses who rely less on paid channels for each step of the marketing funnel free up cash flow to spend more on top-of-the-funnel activities that can generate more brand awareness. If you find yourself in a situation where you are worried about every algorithm update or platform rule change, it’s probably a good time to reevaluate your digital marketing strategy. Keith Hoelzeman is a partner in Measure + Grow, a digital marketing and advertising agency based in Little Rock. ARMON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

DISCOVERY ECONOMICS

HIGH VOLTAGE ECONOMY: Q&A WITH DR. ALAN MANTOOTH, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS By AMP Staff

resilient, robust and reliable power supply is vital to our nation’s quality of life and to our national security. In fact, the U.S. government classifies the electric power grid as critical infrastructure, and we’ll rely on it even more as electric vehicles take on a greater role in moving goods and people. Helping to enhance and protect the nation’s electric grid is Dr. Alan Mantooth of the University of Arkansas, a Distinguished Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department. He serves as director of the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT), which he helped found in 2005. His research relates to advanced electronics. His contributions to the state’s economy due to collaborative research have been estimated at more than $1 billion, and he currently overseas more than $30 million in active research projects.

Dr. Alan Mantooth

AMP: Your focus is on advanced electronics, but can you be more specific?

tional Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT).

is the center of our work that focuses on electric power grid modernization.

Dr. Mantooth: My team and I design tools, models, circuits, controls and cybersecurity software for advanced power electronics. The primary applications include space, electrified transportation (planes, trains, automobiles, heavy equipment) and electric power grid modernization, but power electronics are EVERYWHERE. Look around the room. Power electronics is in lighting, computing, consumer electronics, hand tools, household appliances, cars, trucks, bulldozers, airplanes, the electric power grid… and that’s just the ones you see daily. Power electronics is in manufacturing, medical instrumentation; the list is endless. So, what we are doing impacts every American, every day.

Dr. Mantooth: NCREPT is a very highpower test facility: 6 MW, which is the equivalent power used by more than 1,000 homes simultaneously. We use this facility to test and evaluate the power electronics that we prototype for grid and transportation applications. It is also home to our cybersecurity testbed, or cyber range. This ensures that everything we do is focused on working in rugged, real-world, settings.

AMP: Why is the work being done at GRAPES so vital to our nation’s security?

AMP: Tell us a little bit about the Na-

ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

AMP: You are the executive director for a research center called GRAPES. What is GRAPES? Dr. Mantooth: GRAPES is an acronym for GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems and is a National Science Foundation Center of Excellence. It

Dr. Mantooth: Our existence as an independent, first-world nation literally depends on generating reliable power. Creating an electric power grid that can withstand cyberattack, violent weather, and aging effects is the mission of our research. Our work is focused on creating the very best power electronic equipment coupled with leading cybersecurity. AMP: Securing the power grid is essential, but your team is well-regarded for creating electrical components that can withstand extreme conditions. How is your research benefiting, say, electric vehicles? (Continued on page 62)

FE B RUA RY 2021

DIGEST

NEWSMAKERS

FORGE, UA SCHOOLS PARTNER FOR CYBERSECURITY By Madeline Burke

he Forge Institute of Little Rock recently announced a joint partnership with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that will focus on advanced cybersecurity research supporting national defense. Forge is a nonprofit organization based in Little Rock that operationalizes cybersecurity through special training and collaborations. Professor Phillip Huff at UA Little Rock and the UA’s Dr. Chris Farnell are the initial university researchers who will work on next-generation cybersecurity defensive capabilities for industrial control systems. Huff and Farnell will use the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission testbed at the UA’s Arkansas Research and Technology Park in Fayetteville and the UA Little Rock Cyber Gym as part of their research. Additionally, they will collaborate with the professional and experienced team at the Forge Institute.

Forge Chairman and CEO Lee Watson said he is excited to partner with the universities to develop innovative solutions that will help address complex and growing cyber and national security challenges. “By connecting to and building upon the existing cyber and defense sector in the state, we are establishing a foundation to drive innovation that will directly lead to high-paying jobs for Arkansans,” he said. “I’m excited about this collaboration and how it will better position our state and country to defend against advanced cyber adversaries and grow the state’s economy.” Both universities are designated as National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Academic Centers of Excellence. The Fayetteville campus is a U.S. Department of Energy Center of Academic Excellence as well. Officials expect the partnership to provide increased opportunities for

economic growth and workforce development through new and expanded collaborations with the Forge Institute. Under a recently signed articulation agreement, certain professional development courses provided by the Forge Institute will soon be available as transfer academic credits for courses at UA Little Rock. The first professional-development training from the Forge Institute approved as a transfer three-hour academic credit is IT/Cybersecurity Fundamentals. Individuals who successfully complete the training and earn a certificate can use it to replace the Intro to Cybersecurity course that is required for students earning a bachelor of science in cybersecurity at UA Little Rock. “This rather unique relationship will further cement Arkansas as a leader in cybersecurity and help provide the skilled talent pipeline required by the private and public sector employers,” Watson said.

SANDERS MAKES IT OFFICIAL, RAISES $1M

arah Huckabee Sanders raised more than $1 million in political contributions in less than a week after officially announcing her candidacy for governor on Jan. 25. According to a campaign email, the Sarah Huckabee Sanders for Governor campaign crossed the $1 million threshold on Jan. 28 with contributions coming from all 75 counties in Arkansas. Sanders joins what is shaping up to be a jug-

F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

gernaut Republican primary to replace termlimited Gov. Asa Hutchinson in 2022. Already announced on the GOP side were Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. No Democrat candidates have announced for the race. Based on available data, Griffin has raised $1,261,991.21 in total contributions for the 2022 primary and Rutledge $755,955.19 as of Jan. 28.

ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

DIGEST

LAND REPORT REVEALS BILL GATES AS STATE’S TOP LANDOWNER By Katie Zakrzewski

griculture is a tradition that spans the four corners of the Natural State. But most Arkansans were surprised to learn recently that Microsoft founder Bill Gates currently owns the most farmland in Arkansas and is the largest landowner in the United States. In January, the Land Report unveiled who owned the most land in the United States and in each state. Gates is atop the lists for both the nation and state. He owns 268,984 acres in the United States with 47,927 of them in Arkansas. The only state in which Gates owns more farmland than Arkansas is Louisiana. Gates holdings in Arkansas account for 17.8 percent of the family’s total land holdings. Another major landowner in the state is Gaylon Lawrence Jr., who owns 42,000 acres of farmland spanning several states across the Delta. The nation’s fourth largest landowner, Ted Turner, is reported to own farmland in Arkansas as well. See the farmland report at LandReport. com/americas-100-largest-landowners. Also, see a list of the state’s oldest farms by county that begins on page 91.

LAND OWNED BY BILL GATES PER STATE SOURCE: Land Report

NEW NAME FOR ARTS CENTER:

ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

admission. The revamped museum will include roughly 13 percent more gallery space, expanded space for meeting and events, extensive landscaping to accommodate outdoor events on the 10-acre MacArthur Park footprint and a world-class restaurant. In addition, local officials expect the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts to become an architectural destination. Museum programs are supported by the AAC Foundation, the cities of Little Rock (which pledged $31 million from a hotel tax-revenue bond) and North Little Rock, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, the state-funded Arkansas Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

he revamped Arkansas Arts Center will reopen in 2022 with a new name and a larger endowment. Museum officials joined Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. on Jan. 25 to announce a new name — the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts — and a new capital campaign total — more than $135.9 million. The total exceeds the campaign’s previous goal of $128 million, set at the groundbreaking for the reimagined museum in October 2019. And the new name harkens back to the Arts Center’s opening in 1937 as the Museum of Fine Arts. The capital campaign, which officials announced had a new goal of $142 million, will enable the foundation to grow the museum’s endowment and ensure continued free

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BLACKOWNED

BUSINESSES With Black History Month upon us, and after a turbulent year that forced the nation to address lingering racial tension, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no better time to shine a light on Black-owned businesses in Arkansas. In the following section, Arkansas Money & Politics tells the story of the iconic Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cakes & Sweets in Little Rock and reveals big plans for the future, recognizes more than 100 Black-owned businesses in the state and talks to three prominent Black executives about challenges still faced.

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BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

Dorothy Coleman has been the force behind Little Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landmark bakery.

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Newest generation has big plans for landmark Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets By Dwain Hebda | Photography by Jamison Mosley

ruth be told, Mickey’s Cakes and Sweets isn’t the easiest place to find on the first try. Tucked well into a faceless mini mall along Midtown’s Rodney Parham Road, many a new customer has had to circle the parking lot a couple of times before finding the landmark Little Rock bakery. But once there, people never forget where they can get some of the best and most decadent baked goods in Central Arkansas. Not only is the company itself a throwback to the days before independent stand-alone bakeries were a dying breed, but the array of products to come out of the kitchen are dizzying. There are 17 varieties of cakes alone that, when paired with one of 20 icings and fillings, provides enough prospective combinations to cover every conceivable occasion. And that doesn’t even count the cookies, pies, cheesecakes and miniatures of all of the above that fill the display case daily. So, while it may take a newbie a cou-

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ple of passes to get there, once you go, you know. “The reward of being in business this long is knowing that the majority of our customers have been satisfied, and we have many repeat customers,” said Dorothy Coleman, for decades the bakery’s owner. “You know, you can’t please everyone no matter how much we try, but the majority of our customers are satisfied. “They come in sometimes and they had their children that they were ordering birthday cakes every year from Mickey’s, and now they have their grandchildren they’re buying cakes for. I just get overjoyed at that. I really do.” Now, if the newest generation of ownership has their way, the bakery will be a lot more visible in the coming years and not just in Little Rock. Dria Etienne, Dorothy’s granddaughter, bought the company along with her husband, Marvin, in 2019. And she’s got big plans for the family enterprise.

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BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

“Initially, my grandmother had someone who was interested in buying the business, and we had said, ‘OK, let’s get that started,’” she said. “I stepped in to help with that in May, getting it ready for sale, getting systems in place and just making sure that it was a nice clean pass to the new owner. “Then we kind of talked about it, my husband and I, and decided that it’s been in the family for so long we’d hate for it to just kind of disappear. So, I told everyone we would be willing to kind of take over and toward the end of the summer, we stepped in as the ownership component.” Taking over the business was not without its complications. Firstly, Etienne was not keen on moving to Little Rock from North Carolina where she currently lives and works as a real estate developer. Second, she didn’t have the gift for working in a production capacity as her grandmother had done. “Oh, God, when I was young, I did that for two summers,” she said. “I learned very quickly that decorating was not my thing. I also had really weak wrists, and honestly you need a stronger wrist. I mean, they put braces on me and everything, and it just wasn’t panning out. I’m just not the most creative either. So, we let [decorating] go. “Then they moved me to try to see if I could do baking. And I still can’t bake to be quite hon-

est. We finally settled on customer service. That’s kind of where I ended up.” However, the distance and lack of culinary skills didn’t tamp Etienne’s ambition for the company. She quickly unveiled a bold plan to transform the bakery into a national name by bringing Mickey’s signature quality to neighborhoods coast to coast. “The only way I could step in is if there was some growth opportunity, and so we began looking at franchising,” she said. “We’re in the works of that currently.” Under Etienne’s plan, the company will be rebranded as Mickey and Dot’s Cake Creations, a nod to her grandmother’s nickname. Each franchise location would sell and fulfill orders, assembling product components produced and shipped from centralized facilities. “The idea is that these signature stores will only do decorating,” she said. “We will own the backend side of production of the cakes and getting those layers shipped out. The franchises would purchase that supply and sell our products exclusively, almost like a wholesale kind of deal. This allows us to hold onto the special ingredients that deliver the taste. “Honestly, in listening to our customers, what we’ve been known for ... has been taste. We have great design, but it’s not the most extravagant. We have good creativity, but it’s not the most creative or innovative. But people do say, ‘We chose

“Honestly, in listening to our customers, what we’ve been known for ... has been taste.”

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Dria and Marvin Etienne bought Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in 2019. (Photo provided)

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to go [to Mickey’s] and not elsewhere, because we love the taste.’” Retaining the production side adds a layer of complexity to the plan over entirely self-contained units, as Etienne seeks to create a distribution system that locates centralized facilities within close proximity of franchise stores. However, she is quick to note, her blueprint does allow tighter quality control, with improved responsiveness to store inventory needs. “We want to keep a production site near every franchise area. We want to try to keep everything within a three-hour radius for signature stores,” she said. “That alleviates a lot from [the franchisees] because managing quality control can be really intense. If we eliminate that for them, they can focus on the creativity side, which is what people who want to own a bakery are more into anyway. They can focus on managing the front and decorating, and not have to worry about actually making sure it’s baked correctly.” The proposed changes are some of the most dramatic since Dorothy Coleman, who cut her teeth in Little Rock’s famed Koehler’s Bakery, joined her friend and future business partner, Mickey Young, in the latter’s stand-alone bakery. By 1997, Coleman owned the business and has run it ever since, adding her two daughters to ownership status along the way. The bakery occupies about 4,500 square feet and employs around 15 to 20 depending on the season. Etienne said managing the company from afar has been challenging. She schedules several days per month to be on the ground in Arkansas and is quick to praise her management team for maintaining quality and customer service on a day-in, day-out basis. The family dynamic of the bakery also presented something to get used to. “My grandmother, that’s her blood, sweat and tears of 30 years in this business. And she’s handled it so well, with lots of changes,” she said. “So, learning the ‘why’ behind things that were done and then explaining to her the things that had to be changed, that was the most difficult part of it. “I’m naturally a Type-A person, and so I also

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think there was a cultural shock of me wanting to be respectful and maintain respect because I’m still her granddaughter, right? I was a little nervous because [my grandparents] were very instrumental in our lives and now, oh God, I’m going to have to start telling her some things. That was a little weird.” Fortunately, Coleman was as eager to improve the business with modern tools as her granddaughter. “I’m excited about it, as a matter of fact,” she said. “I’m a person that, you know how they say, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?’ Well, I’m one of those old dogs at 72 years old, but I do not have any problem with changes. It has been an easy transition, very easy. She is making me more acclimated to computers, internet, all of what she’s implementing into the business. And it is working.” Etienne said, “I think it’s been handled really well, to be honest. Me and my grandmother have worked really well together. Of course, there’s always small things that come up where we have to really discuss why and how we have to move forward. It has created some complexity every now and then from that perspective.” Etienne, 28, said the plan for 2021 is to finalize the many details of the new expansion, production and distribution plan. She said she hopes to have the first Mickey and Dot’s Cake Creations signature stores operational in 2022. But no matter what the new concept looks like, there are some things that will never change, at least as long as Coleman can still crack an egg or frost a cake. “I still enjoy what I do,” Coleman said. “I went in and worked a while yesterday. Dria keeps telling me, ‘You don’t have to come in, you don’t have to come in.’ But I have to manage the employees who are there because they do not have the same feel for the business as we have, and I have to make sure they stay on track. So, that’s why I’m headed in there today, even though she told me don’t come in. “I’m there for one reason — to make sure our customers are satisfied.”

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The plan is to have Mickey and Dotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cake Creations operational in 2022.

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BLACK BUSINESSES IN ARKANSAS AMP’s goal this month is to recognize Black-owned businesses in Arkansas that perhaps fly under the radar, for whatever reasons. The following is a list of prominent Black-owned businesses that may not be well-known outside of Black communities. It’s not a ranking, and it’s not a comprehensive list. Just a record of roughly 100 of the state’s Black-owned businesses as compiled by AMP staff members and friends of the magazine. We encourage readers to check out these Arkansas businesses, which are doing their part to fuel the state’s economy. BUSINESS

LOCATION

BUSINESS

LOCATION

365 Yoga Dream

Little Rock

Carpenter’s Produce

A Better You Massage

Little Rock

Certified Pies

Little Rock

A Kick Above Personal Training Studio

Little Rock

Chatz Cafe Smoked Meats & Catering

Little Rock

AphroSense

Little Rock

Grady

Cheesecake on Point

Little Rock

Wynne

Chick’n Headz

Fayetteville

Arkansas Behavioral Center

Little Rock

Chicken King

Little Rock

Arkansas Diagnostic Center

Little Rock

Arkansas Pediatric Dentistry

Little Rock

Cocoa Belle Chocolates

Little Rock

Arkansas Relationship Counseling Center

Little Rock

Collaborative Counseling Associates

Little Rock

Ask Victoria Automotive Consultant

Little Rock

Creative Graphics

Little Rock

BatchLife Bakery

Mabelvale

Crystal C. Mercer, Creative

Little Rock

Bea Blessed Bakery

Little Rock

David Family Kitchen

Little Rock

Beautiful Styles by Tiffany

Sherwood

Dee’s Delightful Desserts

Little Rock

Down Home Blues BBQ

Little Rock

Ebony Blevins, Photographer

Little Rock

Eden Salt Studio

Little Rock

Eunoia Therapy & Self Development

Little Rock

April’s Family Kitchen

Berry Natural

Fayetteville

Better Community Development

Little Rock

BizTek Connection BlackHound Bar-B-Q

North Little Rock Jacksonville

Bobbie D’s Southern Cuisine

Little Rock

FitSoul Studio

Little Rock

Boon Hands Salon & Barber Shop

Little Rock

Grace Place Therapy

Little Rock

Breakout Bar

Little Rock

Hair Couture

Fayetteville

Brewsters 2 Soulfood Cafe

Little Rock

HallBros2Go

Little Rock

Brown Sugar Bakeshop

Little Rock

Hearne Family Clinic

Little Rock

Bryant’s BBQ & Catering

Little Rock

Hearne Fine Art

Little Rock

Building Blocks Child Care Center

Little Rock

Herron Hats

Little Rock

C Klear Vision Optique

Little Rock

Hopes4health

Little Rock

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BUSINESS

LOCATION

BUSINESS

LOCATION

Ja’neen Elliott Marketing Agency

Little Rock

Plate It Healthy

Little Rock

Jackie’s Mobile Café

Little Rock

Premier Funeral Homes

Little Rock

Jen Missouri Photography

Little Rock

Pull Up At Big Dave’s

Little Rock

JK’s Bar B Que

Little Rock

Pyramid Art, Books and Custom Framing

Little Rock

Jones Bar-B-Q Diner

Marianna

RazorClean Maids

North Little Rock

Jones Landscaping & Lawn Service

Little Rock

Real Natural Salon by Alisha

Little Rock

K Hall & Sons Produce

Little Rock

REPS Training

Little Rock

Kayla’s House of Glam Salon

Little Rock

Results Studio LR

Little Rock

KDKS Chicken & Waffles

Fayetteville

Ride ‘N Shine Detail

Little Rock

Kibbs BBQ

Stuttgart, Pine Bluff

River Market Boot Camp: Bodies by Bashay

Little Rock

Kitchen Express

Little Rock

Rock City Kicks

Little Rock

Kontiki African Restaurant

Little Rock

Romás by Linda Rowe Thomas

Little Rock

L. West Paint and Body Shop

Little Rock

Secondhand Smoke Old School BBQ

Fayetteville

Lassis Inn

Little Rock

Sims Bar-B-Que

Little Rock

Levelz 2 Barber Lounge

Fayetteville

Skyway Design & Media

Little Rock

Mays Byrd O’Guinn Law Group

Little Rock

MCH Physical Therapy Clinic

Little Rock

Sondra’s Love and Care In-Home Care & Adult Day Care

Little Rock

MeMe’s Twisted Potato and More

Little Rock

Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets

Little Rock

Squeaky Brakes & Tires

Little Rock

Mr. Cajun’s Kitchen

Little Rock

Straightright Boxing & Fitness

Springdale

Muskie Harris Rehabilitation Services

The Design Group

Little Rock

The Grind Coffee Bistro

Little Rock

My Suggestions Your Thoughts Proofreading & Editing

The Kitchen Express

Little Rock

The RSI Group

Little Rock

Nakia Amour Natural Hair Care

Little Rock

The Wing Shack Bar and Grill

Little Rock

New Beginnings Behavioral Health Services

Too Sweet Bar and Grill

Little Rock

Washington Barber College

Little Rock

NewG III Realty

Little Rock

Wes’s Bar-B-Q & Burger Plus

Fayetteville

Niguel Valley Photography

Little Rock

Norris Furniture

Little Rock

William’s Famous Fried Chicken & Soul Food

Bentonville

Nu Elements Films

Fayetteville

Nutrition Spot

Little Rock

Williams Professional Coding Courses & Services

Little Rock

Orlando’s Personal Fitness

Little Rock

Wings Take Out LR

Little Rock

Passion Unlimited Counseling & Consulting

Little Rock

Woods Group Architects

Little Rock

WOW Fitness

Little Rock

Philly Phresh Water Ice

Little Rock

Yeh Mon

Little Rock

Pinot’s Palette Little Rock

Little Rock

Yoni Steam Queen

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North Little Rock

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THE ARKANSAS MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COMMISSION

ormed in 1993, The Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission — a division of the Arkansas Department of Education — serves Arkansans of all ages and cultural backgrounds throughout the four congressional districts of Arkansas in its effort to encourage Arkansans to reflect on the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through educational endeavors, cultural performances, exhibitions and public community outreach projects that are multi-ethnic and family-oriented. The mission is to promote and preserve the life and legacy of Dr. King in our state and to promote the principles of non-violence and equality among all citizens. Our community outreach projects are designed to promote education, an appreciation for history and to encourage youth to engage in positive leadership development and roles within their communities. Amid these unprecedented times and difficulties, the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission is mindful of the reason it exists — for the Commission to help Arkansans create a more just, humane and peaceful world and “Beloved Community” using Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Six Principles of Nonviolence and the Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change.” As Dr. King so often stated, “…the aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community; the aftermath of non-violence is redemption and reconciliation.” Today, the work of the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, and its duty-aligned partners, is critically important to turning the tide and transforming the world. During his years of social leadership, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged all people to address pressing social ills by way of citizen service. “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Commission has hosted programs in all four congressional districts, some entirely in Spanish, and technology-based workshops in which students have studied coding, anti-bullying, joint programs with law enforcement agencies. Scarbrough fueled several action items including “Operation Appreciation” in which the Commission served meals to first responders and armed forces members, and L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, and Acceptance of Diversity) ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

a mentorship program for youth ages 6-19. Through the programming of the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, it has always been a goal to bridge generational gaps. Dr. King’s work and the efforts of many who fought for Civil Rights locally are just as important today as they were then. The Commission partnered with Rock Region Metro to honor Dr. King’s leadership in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 by introducing the Rock Region King Bus. According to Rock Region Metro, the King Bus will have been viewed 1 million times before the end of the year. The Commission promotes its Nonviolence Youth Summits, Nonviolence 365, diversity, Kingian principles and equity throughout the state. Soon, the Commission will implement classes teaching these initiatives in all four congressional districts. In previous years, the Commission has sponsored several individuals and organizations who promote non-violence and diversity within their communities to the King Center for professional development. The challenges of 2020 prompted the Commission to extend its outreach to hurting families affected across the state and author virtual programming to address issues of social concern that arose during the pandemic. Through the year, the Commission hosts several events that honor milestone events and figures in African American history including The Day of Service Day of Impact, the Commemorative Vigil acknowledging Dr. King’s passing, the march on Selma,and the Poor People’s Campaign. The efforts to lead the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign was organized by Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The goal was to champion for economic justice for poor people across all racial lines in the United States. The 2021 King Holiday Day of Impact, the largest celebration in the nation honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King, was experienced virtually due to the pandemic, receiving thousands of impressions across several platforms. The virtual experience included commemorative remarks, historic reflections, arts and presentations by community leaders, local and nationally renowned groups and individuals. As a division of the Arkansas Department of Education, the Commission encourages youth to support the R.I.S.E. initiative — Reading Initiative for Student Excellence — to build a culture of reading. Director Scarbrough also serves on Arkansas’ National Statuary Hall Committee to replace the current statues in our nation’s capital with statues of Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash. 25

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Carmen Helton

Charles Killion

Derek Scott

Edward Kent Oliver

Elizabeth Johnson

Gerald Canada

Dr. Kermit Parks

Laveta Wills-Hale

Nicole Smith Yarbrough

Paul Davis

Reverend Patrick Gulley

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CHOOSING TO PUSH FORWARD BLACK BUSINESS LEADERS SPEAK OUT ABOUT CHALLENGES RELATED TO RACE, PANDEMIC By Katie Zakrzewski and Mark Carter

he wild ride that was 2020 came with consolation prizes, among them a significant increase in the focus on awareness of racial injustice. Southern Bancorp CEO Darrin Williams believes much work remains to be done to ensure level playing fields, especially in the banking and finance industries, but he’s determined to “push forward.” Williams and fellow Black business leaders Garbo Hearne and Myron Jackson visited with Arkansas Money & Politics about what it’s like doing business as a person of color in 2021. Hearne is the owner of Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing and Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock, and Jackson leads The Design Group, a Little Rock design and marketing agency that serves minority communities.

Garbo Hearne

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Darrin Williams

Myron Jackson

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Garbo Hearne PERSEVERANCE KEY TO OVERCOMING CHALLENGES Garbo Hearne opened what is now Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing and Hearne Fine Art in 1988 as Pyramid Gallery. With her husband and business partner, Dr. Archie Hearne III, Hearne wanted to provide an authentic platform for Black artists and authors to showcase their talents through literature and the arts. Over the years, the business grew from showcasing popular prints and art from local and regional Black artists, as one of the first businesses in the River Market, to offering literature, custom framing, art appraisal services and even secondary art-auction services. As the business grew, so did its need for more space. In 2009, the Hearnes built Pyramid’s present home at Wright and Chester in the historic Dunbar neighborhood. Hearne said Pyramid evolved and expanded its reach, even beyond the United States, to provide a platform for artists. Hearne spoke with AMP about the challenges of building a business and the importance of the arts in building communities and economies.

Garbo Hearne, owner

Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing/Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock AMP: What obstacles did you face in launching and then growing your business? HEARNE: Initially, the launch of a new business can be intimidating because you don’t know what you don’t know. Understanding tax laws and maneuvering real estate was quite a challenge. Because we chose a niche platform, there was not a template to follow for development. We had to be creative and educate ourselves on each industry and develop collaborative relationships. Each time we moved, we reinvented ourselves. We developed our brand and market for Black art and literature by celebrating Arkansas talent, as well as a focus on bringing regional, national and international talent to Arkansas to expose our patrons and vice versa. We have a loyal client base and loyal employees who work with us, not for us. Our gallery bookstore manager has F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

been with me for 31 years. Our custom picture framer for over 25 years. We have interned over 10 college students who I would like to believe have grown because of their time with us. AMP: What specific challenges did you face as a female Black business owner? HEARNE: The challenges of being a Black woman and a young mother in business were huge. I think all small businesses have the same issues as it relates to starting a small business. I think there are prejudiced people in all walks of life, and that will always be in existence. My challenges have been keeping up with technology and navigating through four industries. Access to capital to expand was an issue when I wanted to build a gallery on 14th and Daisy Bates in 1990. We had exhausted our personal funds and turned to local banks for assistance. Doors were closed immediately because 28

of our lack of history and belief in our business model/strategy. We chose to move to the River Market to expand our reach. Although we could not own the space, we were able to build out a space to fit our model. I remember the building manager telling me that he was shocked that I outlasted him in the Museum Center when he retired nine years later. He said he and the guards took bets on how long we would last. Even our insurance agent said it was unlikely we would survive due to our business model of promoting Black culture. However, we have proved the naysayers wrong. This was the best decision we could have made. Our customer base expanded, and mainstream Arkansans appreciated our focus and embraced the artists and authors with patronage and support. Our move to the historic Dunbar neighborhood was also another good move. Investing in our community and owning real estate after 20 years of exisARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

tence made good sense. Combining our respective businesses and controlling our surroundings has been another learning curve. AMP: Is lack of awareness a major obstacle? HEARNE: The internet has changed the way we promote our business and has given us a much wider reach. Instant communication through social media is keeping us relevant and innovative and is alleviating some of the overwhelming cost of advertising and marketing. Staying ahead of the culture curve and the ability to adapt has also been instrumental in keeping the business in tune with modern demands. Marketing is always a challenge. Awareness of who we are and what we do, word of mouth and quality customer service keeps us in the game. We have developed our brand regionally and nationally by presenting at art and book fairs, allowing us to fulfill our mission of staying relevant and innovative in each industry we serve. AMP: Have things gotten better for Black- and minority-owned businesses? What more could be done to help promote them? HEARNE: There is always room for improvement. Our lack of knowledge of our culture has stymied our growth as individuals. Not knowing the past and understanding how things went wrong has been a detriment to society. It is our duty to educate ourselves and learn about all cultures. Being an independent bookseller is a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. Providing relevant books in all genres is very important. Having the classics and helping patrons building personal libraries, as well as keeping abreast of new titles,

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is quite challenging. Building solid art collections that are aesthetically pleasing and increasing generational wealth for our patrons is always a challenge. Meeting clients lookHearne believes arts ing for emerging, are “the basis of mid-career and mashumanity and have shaped our hister artists keeps us on tory and continue our toes. to shape our future.” Spotlights on Black businesses such as this one is quite helpful, but helping educate minority-owned busiand economically. nesses on how to access capital is important. Navigating and integrating into the AMP: How have you weathered the mainstream is the only path to success. pandemic? AMP: As a small business owner, how would you assess the overall business environment in Arkansas? HEARNE: Arkansas is a good environment to grow and excel. The cost of living is relatively low, unfortunately as are wages. Arkansas is centrally located, which makes travel relatively easy and also to receive supplies to do business. It is a training ground for young people to learn and grow, although most eventually desire to leave. Minority business numbers remain below the average in the South. The business of who you know and how much you know remains important. The creative economy in Arkansas is elevated due to the arts. Arts and technology have been most influential in surviving the current pandemic, with Arkansas creatives stepping up and remaining active. Recognizing this factor and supporting arts education in all disciplines must become a priority in order for the state to continue to progress forward culturally

HEARNE: The pandemic has been difficult to navigate and continues to be a cause for grave concern. We remain cautious and thoughtful for our staff and our patrons. We have shortened our hours of engagement and have stringent COVID precautions that we ask our clients to adhere to. Walk-in traffic is significantly reduced, and all events have been virtual for almost a year. Our online presence and virtual programming have kept us relevant. Isolation has caused our clients to read more and look at their environment and make some changes. Income for 2020 was reduced by up to 50 percent, but we remain steadfast and have taken advantage of assistance given to small businesses. Regardless of the pandemic and the struggling economy, I believe that art and real estate hold their value — and art is more pleasing and easier to take care of than real estate! It is our goal to continue to have a positive cultural and economic impact in Arkansas for years to come.

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Darrin Williams PROGRESS, BUT STILL A LONG WAY TO GO Former Arkansas House Speaker Darrin Williams became CEO of Southern Bancorp in 2013 after a six-year stint in the state legislature and a run as managing partner at the Carney, Williams, Bates, Pulliam & Bowman firm in Little Rock. Southern is a $1.6 billion asset organization based in Arkadelphia with more than 65,000 customers and 49 branches primarily in underserved markets throughout the Delta and Mid-South. Williams opens up to AMP about social injustices, why doors seem to be closed for young Black people entering the finance industry and how the pandemic has impacted rural, Black entrepreneurship.

Darrin Williams, CEO

Southern Bancorp, Arkadelphia

AMP: Do young Black people have equal access to the banking and finance industries? WILLIAMS: Absolutely not. From Wall Street investment banks to Main Street community banks, African Americans are underrepresented. The reasons are varied, and the lack of equal access relates to intentional discrimination, structural racism, a lack of role models or mentors in the field and many other reasons. A recent article by McKinsey & Company, in partnership with the Kellogg Foundation, one of Southern Bancorp’s largest shareholders, explores the lack of diversity in the financial services sector, which offers insightful commentary. AMP: Has increased awareness of various social injustices led to more opportunities for young people of color

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and other minorities? WILLIAMS: Currently, there is a great deal of attention around advancing racial equity, and I applaud the people and businesses who are actively engaged in making a positive difference. However, the injustices against African Americans, from slavery to a corrupt criminal justice system to denied economic opportunities, have been longstanding and pervasive. The results of these intentional actions will not be resolved overnight. They will take intentional and sustained actions to overcome the generational damage that has occurred. I hope we are up to the challenge. I pray advancing racial equity is not simply the hot topic of the moment. I am encouraged when I see the Business Roundtable (BRT) — chaired by Doug McMillon, Walmart’s CEO — take

a strong stand but more importantly take actions to break down the barriers to economic opportunity. Southern Bancorp has been the recipient of an equity investment from BRT member Bank of America that will help us expand our unique brand of banking, which works to build financial resiliency and create economic opportunities in underserved communities where far too few exist. AMP: Were there any specific obstacles you had to overcome related to race in your career path? WILLIAMS: Yes, and I don’t know an African American that has risen to leading positions in corporate America that has not had racial challenges to overcome. It’s the hand that we have been dealt; racism is built in the very structures of society. We can be upset, or we

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can push forward. I choose to push forward. As opposed to looking back at specific obstacles, I work to provide access and opportunity for other African Americans. I stand on the shoulders of many who helped me, both Black and white, and I repay my debt to them by being a shoulder for others. AMP: How badly has the pandemic impacted Black entrepreneurship in rural communities? WILLIAMS: Anecdotally, we believe that African American entrepreneurs in rural communities have been impacted more by COVID-19 than white entrepreneurs. We see this when comparing the recipients of the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, mostly white males, with that of our Business Continuity Grant (BCG) program recipients, which were more than 63 percent African American.

We established the BCG program to reach businesses that were not eligible for the PPP by raising philanthropic funds, led by our board members’ gifts, to provide $1,000 grants to small businesses to help them transition toward safe operation during this pandemic. We offered these grants to small businesses in markets where we had a bank branch, and we gave priority to counties that had higher COVID Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) scores. Surgo Ventures created the CCVI to highlight those communities that will have long-term impacts from COVID beyond just the health impacts, including employment and economic impacts. We were able to provide 128 grants supporting 330 jobs. Working with 60_ decibels (an impact survey company), we learned that 54 percent of our Black PPP and BCG customers said they would have

closed (compared to 20 percent of whiteowned businesses) but for this support. Nationwide, clearly, evidence shows that Black businesses were significantly impacted (see below). Undoubtedly, these stats hold true for Black-owned rural businesses. • According to the New York Federal Reserve, Black-owned businesses were twice as likely to close their doors as a result of COVID compared to white-owned businesses. • Research at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that 41 percent of Black-owned businesses — some 440,000 enterprises — have been shuttered by COVID-19, compared to just 17 percent of white-owned businesses.

Williams leads a $1.6B organization serving underprivileged markets throughout the Delta and Mid-South.

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FE B RUA RY 2021

EXEC Q&A

MYRON JACKSON OBSTACLES STILL THERE, JUST CHANGED Myron Jackson of The Design Group in Little Rock has been in the communications industry for 23 years. In that time, he says the obstacles he faces as a Black business owner haven’t gone away — they’ve just changed. He fought for consideration when he first entered the industry; now he fights for “justification of why you should invest in the African American consumer segment.” AMP caught up with Jackson to visit about the business environment for Blacks in Arkansas, obstacles faced by Black small-business owners and what could be done to ensure level playing fields. In the post-George Floyd era, Jackson sees more goodwill, but that “changes based on the day.” He believes goodwill paired with good business will be the true catalyst for change.

Myron Jackson, CEO

The Design Group, Little Rock AMP: Has the environment for Black business owners and entrepreneurs improved in the recent past? Jackson: To be completely honest, we’re the state’s only multicultural communications company. I can only speak based on our business and the relationships that we have. Our experience may not be the same as the experiences of others. People do business with people, and it’s about relations. When you’re a minority, you may not have the same relations that your nonminority counterparts may have. I didn’t go to Catholic High. My wife didn’t go to Mount St. Mary. I didn’t grow up in a gated community. It’s difficult to even get serious consideration. That was pre-COVID and George Floyd. We have to convince people that we have the longevity and capability to deliver a product.

Myron Jackson and his wife, Stephanie Jackson, director of public and media relations at The Design Group.

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Many of the communities that we’re working with are not the decision-makers, so we’re having to justify our decisions and existence. We’ve struggled in that regard.

ers need access to the decision-makers. This would also allow the decision-makers to be more aware of the Black business perspective.

AMP: What is the biggest obstacle faced by Black small business owners?

AMP: What could be done to better ensure a level playing field for all?

Jackson: I would say three things. A lack of relationships, which we talked about, access to capital, and access to opportunity. For access to capital, African American entrepreneurs are not first-generation entrepreneurs, and they’re not inheriting the business or wealth from parents and grandparents. For this reason, many Black entrepreneurs have to be creative. For access to opportunity, black business own-

Jackson: The two things that I recommend are intentionality and supply-chain diversity. We’re seeing a worldwide movement to have goodwill. When many people choose to be diverse, they look at it from a “goodwill” perspective instead of a “good business strategy” perspective. Studies have shown that diversifying a business, whether it’s staff or consumers or supply chain, improves it.

The Design Group provides market expertise to clients who want to reach African American, Latino, urban and youth consumer audiences.

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FE B RUA RY 2021

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CONGRATULATES ITS FEARLESS LEADERS Movista is proud of its fearless leaders, April and Stan, recognized this month as Arkansas tech leaders in AMP. Who would’ve foreseen that little nugget of an idea they hatched for a business-plan competition more than a decade ago would grow into an international force in retail execution and workforce management? The answer, of course, is anyone who knew them. Led by their foundational principles — always put the customer first, give back and don’t forget the fun — Movistans across the U.S. and now, even the Atlantic, follow the example set by April and Stan. And we’re all the better because of it. April Seggebruch

Thank you, fearless leaders, for setting that example.

Stan Zylowski

888.686.6254 • movista.com

WE KEEP YOU INFORMED ON HEALTH CARE. armoneyandpolitics.com

CONGRATULATIONS Ted & Stephanie Clouser Recognized in Arkansas Money & Politic’s Tech Leaders

pcatechsolutions.com

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FE B RUA RY 2021

TECHNOLOGY

TITANS of

TECH in

ARKANSAS

BY AMP STAFF

or a small, rural state, Arkansas continues to punch above its weight class in many areas of industry. And technology is an area in which Arkansas has made its mark. From startup ecosystems centered around Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas to the native innovation that led to the founding of such industry giants as Acxiom and Systematics (now a part of FIS), the state has made a commitment to technology. And it shows. There are many Arkansans whose work in techrelated fields is making a difference, but in the pages that follow, AMP is proud to recognize a few of the state’s tech leaders who are helping advance business forward in the Natural State.

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Charu Thomas, Founder Ox, Fayetteville

ne of the state’s true tech upand-comers, Charu Thomas is the founder of Ox, formerly known as Oculogx. Ox builds tech that makes order fulfillment more efficient. Clients include top Fortune 500 retailers. Prior to founding Ox in 2017, Thomas was an internationally awarded researcher in the wearable computing field in Georgia Tech’s renowned industrial engineering program. In 2019, Thomas relocated to Northwest Arkansas for the Fuel Accelerator and never left. Her work has been recognized by premier institutions like Microsoft, the USPTO and ACM, and Thomas has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Business Insider and TechCrunch. She’s been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and also was included in AMP’s 2020 Future 50 list, recognizing the future drivers of Arkansas’ economic, political and even cultural engines. Thomas created Ox to enable retailers to transform their stores into microdistribution centers. Ox clients boast increases of more than 25 percent in fulfillment efficiency, 20 percent in accuracy and a collective return-on-investment of 2,600 percent.

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John Robbins Jr., President and CEO DataPath, Little Rock

s president and CEO of DataPath Inc., John Robbins Jr. has more than 25 years of experience in the consumer-driven health care industry. He took over in 2011 as CEO from his father, who founded the firm in 1984. Under his leadership, DataPath is experiencing extraordinary growth and development, doubling its size in recent years. A leading developer of technology and administrative solutions for consumer-directed health care accounts, HSAs, COBRA and billing, DataPath creates innovative solutions for changing market forces and government legislation. Robbins sits on the board of directors of the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), an industry group leading in efforts to protect employer-provided-tax-favored benefits by educated governmental agencies on responsible health care solutions. He also is a co-founder of the Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards (SIGIS).

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Mimi San Pedro, Chief Strategy Officer The Venture Center, Little Rock

imi San Pedro is responsible for designing and implementing strategies that will help shape the future of entrepreneurial support in Arkansas and ensure The Venture Center’s success with corporate partners, community stakeholders and participating founders. She has more than 30 years of successfully starting and growing a wide range of companies through her strategic marketing efforts for private, public and corporate institutions. San Pedro and her family moved to the United States 45 years ago, and she has been an active Arkansas community leader and committed nonprofit volunteer ever since. San Pedro loves to travel and collect art and is The Venture Center’s resident foodie. For San Pedro, supporting entrepreneurs and innovation at The Venture Center comes from a love for Arkansas and a full-throated belief in entrepreneurs’ creativity to build a thriving community. San Pedro is a guide to Arkansas’ best, regularly “wowing” heavy hitters in the fintech and innovation industries.

Daniel Schutte, Managing Director of Accelerator Programs The Venture Center, Little Rock

aniel Schutte continues his steady rise in the Arkansas tech scene. As The Venture Center’s managing director of accelerator programs, Schutte has brought a breadth of experience to his role in connecting fintech startups with heavy hitters in the financial services industry. Schutte must carefully balance dual roles as a startup mentor and innovation collaborator, a skill mostly attributable to his own entrepreneurial experience. He was the COO of a commercial printing operation for more than a decade before founding his first companies, the most successful in the music/entertainment space. He scaled an online music streaming platform to several million users. He most recently exited a boutique live-music booking agency out of Nashville, Tenn., before meeting his wife, moving to Little Rock and joining The Venture Center. Long before COVID-19 pushed meetings to the Zoom platform, Schutte spent his days online, meeting fintech companies founders from around the world to connect the most promising technologies with The Venture Center’s financial services clients. As those clients look to serve their customers better by integrating cutting-edge technologies, Schutte’s dedication and industry expertise have made him a trusted voice.

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Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and Founder Teslar Software, Springdale

Lee Watson, CEO and Founder Forge Institute, Little Rock

ee Watson launched Forge Institute as a means to enable publicprivate collaborations supporting innovation and investment programs as well as modern workforce-development initiatives. Watson and Forge recently announced a partnership with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to develop advanced cybersecurity research supporting national defense. In 2019, Watson was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the state Computer Science and Cybersecurity Task Force. He also sits on the boards of the UALR EIT leadership Council, the Arkansas STEM Coalition and is the entrepreneurin-residence at UALR’s Emerging Analytics Center. In 2013, he was the founding CEO of the Venture Center in Little Rock and served on its board through 2018. He is the co-founder and assistant administrator of VC FinTech Investment Funds I-V; the CEO/founder of Conway’s digital brand enhancement firm Clarovista; was a founding champion of Startup Arkansas; and in 2013 he co-founded Southern Coding, an investment group of senior engineers investing in startups.

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oe Ehrhardt is the CEO and founder of Teslar Software, a provider of portfolio management tools for community financial institutions that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations processes into a single system, enabling institutions to scale and improve all aspects of the bank. Ehrhardt launched the fintech in 2008 to empower community banks to streamline processes so they could focus on their key differentiator: forming meaningful customer relationships. Most recently, Ehrhardt has stayed busy helping institutions with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Teslar Software launched three different solutions — Teslar Unite PPP, PPP Forgiveness and PPP Complete — to support banks from the origination to the forgiveness process. In addition to this, the fintech also designed and built PPP.bank, a website to help small businesses manage the PPP forgiveness application, with Mark Cuban and Citizens Bank of Edmond, Okla. And Teslar Software won the Best Fintech Partnership Award at the 2020 Finovate Awards for its collaboration on the website.

Kendall Kirby, Senior Vice President of Information Technology USAble Life, Little Rock

endall Kirby, senior vice president of information technology at USAble Life, has been beating the odds his entire life. Diagnosed with bone cancer as a teenager, Kirby was told he might not reach his 16th birthday. Now he’s celebrating nearly 28 years in the life- and health-insurance industries and has more than 33 years of IT experience, including technical expertise as a software and web developer, network engineer and systems analyst. Kirby first joined USAble Life in 1993 and in 1997 began a 10-year tenure with Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, where he served as an actuarial decision support analyst supervisor. Since rejoining USAble Life, he has been instrumental in providing the strategic direction for technologies that have transformed the company’s IT infrastructure into a leading program for creating operational efficiencies and great customer solutions. Kirby also has been influential in the development of patent-pending technology that supports product advancements. All of these improvements are a critical component of USAble Life’s growth. He is responsible for directing and managing all aspects of USAble Life’s technical infrastructure, including driving the strategic direction of the company’s IT portfolio and serving as chief security officer. ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

Rick West, CEO and Co-Founder Field Agent, Fayetteville

erial entrepreneur Rick West cofounded Field Agent in 2009, where he serves as CEO. Field Agent was launched to solve a common business problem: real-time access to instore conditions and shopper insights. Field Agent works to change the way the world collects business information. It uses crowdsourcing to gain access to clients’ shoppers who then utilize the latest in smart phone technology to deliver near real-time access to business information. All in less time and in more cost-effective means than traditional data collection and mystery shopping services. West has been a leader in the retail industry for 17 years in the United States, Hong Kong and Thailand. He also is a speaker and mentor within the business community and research industry. A former manager at Procter & Gamble, West sits on the board of the Mobile Marketing Research Association; is a co-founder of Core4 Research, a market research firm with offices in Fayetteville and Minneapolis; a co-founder in 2001 of Northstar Shopper Solutions; and he’s an investor in JOYN, a venture based in India that connects artisan living in poverty with the fashion industry.

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Johnny Burgess, President and Co-Founder Mainstream Technologies, Little Rock

ince inception of Mainstream Technologies in 1996, the company has relentlessly focused on delivering results for clients, while building the most talented team possible. Johnny Burgess was responsible for designing, developing and implementing supply-chain management solutions which are currently used throughout the world by major retailers to manage inventories and enhance reporting capabilities. Burgess has served as board chairman of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the board of advisors for the International Association of Cloud and Managed Services Providers (MSP Alliance). He actively supports various organizations which promote STEM, including Accelerate Arkansas, the Museum of Discovery and Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science. Burgess believes in the value of STEM education and STEM-related careers as a vehicle for economic development and societal improvement.

Emma Willis, Chief Operating Officer Sootchy, Fayetteville

t the intersection of technology and community is where you’ll find Emma Willis. Whether overseeing California-based fintech startup, Sootchy, or volunteering with technical development for a group of Black-owned venture studios called Spectra, Willis’ ability to tap into the connectivity of tech is always at the forefront. And that’s something that often gets overlooked — tech’s ability to connect people to resources and opportunities that enhance communities at all levels. “I saw a great opportunity to take on the role of COO with Sootchy,” Willis said. “The app has the potential to make an enormous impact on the education and wealth disparity in this country, so it engages both parts of my personality: strategy and compassion.” Her journey to COO of Sootchy has been deeply rooted in the Natural State. Willis is an alumnus of Philander Smith College, a former senior strategist with MHP/Team SI and worked for numerous years with Junior Achievement of Arkansas and Junior Achievement of NWA. As the former executive director of Arkansas 529, Willis launched Gift Arkansas 529, the first state-run 529 plan app in the country. Soon after, she joined the team at Sootchy, working to expand access to debt-free education across the entire country, while continuing to call Northwest Arkansas home.

FE B RUA RY 2021

April Seggebruch and Stan Zylowski, Co-Founders Movista, Bentonville

n the words of Movista co-founder and CEO Stan Zylowski, “two self-described idiots remarkably beat the odds” and made a go of the Bentonville retail execution and workforce management platform. Zylowski met his fellow “idiot” — co-founder April Seggebruch — at the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Stephanie and Ted Clouser, Chief Branding Officer and President/CEO PCA Technology Solutions, Little Rock

ed Clouser joined the staff at PCA Technology Solutions, then known as PC Assistance, in 1996. He’s been there, climbing the ladder, ever since. In 2012, his wife, Stephanie, joined him at the firm. These days, Ted is president and CEO of

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The two retail veterans were working on their MBAs when they hatched the idea for Movista in preparation for a business plan competition. Zylowski says they simply refused to go away. “As my mama always said, ‘Nobody is useless; you can always use them as a bad example.’” The duo founded Movista in 2007 and grew it into an international firm headquartered in Bentonville with offices in nine states and London, England. Seggebruch and Zylowski obtained their first round of seed funding in 2008, began development of a check-in kiosk in 2009 and thanks to the iPad, launched a mobile focus in 2010. In 2018, Movista earned $12 million in capital A series funding to expand its tech and make key hires. In 2019, they acquired the workforce management platform and their largest competitor, Natural Insight. Movista continues to pursue an aggressive product road map to expand the ways they can maniacally serve their customers.

the Little Rock IT firm, and Stephanie is chief branding officer. The Clousers have become leading proponents in Arkansas for their industry. Stephanie was named in December to AMP’s 2020 Power Women list, and Ted has been included on local 40 under 40 lists. PCA was founded in 1994 and since then has received multiple “best of business” accolades. The Clousers and their team model PCA around the golden rule — each recommendation the firm makes is one it would want made to it if roles were reversed. PCA was founded on the principle of benefiting the end user, and the Clousers have worked to find their niche in between mass market sales where customer support ends at the sales transaction and those corporate consulting firms that ignore small business.

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Uday Akkaraju, CEO Bond.AI, Little Rock

day Akkaraju is the CEO of BOND.AI, an award-winning, human-centered artificial intelligence platform for banks. BOND.AI’s Empathy Engine creates unique personas for every consumer or a small business of your bank — personas that connect their behaviors, strengths, potential and needs to holistically understand them and create multiple paths to boost their financial lives. Bond.AI’s latest development is a “financial health AI module” for financial institutions. Akkaraju’s background is in interaction design and cognitive science, and he focuses on making machine intelligence empathetic. Akkaraju also cocreated the world’s first Empathy EngineTM for finance, and he has been recognized as an “International Innovator” by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Prior to BOND.AI, Akkaraju founded and successfully ran an AI-research lab that helped early-stage companies design products and take them to market. He regularly speaks at international AI and fintech conferences such as the Mobile World Congress, Paris Fintech Forum, Money 2020, IBM Tech Talks, Signal, Finovate, Voice and more.

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Marla Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder LeapXL, Little Rock

or the past two decades, Marla Johnson focused on scaling complex Internet-related applications for businesses across multiple industries through the pioneering Aristotle Inc. In that journey, she became adept at prognosticating and advancing game-changing tech innovation – she was often on a speaking circuit telling her audiences what was next and how they could ride the wave of digital transformation. In 2018, Marla and Brian Stack launched LeapXL to deliver on a dream of simple, fast cloud computing with no code tools for data connection, application development and deployment (iPaaS and aPaaS), resulting in lightning speed development and deployment of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), collapsing months of agile development into a few days and annihilating technical debt. Johnson said, “LeapXL found a successful foothold in banking, insurance and financial services because leaders in that sector are ready to leap forward technologically, pun intended. They are racing to offer banks and their customers more personalization, flexibility, instant access to secure data, and tools that play well with others, racing toward Banking-as-a-Service.” LeapXL gives flight to companies in that race to securely modernize and scale a series of legacy, core and innovative fintech together to quickly respond to today’s demanding customers and get more products out to market faster without breakage. 41

Adita Karkera, Deputy State Chief Data Officer/ Enterprise Database Administration Manager Arkansas Department of Information Systems, Little Rock

dita Karkera has more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of data, business and information technology. She has a proven record of successes in implementing data strategies, policies and technology to solve business problems and currently serves as deputy state chief data officer and enterprise database administration manager for the state of Arkansas. Karkera works to foster a data-driven culture in the state. Her emphasis on advancing data sharing and spearheading initiatives to improve the effectiveness of government programs and decisionmaking has positioned her as a principal expert and passionate state leader in data management. Karkera currently serves on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Board. She was one of the 11 inductees named to the 14th class of the Arkansas Academy of Computing for her contributions to computing in Arkansas. She has also been nationally recognized by StateScoop 50 and Women in IT (as Data Leader of the Year) for her work. She is a Certified Public Manager, Arkansas Governmental Manager and is currently pursuing a doctorate in information quality from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. FE B RUA RY 2021

Josh Smith, CEO Metova, Conway

Shannon Anderson, Communications Director The Innovation Hub, North Little Rock

hannon Anderson joined The Innovation Hub seven years ago. The goal was to use her 35-year knowledge of graphic design in new ways — utilizing state-of-the-art tools such as 3D printers and laser-cutters — to launch a new business. Within six months, she was on a different mission — teaching vector design and digital fabrication to other makers and artists. “The Hub was designed to give people the space to share knowledge, learn new skills and kickstart new businesses,” Anderson said. The Innovation Hub is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Arkansans by inspiring innovation and expanding opportunities. Its 22,000-square-foot facility in the Argenta district includes a makerspace with a woodshop, a tech lab and art studios along with space for co-working and events. In 2018, Anderson took the Hub’s new Mobile Makerspace (MMS) unit, the “Hub On Wheels,” to schools and community centers across the state to engage both youth and adults in STEAM education. Over the past three years, the MMS has visited 20 counties and reached more than 16,000 Arkansans.

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ith a keen, hard-earned ability to quickly analyze key business drivers and emerging technologies to develop and execute strategic solutions, Josh Smith has a storied career involving the innovative use of cutting-edge, emerging technology. An Arkansas-native and military veteran, Smith was instrumental as Metova’s CEO in the founding of the Arkansas Coding Academy and the 10x Cyber Accelerator, a unique program designed to scale Arkansas’ high-growth, tech-enabled ventures. In addition, Smith is the technology advisor for Innovate Arkansas, working with early-stage companies launched in, or relocating to Arkansas, as well as a founding member of the Governor’s Innovation Council. As CEO of Metova, Smith works with the world’s most interesting companies to develop and implement strategic digital transformation solutions in fintech, telehealth, automotive and industrial manufacturing leveraging mobile, IoT, cloud, data visualization and other advanced emerging technologies. All this while championing and implementing programs that leverage Metova’s world-class tech talent to assist in Arkansas’ technology initiatives. Before Metova, Smith served as cofounder and chief operating officer at PrivacyStar and has held senior positions with FIS Global and Acxiom. 42

Michael Paladino, Co-Founder and CEO RevUnit, Bentonville

s co-founder of RevUnit, Paladino says he “built a team of really smart people who like to nerd out on technology and data.” Launched by Paladino and Joe Saumweber, RevUnit has grown into a thriving company that works to create real change in some of the world’s largest companies through data and process. It works to create enterprise change faster by partnering with leaders to help them turn data into insights, reinvent critical processes and upskill their teams. RevUnit has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies four times, the Entrepreneur 360 list of America’s most innovative businesses and Entrepreneur Magazine’s top company cultures. Paladino is the former CTO for Arkansas startups Overwatch and Btiques, and he served in various tech leadership roles at Rockfish Interactive. The Little Rock native also served as chair of the Northwest Arkansas Tech Council.

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Dan Roda, CEO and Co-Founder Abaca, North Little Rock

ducated at Tulane University and Villanova Law School, Dan Roda followed his wife (Elizabeth Michael) to Arkansas and promptly entered the professional world as a corporate attorney, gaining 10-plus years of hands-on experience in real estate, private equity, and venture capital transactions. He first experimented with the cannabis industry in 2017, helping clients draft and file dispensary license applications in Arkansas. During this process, Roda was exposed to the cannabis banking problem, which led him and three partners to found Abaca, a North Little Rock-based financial technology company providing banking, payment processing and lending services to the cannabis and hemp industries. Roda represented Abaca in the CanopyBoulder accelerator program and is a founding board member of the Emerging Markets Coalition. He is also vice president of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association and sits on the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Hemp Committee.

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Dr. Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor/ Executive Director University of Arkansas/ NCREPT, Fayetteville

Brian Bauer, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer and Co-Founder Abaca, North Little Rock

native Arkansan, Brian Bauer grew up near Hot Springs and received his undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He served 11 years in the United States Navy where he flew some of the nation’s premier special-operations forces into combat. He was awarded the Air Medal seven times as a helicopter door gunner and crew chief while participating in offensive operations during Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. After naval service, Brian returned to his home state to raise his two daughters and son, affording them access to the many amenities that Arkansas life has to offer. He believes Central Arkansas is a great place to grow a tech company, and has spent the last several years working with others to help build Little Rock’s status as a startup city. Most recently, he served as managing director of Little Rock’s awardwinning fintech accelerator programs at the Venture Center, where he gained valuable experience with banking technology, fintech innovation and venture capital. As Abaca’s chief strategy and revenue officer, he remains focused on the company’s mission to provide bestin-class financial services to the growing U.S. cannabis industry.

lan Mantooth received B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the University of Arkansas in 1985 and 1986, and his Ph.D. degree from Georgia Tech in 1990. In 1998, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he currently holds the rank of distinguished professor. Mantooth helped establish the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) at the UA in 2005, where he serves as executive director. He is a registered professional engineer in Arkansas. Mantooth currently is involved in two large efforts funded by the U.S. Department of Energy: cybersecurity including solar PV systems and a project focusing on advanced power electronics for heavy equipment. Among these two projects, Mantooth has also started a company with some colleagues at the UA in the cybersecurity space about which he is optimistic. “We began it in March 2020, but in the cyberworld, virtual meetings are the norm. No pandemic will slow us down,” he said.

FE B RUA RY 2021

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Heart of the Home.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in Arkansas, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not the only ones impacted. Wives, mothers, daughters and sisters often serve as the health care decision maker for their home and family. As a woman, you are the heart of your home - and your familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health often starts with you. Take care of your heart so that you can take care of theirs. Take the CHI St. Vincent Heart of the Home pledge today: chistvincent.com/moreheart

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Best Hospital in Arkansas for Cardiology & Heart Surgery U.S. News & World Report Named CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Best Hospital in Arkansas for Cardiology & Heart Surgery CHI St. Vincent Infirmary ranks first in cardiology and heart surgery among Arkansas hospitals according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest Best Regional Hospital rankings. In the 2020–21 Best Hospitals rankings, the Infirmary ranked as “High Performing” in care for heart failure, the highest rating awarded for that type of care. “Our cardiologists and heart surgeons are constantly working to bring the highest standard of care to our patients here in Arkansas and that care reaches far beyond the Infirmary itself,” said Marcia Atkinson, president of the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute. “I’m proud to say that the Heart Institute offers Arkansas’ largest and most diverse network of heart specialists across CHI St. Vincent’s four hospitals and more than 25

community locations.” The CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute also continues to push the field of heart care forward in Arkansas by integrating advanced technologies like HeartFlow Analysis into their continuum of care, earning the gold standard in heart attack care from the American Heart Association and partnering with Pennsylvaniabased Penn Medicine to accelerate heart surgery research into innovative new approaches. U.S. News & World Report was based on independent analysis of multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, volume of high-risk patients, patient experience, nurse staffing and advanced clinical technologies.

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Outlook on Women’s Heart Health

Dr. Tata

Discussing heart disease prevention with our team of female cardiologists

eart disease is one of the most common causes of death for people in the United States, and no one knows that better than the cardiologists at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute, who deal with heart disease patients every day. We talked with Katherine Durham, MD; Oyidie Igbokidi, MD; Rimsha Hasan, MD; Tena Murphy, MD; and Nanzeen Tata, MD—all female cardiologists from CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute—to find out why cardiology is their passion, how people can make an impact on their own heart health and how heart disease differs for women. What made you interested in cardiology?

What should every woman know about cardiovascular disease? DR. DURHAM: We are just as much at risk as men. Cardiovascular disease is prevalent among women as well as men, and we need to take our symptoms and health just as seriously. Women’s symptoms aren’t always the same as men’s symptoms. Women may have symptoms such as shortness of breath without chest pain or feeling more tired than usual. Some women experience atypical chest pain, such as heartburn or a burning sensation in their chest. These can be early signs of heart disease, and they shouldn’t be ignored.

DR. TATA: Heart disease is unfortunately part of my family. Early on in my medical training, the field of cardiovascular medicine grabbed my attention. The huge impact it has on the general population, the rapid growth in medications and procedures, and being able to assist so many dealing with heart conditions confirmed my goal to train as a cardiologist.

How does heart disease risk change as people age?

What are the most important heart disease risk factors for people to recognize?

DR. DURHAM: Menopause can also be a factor for women. Excess abdominal weight, compared to weight around the hips, is a risk factor for heart disease. After menopause, because of the way hormones change, some women can put on more abdominal weight, particularly if they live a sedentary lifestyle.

DR. HASAN: General health is very important. We should all know that basic risks include smoking, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and family history. But life stresses and lack of physical activity also have a strong effect. And if people have one set of vascular problems, they are likely to have another. What preventive steps would you recommend for people who want to improve their heart health? DR. IGBOKIDI: The first thing I would recommend is to know your risk factors. Talk to your primary care physician about modifying your risk factors in a positive way. This might include lifestyle changes such as eating foods low in fat calories, exercising four or five days a week for 30–45 minutes, not smoking and avoiding second-hand smoke.

DR. TATA: As we age, our risk increases. We are more prone to health conditions, and heart disease is one of them. As we get older, sometimes something as simple as increasing fatigue and inability to do physical things are important signs of potential heart issues.

How often should people visit their primary care provider for a checkup? What signs should they look for to gauge their heart health? DR. MURPHY: The answer is different depending on each individual. The minimum I would say is once a year. However, some people may need more regular follow-up. Exercise and physical activity tolerance can be a good indicator of heart health. Symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain suggest you may have an issue. For any symptoms you are concerned about, consider seeking immediate healthcare attention

Dr. Hasan

Dr. Igbokidi

Dr. Durham

Dr. Murphy

Warning signs of a heart attack often present differently in women. Learn how to put your heart health first: chistvincent. com/moreheart

Small Actions, Big Results Minimally invasive heart surgery offers many advantages

Around the OR Heart surgeons at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute are a dedicated bunch. When asked to reflect on their work, here are some of the thoughts they had: “If we agree together, the patient and I and their family, to do an operation, then it’s a team. It’s a covenant. My pledge is to do the very best operation I can.” — Michael Bauer, MD

Left to Right: Thomas Rayburn III, MD; Thurston Bauer, MD; Frederick Meadors, MD; Michael Bauer, MD; Kenneth Howell, MD

“

Minimally invasive” is a term used to describe surgeries that provide an alternative to traditional surgery. When it comes to heart surgery, this means smaller incisions that avoid more complex operations such as open-heart surgery. Heart surgeons at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute perform many minimally invasive procedures, including mitral or aortic valve repair and replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting, and ventricular assist device implantation, among others. Some of these procedures are even performed with robotic surgical instruments. If you’re wondering what minimally invasive surgery means for patients, here are some of the biggest benefits of these procedures:

“When patients come to see me they have lots of questions. I am a firm believer in spending all the time that’s necessary for patients to understand what’s going on and what their options are so they can make the best decision.” — Thurston Bauer, MD

“One of our visions at CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock, Arkansas, is to provide state-of-the-art care for the people in our community and in our state.” — Frederick Meadors, MD

Less pain Less scarring Shorter hospital stay Lower risk of infection Lower risk of bleeding Shorter recovery time Take the Heart of the Home pledge today at: chistvincent.com/moreheart

“A lot of what I do is minimally invasive surgery. We do a lot of complex heart surgeries at CHI St. Vincent that a lot of places don’t or won’t do. When it’s done right, it’s a work of art.” — Thomas Rayburn, MD

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Expanding Minimally Invasive Alternatives to Open Heart Surgery

The CHI St. Vincent Institute recently became positive Heart way. This might include lifestyle changesthe such first in Arkansas to successfully perform the Transcaval as eating foods low in fat calories, exercising 4–5 days TAVR heart procedure. Newminutes, TAVR, or Aortic a week for 30–45 notTranscather smoking and avoiding Valve Replacement, second-hand proceduressmoke. offer patients with aortic valve stenosis an alternative to open heart surgery, but some patients Whatroutes shouldwere every woman know about with suboptimal access previously deemed cardiovascular disease? ineligible. DR. DURHAM: We are just as much at risk as men.

This new Transcaval TAVR heart procedure, performed Cardiovascular disease is prevalent among first women as by CHI St. Vincent Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Aravind Rao well as men, and we need to take our symptoms and and Cardiovascular Surgeon Thomas Rayburn, allows heart health justDr. as seriously. surgeons to safely bypass problematic regions andasmake Women’s symptomsarterial aren’t always the same men’s this minimally invasive alternative available more patients. symptoms. Women may haveto symptoms such as shortness of breath without chest pain or feeling more “In this patient, the femoral access route used for a normal TAVR tired than usual. Some women experience atypical procedure was heavily calcified and she had no other option for chest pain, such as heartburn or a burning sensation in a valve replacement,” said Dr. Rao. “She worked with our team their chest. These can be early signs of heart disease, for six-months, had full faith in the Heart Institute and didn’t and they shouldn’t be ignored. want to go anywhere else. It’s now been months since the surgery and she’s doing ” Howgreat. does heart disease risk change as

people age? Typical TAVR procedures take one-to-two hours to complete DR. TATA: As we age, our riskinincreases. We are more and require an average of a one night stay the hospital.

In contrast, open-heart surgery requires between two-tofour hours in surgery, an average of five-to-seven days in the hospital and six-to-eight weeks of recovery. The CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute is one of three institutions across the 142 hospital and 21 state CommonSpirit Health system recognized you knowofwomen may have none procedures. or just a few of the typical heart attack asDid a center excellence forall,TAVR

SIGNS OF HEART ATTACK: MEN VS. WOMEN

symptoms? While some pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest is still a common

“This marks an incredible step forward for Arkansans seeking symptom in women, many have heart attack symptoms without chest pain. Here the very heart care, ” said CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute are some best of the in symptoms by gender: President Marcia Atkinson. “Procedures like the Transcaval TAVR MEN are less invasive than open heart surgery and offer dramatically reduced recovery times for patients. At this point, our team of > Lightheadedness expert heart specialists can offer about any advanced heart > Pain in the neck, back surgery technique being offered anywhere in the country.” shoulders or jaw

Symptoms of aortic valve disease may include shortness of > Abdominal pain or breath, difficulty when exercising, swollen ankles or feet, rapid “heartburn” or irregular heartbeat and palpitations, an uncomfortable > Chest discomfort or angina pain, awareness of one’s heart beating rapidly or irregularly, which may come and go or fatigue. The CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute advises anyone experiencing one or more of these symptoms to speak with > Nausea or vomiting their primary care physician or heart specialist.

> Heart palpitations prone to health conditions, and heart disease is one of them. As we get older, sometimes something as simple > Sweating with cold, as increasing fatigue and inability to do physical things clammy skin SIGNS OF HEART MEN VS. WOMEN are important signs ofATTACK: potential heart issues. > Anxiety like a panic attack DR. DURHAM: Menopause can also be a factor for Did you know women may have all, none or just a few of the typical heart attack symptoms? While some pain, for no apparent reason women. Excess abdominal weight, compared to weight Did you know women may have none or just in a few the typical heart pressure orall, discomfort theofchest is still a attack common symptom in women, many have heart attack symptoms around the hips, is a risk factor for heart disease. After symptoms? While some pain, chest pressure or discomfort in the chest is still a common without pain. of the way hormones change, symptom in women,menopause, many have because heart attack symptoms without chest pain. Here some women can put on more abdominal weight, are some of the symptoms by gender: particularly if they live a sedentary lifestyle.

SIGNS OF HEART ATTACK: MEN VS. WOMEN MEN

WOMEN

How often should people visit their > Lightheadedness primary care provider for a checkup? What Pain the neck, back signs should they look>for toingauge their shoulders or jaw heart health?

> Dizziness or fainting

DR. MURPHY: The answer>isAbdominal different depending pain or on each individual. The minimum I would say is once a “heartburn” year. However, some people may need more regular > Chest discomfort or pain, follow-up. Exercise and physical activity tolerance can which may come and be a good indicator of heart health. Symptoms likego shortness of breath or chest>pain suggest you may have Nausea or vomiting an issue. For any symptoms you are concerned about, Heart palpitations consider seeking immediate> healthcare attention.

> Pain in one or both arms

> Sweating with cold, clammy skin

> Pain in the neck, back, shoulders or jaw

> Shortness of breath > Abdominal pain or “heartburn” > Nausea or vomiting > Unusual or unexplained fatigue, possibly for days

> Anxiety like a panic attack for no apparent reason

To learn more about the services at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute, visit chistvincent.com/magazine.

WOMEN chistvincent.com/magazine 9

A Diet You Can Live With Looking at a long-term healthy and sustainable diet Trendy diets come and go, and while many promise great results—such as weight loss or improved energy—they also require careful attention and, ideally, help from a healthcare provider. For many people, these diets are also difficult to sustain over the long term, so the positive results gained can be lost when going back to a “normal” diet.

should be consumed in moderation. Keeping to this diet for the long term will not only help you lose weight, but will also improve your heart health by reducing your risk for issues such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. For healthy recipes that follow the Mediterranean diet, check out our Healthy Foodie collection of recipes at: chistvincent.com/betteryou

WHAT DOES A LONG-TERM HEALTHY DIET LOOK LIKE? When it comes to making healthy eating a part of your lifestyle, there are many changes you can make to lose weight, feel better, and live longer. Diets such as the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet are focused around building a large selection of healthy foods from all food groups, rather than avoiding specific macronutrients (such as carbohydrates or fats).

ARE HIGH PROTEIN DIETS HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE? One diet that you may have heard of recently is the Keto diet, which is a type of low-carb diet that can help you shed pounds quickly.

For example, the Mediterranean diet focuses on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as the base of your diet, with healthy fats coming from foods such as avocados, nuts, and fish. Dairy, meats, sweets, and alcohol do have a place in the diet, but

While losing weight reduces your risk for diabetes and high blood pressure, some low-carb diets encourage eating more fats and meats, which could have an impact on your cholesterol level. However, that doesn’t mean the diets are dangerous. In fact, CHI St. Vincent offers a medically managed diet program based on the principles of the Keto diet, called Ideal Protein. To find out if this might be a good option for you, talk to your provider, or call 501.255.6087.

Heart healthy meals for your family don’t have to be complicated. Pledge to become the heart of your home today and get a copy of CHI St. Vincent’s Healthy Foodie magazine: chistvincent.com/moreheart

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Understanding AFib As the most common type of heart arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a heart condition that is estimated to affect up to sixmillion Americans. People with AFib experience an irregular heartbeat, but what does that really mean? Normally, your body will send an electrical signal I know AFib increases your heart rate. OUR AFib from the upper chambers Can I exercise if I have AFib? EXPERTS DR. HEBBAR: It depends on whether you’re being of your heart (the atria) to treated for AFib or not. If you are new to the diagnosis the lower chambers (the and not on medicine to control it, your heart rate will ventricles) causing blood to go up naturally and at some point it may trigger your pump from the atria to the heart to switch into AFib. But patients who have AFib ventricles and then out to can and should exercise, we just want them to be on your body. For people with medicine or otherwise have it managed to keep their Mangaraju hearts from racing out of control. Chakka, MD AFib, these electrical signals trigger erratically, causing the Will my AFib ever be cured? heart to quiver, or fibrillate. The DR. WALLACE: AFib can be easily managed. If you underlying cause of AFib can be have a true reversible condition—such as a tumor that one of many factors, including is causing you to go into AFib—then in all likelihood age, other heart conditions such you can be “cured” when the tumor is removed. However, for most patients we spend a lot of time with as high blood pressure or coronary Prabhat them talking about how we’re managing a chronic artery Hebbar, MD disease, sleep apnea or even disease. In that respect, our most important role is drinking alcohol or beverages with caffeine. managing their symptoms and making sure their stroke risk is appropriately assessed and addressed.

WARNING SIGNS OF Warning AFib Signs of AFib

Thomas W. Wallace, MD

> Palpitations > Irregular or racing heartbeat > Shortness of breath > Fatigue or weakness > Discomfort or funny feeling in the chest

Take the Heart of the Home pledge today and put your family’s heart health first: chistvincent.com/ moreheart chistvincent.com/magazine 9

THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO ABOUT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

Blood pressure guidelines published by the American Heart Association changed in recent years. Most importantly, the threshold for high blood pressure was lowered, which means many Americans who were previously in the healthy range may now have high blood pressure. So what can you do to address high blood pressure? Here are a few tips:

Have regular checkups. Schedule a visit with your primary care doctor to talk about your blood pressure, how often it should be measured and whether it is in a normal range. Watch what you eat.

2 3

Focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins, as well as foods that are low in saturated or trans fats. Cooking more instead of eating out lets you control your salt intake, which helps lower blood pressure. Stay active. Even an increase in steps can be a way to improve your heart health. Try taking a nice walk or even doing chores, such as mowing the lawn. Playing sports or games that get you moving can also be a fun way to increase the amount of physical activity you get.

Reinforcing Research Penn Medicine Collaborates CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute recently announced the creation of an exciting collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Penn Medicine. “We’re honored by this opportunity to collaborate on the forefront of clinical research to ensure that geography no longer limits access to the latest best practices in the field,” says CHI St. Vincent CEO Chad Aduddell. “The ulti-

mate value, though, benefits our patients in Central Arkansas, who will experience advanced care and unique access to clinical trials for the treatment of heart disease and related illnesses.” This seven-year initiative pairs institutions that have extensive experience in cardiothoracic surgery research with institutions in areas with a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

Heart care has changed. Learn how CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute’s minimally invasive techniques can get you back to your family faster at: chistvincent.com/heart

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FE B RUA RY 2021

McClard’s

THE DIGS OF THE DEAL TOURIST CAMP TO CAMP DAVID:

THE McCLARD’S LEGACY Renowned Hot Springs barbecue joint bridged political divide BY KATIE ZAKRZEWSKI

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Springs restaurateur Lee Beasley, who saved it from closing. The restaurant’s legacy dates back four generations and almost 100 years ago to McClard’s great grandparents, who ran the Westside Tourist Camp just five blocks from the restaurant’s current location on Albert Pike. Turns out, the McClards had a visitor who stayed with them for two weeks and announced upon checkout that he had no money to pay his bill. He did, however, have a recipe for the greatest barbecue sauce in the world.

hen it comes to family-owned businesses with deep Arkansas roots, McClard’s BarB-Q in Hot Springs is one of the first names that comes to mind. Because of its renown throughout the South and its role in the city’s development, McClard’s has also played a role in local and state politics. Scott McClard remains the manager at McClard’s, even though the famed barbecue joint was sold last year to Hot

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FE B RUA RY 2021

THE DIGS OF THE DEAL

The Westside Tourist Camp, pictured in the 1920s, was where McClard’s was born.

Figuring that this was better than nothing, the McClards took the recipe, tweaked it, and was pleased to discover that he possessed the greatest barbecue sauce he had ever tasted. The tourist court had a six-stool bar up front, mostly for coffee and drinks, fuel service, and a soda pop for a nickel. When the McClards began to serve meat with their new signature sauce, they caught the attention of Hot Springs. “Pork and beef were expensive then, so at that time, people ate chicken and goats,” McClard said. The McClards began to put their signature sauce on their meats, and word spread about the barbecue at the tourist court. In 1942, a family friend suggested the move to the current location so the McClards could give the people of Hot Springs greater access to their barbecue. That year, McClard’s, as we know it, was opened. “From 1928 to 2021, McClard’s has been a stand-alone establishment, run by one family,” Scott McClard said. “The recipe for the sauce is downtown in a vault in the bank. Other people are like, ‘Did this really happen?,’ and as crazy as it sounds, it did.”

The current location on Albert Pike, circa 1940s.

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Bill Clinton is a longtime fan of McClard’s, and his two-term stint in the White House didn’t keep him from enjoying it on occasion or even introducing his favorite barbecue to world leaders. Last year, McClard’s was honored in the U.S. House of Representatives and entered into the Congressional Record by Rep. Bruce Westerman.

And McClard’s has a history woven with stories one almost has to see to believe. McClard said the restaurant always was a “hot spot” for gubernatorial candidates. “The state’s governors tend to make it a hub,” he said. “This was Jim Guy Tucker’s stomping grounds, and he would always make this his meeting place. Asa [current Governor Hutchinson] will come here and meet with his constituents. Politicians come here and make their faces known. Even national names like Newt Gingrich would come in here.” McClard often wonders about what has been accomplished politically in the booths at McClard’s. “We extend across party lines, so politicians of all kinds will come in here. There is a lot of work that gets done over a drink or a meal than in a boardroom.” And the setting being Hot Springs, former governor and president Bill Clinton also played a crucial role in putting McClard’s on the map.

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“President Clinton always said that barbecuing in Arkansas is a way of life. He really helped us here. He grew up eating sandwiches here in high school, since he was raised in Hot Springs. After his wedding, he and Hillary stopped by and ate here before going on their honeymoon,” McClard recalled. “He promoted us and let people know that we are a part of him, just like Doe’s Eat Place. A year or two after his presidency had ended, he had his 60 Minutes interview here, and it was very surreal. He is a huge fan of ours. He really put us on the map — every time he mentioned us or ate here, it was like a shot in the arm.” McClard noted that several times throughout Clinton’s presidency, McClard’s would get an official phone call requesting that food be prepared for pickup by Air Force One. As a result, McClard developed an unlikely friendship with the chief steward of Air

FE B RUA RY 2021

THE DIGS OF THE DEAL

Scott McClard with (clockwise from left) former head Hog Houston Nutt, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Joe McClard, Scott’s dad, with Bill Clinton.

Force One, and they still exchange Christmas cards today. One of McClard’s proudest moments was when he found “He mentioned to me at one point whenever we were out that the barbecue from McClard’s was going to be served preparing an order to take back to Washington, that we at Camp David. were one of the very few places where they never had to “At the start of President Clinton’s second term, the folks check the food. That’s how in D.C. wanted us to make much the president trusted everything — barbecue, pous,” McClard said. salad, slaw, the works. “COME TO FIND OUT, CLINTON TOOK tato McClard laughs when he Come to find out, Clinton recounts how he knew the THAT FOOD TO CAMP DAVID AND FED took that food to Camp Dapresident would be paying GLOBAL LEADERS AND POLITICIANS.” vid and fed global leaders them a visit. and politicians. It excites “You’d be working in the me to think about all of the kitchen doing your tasks, leaders from around the and you knew that the president was in town. You’re doing world who got to eat McClard’s barbecue.” your thing, and the next thing you know there’s a guy beMcClard emphasized the importance of an establishhind you in a suit with a microphone on his suit coat telling ment remembering its roots. you to keep doing what you’re doing while he checks the “Hot Springs and Garland County made us. All over the place out.” South, though, barbeque is very argumentative. It’s like F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

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Local restaurateurs Dean Jennings and Lee Beasley (far right) stepped in to buy McClard’s and ensure its legacy would continue. (Courtesy of the Sentinel-Record)

trying to separate church and state — if you bring up what you think is best, things are bound to get heated. People take pride in their barbecue. I’ve watched people throw down about it right here. We’ve got politicians and movie stars and rock stars who are dedicated fans. At the end of the day, you can have all of the recognition that you want, but if you don’t take care of your backyard and your community, you’ll become obsolete.” Eating barbecue locally has always allowed politicians to connect to the people. McClard hopes to see more politicians expanding this idea to all local businesses. “We need politicians who are grounded and eat local wherever they’re at. That’s what keeps America going, and I hope to see a growing trend of it in the future.” McClard emphasized that the family had seen some tough times since opening in 1928, from economic downturns and recessions to world wars and other global crises. But he’s never seen anything like the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s not really a playbook that I can ask the fam-

ily for. I can’t ask them what to do in this situation, because it’s unprecedented. This is the toughest thing we’ve ever seen. It’s uncharted waters. You’ve got to go with your gut, and we have been, because no one knew what to do. We eventually had to sell. But Lee Beasley and Dean Jennings helped keep this place going. They recognized our value to the Hot Springs community, and I’m immensely grateful to them.” McClard hopes that as vaccines are dispersed, the capacity limit will be increased, allowing for more customers. “Things are hard right now for everybody. I’ve heard horrible tales of people closing down for good. I just have to have faith that the community that built us will keep us around for a hundred years more.” McClard’s has spent decades illustrating the importance of bridging the divide between parties by sitting down with a plate of local food and remembering what the community is all about.

After almost a century, McClard’s continues to unite the community through barbecue.

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FE B RUA RY 2021

SMALL BUSINESS

LIFELINE

PANDEMIC RELIEF PROGRAMS HELP SMALL BUSINESSES SURVIVE BY CARL KOZLOWSKI | PHOTOS BY EBONY BLEVINS

April Broderick said PPP loans were the most helpful funding mechanism for A&A.

s the co-owner of A&A Fire and Safety Company in Cabot, April Broderick has overseen the inspection, maintenance and installation of fire suppression systems and fire extinguishers for numerous clients across Arkansas, from a wide array of restaurants to the Little Rock Air Force Base and its dormitories. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, shutting down or severely limiting the capacities of restaurants statewide, she faced the harsh reality of being among the countless companies that F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

were tangentially affected. The economic hardships made many businesses unable to afford the maintenance services that A&A provided. But thanks to the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), help in weathering the economic storms was readily available. Broderick said the PPP loans were the most helpful funding mechanism during the pandemic. “Those helped tremendously,” said Broderick, who maintains a staff of 12 employees. “The PPP loans allowed A&A to keep folks employed, although our com60

mercial revenues dropped dramatically. The loan process was simple, along with the loan forgiveness process, and my first PPP loan has already been forgiven.” Broderick is just one example of the far-ranging impact that the PPP had on businesses in Arkansas, as the final SBA tallies reveal that 42,928 in-state businesses have received more than $3.3 billion in loans from the program — saving more than 375,000 jobs. And as she noted, it was easy to receive the loans since PPP has a 78 percent loan-approval rate, and forgiveness comes easily as well since any company that used at least 60 percent of ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

the loan on payroll costs is fully forgiven. Aside from a myriad of payroll issues that the PPP covers, funds can also be used to cover such expenses as rent, mortgage interest, utilities and operations expenditures. And according to Arkansas SBA Director Edward Haddock, there has been some recent good news to add to those early successes. “You’ll see national reports point to small businesses only having two to three months of cash on hand at any time, and those would be what we consider pretty strong small businesses,” Haddock said. “Luckily, Congress and the federal government have been able to step in and support that with sufficient relief funding, not only through the PPP and the CARES Act, but through the economic aid act that was just recently passed in December. “That authorized a second round of PPP, reauthorized PPP and created a second draw-round of loans as well as many more opportunities for existing businesses to obtain financial support to make it through the crisis.” The other primary form of COVID-related loan support provided by the SBA is the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, through which more than 21,000 Arkansas businesses have received more than $1 billion in pandemic relief funds, with an average loan of $49,373. These loans, which are available at a maximum of $150,000, cover working capital and normal operating expenses including payroll, with the only restriction being that they cannot be used for new equipment. They are currently available throughout 2021. The EIDL is a 30-year loan in which the first payment is deferred for 12 months, and has a 3.75 percent interest rate for businesses and 2.75 percent for nonprofits. The biggest difference from the PPP is that these are not forgivable. Information on it and PPP loans is available at SBA.gov. Unfortunately, Haddock notes that such public funding mechanisms are not available for startup businesses, even ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

amid the pandemic. “The startup space hasn’t had that type of funding-relief mechanism because these are businesses that are not yet created,” he said. “Those businesses are now looking to alternative financing sources. Traditionally, startup businesses are using their own capital in order to begin or for those high-growth-oriented businesses, or they’re looking to angel investment and outside investors to start. “There has been obvious concern and drawback about investments with the future uncertainty that COVID has provided. A lot of businesses have had to rethink the startup space and make sure that their ideas and forecasts were really executable in a virtual environment and with the pandemic having an uncertain end.” Haddock noted that the COVID crisis has forced businesses to realize that they will now always have to consider contingencies such as widespread health crises in the future. Every business will need to have a “disaster planning component” moving forward. COVID also has accelerated many small businesses’ moves to automation and virtualization of their workforces and digitalization of their processes. Yet Haddock believes that traditional workplace interaction will rebound noticeably once the crisis eventually passes. “Ultimately, from my ex p e r i e n c e , employees and employers want to gather as a team, and we won’t be able to virtually replace that,” he says. “We will have some permanency of remote work, but not at the level it has been dur61

ing this pandemic.” Perhaps the biggest hope for brickand-mortar retail and restaurants is the likelihood that there will be a pent-up demand for social interaction unleashed once COVID eventually passes. Thus, Haddock believes a key component for traditional businesses staying open will involve migrating into “an experiencebased product” to counteract the evergrowing shift toward online shopping. That means that for much of Main Street Arkansas and the United States, shopping districts will be adapted to serve as local gathering spaces. After all, he said, restaurants can never be virtualized, since “I can’t eat a virtual steak with the same satisfaction I can eat a real steak.” Haddock is optimistic that moving forward, small businesses and startups will have plenty of opportunity to redefine their futures and what entrepreneurship will look like going forward. “When we have an economic disruption like this, it’s unfortunate but businesses do close,” he said. “But that human capital, that’s available and out there for another individual to step up and really give it their shot at the American dream. This is going to provide an opportunity for those who have the innovation to embrace change and create something new, bold and meaningful.”

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DISCOVERY ECONOMICS Continued from page 11

Dr. Mantooth: Our group derives its reputation from extreme environment electronics. This includes the circuit design, the materials and the electronic packaging that can withstand very high temperatures and yet continue to operate reliably for years and years. This includes electronics for driving electric motors and for charging the batteries of electric vehicles. Our partners include Ford, GM, Toyota, Boeing, BAE Systems, Caterpillar, John Deere,and Karma Automotive, to name a few. AMP: What is needed to turn research into commercial impacts? What challenges or friction points exist that make this more challenging? Dr. Mantooth: In a word, commitment. A substantial amount of solid research is done in our group alone and also across the UA campus. If there are committed individuals to the cause of building a business from many of these efforts, then there will be commercial impact. The biggest challenge is finding entrepreneurial-minded folks who will commit to what it takes to build a business. Likewise, if a company licenses UA technology, there has to be a commitment to make that technology work, which often needs to involve the inventors at some level. A great example of this is our work with the electric cooperatives in Arkansas, and I expect you will hear more news about commercial efforts on that front in the near future. The next big challenge is truly having an incubation system that will understand that it takes more than cuttingedge technology to build a business. You often hear this from businesspeople, but the problem is that other parts of the startup incubation system need to embrace it. This includes university licensing, recognition and support for

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Springdale

Paragould

Gary Jech/Fred Stone Jeff Jech Steve Bachelor Farris Insurance

Mark Miller Jennifer Thielemier

Jonesboro Madonna Lee Mike Webb Traci Perrin Bubba Barnett

Little Rock A.B. Meadors David Todd Henry Jordan Lee Brizzolara

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entrepreneurial faculty and their students (policies, procedures), state government, facilities, mentoring and networking beyond the borders of Arkansas. Of course, the resulting companies must go where they can get funding to grow and access to capital is an area our ecosystem needs a sense of urgency to address.

Jonesboro: 2479 Browns Lane (870) 932-7448

Paragould: 117 W Court Street (870) 236-1415

building electric vehicles or rockets due to the capital requirements, but we are absolutely a leader in building the technologies that enable these advances.

AMP: What do you want the Arkansas business community and public officials to know about your research and how it’s making a difference?

Lastly, this field is growing and evolving rapidly, and it is important to realize that we will need continued support to push innovations out the door and into the industry. We have the people. We have many of the tools. We have the vision. And we know how to realize that vision. I would invite them to visit us and see our vision of the future.

Dr. Mantooth: First and foremost, they should take immense pride in the fact that we have built a top five program in advanced power electronics in the U.S., and top 10 in the world. This was no small feat, and we did it over a 15-year period. Some have said that Arkansas isn’t likely to be a leader in

The Arkansas Research Alliance Academy of Scholars and Fellow is a community of strategic research leaders who strive to maximize the value of discovery and progress in the state. Learn more at ARAlliance.org. Dr. Mantooth will present at ARA Project Scope in March.

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EDITOR’S LETTER Continued from page 7

describes an underrated yet significant component to the parent-child relationship — the familiar, the secure, the seemingly insignificant nuances that fill a home. For us, home is quiet these days. Even the dogs. They feel the boys’ absence just as deeply, I’m convinced. The transition is a stark one. But it’s a good thing, I suppose, that the joint is less jumpin’. A good thing, but not an easy thing. The boys are healthy and happy, preparing for adventures that lie ahead, and that’s all that matters. Not the selfish musings of an aspiring old fogey pining for the days of makeshift forts and bedtime stories and straining to figure out where the years disappeared to. Besides, like Mr. Squyres always said, we’ll just see ‘em later.

TASTES GOOD/MORE FILLING If nothing else, this month’s issue of AMP should taste — in the words of the prophet Andy Taylor (through the ‘64 season anyway) — extryyy good. Why so? Well, plate up a Thanksgivingsize helping of that “fall apart tender” beef barbecue from McClard’s in Hot Springs, featured in February’s Digs of the Deal, and chase it down with a couple pieces of strawberry cake from Mickey’s Cakes & Sweets in Little Rock, featured as part of our focus on Black-owned businesses (you may have noticed new owner Dria Etienne on the cover), and what can we say? If you eat nothing else all day, you’ve had a good eatin’ day. Both are among the best at what they do, and together represent more than a century of Arkansas business success. In the latest installment of Digs, Katie Z chronicles the humble, “tourist camp” origins of McClard’s and its growth to Arkansas icon. And Mickey’s sits on the Mount Rushmore of Arkansas bakeries (let’s see — Mickey’s, Blue Cake, Rick’s... who am i missing?), one of the state’s more prominent Black-owned businesses. Also inside, the incomparable Dwain Hebda visits Tontitown; Evin Demirel channels Orville to examine the “business” of college coaching buyouts; and we recognize some of the “Titans of Tech” in Arkansas. Hope it fills you up as much as a rack of ribs and a double-slice of cake for dessert. *** As always, thanks for reading. Let us know how we’re doing — good or bad. Hit me up at MCarter@ARMoneyandPolitics. ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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EXECUTIVE EXTRACURRICULARS

Vintage car clubs are popular among business leaders and retired executives.

By Ken Heard | Photography by Jamison Mosley

Enabled by disposable income, car enthusiasts realizing dreams of their youth They’re out there driving the curvy rural roads of Arkansas in Corvettes, Mustangs, Cameros, Porsches and other classic cars, adults recapturing their childhood memories and living youngsters’ fantasies. Hundreds of Arkansans — mostly businessmen and retired professionals with expendable income — are members of the scores of vintage car clubs across the state. It’s an expensive hobby; a 1964 Mustang can go for more than $35,000, and some turbo-charged Porsches may cost up to $150,000. But, it’s a hobby that brings like-minded people together and forms lasting friendships, members say. “I have the disease. I love Porsches,” said John Showalter, the past president of the Ozarks Region of the Porsche Club of America. “I have 10 or 11 cars now.” Showalter, an investment broker with Crews and Associates in Little Rock, owns a variety of Porsche models ranging from 1963 to 2006, and stores them in a warehouse. Many car enthusiasts saw the cars of their dreams when they were in their teen years. Fast and sleek Mustangs, racy Cameros and shiny 911 Porsches were objects of desire, but they were unaffordable to teenagers.

Memory FAST Lane

EXECUTIVE EXTRACURRICULARS

Jim Clark’s Mustang collection includes a 2019 model and vintage ‘64, ‘66 and ‘69 models.

We are alike because we like certain types of cars. - Jim Clark

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Showalter recalled how current club president Dan Williams ended up with his Porsche. “Dan said he worked [outdoors] all his life. Once, while at work, he looked down into a valley and saw a late 1980s, red 911 Turbo. He said, ‘One day, I’m going to own it.’ Later, he had the resources and got one.” It’s the mantra of many in the clubs. Mike Maule, president of the Heartbeat of the Ozarks Classic Car Club in Bentonville, said a majority of the club’s 65 members are at an age where they can finally afford buying a vintage vehicle. “We do have a lot of older guys,” said Maule, an instructional designer at Manpower Inc. in Bentonville. “It’s because we couldn’t afford these cars while in high school.” Jim Clark, a retired Veterans Administration pharmacist, owned a 1965 Mustang when he set off for college when he was 19 years old. “It got me through college,” he said. “It was a great car. I remember it fondly. But at no time did I think back then that they’d be considered collectibles as they are today.” Clark, president of the Central Arkansas Mustang Club in Little Rock, now owns 1964, 1966 and 1969 models of Mustangs. He also has a 2019 Mustang he uses for his daily drives around town.

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Newest generation has big plans for landmark Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cakes & Sweets

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FE B RUA RY 2021

EXECUTIVE EXTRACURRICULARS

“Everybody loves a Mustang,” he said. His club is made of a mixed group of both white-collar and blue-collar workers. Members include a manager of a Kroger store, an electrician with Highland Dairy, retired teachers and other workers. Many are between 50 and 70, but the club also has younger members, including one who is in the military. “We’ve reached an age where we have some disposable income,” Cark said. “I bought an older Mustang. They’re very restorable; it’s easy to find parts.” There’s a connection with people and their cars and with members of car clubs. “As a society, we tend to bond with our cars,” Clark said. “We remember our first cars, and we have great memories of them. But as we get older, get married and have kids, we may end

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up getting minivans. Cars become a member of our families.” Returning to the vintage cars also gives older members a sense of mortality and a reminder of a carefree time when they were younger. It also connects like-minded people. “We are alike because we like certain types of cars,” Clark said. “And often, we find that we have a lot of other similarities too.” The COVID-19 virus has hindered car clubs, and meetings are often cancelled. But some members still meet to drive their cars on adventures together. Maule said he may pick out a 50-mile route through twisting, curvy roads between Bentonville and Branson and then

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Jim Clark loves his 2019 Mustang as much as his vintage models.

lead a caravan of 20 or so Porsche drivers on the road trip. Drivers cruise through small towns on the route, often catching the eyes of residents who wave and give enthusiastic thumbs up gestures. Showalter and other Porsche owners sometimes meet at a controlled track to drive their vehicles. “Instead of driving fast on the freeway, we have ‘driver’s ed at high speed’ on a track,” he said. “Our cars are spaced, and we can drive it as hard as we want to.” Others who are confined due to the virus still love their vehicles. “Our members may just go out and polish their cars,” Clark said. “They can’t go anywhere, but at least the car is clean. We love our cars.”

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FE B RUA RY 2021

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

The landscaping industry has been an inadvertent beneficiary of the pandemic.

Backyard Bonanza Quarantining ignites surge in outdoor home improvements By David Conrads | Photography by Jamison Mosley

Buddy Olsen, with his son, Brandon, said business has seen a big uptick throughout the fall and winter.

taking expensive vacations or doing much traveling at all. The result: more money available to spend on improving their living spaces, inside and out, and more reasons to do it. “We’ve never had so many calls,” said Daniel Keeley, principle of DK Design in Springdale, a company that designs and installs all manner of outdoor projects throughout Northwest Arkansas. “We’ve always had plenty of work, and we’re always busy, but I would say we’ve had more calls in the past nine months than I ever remember.” DK Design’s projects since mid-March of 2020 have ranged from simple jobs to large master plans for whole backyard renovations. Keeley says he has seen an uptick in projects geared toward occupying and entertaining children, like in-ground trampolines, play spaces and vegetable gardens. For the most part, he says, the sorts of

Nobody says it’s fair, but while COVID-19 and the restrictions necessitated by the global pandemic have had a devastating effect on some industries, it’s been a boon to others. Even as restaurants, bars, concert halls, movie theaters, gyms and the like fight for their lives, people in any businesses connected with outdoor living and home improvement struggle to keep up with skyrocketing demand for their services. It’s yet another way the global health crisis has upended life in the past 10 months. The landscaping industry is one of the inadvertent beneficiaries of the pandemic. Beginning last March, people suddenly started spending huge amounts of time at home, often with school-age children. Just as suddenly, they stopped spending money eating in restaurants and going to concerts and movies. Most of all, they stopped

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things people want done to their outdoor living spaces during COVID are pretty similar to what they wanted before. “The scope of the work is about the same,” he says. “There’s just a lot more of it.” Buddy Olsen has been in the landscaping business since the mid-1990s and owner of Horticare Landscape Companies in Little Rock since 2005. He saw a big uptick in business last year, one that has continued through the fall and winter. He currently still employs all the landscapers he had in the summer, where ordinarily all but a few would have been furloughed until this coming spring. “Initially, everything dried up because no one really knew what was going to happen, and people were worried about losing jobs,” Olsen said, looking back to last March when things started shutting down. “Lots of people who didn’t lose their jobs are doing stuff to their yards. Anything that can give them entertainment outside. They’re putting their TVs out on the back porch. They’re putting in more pots, more beds with flowers, just to make it a more appealing place to hang out.” Since the start of widespread quarantining, outdoor projects his company has undertaken have gotten more elaborate, Olsen said. “Before, they would probably just do a basic stone patio. Now, it’s going to have a fire pit. Before, it was wood only. Now, more customers are going for a fire pit that uses natural gas, so it’s a continuous flame, and they’re not having to build a fire in it.” Tyler Burns started Ground Effects Landscaping in Bella Vista in 1996 and does custom residential landscaping all over Northwest Arkansas, particularly in fast-growing Bentonville and Rogers. He says he is always busy, but even more so since last spring. “We had about an 18 percent growth in 2020 over 2019,” Burns said. “Customers were constantly telling me that they’re not going on vacation. They’re going to take vacation funds and spend them at home.” He said most of his clients are professionals who can easily work from home and are not worried about losing their jobs. “Nothing has changed for them except for their commute to work. They’re at home now. Their families are at home now. They have more time to look out their windows and and talk about doing those outdoor projects that they maybe thought about for a long time but never did.” Burns said that while the projects generally are the same now as before the pandemic hit, COVID has had a

big effect on the price and availability of materials. Wood, for instance, in some cases has gotten harder to find and much more expensive, as mills shut down when the pandemic began and were unprepared for the surge in demand that followed soon after. He says that some nursery stock has been harder to find, depending on the plant. Jason Garner, vice president of Antique Brick & Block, said the supply chain has been greatly affected by COVID. His company distributes brick, block, stone and similar building materials, some of which the company manufactures in its plant in Little Rock. Started in 1979, Antique Brick sells materials to commercial and residential contractors, architects and engineers, home builders, designers and landscapers throughout Arkansas as well as Mississippi, Tennessee and parts of Oklahoma. “Everybody in manufacturing, including our company, has had to be conscientious about the safety of its employees,” Garner said, adding that safety protocols inside their facilities, which are often difficult to maintain, plus increased demand for certain products, has resulted in big supply chain problems and longer lead times on deliveries. “Where customers have gotten used to ordering and having almost instant shipments, we’ve had products that have had lead times go from one week to 12 to 16 weeks in some cases.” Garner points out another factor that has contributed to the surge in outdoor projects — historically low interest rates. “There’s pretty sound data to show that investment in outdoor living provides a substantial return on investment when you go on the resale market,” he said. “Obviously, there are caveats to that, but I think that’s one more thing that has spurred people on. They’re making an investment in their homes. They’re making an investment in themselves. And they’re going to have an enjoyable space to live in when it’s all done.” Keely said outdoor living trends have been the perfect thing for COVID, summing up the overall effect the pandemic has had on landscaping and landscape design. “The trend has been to be outside and to connect with nature, but we want to be comfortable. We want a place to spill over when we have more people over. We want an urban farm situation. All these things have been trends. COVID has just amplified these trends and shown why these things are valuable.”

“Lots of people who didn’t lose their jobs are doing stuff to their yards.”

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FE B RUA RY 2021

COMMUNITY

Heather Ranalli-Peachee of Tontitown Winery

that’s amoré!

TONTITOWN, ARKANSAS:

By Dwain Hebda Photos By Meredith Mashburn

COMMUNITY

NWA’s Italian hamlet growing while clinging to Mayberry roots H

alfway through the telephone interview, Heather RanalliPeachee begs the reporter’s indulgence. She’s minding the store at Tontitown Winery, a venture she and her husband launched a few years back, and a customer has just come in. Ranalli-Peachee steps away from the phone to cheerfully fill the man’s order of handcrafted wines made from her family’s ancestral grapes. Returning to the phone, she’s apologetic, but unnecessarily so. After all, customers are guests here, and tradition dictates that guests must be treated a certain way. It’s a code of hospitality that’s as old as pasta, deeply rooted in the people of this Washington County enclave. “I think that’s the Italian way, truly,” she said. “I think, as a whole, we’re a pretty welcoming people. We’re hospitable.” Anyone who visits Tontitown, Arkansas, can’t help but be charmed by the small community. Surrounded as it is by mushrooming steel-and-glass growth in the booming northwest corner of the state, Tontitown (population 5,500) is a throwback to big yards, big families and an easier pace of life. “I’ve been in Tontitown for 30-some-

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thing years,” said Paul Colvin, who’s in his seventh year as mayor. “I grew up in the Springdale area and graduated from Springdale High School, which is next door to Tontitown. For me, Tontitown was always one of those places that you wanted to live growing up. It was just a Mayberry-type ... little town for a lot of years.” That Colvin could have been here for three decades and still feels the twinge of being an outsider from time to time tells you everything you need to know about the legacy and tradition that lives here. Tontitown was founded in 1898 by a clutch of Italian Catholic immigrants migrating from life as tenant farmers in southern Arkansas where they were struggling under disease, language barriers and extreme working conditions. Led by their priest, Father Pietro Bandini, 40 families settled on a rocky patch of Ozarks, the terrain and cultivation of which harkened to their northern and central Italy homeland. They named it Tontitown after Henri de Tonti, the Italian who helped René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explore the Mississippi River and later founded Arkansas Post in 1686, per the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Ranalli-Peachee’s great-grandfather

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Tontitown Winery reflects the community’s Italian flavor.

was among the original settlers, and his story followed a familiar arc. Nazzareno Ranalli worked as a farmhand until he could save up enough money to purchase property on which he grew grapes. His son and sole child, Joe, continued the family business as did Ranalli-Peachee’s father Chris, the youngest of seven children. Living off the same land as the previous three generations is one of her greatest sources of pride. “I feel pretty fortunate to be able to be a part of my family’s heritage and to still be able to be in this area. We’ve been able to stay here and make a good life,” Ranalli-Peachee said. “That allows us to continue to tell our story and carry on our traditions. Pride is what I feel most and thankful that our family was able to push through a lot of hardships and bring us to where we are today. “So many families and people lose interest in their story, and it’s just always been pretty important to me.”

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Tontitown thrives on such long-lived ventures, especially when it comes to the food culture for which the Italians are well-known. Take the venerable Venesian Inn, which has operated since 1947 and was inducted into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame in 2018. Or Mama Z’s, equally admired if less tenured, having been open since 1988. And Guido’s Pizza is a regular toddler having “only” opened in 1994. Ranalli-Peachee loves all three, and offered a primer on how to eat like a local. “I have a method to that,” she said. “At Mama Z’s, I like anything with red sauce. So, spaghetti and lasagna are my favorites at Mama Z’s. And then at Venesian Inn, anything with white sauce. They make this dish, it has grilled chicken breast and sautéed vegetables, and it has Alfredo sauce with it. It is fantastic. And then, there’s Guido’s Pizza, the best pizza in Northwest Arkansas. I love the Canadian bacon pizza from there, but if we’re

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COMMUNITY

Father John Connell presides over St. Joseph Church in Tontitown. F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

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The annual Grape Festival benefits St. Joseph Church.

going for beer and pizza, you have to have pepperoni with jalapeño.” But by far the most famous crossroads of culinary and culture is the annual Grape Festival, a fundraiser for the local Catholic church that has grown to one of the largest community festivals in the state. First held as a parish picnic in June 1898, it became an August event in 1913, expanding to multiple days in the 1930s. Generations of festivalgoers have attended the event to sample the local vino, take in the carnival midway and gorge themselves on plates of homemade pasta and fried chicken. (The event, which at last count pulled in 9,000 attendees annually, was canceled for the first time in 2020). Father John Connell, who has been pastor of St. Joseph Church in Tontitown since 2017, says Tontitown’s taproot of faith runs as deep as the connection to the land or to the cuisine. “Tontitown is very connected to its heritage,” he said. “I’m Irish Catholic, but I don’t use that as the backbone of my personality in my priest-

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hood. I would say that, if Tontitown were a person, they’re someone very proud of their heritage. It kind of dictates their movement going forward. Everything is seen through that lens. That’s not a bad thing; that’s just a reality of that parish.” Connell, who’s also pastor of the mammoth St. Raphael Church in Springdale, said it was initially an adjustment to downshift into the decidedly smaller St. Joseph parish. He said he never felt ostracized in any way as a newcomer, but was always aware of the close-knit Tontitown way of doing things. “Many of the things that they do are done out of tradition,” he said. “I had heard that it had a pretty strong personality as a parish. But every parish that you go to has some kind of ethnic background in its origin. You just have to recognize that. “It’s not necessarily that I’m going to Tontitown, so I’ve got to have this standing of Italian heritage or anything. Really, it’s been sort of slow and steady, let the people get to know me and I

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COMMUNITY

For decades, Tontitown has drawn visitors with its Italian cuisine.

get to know them, and then we’ll take this journey together. And that would be my philosophy, no matter where I lived.” In governance, however, tradition sometimes clashes with progress. As Arkansas’ northwest quadrant continues to grow rapidly, Tontitown has enjoyed some of the area’s largesse. Mayor Colvin notes the small-town atmosphere and low property taxes have made the town an ideal location for many moving into the area. “After the last four or five years, we’re coming into our own with the amount of growth that we see here in Tontitown,” he said. “We’ve just exploded over the last five years. We’ve doubled in population, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. “We’re centrally located in Northwest Arkansas. We’re a stone’s throw to one of the nation’s growing airports. We’re just an hour to an hour and a half away from Tulsa, which is a major hub. And we’re still one of the lowest tax bases in Arkansas at 3.25 percent millage rate.” But for all of that, new thinking is sometimes slow to take root here, which Colvin sees as missed opportunity. “I walk a tightrope, some days, trying to do my best as mayor trying to grow our city. Obviously, if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” he said. “I would like to see Tontitown to be part of the big five [with Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Ben-

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tonville] when people mention Northwest Arkansas. I think there’s potential for that when we look to the west of our city. There’s nine or 10 miles of open space that’s unclaimed out in the world. The new addition of the highway that is wrapping around our city will help and assist us in the future growth of this town. “We have folks that are sitting on our city council that don’t want it to change, and I don’t blame them for wanting to keep Tontitown the same. Unfortunately, I’m also enough of a realist to know that we’re either going to have to change, or we’re going to get run over by change, whether it’s our town or some other town around us that comes in to take over the city. We have to be on guard and always looking to the future of what our city hopes to be one day.” Colvin said these matters aside, Tontitown is enthusiastically open for business and new residents. “I think every town has these growing pains. Growth is good, but it’s also hard. Overall, the horizon looks pretty bright for our city. ” he said. “What I would want people to know is in real terms, we are the Mayberry of the future. The folks that live here, when you walk into the local coffee shops, still want to know who you are and what your name is. If somebody’s looking to move to a welcoming small town that is near lots of growth and lots of energy, Tontitown is where it’s at.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;

What I would want people to know is in real terms, we are the Mayberry of the future. The folks that live here, when you walk into the local coffee shops, still want to know who you are and what your name is.

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Tontitown Museum 81

FE B RUA RY 2021

SPORTS

PAID TO

LOSE?

AN ARKANSAS-CENTRIC ANALYSIS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S OBSCENELY LARGE BUYOUTS

By Evin Demirel

unter Yurachek did the reasonable thing. In November 2019, with the Razorbacks embarking on yet another coaching search, Arkansas’ athletic director was ready to bring some common sense back into an industry seemingly growing

2024. His buyout would work in one of two main ways: 1 . If another program hires him away before Dec. 2, 2021, he would owe the UA $6 million. That drops to $3 million through December 2022 and to $1.5 million through the rest of the deal. 2. If he’s fired for losing too many games, i.e. for convenience, then he would get 75 percent of his remaining contract so long as he had won at least half of his games. But if he had won less than that 50 percent, he would get only 50 percent of his remaining contract.

out of control. Firings in the previous 24 months had put Arkansas on tap to pay two former head football coaches a total of $22 million. Whoever the next coach would be, Yurachek wanted to make sure he wouldn’t walk away with the GDP of multiple small nations if he too didn’t deliver on the field. Win more. Get paid more. Win less. Get paid less. The logic seemed sensible enough, a counterpunch to the euphoria that sometimes clouds administrators’ judgment when trying to sign a coach with the potential to rake in so many millions of dollars more than what they are paid. So, Yurachek decided to do something about it after finding his man. He and his hire, Sam Pittman, agreed to a new buyout structure in Pittman’s contract that corresponded to Yuracheck’s more fiscally prudent approach. Pittman inked a contract for $3 million per year until Dec. 31,

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It’s that second form of buyout, where coaches amass millions while leaving their programs in a (usually) worse place that has gotten so many onlookers up in arms as the figures grow bigger every year. “I don’t think we should pay a full buyout to coaches who aren’t successful at the job we hire them for,” Yurachek said in a press conference after the signing. “We’ve got to stop in this industry these huge buyouts.” Yurachek’s move looked all the more prescient when the COVID-19 pandemic hit America in March 2020. The virus shut down all team sports for a few months and led to abbreviated

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“

I don’t think we should pay a full buyout to coaches who aren’t successful at the job we hire them for. Hunter Yurachek

Hunter Yurachek with Coach Sam Pittman and his wife, Jamie, after signing the deal to bring them to Fayetteville.

football and basketball seasons played in front of smaller, socially distanced crowds. Revenue plunged at all college athletic programs. To mitigate the damage in Arkansas’ athletic department, employees retired early, coaches and athletic staff took pay cuts and virtual recruiting trips became standard. In all, Yurachek said in January, the athletic department revenue deficit in 2020 came in around $25-$30 million. If there was ever a time to flatten the growth curve of ridiculously outsized buyouts, this was it. For a while, it

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seemed, tightening the fiscal belt was in fashion again. Except that’s not how it has played out. Other SEC athletic directors aren’t following Yurachek’s lead and making onfield performance a factor in their buyout clauses of new contracts when it comes to firings for convenience. Nor are those overall figures declining. In November 2020, South Carolina fired its head coach Will Muschamp after a 2-8 season. The buyout price tag there was $15 million. Then, in early December, the ax fell on Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, who had finished a 6-4 season and never had a

losing season in eight years. Malzahn, a native Arkansan and former Razorback assistant, gets a total of nearly $21.5 million — the highest buyout in college football history. Which means the highest paid state employee in Alabama is now a fired football coach. In all, from the end of 2007 through January 2021, SEC schools agreed to pay roughly $175.78 million worth of buyouts to head coaches. How did this craziness begin? Tommy Tuberville and Bobby Petrino In 2003, Camden native Tommy Tuberville was Auburn’s head football coach with a then-astounding $4 million buyout in his contract. In November, coming off three losses in four games, a group of Auburn administrators sought to make a change. So, they tried to secretly meet with Bobby Petrino, then Louisville’s head coach. But that rendezvous was discovered, and news about the school’s behind-the-

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SPORTS

Former Arkansas coach Bret Bielema’s $12M buyout is being challenged by the Razorback Foundation.

back tactics and consideration of actually paying the huge buyout motivated coaches and their agents to start asking for higher buyouts from their own schools. “I can’t imagine not having buyouts in some of these contracts,” Tuberville, now a Republican U.S. Senator from Alabama, told USA Today in 2019. “The big thing you’ve got to remember is it’s not just about one person. It’s about 100-150 people. It’s the assistants and their wives and families. It’s the strength coaches and their wives and families. “When the head coach has got that kind of buyout, I think [there’s] security for all the families involved. I think it’s really helped college football.” This folds into what Jeff Long explained in 2014 when he discussed the origin of the buyout clause he put in former

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Razorback coach Bret Bielema’s contract. As multiyear contracts prevailed in the late 1980s and 1990s, “the institutions began looking for a commitment from the coach,” said Long, then Arkansas’ athletic director. At first, “it was really a one-way street, and now it’s evolved into a two-way street on the contractual buyout terms.” Administrators also know that college coaches with short-term contracts and lower buyouts struggle more on the recruiting trail. Opposing coaches often cast those shorter terms in a negative light when talking to recruits and their families about the need to go somewhere with stability. This is one reason coaches sometimes get extensions so relatively early in their contracts.

In Arkansas, Exhibit A is Bret Bielema. His Razorbacks finished the 2014 season on a roll, shutting out Ole Miss and LSU at home and then hammering the Texas Longhorns in the Texas Bowl. Bielema described that win over the Hogs’ historic archrival as “borderline erotic.” Euphoria swept through nearly the entire fanbase about what the future may hold. In the aftermath, Long extended the end date in Bielema’s contract from 2018 to 2020 and raised his base salary and buyout should the university fire him. In this case, the guarantor of Bielema’s contract was the Razorback Foundation, the athletic department’s unofficial fundraising arm. In November 2017, Bielema was indeed fired after a disappointing 4-8 season. Soon afterward, Bielema and the Ra-

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Gus Malzahn

zorback Foundation agreed to a buyout of about $12 million. The foundation ended up paying more than $4 million through January 2019. In the interim, Bielema took on relatively low-paying jobs working for the New England Patriots. The foundation’s lawyers insist that Bielema failed to live up to his contractual obligation of “best efforts” to land a new job that would offset the buyout amount. Bielema and his lawyers disagree. This case is set for a jury trial on June 1. Bielema’s obligation to search for employment and get paid a market-based salary for that job is also in Pittman’s contract. It’s not, however, a universal feature in the industry. Gus Malzahn, for instance, doesn’t have to seek work elsewhere now that he’s unemployed. His agent, Jimmy Sexton, masterfully worked a dynamic involving Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas in late 2017. That October, Malzahn was on the hot seat — as he so often was in the last few years of his tenure despite his winning record. Then, in the span of seven weeks, Auburn knocked out then-No. 2 Georgia and throttled No. 1 Alabama. It was the third time Auburn had beaten a Nick Saban-coached Alabama team under Malzahn. That matters since Alabama is a) Auburn’s top rival and b) no current SEC coach can boast more than one victory in a head-to-head matchup with Saban. Auburn had someone who could actually knock off the king of college football

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Tommy Tuberville

with regularity. That wasn’t the only advantage Sexton had when negotiating for an extension on Malzahn’s behalf after those big wins. He also got leverage from reports of interest from Arkansas, which had a head coaching job opening in the wake of the firings of Bielema and Jeff Long. It made sense for Arkansas brass, then led by interim athletic director Julie Cromer Peoples, to show interest in Malzahn given his deep state ties and proven success in the SEC. Malzahn had originally climbed the coaching ladder in the Arkansas high school ranks. He parlayed big success there into an offensive coordinator position at Arkansas and later his first college head coaching position at Arkansas State. The prospect of Arkansas hiring Malzahn, combined with his success against rivals Alabama and Georgia, created a perfect storm for Sexton to negotiate what turned into a seven-year, $49 million extension and a buyout clause that didn’t dip below eight figures until 2023. *** Before Auburn fired him, Malzahn indirectly helped Arkansas by hiring Chad Morris as his offensive coordinator in the 2020 season. Morris agreed to a threeyear deal worth $735,000 annually. That offset the $10 million Arkansas owed him after his November 2019 firing. Morris, along with 10 other Auburn

“

The big thing you’ve got to remember is it’s not just about one person. It’s about 100-150 people. It’s the assistants and their wives and families. It’s the strength coaches and their wives and families. Tommy Tuberville

FE B RUA RY 2021

SPORTS

Yurachek established the Football Enhancement Fund through private boosters to help offset the costs of hiring “the best coaches.”

The numbers don’t lie: A TEAM-BY-TEAM

breakdown of football BUYOUTS for SEC member schools in the Saban era (2007-).

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ALABAMA • None ARKANSAS • Houston Nutt — $3.5 million • Bobby Petrino — $0 (fired with cause) • John L. Smith (interim) — $0 • Bret Bielema — $12 million (pending lawsuit) • Chad Morris — $10 million – $2,205,000 (offset by Auburn) = $7,795,000 • TOTAL — $25.5 million – $2,205,000 = 23,295,000 AUBURN • Tommy Tuberville — $5.08 million • Gene Chizik — $7.5 million • Gus Malzahn — $21.45 million • TOTAL — $34.03 million

assistants, was let go in the aftermath of Malzahn’s firing. Unless Morris lands another job elsewhere, Auburn owes him a buyout of $1.47 million. That’s on top of what Arkansas already owed him. Yet, whereas the Razorback Foundation was the contractual guarantor for Bielema’s contract, the athletic department itself has guaranteed payments for Morris and Pittman. Hunter Yurachek referenced this in his state of UA athletics press conference on Jan. 21. “When I let Coach [Morris] go, I anticipated we were going to have some financial hardships prior to COVID just because we were going to have to pay Coach Morris out. That was no longer the foundation’s responsibility,” he said, adding that the UA was also on the hook

FLORIDA • Urban Meyer — $0 • Will Muschamp — $6.3 million • Jim McElwain — $7.5 million (settlement) • TOTAL — $13.8 million GEORGIA • Mark Richt — $4.1 million • TOTAL — $4.1 million KENTUCKY • Rich Brooks — $0 (retired) • Joker Phillips — $2.55 million • TOTAL — $2.55 million LSU • Les Miles — $12.9 million – $3.5 million (relieved after Kansas hiring) = $9.4 million • TOTAL — $12.9 million -$3.5 million = $9.4 million

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for some of Morris’ assistants. “I went out and met with several of our donors and created through our Razorback Foundation what I call the Football Enhancement Fund that would provide Coach Pittman the opportunity to spend those resources to hire and retain the best coaches, to buy the type of equipment he needed ... to recruit where that didn’t have to come from an operational budget.” Pittman then added that salary increases for current Arkansas assistant coaches, namely defensive coordinator Barry Odom, will come from this auxiliary fund. The fact these are private dollars, mostly coming from boosters, is key. Here, Yurachek discusses the part of this dynamic that has good optics — money flowing from private, not public, funds toward things that are needed.

Yet the flip side is that boosters are also largely responsible for most of the obscene payouts going to fired coaches at major colleges nationwide. Malzahn’s buyout, for instance, is possible be-

MISSISSIPPI STATE • Sylvester Croom — $3.5 million • Dan Mullen — $0 (left for Florida) • Joe Moorhead — $7 million – $900,000 (offset by annual Ore gon OC contract, runs through 2022) = $6,100,000 • TOTAL — $10.5 million – $900,000 = $9.6 million

SOUTH CAROLINA • Steve Spurrier — $0 (resigned) • Will Muschamp — $12.9 million • TOTAL — $12.9 million

MISSOURI • Gary Pinkel — $0 (retired) • Barry Odom — $2.85 million – $1.3 million (offset by Arkansas DC contract) = $1.55 million • TOTAL — $2.85 million – $1.3 million = $1.55 million OLE MISS • Ed Orgeron — $1.35 million • Houston Nutt — $5.5 million • Hugh Freeze — $0 (resigned) • Matt Luke — $9.6 million • TOTAL — $16.45 million

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exceptions like Pittman’s contract. Yes, those pockets often hold the key to fulfilling head coaches’ desires for so many upper hands. But they can also hasten those same coaches’ exits when

Boosters are largely responsible for most of the obscene payouts going to fired coaches at major colleges nationwide. cause enough wealthy Auburn boosters wanted a fresh start badly enough to pay enough to make it happen. As long as Americans crave football and athletic departments can tap into private donors’ pockets when the going gets tough, we will see buyouts on the whole get bigger and bigger — despite

TENNESSEE • Phillip Fulmer — $6 million • Lane Kiffin — $0 (left for USC) • Derek Dooley — $5 million • Butch Jones — $8.6 million – $105,000 (Alabama analyst) – $825,000 (Arkansas State HC) = $7,670,000 • TOTAL — $19.6 million – $930,000 = $18,670,000 TEXAS A&M • Dennis Franchione (not in SEC at time) — $4.4 million • Mike Sherman (not in SEC at time) — $5.8 million • Kevin Sumlin — $10.4 million • TOTAL — $20.6 million

they fall short in an arms race with no clear end. University of Arkansas graduate Evin Demirel has written about Arkansas sports for multiple national outlets. He is the author of African-American Athletes in Arkansas: Black Razorbacks, Muhammad Ali’s Tour and other Forgotten Stories.

VANDERBILT • Bobby Johnson — $0 (retired) • Robbie Caldwell — $0 (resigned) • James Franklin — $0 (left for Penn State) • Derek Mason — N/A (private uni versity) • TOTAL — N/A (private university)

Source: Saturday Down South

FE B RUA RY 2021

AGRI AGRICULTURE

TRICKLE

D OW N

One thing that hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed in agriculture is the interdependence of equipment dealerships and the farmers they serve. F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

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AS FARMING GOES, SO GOES THE LOCAL EQUIPMENT DEALERSHIP By Tyler Hale

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FE B RUA RY 2021

Eldridge Supply operates Case IH dealerships in Augusta, Brinkley and West Helena.

ust off Highway 64 East in Augusta, massive red tractors and other agricultural equipment glint in the winter sun. Inside at Eldridge Supply Co., customers and staff members chat at the parts counter, talking about the latest news. There’s a low-key but steady thrum of activity throughout the building. Even during a pandemic, equipment and parts sales are still ongoing at companies like Eldridge Supply. Sales have even improved in many cases. Chris and Mark Eldridge are the ones keeping that activity going at their family-owned ag dealership. A fourth-generation, family-owned business, Eldridge Supply operates Case IH dealerships in Augusta, Brinkley and West Helena, as well as a used parts and salvage business. Eldridge Supply has known tough times, being founded in the midst of the Great Depression when Rolfe Eldridge — Chris and Mark’s great-grandfather — borrowed $65 from his grandfather to buy the local International Harvest contract. Since 1933, the company has navigated thick times and thin, adapting to unique challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. The equipment industry, like the world itself, has changed dramatically since Rolfe’s days. Globalization

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has opened up new markets for companies like Eldridge Supply, while also increasing the complexity of the industry. Gone are the days of only worrying about local issues. The agricultural equipment industry is a global affair, even for small-town Arkansas companies. But one thing has not changed — the interdependence of equipment dealerships and the farmers they serve. According to Mark Eldridge, vice president of sales, equipment dealerships are part of an agricultural trickle-down economy, in which the dealerships benefit from profitable years in farming. “So goes to the farmer, so goes our business. If they’re getting a good crop or if they’re getting a good price for their crop, then they will eventually…buy and update their fleet so that money will trickle down,” he said. Doug Abel, sales manager for Prairie Implement Co. in Stuttgart, agreed, noting that crop prices were the single biggest determinant in the agricultural equipment industry. “Crop prices impact our business more than anything else. When farmers make money, they update equipment,” Abel said. Due to their intertwined nature, the agricultural equipment industry is a cyclical business like farming itself is. Mark Eldridge said the industries are currently in a down cycle, which has lasted since roughly

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ARKANSAS’ OLDEST FARMS BY COUNTY Arkansas County:

James Lemue/Henderson Farm (est. 1859)

Ashley County:

Crawley’s Farm (est. 1857)

Desha County:

Jones Farm (est. 1849)

Drew County:

Levin C. & Sue Handley Johnson Farm (est. 1841)

Boone County:

Faulkner County:

Bradley County:

Franklin County:

Calhoun County:

Fulton County:

B and W Farms (est. 1843) Rob Scroggins Farm (est. 1919)

Mabry Farm (est. 1851) Bourland-Milton Farm (est. 1848)

Carroll County:

Humphries Hubble Creek Farm (est. 1879)

Chicot County:

Grant County:

Clark County:

Greene County:

Suzanne’s Fruit Farm (est. 1917) “Farr” and Mary Ross Farm (est. 1876) Epstein Land Company (est. 1893)

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King Farm (est. 1857)

Benton County:

Homestead Farms (est. 1860)

mid-2014, after an almost decade-long up cycle in the mid-2000s and early 2010s. As they talk to more farmers, the Eldridge brothers see hope and optimism for an uptick in the future with improved forecasts for crop prices. This down cycle has influenced how farmers approach buying equipment, according to Mark Eldridge. After leaving the equipment industry for five years and getting back in 2005, he found that equipment costs had soared and attitudes toward building equity had changed. “When I came back to the business, things had gotten more expensive, and that was certainly eye-opening. But the high finance aspect of our business was really kind of shocking that nobody wanted to build equity and own it,” he said. Chris Eldridge noted that many local farmers are now taking a diversified approach to equipment ownership, building equity in some pieces while operating some on a cost-per-hour basis and trading in more frequently on other pieces. Despite this, equipment sales, including tractors, appear to be on the rise, according to the latest industry data. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) reports that farm tractor sales were up 17.9

Dallas County:

Possum Hollow Family Farm (est. 1895)

Clay County:

Thomas-Smart Farm (est. 1874)

Cleburne County:

KribyMel Farms LLC (est. 1905)

Cleveland County:

Morrison Farm (est. 1908)

Columbia County:

Gunter/Buffington Farm (est. 1858)

Conway County:

Henry Jones Family Farm (est. 1884)

Craighead County: Cole Farm (est. 1853)

Crawford County:

Cheely Family Farm (est. 1882)

Crittenden County:

Garland County:

Houser-Sorrells Farm (est. 1883) Bradford Family Farms (est. 1907) Fitzgerald Farm (est. 1886)

Hot Springs County: Bailey Farm (est. 1857)

Howard County:

Chambers Farm (est. 1862)

Independence County:

Larry and Michael Carter Farm (est. 1852); Rickey and Glenda Kay Carter Farm (est. 1852); Ronny and Nancy Carter Farm (est. 1852); William Henry and Janet Carter Farm (est. 1852); William Scott Carter Farm (est. 1852)

Izard County:

The Love Farm (est. 1887)

Jackson County:

Davis Farm (est. 1886); Hare Family Farm (est. 1886) inducted in 2014

The Fogelman Family Farm (est. 11849)

Jefferson County:

Cross County:

Johnson County:

S.T. Halk Estate (est. 1887)

Roselawn Farm (est. 1870) Morgan Farms (est. 1876)

Continued on page 93.

FE B RUA RY 2021

“So goes to the farmer, so goes our business. If they’re getting a good crop or if they’re getting a good price for their crop, then they will eventually…buy and update their fleet so that money will trickle down.”

Overall, U.S. tractor sales were up 26.8 percent in December over 2019.

percent year-to-date in 2020, and combine sales were up 5.5 percent. Tractor sales in December 2020 were up 26.8 percent compared to the same time in 2019 across the United States. “The year 2020 was difficult on a number of fronts, but despite uncertainty in the overall economy, the ag equipment market has been pretty strong,” Curt Blades, senior vice president of ag services at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, said in a statement. “The growth we saw in farm tractors and combines was pleasant news, driven by largely smaller equipment. Overall, ag equipment manufacturers sold nearly 50,000d more tractors and combine units in 2020 than in 2019 across North America.” Abel told Arkansas Money & Politics that many farm equipment sales in his region have been for increas-

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ingly bigger pieces of machinery. Farmers, he said, are buying fewer pieces of equipment, but the ones they are buying are bigger and more expensive. “2020, you might say, was a typical year. [We] didn’t sell quite as many tractors, but other equipment, repairs and parts sales made up the difference. 2021 looks to be a good year,” Abel said. Agricultural equipment dealerships, like many farmers, are diversifying their product offerings in response to the trend of buying fewer but bigger machines. Eldridge Supply had a multiple-decade head start on the trend, having launched a used parts and salvage operation — the only mainline dealership in North America with a used parts department that the brothers are aware of — in the early 1980s. Chris and Mark’s father started the used parts business in reaction to the notorious 1980 farm crisis, which saw falling crop prices due to substantial surpluses of farm commodities, which resulted in heavy farm debt and ultimately mass foreclosures. “One of the things he did, he said, ‘If I’m going to get my money out of my used machinery, I’ve got to

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ARKANSAS’ OLDEST FARMS BY COUNTY

tear it down.’ We dismantle all makes, all models, all types of equipment,” Mark Eldridge said. “We will tear it down at another facility about a mile west [of the August dealership]. We can totally tear it down. We can tag and bin-locate the parts and put them on the shelf, and we put them online. “I think in any business you need to be diversified. We’re always looking for an edge, especially in a business like farming. If you’re solely going to depend on selling new equipment and the commodity cycles, that’s going to be a tough way to make money. You’ve got to have something that you don’t have to count on… the commodity prices. You’ve got to have something that brings people in the front door.” Instead of diversifying, Wallace Equipment in Fair Oaks (Cross County) took the opposite route in its main business, specializing in stripper headers, offering both new and used products. However, the company also runs a manufacturing side, producing skid steer attachments. “Ours are pretty simple pieces of equipment. They don’t have computers like combines and tractors,” owner Ben Wallace said. “We have customers that still bring us their headers every year for us to work through and get them ready for the harvest.” While industries across the world have been turned upside down by the pandemic, the ag equipment industry has been relatively, if curiously, unaffected. The Eldridges, along with Wallace and Abel, reported little impact in operations due to COVID-19, aside from taking precautions to minimize the spread of the virus such as installing sneeze guards in stores and providing sanitizer products. At River Valley Tractor in Bryant, sales manager Travis Carlow saw a significant shift in customers in 2020. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlow saw decreased sales as people settled into the realities of quarantine, but online sales quickly picked up. One of the biggest changes was the rise of sales to “weekend warriors.” “Surprisingly enough, I feel like there was a big transition after COVID hit harder with people staying home, and with that, they were wanting to do stuff around the house. We had a couple of guys that I talked to personally that were starting gardens and wanting small tractors to keep up with it. COVID affected us severely, but there wasn’t a downturn in business,” Carlow said. Both Carlow and the Eldridges increased their online sales as a result of the pandemic. While both companies had established online stores, customers

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Continued from page 91.

Lawrence County:

Polk County:

Lee County:

Pope County:

Doyle Farm (est. 1852)

E. T. Walton (est. 1906)

Lincoln County:

Wiles Family Farm (est. 1889) Hughey Farm (est. 1852)

Prairie County:

Hughes Farm (est. 1883)

Holmes Farm (est. 1870)

Little River County:

Pulaski County:

Averitt Farm (est. 1892)

Logan County:

Dickey Plantation Farm (est. 1886)

Lonoke County:

Crabtree Farm (est. 1857)

Naegle Farm (est. 1882) Morris Farm (est. 1860)

Randolph County: DunnSaline County:

Madison County:

Helmich Farm (est. 1890)

Marion County:

J. Hughes Farm (est. 1882)

Miller County:

Turney-Loftin-Horton Family Farm (est. 1845)

Mississippi County:

W.J. Simmons Farm (est. 1881)

Monroe County:

Gore Acres Farm (est. 1873)

Fred A. Smith Farm (est. 1843) Cantrell Family Farm (est. 1904); Mear Family Farm (est. 1904) Jones Farm (est. 1905)

White Family Farm (est. 1901) Miller Bros/Flying Farmers (est. 1872)

Scott County:

Searcy County:

Sebastian County: Sevier County: Sharp County:

Estes Farm (est. 1847)

Montgomery County:

St. Francis County:

Nevada County:

Stone County:

Watkins Farm (est. 1889)

Uncle Edison’s Place-MCM Farms (est. 1859); Munn Home Place (est. 1859)

Newton and Searcy County:

Ellis Bell Farm (est. 1878) Beckham Farm (est. 1861)

Union County:

Johnson Farm of Junction City (est. 1886)

Morris Farm (est. 1908)

Van Buren County:

Ouachita County:

Rowe McCarver Farm (est. 1860); Walthall Tree Farm (est. 1860)

Washington County:

Perry County:

Morris Homestead Farm (est. 1858)

Fowler Farm (est. 1860)

Phillips County:

Holland Farm (est. 1860) Miller Farms (est. 1837)

White County:

Toney Farms (est. 1898)

Woodruff County:

Pike County:

Yell County:

Davis Family Farm (est. 1885)

Poinsett County:

The Pulley Farm (est. 1855) D. and J. Fulton Farm (est. 1847)

Cummins Brothers Farms LLC (est. 1888)

Source: Arkansas Department of Agriculture

FE B RUA RY 2021

River Valley’s Travis Carlow thinks dealerships are here to stay despite a rise in online sales. (Photo by Jamison Mosley)

became more familiar and willing to use this technology during the pandemic. For Carlow, this increase in online sales could herald a shift in how the equipment dealerships conduct business. “I think there’ll be a further transition to online sales through dealerships. I don’t think the dealerships are going away. There is going to be a need for a brickand-mortar facility, whether it be parts warehousing or service,” he said. Many customers, Carlow said, have a more “oldschool mentality” toward equipment purchases, wanting to test-drive the machinery before making the purchase. He foresees major changes in the next five

F E B RUA RY 2 02 1

to 10 years in how the agricultural equipment industry does its purchasing and sales. “There’s still going to be a lot of that old-school mentality left, but as the younger generations are getting older and getting to that point in their life where they need some sort of equipment, whether they’re starting a business or they’ve got some land…you’ve got a younger generation with a different mentality. That shift is inevitable,” he said. While this shift is years or decades away, agricultural equipment dealerships are contending with the challenges of the present day, navigating issues that are particular to their local area and the problems facing the nation and the world. One thing will always be the same for them: When one problem is solved, another will rise up to take its place. That’s where ingenuity and tenacity come in. As Abel said, “Every year is different with different challenges.”

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THE LAST WORD

The Legacy of Allen Homra BY GEORGE DUNKLIN

ark Twain is quoted as saying, “The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” William “Allen” Homra II was born on Nov. 16, 1963 in Union City, Tennessee, and he died on Jan. 3, 2021 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Allen was a man on a mission in life, and he lived life to the fullest in his short 57 years. He was raised in the small Kentucky town of Fulton, just north of the Tennessee border. He was raised in a loving Christian home by two amazing parents, Joan and Bill Homra, and had two older sisters, Dee and Lisa, that loved him dearly till the day he died. The fact that he was raised in this environment must have had a major impact on the rest of his life. His father owned a sporting goods store, and he trained Allen to become a master salesman and to understand the value of “curb appeal,” as he would say. He learned the values that can only be learned in a small town; church, sports, hunting, family friends and faith were all important values that Allen held dear. Our paths crossed in 1990 when my wife, Livia, and I were looking for a church home. We just started our lives together, married in 1987, and had our first child in 1989 and didn’t know many people in Stuttgart, Arkansas. We were invited to attend the First United Methodist Church in Stuttgart, and we met Allen and his beautiful wife, Stacey, afterwards at lunch. I will never forget looking at my wife during lunch and saying, “I think that guy called me this week about buying some bonds; I hope I was nice to him on the phone.” Back then, it wasn’t uncommon to get several cold calls from out-of-state people trying to sell you something. Well, the good news is that Allen did say I was polite to him, even though I didn’t buy any bonds from him that day. In fact, to this day, while I have never bought a bond, I can honestly say that Sunday was the start of a business relationship and a very deep friendship, one that

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lasted until the day he died. the care that their son needWe shared so many things, ed. Allen took on the missuch as the same birthday, sion to make sure no other beautiful and loving wives families in Stuttgart and the that became the very best of surrounding area had to friends, children that loved make those long trips. Uneach other as family not just der his direction, $450,000 friends, duck hunting, the was raised and matched Razorbacks, political interest with a grant. In 2003, Easter and much more. Seals opened its only clinic We were like brothers outside of Little Rock. To from different mothers. Our George Dunklin date, hundreds of families offices were next to each othhave benefited because of er, and we rode to Rotary on Tuesdays and Allen’s tireless efforts. All this was after their tried to have lunch on Thursdays. loving son, Trey, died in 2000. Allen was a man on a mission when he Tragedy would once again find the Hommoved to Stuttgart in 1988. He had graduat- ra family. In 2013, Stacey was diagnosed with ed from Ole Miss and started his career with a lethal form of brain cancer, glioblastoma. Edward Jones. In 1988, the Stuttgart Edward She passed on Sept. 23, 2017, and her illness Jones office needed a new investment ad- and death left a hole in Allen’s heart. It was viser, and for whatever reason, Allen Homra a terrible loss for our community, as Stacey accepted. He didn’t know a person in Stutt- was an amazing mother to her two children, gart, and the office had been struggling to Trey and Madison, and a wonderful friend stay afloat. Allen grew that office into one of to so many in Stuttgart. My wife, Livia, conthe most successful branches that Edward sidered Stacey to be her closest friend, and Jones has in the country. There are now Allen was mine. And we just couldn’t believe three Edward Jones offices in Stuttgart due that she was taken from us. to the persistent efforts of Allen Homra. He Their daughter, Madison, who was a had the ability to find and then train and in- freshman at University of Arkansas in Fayspire great talent. etteville at the time of her mother’s death, This was not unnoticed by the head office has all the wonderful qualities of her mothin St. Louis, and it wasn’t long before he was er, and now her father has been taken away a limited partner with Edward Jones. His in her senior year of college due to this insidsuccess for his clients would be recognized ious disease called COVID-19. Life doesn’t by Barron’s magazine as on their top 1,200 fi- seem fair, but Madison will find the strength nancial advisors, and for the last four years because of the qualities that she inherited he was number one in Arkansas. Word of and learned from her parents. mouth of his success for his clients began to Allen Homra might not be with us today spread, and he picked up clients all over the in the world, but his heart, soul and spirit country. will live on in his daughter and friends. He Allen and Stacey had a son in February might not have ever realized what that sec1993, and Trey was born with a birth defect ond most important day was, but we do. that required weekly trips to Easter Seals in Little Rock. On one of the trips to Little George Dunklin Jr. of Stuttgart is a rice farmRock, Stacey had an accident on a very icy road. That inspired Allen to ask why they er, conservationist, owner of Five Oaks Duck had to make that 110-mile round trip to get Lodge and a past president of Ducks Unlimited.

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