Arkansas Money & Politics November 2022

A HANDSHAKE

As a rm built on relationships, our handshake matters. It means a warm greeting, the privilege of doing business together and knowing you can count on us. A handshake between two brothers, Witt and Jack Stephens, provided the foundation for a family-owned legacy that Jack’s son Warren upholds today. Under Warren’s leadership, Stephens continues to grow as one of America’s largest privately held independent nancial services rms, with of ces throughout the United States and in Europe. Our performance builds relationships with our clients, many of whom have become old friends. It’s why shaking hands with us means just a little bit more.

111 Center Street Little Rock, AR 72201 (800) 643-9691

FEATURES NOVEMBER 2022

SLOW GROWTH FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

A recent analysis by General Contractors of America showed added construction jobs in Arkansas, despite a labor shortage.

ARTISANAL APPROACH

Craftsmanship drives Richard Eberle over profit. The Conway custom furniture maker applies an old school, artisanal approach to his work. His goal is to produce heirlooms.

THE BUSINESS OF THE ZOO

The Zoo is more than a fun place to bring the kids — each day requires business savvy.

By Sarah Coleman

Long thought to be dangerous, fire is a key component in the Game and Fish Commission’s effort to replenish wildlife habitat.

By John Callahan

FR8relay introduces new model to trucking industry, proves beneficial to long-haul truck drivers.

By Sarah Coleman

By Sarah Coleman

These women have helped pave the way in Arkansas’ architecture, construction, and engineering industry.

By AMP Staff

What rising costs mean for Arkansas households, and how to get the most out of your utilities.

By Becky Gillette

UA Little Rock kicks off an ambitious fundraising campaign as it nears its centennial, and one major endowment gift honors a beloved late professor’s legacy.

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Heather Baker | hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS MANAGER

Jessica Everson | jeverson@armoneyandpolitics.com

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Dwain Hebda

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Sarah Coleman | scoleman@armoneyandpolitics.com

MANAGING DIGITAL EDITOR Kellie McAnulty | kmcanulty@armoneyandpolitics.com

ONLINE WRITER

Kilee Hall | khall@armoneyandpolitics.com

STAFF WRITERS

John Callahan | jcallahan@armoneyandpolitics.com Sarah Coleman | scoleman@armoneyandpolitics.com Mak Millard | mmillard@armoneyandpolitics.com Katie Zakrzewski | katie@armoneyandpolitics.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mike Bedgood | mbedgood@armoneyandpolitics.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lora Puls | lpuls@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 Amanda Moore | amoore@armoneyandpolitics.com Colleen Gillespie | colleen@armoneyandpolitics.com

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Rachel Mercer |

Readers provide their choices for the “Best of AMP” 2022 in multiple categories.

By Mak Millard Historical Governor’s Election By AMP Staff

Digital design firm - Few - finds a new home in SoMa.

By Angela Forsyth

Industry leaders and newcomers alike flocked to Bentonville this October for the 2022 NWA Tech Summit, showcasing the latest and greatest in everything from artificial intelligence to supply chain management.

By AMP Staff

If Walls Could Talk: Club 1836

By Katie

Zakrzewski

necessarily endorsed by AMP. Please recycle this magazine.

FEEDBACK

NELSON CHENAULT ESTABLISHES CAREER AS ONE OF STATE’S TOP PHOTOGRAPHERS

“Love this!! Nelson is a talented photographer and an even better person!!”

Holly Rose

STAYING SHARP: THERE’S NEVER A DULL MOMENT WITH LOCAL NEWS VETERAN CRAIG O’NEILL “Craig has always been a kind, unselfishness and wonderful person since I met him years sgo. He was very in volved in the PTA at Forest Park School when I was principal. Years later. when I sponsored the Delta Classic for Literacy Spelling Bee at Dunbar Jr. High in LR, I called Craig and he was there. My last visit was chatting with him at the Hillary Clinton Children’s Library in 2020. He was funny and joy to be around. Good Vibes!”

Arma Holmes-Hart

DAVID

BAZZEL OVERSEES LITTLE ROCK TOUCHDOWN CLUB GROWTH, SUCCESS

“Thanks George Makris and Simmons Bank for helping elevate the LIttle Rock TD Club to heights we’ve never seen before in our 18 years!!”

Little Rock Touchdown Club

Lifesavers Building in Maumelle Sells for $1.84M at Auction. The winning bidder on auction day was Castle Investments LLC, led by Bruce and Steve Cook, which outbid 13 others for the property.

UAMS, ACH Launch Program to Improve Children’s Mental Health Care. More than $2 million in federal grant money has been awarded to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to equip and support primary care providers across the state to screen, diagnose, treat and refer children with behavioral health conditions.

Fallon Lee, Principal/Mechanical Engineer at Insight Engineering, photographed at 301 E. Roosevelt Rd. in Little Rock by DeWaine Duncan.

A TIME TO BE THANKFUL

This year has just blown by; how can it already be November? I am excited about the holidays and have so much to be thankful for.

Women have made great strides in the architectural, engineering and construction industries in recent years. In Arkansas, women are proving they can perform just as well as men in these traditionally male-dominated fields. Despite the challenges they may face, professional women in Arkansas are making a big impact in several industries. They are helping build new homes and businesses and their skills are in high demand. As the state continues to grow, the need for qualified professionals will only increase and women will play a vital role in meeting this demand, helping to shape the future of Arkansas.

The November issue of AMP focuses on women in the architectural, engineering and construction fields, known collectively as AEC. These women are facing challenges and breaking barriers every day. They are an inspiration to other women who are considering a career in this field. On the cover of this issue, we shine the spotlight on Fallon Lee, principal PE of Insight Engineering PLLC, who has made a huge difference in the area of AEC.

AMP also looks at rising utility costs in the state of Arkansas and provides you with tips on conserving energy from SWEPCO, Black Hills Energy Arkansas and Arkansas Electric Cooperative.

And we bring you Arkansas Money & Politics’ “Best of 2022”. Tens of thousands of our readers have voted and provided their choices for the best in a variety of industries and categories, and we are ready to share the winners with you!

Now on to one of my favorite places to spend a Saturday, and a major tourist attraction besides, the Little Rock Zoo. In this issue, we focus on the business itself and how the public can help sustain this family-friendly amenity through the zoo’s promotional events and memberships. We salute everyone involved with this important community attraction, especially the caretakers who provide for the beautiful animals’ every need each day of the year, so that Arkansas families and guests may share time together enjoying a day at the zoo.

Thanks to everyone for reading. You, our readers, are one of the many things I am thankful for this year and of course, every year. Hit me up with your comments and story ideas at HBaker@ARMoneyandPolitics.com.

Heather Baker, President & Publisher

hbaker@aymag.com

THE ABCS OF ESG IN AEC

ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE ARE MORE THAN BUZZWORDS

by Alyssa Jaksich, Vice President of ESG at Bernhard

Efforts to promote ethical practices in business have been known by many names over the years. The latest acronym making the rounds at corporate conferences and boardrooms: ESG.

ESG is a blanket term that relates to how a business, corporation or public organization manages its practices in three key areas:

• Environmental concerns, which can include how much energy a company uses, how much waste it creates and efforts the company has taken to incorporate sustainable practices into its operations, like shifting to more environmentally friendly materials or adopting alternative-fuel fleet vehicles.

• Social concerns, which revolve around what an organization does to be a good citizen of the communities where it works. This can include charitable giving; creating a culture that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion; ensuring fair pay and workplace safety; and lis tening to and addressing the concerns of the community.

• Governance concerns involve what an organization does to create ethical guidelines and hold itself accountable. Governance is not only about the internal ethics, rules and guidelines an organization sets for itself, but also about how it upholds those standards and works to be transparent if there is an ethical, safety or regulatory issue.

Behaving responsibly and ethically are long-held values of many successful organizations. Consumers are paying more at tention than ever to ESG concerns, and it’s having a real impact on companies’ bottom line.

For example, a study commissioned by Google Cloud released in April 2022 found 82% of consumers believe it’s important for the values of the companies they do business with to align with their own. The same study found 52% of consumers prefer brands with a track record of being environmentally responsible, while 55% said they would pay more for products or services from a sus tainable company.

ESG + AEC

Bernhard has been helping customers get a handle on the “E” in ESG long before the term existed. As the largest privately-owned Energy-asa-Service company in the U.S., we’ve saved large-scale clients more than $1 billion in energy costs through EaaS agreements, thus boosting their own ESG profiles. Simultaneously, we’ve seen the benefits of pursuing ESG-geared policies and practices inside our own company.

A focus on ESG can benefit Architectural, Engineering and Con struction (AEC) companies and their clients in several key ways:

Creating growth: As seen in the polling referenced above, consum ers are increasingly putting their money where their priorities are when it comes to ESG concerns. That’s driving organizations to not only make purchasing and policy decisions that demonstrate their commitments to ESG, but incentivizing partnerships with AEC com panies that make those considerations a priority. While dedication to ESG probably isn’t going to win a contract for an AEC company by itself, it could definitely be a factor that tips the scales in their favor.

Attracting investment: It’s not only consumers who are focused on ESG. Sustainability and social responsibility are becoming an in

creasingly influential factor in investment and project funding as well. According to a study by the U.S. Business Roundtable, in vestment dependent on business practices seen as environmentally, ethically or so cially responsible now totals more than $30 trillion worldwide. Meanwhile, a February 2022 poll by Gallup found about 40% of U.S. investors look into issues like corporate gov ernance, social values and environmental policies before deciding where to invest.

Boosting hiring and retention: In a poll released in October by Gal lup, 73% of respondents said it was important that the company they work for promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, while 55% (including 71% of those ages 18-29) said they would switch jobs to work for a com pany with a greater positive impact on society or the environment. By setting and sticking to ESG goals, organizations do themselves big fa vors in retention, hiring and employee loyalty. Given it can take months and cost tens of thousands to recruit and train a new AEC employee in a demanding role, that can have a substantial impact on a company’s bottom line.

During the pandemic, the AEC industry lost more than 1 million workers and is struggling to attract and recruit young talent, even though the industry pays nearly double the average hourly rate. Hir ing and creating a work environment that can retain diverse candidates will help alleviate the talent shortage we’re currently facing.

Reducing regulatory entanglements: By adopting a company-wide focus on ESG and empowering every employee to speak up if they see something that doesn’t fit those values, AEC companies create a sense of shared ethical responsibility from the boardroom to the job site. Promoting and putting some teeth behind an “ethics first” phi losophy can lead to fewer shortcuts and thoughtful decision making, taking into account more than just dollars and cents. In the long run, company-wide commitment to self-policing on ESG issues can lead not only to better results for clients, but also less need for government intervention.

More than just the latest corporate buzzwords that can’t translate into real growth, ESG is really about responding to consumer and investor demands for a recommitment to ethical business practices and being good neighbors to the communities organizations serve. While much of the AEC industry has been dedicated to those goals for years, recent trends show how doubling down on ESG policies can make great business sense, now and in the future.

About Bernhard

Bernhard is the largest privately owned infrastructure company in the United States. Bernhard has more than 100 years of experience servicing higher education, health care, commercial and specialty markets. Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, Bernhard employs more than 2,000 employees in 21 office locations across the U.S. For more information, visit Bernhard.com.

Arkansas Midterm Election Results

By AMP Staff

GOVERNOR

Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R)

Chris Jones (D)

Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. (L)

Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the race for Governor, receiving 63.1% of the vote with 97.33% of the votes tallied. Chris Jones re ceived 35.1% of the vote, while Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. received 1.8%.

SENATE

John Boozman (R) (Incumbent)

Natalie James (D)

Kenneth Cates (L)

Senator John Boozman was reelected after receiving 65.9% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied. He beat Natalie James, who had 30.9% of the vote, and Kenneth Cates, who had 3.2%.

HOUSE

District 1

Rick Crawford (R) (Incumbent)

Monte Hodges (D)

Rick Crawford was reelected Tuesday night after receiving 74.6% of the vote, with 93.6% of the votes counted. Monte Hodges received 25.4% of the votes counted.

District 2

French Hill (R) (Incumbent)

Quintessa Hathaway (D)

Michael White (L)

French Hill was reelected after receiving 60.1% of the vote, wih 100% of the votes tal lied. Quintessa Hathaway received 35.2% of the vote, and Michael White received 4.7% of the vote.

District 3

Steve Womack (R) (Incumbent)

Lauren Mallett-Hays (D)

Michael Kalagias (L)

Steve Womack was reelected after receiving 63.7% of the vote, with 100% of the votes tal lied. Lauren Mallett-Hays received 32.9% of the vote, and Michael Kalagias received 3.4% of the vote.

District 4

Bruce Westerman (R) (Incumbent)

John White (D)

Gregory Maxwell (L)

Bruce Westerman was reelected on Tuesday night after receiving 71% of the vote with 100% of the vote tallied. John White received 26.2% of the vote, and Gregory Maxwell re ceived 2.8%.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Leslie Rutledge (R)

Kelly Krout (D)

Frank Gilbert (L)

Leslie Rutledge won the Lieutenant Gov ernor’s race, earning 64.4% of the vote with 97.33% of the votes tallied. Kelly Krout earned 32% of the vote, while Frank Gilbert earned 3.7%.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Tim Griffin (R)

Jesse Gibson (D)

Tim Griffin won the Attorney General’s race with 67.8% of the vote, with 97.33% of the votes tallied. Jesse Gibson received 32.2% of the votes tallied.

SECRETARY OF STATE

John Thurston (R) (Incumbent)

Anna Beth Gorman (D)

John Thurston won the Secretary of State race with 67.2% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied. Anna Beth Gorman received 32.8% of the vote.

STATE AUDITOR

Dennis Milligan (R)

Diamond Arnold-Johnson (D)

Simeon Snow (L)

Dennis Milligan won the State Audtor race on Tuesday with 66.9% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied. Diamond Arnold-Johnson received 28.8.% of the vote, and Simeon Snow received 4.3%.

STATE LAND COMMISSIONER

Tommy Land (R)

Darlene Gaines (D)

Tommy Land won the State Land Commis sioner race with 68.9% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied. Darlene Gaines received 31.1% of the vote.

STATE TREASURER

Mark Lowery (R)

Pam Whitaker (D)

Mark Lowery won the Secretary Treasurer’s race with 66.4% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes counted. Pam Whitaker received 33.6% of the vote.

ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT

Robin Wynne (Incumbent)

Chris Carnahan

Robin Wynne was reelected to the Arkansas Supreme Court Tuesday night after receiving 58.4% of the vote with 98% of the votes tallied. Chris Carnahan received 41.6% of the vote.

MAYOR OF LITTLE ROCK

Steve Landers

Frank Scott, Jr. (Incumbent) Greg Henderson Glen Schwarz

Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. was reelected as Mayor of Little Rock. He beat primary contender and car dealership entrepreneur Steve Land ers after earning 49.8% of the vote with 44% of the votes tallied.

BALLOT MEASURES

Issue 1: Allow state legislature to call itself into a special session

FOR: Let lawmakers convene themselves AGAINST: Only the governor can call a special session

Arkansans decided on Tuesday night to vote against allowing the state legislature to call itself into a special sessions, reaffirming that only the Governor can call a special session. The AGAINST option received 60.9% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied.

Issue 2: Require 60% yes vote to adopt con stitutional amendments

FOR: Raise the limit to 60%

AGAINST: Keep the limit at 50%

Arkansans chose to keep the requirement to adopt constitutional amendments at 50%, in stead of raising the requirement to 60%. The AGAINST measure won 59.1% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied.

Issue 3: Amend state constitution to affirm freedom of religion provisions

FOR: Add language to the state constitution AGAINST: Do not add the language

This race is still too close to call. The AGAINST option leads at 50.4% with 97.3% of the votes tallied, while the FOR option has 49.6% of the vote.

Issue 4: Legalize recreational marijuana use for people over 21

FOR: Legalize marijuana AGAINST: Do not legalize

Arkansans chose not to legalize recreational marijuana on Tuesday night, choosing the AGAINST option with 56.3% of the vote, with 97.3% of the votes tallied.

Cleaner power for a brighter future

At Entergy Arkansas, we’re powering a brighter future by investing in clean, reliable energy to keep you safe and comfortable while fueling our economy.

Building clean power generation

We’re the largest solar power provider in Arkansas. By the end of 2024, we will have at least 7,100 acres of solar arrays currently operating or under development. Together, our facilities will provide enough clean power to energize more than 130,000 homes.

Modernizing the grid

We’re improving reliability and customer service by upgrading our critical infrastructure and have installed new advanced meters giving you more confidence and control at your fingertips.

Supporting our communities

We’ve been serving Arkansans for over a century, with nearly 2,800 employees and over 728,000 customers. We’re honored to have been named a Top Economic Development Utility by Site Selection magazine.

Learn more at entergyarkansas.com/brightfuture

SLOW GROWTH FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

By Angela Forsyth

With growing inflation, ris ing interest rates and supply chain issues, it may come as a surprise that the construction indus try in Arkansas marked positive num bers in the last 12 months of published statistics. A recent analysis published by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) showed 32 states added construction jobs over the course of a year, including the state of Arkansas. The growth occurred despite a labor shortage that some believe could have made gains even higher if more workers had been available. According to the AGC report, from September of 2021 to September 2022, the number of construction proj ects in Arkansas rose 1.3%.

Stephen Lane, one of the vice presi dents at Clark Contractors, calls the economic trend “a perfect storm.” His company is a prime example of a con struction company that has been able to grow despite the challenges surrounding the business in the last couple of years. Lane notes that although the industry does seem to be slowing down, the sce nario is not at all like the crash years ago. “In 2008-2009, it seemed like there were fewer projects coming out, but for whatever reason, this time, the frequen cy of new jobs coming out hasn’t really decreased yet.” he says. “It’s almost like you have a perfect storm. We have cost increases, material availability shortages and the frequency of new jobs coming out is still really high. So, I think when you have all these things in unison, that’s tricky and makes it difficult to recover.”

Kris Fluger, also a vice president at Clark Contractors, agrees with Lane. “In general, I’m starting to see things slowing down a little bit, but there are definitely opportunities out there,” he says. “And then, if you’re looking at it in terms of commodities or material availability like copper and steel, that’s definitely starting to plateau and trend downwards. I would say construction pricing is reflected to where it was almost two years ago around November of 2020.”

Fluger explains the structural mate rials Clark Contractors mostly employs – metal and steel – are slowly coming back to the level availability they were accustomed to before the COVID-19 pan demic. Some items continue to be harder to find and are taking longer to come in – such as joists and deck material – but, overall, supply issues have improved in the last six months.

Inflation has certainly affected the construction industry, as it has other in dustries across the spectrum. Lane notes Clark Contractors has been able to meet that challenge head-on, thanks to the foresight of the company’s owners. Ac

cording to Lane, the Clark family anticipated the price increase and was able to prepare for it. The one thing no one was expecting were the delays and limited availability of supplies. “It’s almost across the whole gamut every time you turn around,” he notes. “Still to this day, we still get surprised with something new that’s no longer available. Maybe they’ve run out of their inven tory or they’re just not producing as fast as we’re consuming, but that’s really been one of the trickiest things for us.”

Along with the consequences of inflation and supply shortages come difficult conversations with customers. Com panies like Clark Contractors find themselves having to explain to a cli ent that the build ing they wanted to build two years ago will now likely cost 30% more than before. Not only that, but some of the major compo nents of the project won’t be in place on time. Nowadays, it’s common for criti

Stephen Lane and Kris Fluger have each worked in the construction industry for nearly 20 years.

(Photos provided)

Stephen Lane

Kris Fluger

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) Windgate Art & Design (phase 1) currently under construction.

cal items like generators, switch gears and air handling units to require a full year’s lead time.

The comparisons Lane and Fluger draw between the challenges of today and those of 2008 come from a unique perspective. Clark Contractors was founded by the Clark family in 2009. Fluger joined soon after in 2010, and Lane joined in 2011. The two men joke that starting a construction company in the midst of those difficult years there was nowhere to go but up. Lane maintains that the years fol lowing the pandemic have been vastly differ ent. He hasn’t seen this level of spikes in cost and availability before.

“I don’t see things going in the direction of a 2009 spiral,” Fluger asserts. “I think we’re going to see a slowdown, and it’s probably going to plateau at the end. I just don’t know how far we will go down before it plateaus.”

Fluger explains that over the years, he’s witnessed the market rise and fall, but always remaining stable at a point for a while before moving again. “If you look at the trend and the history over the past 10 to 15 years, you see that it goes up and stays there for a while and then goes down and stays there for a while.

You get these areas of plateauing up and down.” He anticipates that the next plateau will come in part from a shift in demand.

Lane and Fluger have noticed the market shifting away from private cli ents toward more jobs in the public sector. This could be due to the rise in interest rates. Private developers who now face higher lending rates seem to be cutting back on projects.

Lane, who focuses more on the com pany’s health care projects, says he is finishing up some current health care projects – including two outpatient facilities with imaging and surgery capabilities – but he hasn’t seen much new business come in from the medi cal side. “It looks like several hospitals have master plans that they’re holding onto and not rolling out yet,” he says. “I think there’s big stuff on the horizon with hospitals, but with everything that has happened recently, they’re a little reluc tant to do anything major right now.” He suspects this category will pick up again in a couple of years.

Fluger anticipates a series of hospital ity projects coming down the pike after having come to a halt during the pan demic. Hotel brands, in particular, are subject to property improvements every few years. Many of them were granted extensions under the special circum stances, but now hotel owners will need to complete those deferred projects.

With its main headquarters in Little Rock and offices in Rogers and South Lake, Texas, Clark Contractors is also currently working on a number of culti vation facilities across a few states. “That work has been a large contributor to our growth over the past two years,” Fluger notes. Despite all the challenges, the company has seen record growth with an increased revenue of 30% over the last two years. Last year was its best year ever in terms of revenue, and 2022 will top

UAMS Barton Building.

After Before

The company is a prime example of a construction company that has been able to grow despite the challenges surrounding the business in the last couple of years.

that. The rise in projects has also led the company to hire more salaried employ ees. They currently have 120 people on staff, an increase of 25% since 2020.

Other notable projects for Clark Con tractors include two Windgate art build ings for the University of Arkansas as well as a new school building for McClellan Magnet school in southwest Little Rock. The construction firm has also handled an expansion for Arkansas Urology and the renovation of an old Kmart building into a sleek medical office plaza for Pre mier Medical.

After

Before

Old Kmart building repurposed as Premier Medical Plaza.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

BRIEF OVERVIEWS OF NEW, ONGOING PROJECTS IN ARKANSAS

By Sarah Coleman

There are dozens of construction projects currently underway across The Natural State, and with these projects comes opportunities in communities for job growth, convenience and housing, in addi tion to economic development.

Along with several hospital projects underway – including the expansion and additions to the Uni versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, CARTI in Little Rock, Mercy Health in North west Arkansas, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville and others – there are also a variety of projects aside from health care taking place. Four of the larger-scale projects in Arkansas currently underway include the addition of Trex Company to the Port of Little Rock, updates to the University of Arkansas Mullins Library, the XNA Skybridge Terminal in Bentonville and First Street Flats mixed-use development in Rogers.

TREX COMPANY EXPANSION

In October 2021, Trex Company announced it would be building a multifaceted production site at the Port of Little Rock. According to the company, Trex is the largest brand of wood-alternative deck ing and high-performance, low-maintenance, ecofriendly outdoor living products. The new manu facturing facility, according to a news release from October 2021, will place the company in a good posi tion to allow for future growth.

The Little Rock location is also closer to raw ma terials, qualified skilled workers, key growth regions in the market that encourage wood conversion and major transportation hubs. According to Trex, adjacency to these hubs will allow for lower freight costs for customers in the middle of the United States, currently served by its Virginia and Nevada facilities.

“Adding capacity also positions the company to better serve its distribution and retailer partners both domestically and abroad,” James Reddish, the director of Little Rock workforce development and community engagement at Trex Company, said.

The 300-acre Trex campus will include production buildings dedicated to decking and railing production, plastic film recy cling and processing, reclaimed wood storage, warehousing of fices and administrative offices. The company expects to invest about $400 million over the next several years.

“It will take several years to build out the full campus, but we expect to begin operations sometime in early 2025,” Reddish

said. “Over time, Trex will bring more than 500 new jobs to the Little Rock area. We currently have seven Arkansas-based em ployees, but as we get closer to opening operations, we will be gin hiring much greater numbers.”

According to Reddish, Trex invented the composite decking and outdoor living categories nearly 30 years ago, and today the company is the world’s largest manufacturer of wood-alterna tive decking and railing.

“Trex leads the industry on a global scale, crossing $1 billion in revenue in 2021, with more than 1,700 employees and the in dustry-leading brand name,” Reddish said. “For those who may not be familiar with our product, Trex decking is made of 95% recycled material, including polyethylene plastic film and re claimed industrial wood scrap. Trex repurposes more than 900 million pounds of recycled and reclaimed materials annually in the making of our decking.”

MULLINS LIBRARY RENOVATION

The University of Arkansas an nounced this fall it was moving on to phase two of the Mullins Library proj ect. In phase one, the third and fourth levels of the library were modernized while phase two shifts to the building’s first and second floors

“We at the University Libraries are excited to begin the next and final phase of the Mullins Library renovation bring ing new and updated spaces for collec tions, technology, research and study to the students, faculty, staff and the U of A community,” said Jason Battles, dean of University Libraries, in a news release on Aug. 29.

According to university libraries staff, phase one of the project focused on study areas, common and collaborative spaces and individual amenities.

“We have added a graduate school reading room and a faculty reading room,” said Adriana Gonzalez, asso ciate dean for research and learning. “Individual faculty workspaces can be checked out by faculty for research space when they need an escape to the library. [Plus,] large and small group study rooms that are reservable online, lockers and a family space on the fourth floor.”

The graduate school reading room and the faculty reading room are currently combined, as University Libraries is pre paring for construction on the first and second levels of Mul lins Library.

The family space is reserved for students, faculty and staff with caretaking responsibilities while studying.

“The family room will be on level two when fully complet ed and will be met with everything needed for the little ones,” Kelsey Lovewell, a project and program specialist at the Univer sity of Arkansas, added.

The renovation work also includes removing asbestos from the building, said Marco De Prosperis, assistant dean for finance and administration.

“Currently we are asbestos-free on the third and fourth lev els, and by the time we complete the first and second levels, we will be able to provide an asbestos-free building that’s fully up to code,” he said.

Melanie Griffin, associate dean for special collections, said special collections and the folk and traditional arts program

would be better connected upon completed renovations.

“When completed, both departments will have adjacent spaces on the first floor, as folk and traditional arts are intellec tually under the umbrella for special collections. In bringing them closer together, we will have better collaboration for staff and researchers,” Griffin said.

Lovewell said, “It’s all about collecting, preserving and sus taining traditions in the state. Folk arts encompasses so much more than a lot of people think, and has statewide apprentice programs, keeps trades alive and allows participants to present what they’ve learned at the end of the year.”

De Prosperis said construction for phase two is slated to start in about six months, with the department already moving things around to prepare for the renovation. He estimated the $41.5 million project would be completed by the summer of 2024, just in time for the fall semester. In the meantime, the library’s third and fourth floors will remain open for students, faculty and staff access.

“We are here to help the students and serve our students and faculty. We have staff and faculty full of librarians that are willing and ready to help you throughout the process,” Gonzalez said.

XNA SKYBRIDGE TERMINAL

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, better known as XNA, has been evaluating the total cost of its latest project, the XNA Sky bridge terminal. Alex English, public rela tions and marketing specialist for the airport, said construction bids are reflecting the in flated material and labor market, making the total cost of the project higher than expected.

“The Skybridge will enhance passenger ingress and egress to and through the termi nal from the parking lots and deck,” English said. “Improvements will include enclosed, el evated walkways to separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic, redundancy for the passenger moving walkways and elevators and terminal lobby renovations.”

According to English, the Skybridge project will complete gage handling system.

401 1ST STREET

Bridge TaskOrrder 2 12/2/2020

FIRST STREET FLATS

In October, Specialized Real Estate Group an nounced it would be breaking ground on First Street Flats in downtown Rogers, located at 401 First St., in the Water Town District.

The space, designed by Modus Studio, repur poses the former Ozark Cider and Vinegar Com pany building and will include a plunge pool, coffee bar, additional storage for outdoor recre ation rentals and a co-working space.

Jeremy Hudson, CEO of Specialized Real Es tate Group, said groundbreaking is expected this quarter, with anticipated completion in spring 2024.

“We’ve been working primarily in Bentonville and Fayetteville, so we are excited to develop and invest in downtown Rogers,” Hudson said. “We have been looking for the right opportunity to join the downtown Rogers commu nity ever since the Downtown Rogers Initiative Plan was adopted in 2015. That plan created a guide to aid in the creation of a more walkable, vibrant and mixed-use downtown neighborhood.”

Specialized Real Estate Group is also responsible for Fayette ville’s South Yard, which recently received a Fitwel certification. The certification focuses on safeguarding the health and well being of tenants and Eco Modern Flats. In 2014, South Yard re ceived the Energy Star certification denoting that the residen tial building saves energy and money through meeting energy performance standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“First Street Flats will put an emphasis on walkability, air

quality and embracing nature just like the rest of our develop ments,” Hudson said, adding First Street Flats will focus on be ing net-zero through cutting greenhouse gas emissions. “We will utilize solar panels and introduce bioswales into the landscap ing for environmental impact.”

According to Hudson, Specialized Real Estate Group is in vesting around $28 million into the downtown Rogers area for this project. While technically a mixed-use development, there are no plans for retail in the space.

“We want to push residents to the nearby local establish ments,” Hudson said. “We are excited to build healthy homes in downtown Rogers. First Street Flats will be connected to down town businesses, walking and biking trails and will be connect ed to nature inside and out.”

XNA Sky

HOSTESS BRANDS, INC. EXPANDING NEW BAKERY IN ARKADELPHIA

On Sept. 15, signage was unveiled by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other state and local officials who proudly celebrated the economic invest ment that will create jobs in the area.

Shelley Short, CEO of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Devel opment Alliance & Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Devel opment Corporation of Clark County, cited job growth as being one of the biggest opportunities with the addition of the Hostess bakery.

“We are thrilled that Hostess is locating its new state-of-the-art bak ery in Clark County, and we are excited to welcome them to our manu facturing community,” Short said. “The jobs created by the company will provide excellent opportunities for our residents to provide for their families and experience a better quality of life because of Hostess’ investment. Arkadelphia is a community ripe for growth, and Hostess will be a big part of our continued success.”

Kevin Jester, chairman of the Economic Development Corporation of Clark County, stated in an earlier news release that Hostess’ expan sion will make a positive impact in Clark County.

“Our Economic Development team worked hard to show Hostess that we had all the necessary components here for them to be success ful. By choosing our site, Hostess is demonstrating its belief that Clark County is a place where business can thrive,” Jester said. “We are excit ed to be a part of the growth and future success of such a communityminded company.”

Andy Callahan, president and chief executive officer of Hostess Brands, explained in a news release that the Arkadelphia location will

focus on sustainability.

The project of converting the closed factory into a 330,000 square foot bakery is expected to be completed by the second half of 2023, bringing around 150 new jobs to the Arkadelphia community through out the next three years. Hostess Brands will be investing $120 million to $140 million in this project, as explained in the news release.

“As Hostess Brands continues to focus on building a socially re sponsible, modern, snacking powerhouse, we are excited to reach an other milestone in our journey to bring a sustainability-first bakery to the Arkadelphia Community,” Callahan said. “Unveiling the Hostess Brands’ sign at this once-idle facility is tangible evidence of our com mitment to deliver on our sustainability priorities, while also meeting the growing demand among consumers for our iconic and innovative snacks. We thank Gov. Hutchinson, state and local officials and the Arkadelphia business community for partnering with us to make this new bakery a reality.”

According to the news release, the bakery expansion into Arkadel phia is a key indicator of its growth within the recent years. Hostess Brands will be able to increase bakery capacity on Donettes ® and cake platforms by 20%.

Hutchinson commented on this expansion, stating he was proud to see Hostess expanding its roots into Arkadelphia.

“Arkansas welcomes a new investment partner that will bring its sustainability-first policies to a business community ripe for growth,” Hutchinson said.

Beyond the design

At Garver, our engineering experts know dedication goes beyond project design. That includes Kathryn McCoy, who strives to deliver long-lasting infrastructure solutions to the Arkansas communities she calls home.

Congratulations, Kathryn on being named an AMP Woman in AEC – we’re proud of you and proud to be named a 2022 Best of AMP Engineering Firm.

Kathryn McCoy, PE, CFM Transportation Project Manager GarverUSA.com

EARN YOUR ENGINEERING DEGREE

Expect more from your engineering education. With hands-on lab experiences, research opportunities, and industry internships, UA Little Rock’s accredited engineering programs provide more. We also offer engineering scholarships to help make learning affordable. With UA Little Rock, you can expect more. For yourself. And for your future.

Arkansas Largest Commercial Construction Projects

PROJECTS

Trex New Production Complex (Project Treehouse)

Mercy Fort Smith Hospital ER & Intensive Care Unit Expansion

LOCATION COST (ESTIMATES) CONTRACTOR

Little Rock $400 million

Gray Architects and Engineers, P.S.C

Fort Smith $162.5 million McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research I3R Fayetteville $100 million CDI Contractors, Inc.

Jefferson Regional & Kindred Healthcare Rehab Hospital

White Hall $55 million Brasfield And Gorrie, LLC

Hostess Bakery Facility Arkadelphia $50 million Baldwin and Shell Construction Company

Mullins Library Renovation Floors 1 and 2 Fayetteville $41.5 million Con-Real, Inc.

XNA Skybridge Terminal Building Expansion & Improvements

Bentonville $32 million Nabholz Construction Services

First Street Flats Mixed-Use Redevelopment Project Rogers $28 million Arco Construction

The Prairie at Chaffee Crossing Apartments

Barling $20 million Clark General Contractors, Inc.

UAMS Health Specialty Center Little Rock $20 million Clark General Contractors, Inc.

Market Center of the Ozarks Food Hub Springdale $19.9 million CDI Contractors

Preformed Line Products Manufacturing Plant Expansion

Rogers $16 million Nabholz Construction Services

Arkadelphia Elementary School Arkadelphia $15 million Nabholz Construction Company

Community School of the Arts

Fort Smith $15 million Turn Key Construction Management, Inc.

UAPB Track and Soccer Field Pine Bluff $15 million CDI Contractors, Inc.

Cabot Indoor Sports Complex Cabot $14 million Nabholz Construction Company

Eastside Elementary School Addition & Renovation

Rogers $11.4 million Nabholz Construction Corp.

Stone Ridge at Springdale Low Income Housing Springdale $10.5 million Ridge Construction / RichSmith Dev, LLC

Hytrol Conveyor Warehouse/Office

Jonesboro $10 million Ramsons, Inc.

UAMS Child Development Center Little Rock $10 million C R Crawford Construction

Monette Manor Nursing Facility (Replacement-Tornado Damage)

Meadows at Fayetteville Low Income Housing

Luther George Park

ATU Jones Hall Renovation

Steele Office Building

Monette $9.5 million Mark E. Bixler Architect

Fayetteville $8.8 million NELA Construction, LLC

Springdale $8.5 million Milestone Construction

Russellville $8 million Alessi-Keyes Construction Co.

Fayetteville $7.8 million

C R Crawford Construction

Source: Dodge Data & Analytics

WOMEN in AEC

For decades, the architecture, engineering and construction indus tries were overwhelmingly male-dominated, but the times they are a’changin’. Today, women hold a variety of roles in AEC firms, from managing multi-million-dollar construction projects to designing soar ing office buildings to providing the executive leadership and support services necessary to bring such projects to fruition.

In this, AMP’s Salute to AEC issue, we are proud to highlight the ac complishments of some of the amazing women who are changing the culture, blazing trails and building a brighter future for clients all across Arkansas and beyond.

Leanne Baribeau Architect/Associate Modus Studio

Fayetteville

Leanne Baribeau is an architect and associate at Modus Studio, based in Fayetteville. Mo dus Studio has contributed a broad range of influential, sustainable and award-winning, place-making projects to the built realm since its inception in 2008. Baribeau believes archi tecture should serve a worthy purpose at all scales. From a door handle to a master plan, Baribeau believes good design is thoughtful, joyous, healthy, economical, sustainable, safe and purposeful. Baribeau earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and has completed a wide range of projects including a cancer center, a 10-story commercial office building, multiple elemen tary schools, retail projects, multifamily developments and university residence halls. She was the project manager for the University of Ar kansas’ Adohi Hall, the largest mass timber project in the United States at the time of construction and the first mass timber residence hall in North America, earning two dozen architectural and design awards. She was also the project manager for the new Ozark Natural Foods Co-Op completed in 2019 and has had the honor of serving as a board member for the Co-Op since 2021. Leanne’s current projects at Modus Studio include upcoming hospitality and mixed-use developments.

Akemi Bauer

Environmental Director of Air ECCI

Little Rock

Akemi Bauer is Environmental Director of Air at ECCI. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Bauer attended Nihon University, relocating to the United States in the summer of 2000 for graduate school at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. In 2006, Bauer and her husband, Michael, moved to Little Rock, where she began her ca reer at ECCI as an environmental engineer. Bauer continued her edu cation in the STEM field, and in March of this year, she received her Arkansas license.

Christine Bott Executive VP Support Operations Benchmark Group

Rogers

Christine Bott currently serves as the Execu tive Vice President of Support Operations and recently became the first woman to join the Benchmark Group Board of Directors. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts in English and began her career with Benchmark Group in 2003 as a Technical Writer. She has held various management positions and has become an integral leader for Benchmark Group overseeing multiple departments includ

ing Facilities, Human Resources, Information Technology and Market ing. In her current role, she is actively involved in company expan sion, licensing, and strategic planning. Bott’s notable achievements at Benchmark Group include the company expansion into the Dallas market; navigating an ownership transition of the firm; and guiding the company through COVID-19. Bott is a member of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce (ASCC), Northwest Arkansas Human Re sources Association (NOARK) and Society for Human Resource Man agement (SHRM).

Angie Berryhill

Senior Project Manager C.R. Crawford Construction Fayetteville

With 34 years of experience in the construc tion industry, Angie Berryhill’s name has become synonymous with words like “qual ity,” “integrity” and “focus.” She gained her industry experience from the ground up, first stepping onto a job site as a young woman — the only woman on the site — with the role of general laborer to help clear debris. Intrigued by the opportunities the industry offered, Ber ryhill vowed to stick with it and has moved through the ranks holding positions such as Project Coordinator, Contract Manager and Project Engineer.

Today, Berryhill serves as a Senior Project Manager for C.R. Crawford Construction, and her formula for continued success is staying focused on meeting client expectations through communication and collabora tion. She inspires others to do their jobs well and safely and is valued for her intelligence, experience and demeanor. With a natural tenden cy to empower people, she regularly speaks with students of all ages – males and females alike – and shares the message of being true to yourself, warning against adjusting your standards in hopes of fitting in. Berryhill is an example of being both feminine and powerful in a male-dominated industry. She successfully manages multiple projects at one time and has managed projects in excess of $60 million. Angie is a Green Advantage Practitioner, Architectural Hardware Consultant, Certified Federal Grant Writer and is 30-hour OSHA certified.

Melanie Blacklock

Senior Project Administrator Clark Contractors, LLC Little Rock

Melanie Blacklock is a Senior Project Admin istrator at Clark Contractors and has over 33 years of experience in the architecture, engi neering and construction (AEC) industry. As Senior Project Administrator, Melanie man ages building information modeling (BIM), LEED approval processes and closeout processes for Clark. Blacklock is dedicated to professional development and holds six industry cer tifications, including LEED AP BD+C and the certificate of manage ment in building information modeling. She also earned a bachelor’s in construction management. As BIM Manager, Melanie serves as the point of contact for designers and subcontractors that send in models

for overall coordination. Her closeout management responsibilities entail fulfilling Clark Contractors’ obligation at the end of each job to provide the owner with the needed items to help them with warranties, building operation and maintenance. Project closeout is the final con struction phase of a typical project lifecycle and is a vital part of con struction management services. Blacklock also creates and maintains necessary environmental reports required for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) review and approval for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Blacklock’s favorite part of her job is interacting with the many people involved in a building proj ect, from the Clark team and subcontractors to the owner and architect. Everyone has an essential role in a building project, and by putting the closeouts together, Blacklock helps bring the project full circle.

Lauren Dickey Principal/

Director of Interiors

WER Architects Little Rock

As the Director of Interior Design for WER, Lauren Dickey’s passion is three-fold: to en courage women in the field of architecture; educate clients and provide sustainable so lutions to design intent; and to further the health, safety and welfare of building occu pants. Dickey obtained her certification as a WELL Accredited Profes sional, applying her design knowledge to create places that benefit the health, well-being and performance of people, solidifying her commit ment to designing people-first places in Arkansas. Dickey’s experience ranges from office renovations to health care design to educational spaces. She has a passion for creating functional spaces for clients that are unique to their needs and aesthetics, making the design process both fun and effective for any type of project. With a keen eye for de tail, Dickey loves the problem-solving aspect of figuring out furniture solutions for her clients. There are always an abundant amount of op portunities in a space.

Sandy Dixon

President/Owner Turn Key Construction Management

Bentonville/Fort Smith

Sandy Dixon is the owner and President of Turn Key Construction Management, and for almost 20 years, Sandy has worked in the com mercial construction industry. Dealing with a wide range of project types, Dixon has experi ence in medical, commercial, educational and religious construction projects. Turn Key was founded in 2007, and Dixon, as president of the organization, has been involved in every aspect of the business –including estimating through project completion and delivery. Dixon serves as an Alumni Foundation Board Member at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, an executive board member at the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce, a construction management advisory board member at John Brown University and is involved with several other associations.

Kate East Partner

AMR Architects Little Rock

Following in the footsteps of her father, Kate East is an owning partner of AMR Architects, of which her father was a founding member. She also took after her mother, who was an artist, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Lake Forest College. In 2005, she joined the AMR team while still working to get a Bachelor of Science in Inte rior Design from the University of Central Arkansas. She and another partner took over after her father’s passing, and their team has since grown. Her work in interior design frequently includes higher educa tion projects, mixed-use developments, and commercial interiors. She is also directs the company’s marketing and handles most of the work with clients.

Reyna Espinoza Project Manager

Taggart Architects

North Little Rock

Whether sketching dream houses or draw ing cartoons, Reyna Espinoza was a creative child. Given her inclination toward math ematics, the path seemed almost obvious. She attended the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. Being a first generation Mex ican-American graduate, she was accustomed to overcoming various problems, and difficulties and problem-solving became second nature. Espinoza has been a project manager at Taggart for five years. Having used various building information modeling (BIM) programs in her 14 years of experience, she currently specializes in using Revit computer software to create construction documents.

Emily Hughes Assistant Controller Kinco Constructors

Little Rock

Emily Hughes is the Assistant Controller for Kinco Constructors. She attended Hendrix College and has been with Kinco since June of 2003. Her management and accounting skills, along with her ability to multitask, have allowed her to play a major role in the growth of Kinco over the last few years. Hughes’ responsibilities include the management of accounting, auditing and budgeting in addition to nu merous other day-to-day duties for the company.

Emily Hughes Congratulations

Alyssa Jaksich

President of ESG Bernhard Fayetteville/Little Rock

Alyssa currently serves as the first Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at Bernhard’s, where she oversees the development, consolidation, implementation, and publication of Bern hard’s ESG strategies and initiatives through coordination with multiple internal teams and business stakeholders, furthering Bernhard’s ongoing mission of promoting sustainability. This includes establishing clearly defined goals to reduce Bernhard’s greenhouse gas emissions, improve its internal diversity, equity, and in clusion efforts and create momentum behind its charitable giving and community engagement efforts. Alyssa previously served as Bernhard’s Vice President of Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) implementation where she led a team focused on increasing efficiencies within the solutions division at Bernhard, particularly related to EaaS projects. She was a key driver in the development of Bernhard’s industry leading measure ment and verification services, and was heavily involved in the devel opment of numerous EaaS projects. Alyssa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hendrix College in Conway, double majoring in chemical physics and economics.

Ali Karr, P.E., CFM Project Manager

Crafton & Tull Little Rock

Ali Karr, P.E., CFM, is a project manager at Crafton Tull. She leads an engineering design team in the firm’s Rogers office, and focuses on commercial, multifamily and single family residential projects. She specializes in hydro logic and hydraulic studies for large drainage basins and floodplains. Karr graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in biological engineering and has worked at Crafton Tull for five years. She is a member of the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association and the Crafton Tull Employee Stock Own ership Plan (ESOP) committee. Her favorite part of being an engineer is figuring out the puzzle that is each new project. No two projects are the same, and they all require new ideas and innovation to deliver a solution that is functional and desirable. She enjoys being a part of the Girls of Promise program for young women in STEM, which allows her to promote lifelong learning and problem-solving techniques that are essential to engineers in the workplace.

Fallon Lee

Principal/Mechanical Engineer Insight Engineering Little Rock

Fallon Lee is a Principal and Mechanical Engineer at Insight Engineering where she project manages and designs for a range of commercial construction projects. She is a registered professional engineer and a gradu ate of Arkansas State University with a Bach elor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Fallon has worked on proj ects ranging from a coffee shop to a hospital chiller plant renovation. After graduating from Arkansas State University, she moved back to Little Rock and took a job doing mechanical design. Quickly, Fallon felt more connected to projects within the state and chose a career path that would allow her to focus on projects that improve Arkansas and its communities at Insight Engineering. She is an active member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers and the Arkansas Chapter of the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Condition ing Engineers (ASHRAE), for which she serves on the board in several positions, including Board of Governors and Student Activities chair. She is also a board member of studioMAIN, a Little Rock nonprofit that mobilizes the community around innovative design.

Michelle Luce-Gilson Scheduling Manager

VCC Construction Little Rock

Michelle Luce-Gilson is an AACE Certified Planning and Scheduling Professional who has worked in the construction industry for more than 30 years. From her early days pouring and prepping concrete for her family business to managing the schedule for largescale jobs like an LAX terminal renovation, Luce-Gilson has seen it all. For the last seven years at VCC, Luce-Gilson has advanced to become the scheduling manager, working with talented people in a collabora tive and supportive environment to handle the challenges of a busy, fast-paced construction firm.

Kathryn McCoy Project Manager

Garver

North Little Rock

As a project manager on Garver’s Transpor tation Team, Kathryn McCoy, PE, dedicates her days to bettering Arkansas’ transporta tion infrastructure through innovative and cost-effective solutions. She works with cit ies to create Master Drainage Plans, helping them mitigate current drainage problems and plan for future needs. An expert in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and analysis, she has worked on extensive projects involving proposed and existing trans portation structures and FEMA floodplain-related projects. The im

pact of her work has been felt across the state – and the industry. As a part of a variety of professional organizations, Kathryn is committed to going above and beyond for the inclusivity and overall betterment of the transportation engineering industry. She serves on the board of the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association, is a dedicated member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, and has been selected to the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

Lily McRae

Architect

Cromwell Architects Engineers

Little Rock

Lily is a Little Rock native who has always known she wanted to be an architect. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies. Lily practiced historic preservation for several years before moving into the broad er category of design. She enjoys getting to know clients and develop ing a personal relationship with them so that they feel free to contact her for design advice and collaboration. Her design focuses on health care, office and hospitality. She volunteers her time with the Capital Zoning Commission, is the current Central Section Chair of Arkansas AIA, and is a member of Preserve Arkansas.

Brittani Mitchell

Ann Miller Project Manager Nabholz Conway

Project Manager Ann Miller has been with Nabholz for 31 years. Miller’s credentials in clude LEED® AP Building Design + Construc tion, OSHA 30-hour and Certified Construc tion Manager. Miller values relationships and building trust with a wide range of subcon tractors, suppliers and owners. Born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Springdale, Miller received certification from the American Business College before attending Northwest Arkansas Community College. Af ter joining Nabholz as a receptionist in 1991, Miller quickly moved into production, serving as a project manager assistant and project coordi nator before her promotion to project manager in 2004. She specializes in managing project finances and budgets and has expertise in risk as sessment and organization. Miller serves as a member of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), an organization ded icated to the career growth and development of women in construc tion. Miller and her husband, Richard, share two children, Andrew and Larissa, and have been blessed with four grandchildren, Jayden, Cody, Peyton and Mason.

Structural Engineer

Intern Cromwell Architects Engineers Little Rock

Brittani Mitchell is a Structural Engineer In tern and has been with Cromwell since 2016, when she initially started as a structural designer. She is currently working on her Master’s in Structural Engineering at Pur due University after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Before Mitchell decided to pursue a career in structural engineering, she first attended Mizzou, where she completed a bach elor’s degree in architectural studies. As the only female engineer in the structural department, Mitchell is one of two female engineers at Cromwell. In her time at Cromwell, she has worked on a variety of projects including industrial, health care and office space. Beyond taking on the day-to-day tasks of structural engineering design work, Mitchell is very involved in Cromwell committees that benefit both the company and the community. She’s a member of the Safety Com mittee, the Student Outreach and Recruitment team and a mediator for the Quality Control committee.

Patty Opitz AIA/Leed AP/Associate Principal Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects

A graduate from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Patty Opitz is an associate prin cipal and senior staff architect of Polk Stan ley Wilcox Architects. With over 16 years of combined experience in residential and com mercial construction for various facility types, Opitz provides diverse knowledge of project management and architectural planning. Opitz currently serves as a supervisor for the Architectural Experience Program for new hires at PSW, mentoring architectural associates by creating goals and strate gies for completing their required hours in several experience areas to work towards the completion of their architectural exams. Opitz is a leader in the firm and in the architectural community. In 2019, Opitz was recognized by the American Institute of Architects with the Young Architect Award, just one of 22 architects selected annually from across the country for this prestigious recognition. Opitz is also a recipient of the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame 2018 Emerging Professional Award and the AIA Arkansas 2016 Emerging Professional Award. Opitz is a graduate of the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXII. Past and current key project experience in cludes; Bank OZK Headquarters and Master Plan, Apptegy Headquar ters, University of Central Arkansas Donaghey Hall and District Master Plan, The Village at Hendrix Market Square South, The Purple Cow Restaurants, Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, Rayonier Corporate Offices and numerous private residences across the state of Arkansas.

Nicol Pastran

Intern Architect/ Interior Designer WDD Architects

Nicol Pastran was born in Grana Hills, Calif. However, at the age of 3 her parents moved back to their home country of El Salvador, where she was raised. Growing up in El Sal vador allowed her to absorb the Latin-Ameri can culture and to be bilingual in English and Spanish. From a very young age, she showed interest in Art and Design, attending extracurricular art classes and participating in art and photography school competitions. In 2011 she graduated from Josue Christian School in El Salvador, and moved back to the United States to earn her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Harding University. Upon graduating in 2015, she joined the light ing industry working as a lighting rep for an established company in Central Arkansas, where she developed a passion for the technical side of design. In summer of 2017 she enrolled to pursue a Master’s in Ar chitecture at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Nicol is always adding a Latin flair into her designs, which is why her thesis was based on creating an indoor tropical environment for a holistic center and retreat. She earned her M.Arch at the end of 2021 and joined the WDD team in early 2022, where she practices both architecture and interior design. Pastran has served on the leadership board of Illumi nating Engineering Society (IES) Little Rock Chapter as treasurer, sec retary, vice president and president the last 4 years, and as her term ends, she will continue to serve as the PR chair, as well as be involved with the local ASID and AIA chapters. Pastran has worked on a wide

range of projects, including historic preservation, high-end residential, churches, schools and theatrical applications, and she continues to be involved in a variety of projects at WDD.

Betsy Wells

Senior Plumbing Designer HP Engineering, Inc.

Betsy Wells is the Senior Plumbing Designer for HP Engineering, Inc. With over 20 years of experience in the AEC industry, Wells started her career after completing technical courses at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Wells finds plumbing systems fascinating and loves knowing how all the pieces work togeth er to make buildings function optimally. Wells has designed plumbing systems for schools, municipal offices, worship spaces, corporate, re tail, restaurants, offices, health care, community centers, travel plazas, hotels, fire stations, multifamily housing and private residences. She is responsible for selecting plumbing fixtures and equipment and ensur ing the sanitary, water, gas and storm drainage systems route properly within the parameters of a building’s floor plan. Outside of work, Wells can be found riding her motorcycle, spending time with her family, scrapbooking and enjoying the outdoors through camping, hiking, fishing and hunting. Betsy and her husband recently celebrated their 27th anniversary and have two grown sons who have dedicated their lives to serving others as a police officer and a member of the United States Army. Wells is also a two-time breast cancer survivor and advo cates for women’s health and breast cancer awareness.

for your significant contributions to the industry and your commitment to the career growth and development of women in construction.

chosen to call our company home for over thirty years.

2022 WOMEN IN AEC

WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, AND

CONSTRUCTION:

Fallon Lee

By Katie Zakrzewski // Photos provided by Fallon Lee

Fallon Lee loves lots of things: traveling, the outdoors, art, scuba div ing, sporting events, and spending time outside, to name a few. But Lee finds her knack for engineering helpful for others and ful filling for herself. AMP sat down with Lee to discuss how she found her career path and the journey that she’s been on along the way.

Lee grew up in East End, just outside of Little Rock. Her hobbies ran the gamut of activities and plac es; the sky is the limit for Lee.

“My favorite thing in the world is to travel,” Lee shares. “The feel ing of experiencing a new place and culture is so rewarding. I love to admire art and visit museums, and try new food or a sporting event. I also love to scuba dive, exercise (pilates is my go-to), and enjoy most Arkansas outdoor ac tivities when the weather is nice (lake-ing, hiking, biking, walking, etc.). I am also an avid sports fan — I love keeping up with foot ball and, of course, spending time with my family, friends, and my dog Teddy.”

Lee attended Arkansas State University and loved it. She enrolled in the engineering program, the size of which en

abled students to have good re lationships with their professors — a perk that Lee found to be important as classes got more dif ficult and as she began to ponder her career after college.

Lee says that the decision to go into the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) field was not a sudden one. In fact, Lee spent lots of time trying to figure out what she wanted to do.

“I struggled for a while in col lege to find an area of engineering I could see myself enjoying long term. My older sister is an archi tect and briefly explained that she worked with engineers on con struction projects. That quick con versation opened a door for me, and I never looked back.”

Today, Lee spends the major ity of her time collaborating with architects on how engineering sys tems would work inside of a hypo thetical design.

“As important as mechanical systems are, they are not the most beautiful part of a building, so it is important to make sure we are working with the architects to design the system to blend in while also saving energy and providing the system solutions the owner needs,” Lee elaborates. “Sometimes that looks like work

ing on calculations for a few hours, other times, it is 3D model ing or meeting with architects and contractors on a job site to problem-solve.”

Lee notes that being a woman in a male-dominated career has not come without its challenges.

“It’s still a little surprising to me how shocked people are to have a woman in the room and definitely at a seat at the table,” she says. “I have to consciously remind myself that I should be there.”

Fortunately, Lee shares that the AEC field has changed con siderably over time.

“My business partner, Kim Koch, started our firm Insight En gineering at the end of 2018. To have a female-owned and -oper ated firm is inspiring and exciting,” Lee says. “It is not the defin ing characteristic of our firm, but it is an important one. I honestly did not anticipate having an oppor tunity like Insight during my lifetime. I hope that a future generation of little girls will hear about Insight and be inspired to start their own firm.”

Lee shares that the AEC field has more of a com munal feel now compared to when she entered it.

“We regularly get together with other women in the industry, including competitors and clients, to discuss how we can support each other and continue growing women in the field,” Lee shares. “The conver sations are always so open and honest. I am especially inspired by the women who have been in the field for 20+ years without this type of support system. They have so much wisdom, and their willingness to share it is so respectable to me.”

This communal mentality, Lee explains, has gone beyond the AEC field to encompass all aspects and individuals involved in designing a community.

“The design community has such an opportunity to impact the future of Arkansas. Working with stu dioMAIN and talented colleagues has shown me the

ripple effect that thoughtful and intentional design can have for communities. Being able to focus on Arkansas projects fuels this passion, and I look forward to seeing the exciting changes this will bring.”

Lee offers a word of advice to anyone who is contemplating joining the AEC field.

“Mentorship has been a lifeline for me. When you take a step up the ladder, reaching to help pull someone up with you has changed my life,” she says. “I have been so fortunate to have that type of support and encouragement during critical parts of my career. My business partner, Kim, does this better than I have ever seen, and she inspires me to do the same. Find a great men tor, and then become one. That is how we can improve the field as a whole.”

“Mentorship has been a lifeline for me. When you take a step up the ladder, reaching to help pull someone up with you has changed my life.”

Lee notes that having a mentor, such as Kim Koch (left), was crucial for her growth in the field.

Lee explains that a majority of her time is spent collaborating with architects on the function of engineering systems.

WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE,

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION:

Akemi Bauer

By Katie Zakrzewski // Photos provided by Akemi Bauer

In the last couple of decades, the career fields of architecture, engineering, and construction have seen a spike in women joining the field. Hardworking and determined women have paved the way in these career fields for future generations, and Akemi Bauer is no exception. Bauer sat down with AMP and shared her story, from near Olym pic swimmer to Environmental Direc tor of Air at ECCI.

Bauer was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Growing up, com petitive swimming was her main focus. Swimming was more than a pastime: Bauer was incredibly good at it.

“I qualified to compete in Na tional Swimming Tournaments for six years while I was in junior high school through high school. I was .02 seconds away from quali fying for an Olympic tryout com petition once. When I was in col lege, I retired from competitive swimming and became a swim ming coach for kids.”

Bauer graduated from Nihon University with a bachelor’s degree in applied biology and came to the United States in the summer of 2000 for graduate school. She studied at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technol ogy and earned her master’s degree in environmental engi neering. While studying there, she met her husband, Michael

Bauer. The two lived in Albuquer que, New Mexico for three years, and Bauer worked for an environ mental consulting firm as a field engineer on multiple remediation projects. One of her most notable projects was the North Railroad Avenue Plume Superfund project, for which she published a paper in The Applied Environmental Sci ence Journal in 2021.

Bauer and her husband moved to Little Rock in 2006 for her hus band’s graduate school at the Uni versity of Arkansas at Little Rock. At that time, Bauer started work ing with ECCI as an Environmen tal Engineer. In 2009, shortly after welcoming their first child, Bauer took and passed the Professional Engineer (PE) exam.

“I became a PE licensed in New Mexico and Texas. When I tried to transfer my license to Arkansas, the board denied my application due to my foreign non-engineer ing bachelor’s degree, which was not considered equivalent to an accredited four-year engineering education. In order to fulfill the re quirements, I began the process of enrolling in an accredited engineering school and completing the deficiency classes.”

But Bauer found another surprise.

“In the middle of applying to an accredited engineering

school, I learned that I was pregnant with my third child. My morning sick ness was awful, so I had to put off my schooling and rest a little. I continued working as a Senior Environmen tal Engineer at ECCI and became a mother of four,” Bauer recalls.

In 2021, when her fourth child entered kindergarten, Bauer decided to go back to school to get her Arkansas PE.

“I learned that the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville of fered a 100% online graduate school program in engineering. It was a perfect program for me as a full-time worker and full-time mom of four. I started the program in May 2021, completed tak ing all of my deficiency classes in December 2021, and I received my Arkansas license in March 2022. I became the Environmen tal Director of Air and am currently supervising multiple clean air act permitting and compliance projects.”

Bauer shares that her next goal is to continue to expand the business in the sustainability field in carbon footprint evalua tions and sustainability program development.

Bauer elaborates on her decision to enter the architecture, engineering and construction field.

“When I started college, I knew I enjoyed environmental microbiology, but I felt my career options could be limited to the laboratory. When I took an ‘Introduction of Environmental Engineering’ class, I was fascinated by how microorganisms can decompose contaminants in groundwater and soil. I found that environmental engineering can actively help clean up contami nated sites,” Bauer said. “In addition, this class taught us about many of the U.S. superfund sites. This made me want to go to the U.S. and get hands-on experience with these remediation projects. This class played a pivotal role in why I chose environ mental engineering and ultimately came to the U.S. I am now approaching having lived in the U.S. longer than I did in Japan. I worry I cannot refer to myself as a ‘Tokyo Girl’ anymore!”

Bauer walks us through what a day in her work life looks like.

“The majority of the time, I am in the office working on proj ects. I occasionally visit our industrial clients’ facilities for a site walk-through or to conduct an environmental audit,” she says. “My office tasks include performing calculations for air con taminant emissions, reviewing environmental regulations for applicability and compliance determination, preparing neces sary paperwork for air permit application, and preparing envi ronmental reports.”

Bauer highlights some of the challenges that she has faced as a woman in the architecture, engineering, and construction field.

“Since AEC is such a male-dominated industry, all defaults are set for men. For example, the required fire-retardant jack et that I had to wear on-site at a facility was giant! The facility was not accustomed to someone of my petite size needing that equipment. However, there is no challenge that will stop or hin der me from completing my assigned task,” Bauer says. “This

is not necessarily a challenge, but oftentimes when I call a cli ent for the first time, the client will seem surprised and say, ‘I thought you were a male.’ I understand that ‘Akemi’ is an unfa miliar name in the U.S.”

STEM careers, and especially architecture, engineering and construction fields have come a long way here in the Natural State. Bauer testifies that she has seen some of these changes firsthand.

“I definitely have seen an increase in the female representa tion in the AEC field. I believe this is because schools are doing a great job at focusing on STEM education and outreach efforts to underrepresented people such as women,” Bauer theorizes. “In addition, the schools are providing many more opportunities for females in this field. My oldest daughter joined ‘Girl Power in STEM Day’ last year in her junior high and was able to directly interact with women in the AEC fields.”

Bauer offers a piece of advice for individuals interested in en tering her career field.

“My advice applies to those who want to be an engineer. You should strive to obtain your PE license and become a Profes sional Engineer. The board exam is not easy, and you will have to study hard. The best advice I have is to first take the Funda mental Engineering exam while you are in college or immedi ately after graduation. For the Professional Engineering exam, you will need to really allot serious study time, maybe even a year in advance,” she says. “Lastly, being a female in a typically male-driven field is sometimes not the easiest task at times, so be confident in yourself and your abilities, and continue to work hard and prove that you belong.”

“Being a female in a typically male-driven field is sometimes not the easiest task at times, so be confident in yourself and your abilities, and continue to work hard and prove that you belong.”

Akemi Bauer and her husband, Michael.

ARKANSAS UTILITY COSTS SOAR

By Becky Gillette

As winter is quickly approaching, concerns of rising natural gas prices have been presented by the United States Energy Informa tion Administration, with its Winter Fuels Outlook predicting a 28% increase in natural gas bills for the average residential cus tomer from November to March. This increase is predicted to add an ad ditional $931 in costs for the winter, as about half the homes in the U.S. rely on natural gas for heating.

Higher natural gas prices are being driven by many factors, including a very hot summer and the conflict in Ukraine, which is causing global supply constraints, said Lizzy Reinholt, senior vice president of corporate affairs, sustainability & marketing for Summit Utilities, Inc., which provides natu ral gas to more than 400,000 customers in Arkansas.

“We cannot predict when these prices will go up or down,” Reinholt said. “It is too early for us to definitively say what the winter gas supply rate will be, but we do, unfortunately, expect the cost to be higher than last winter.”

Summit Utilities – which recently acquired Cen terPoint Energy assets in Arkansas and other states –and other utilities in the state don’t make a profit on increased fuel costs, as it is a pass-through charge. Essentially, customers are charged what the utilities pay for natural gas, coal and other sources of fuels used either to provide natural gas for heating or generate electricity.

Summit’s gas supply team uses electronic competi tive bidding platforms to seek out reasonable prices for supply based on market conditions, customer require ments and service obligations. According to Reinholt, Summit Utilities’ goal is to provide a diversified gas supply portfolio consisting of an appropriate combi nation of gas supply contracts, storage and hedging instruments across multiple suppliers that yield a bal ance of reliability, reduced price volatility and reason able prices.

“Our storage contracts allow us to purchase gas in summer months at summer prices and inject it into storage,” Reinholt said. “We withdraw this gas in the winter months at the fixed summer price, which helps stabilize the gas price for our customers.”

Reinholt also said that in order to understand how increasing energy costs can impact customers, they continually take measures to secure the most reliable and lowest price possible.

“We are also focused on leveraging our communi cations platforms to educate our customers about en ergy conservation tips, energy efficiency programs, and payment assistance programs in light of higher energy costs this winter,” Reinholt said. “If customers are hav ing trouble paying their bills, Summit will work with qualified customers to set up a payment plan and help find possible energy assistance options.”

Entergy Arkansas’ 728,000 customers in 63 counties have an advantage in that the company relies heavily on nuclear power instead of natural gas to generate electricity. According to Entergy Arkansas, its diverse mix of generation resources allows the company to

use its lower-cost resources to offset those with higher costs as circumstances change.

“Last year, our nuclear generation sources set a re cord,” Kurt Castleberry, director of resource planning and market operations, said. “Low cost, emission-free power provides about 70% of the electricity our cus tomers consume to help insulate them from the cost swings of natural gas. At Entergy Arkansas, we care fully plan and invest our resources to provide reliable power and keep rates as low as possible. Fuel diversity pays off and so does our investment in our nuclear fleet to keep them producing electricity at historically high levels, and increasing solar generation. In addi tion to keeping costs down, these sources have lower emissions, which benefits not just our customers but all Arkansans.”

Castleberry said the company’s Energy Cost Re covery Rider (ECR) rate is redetermined each spring, based on the prior calendar year’s fuel and purchased power costs adjusted for nuclear refueling outages and projected sales, plus any true-up for the underor over-recovered fuel balances for the prior calendar year. The ECR accounts for roughly 9% of a residential customer’s total monthly bill. New rates take effect in April, unless there is a mid-year adjustment.

In April, the ECR increased from $0.00959 per kilo watt hour (kWh) to $0.01785 per kWh, or from the 2021 rate of just under 1 cent per kWh to 1.8 cents beginning with April billing. Customers received a decreased ECR rate the last two years, and the 2021 ECR rate ($0.00959) was the lowest rate in more than 10 years, according to Castleberry.

Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC) pro vides wholesale power to 600,000 members and cus tomers through 17 local distribution cooperatives. AECC has a generation mix that includes coal, natural gas, hydro, wind and solar. AECC Director of Corpo rate Communication Rob Roedel said their nonfos sil fuel generation sources make up about 20% of the electricity produced, which can offset some of the in

Higher natural gas prices are being driven by many factors, including a very hot summer and the conflict in Ukraine, which is causing global supply constraints,

creases in natural gas prices.

“However, the concern is like in February of 2021 when we had Winter Storm Uri caused by a polar vortex, those resources like wind and solar were not available, and some coal plants were in a maintenance mode,” Roedel said. “So, we relied much more on natural gas. There is more reliance on natural gas now due to coal plants closing. Unfortunately, natural gas is a traded commodity. So, when demand starts outpac ing supply, the price goes up.”

Before Winter Storm Uri in 2021, natural gas cost $3 per MMBTU. In 2022, costs were $4 to $5 per MMBTU. This coming winter, costs are expected to be the range of $7 per MMBTU.

“The prices are still very volatile, and we are expect ing further changes,” Roedel said in late October. “We always hope for better prices, but demand is outpacing production. The U.S. is exporting a lot of liquid natural gas (LNG) to other countries, including those impacted by the shutdown of natural gas pipelines from Russia. As we continue down this path with the federal energy policy, we are concerned this may be a long-term issue for baseload generation.”

Roedel said the issue with LNG exports making domestic gas more expensive is understandable con sidering we are in a global economy. If for-profit com panies can make more money selling LNG to other countries and create more profit for their sharehold ers, they are going to do that. “That is the business model,” Roedel said.

Although AECC has agreements for natural gas purchases for the coming winter, prices could still fluctuate.

“A crucial thing for people to understand is that

natural gas quite often tracks along with gaso line, diesel and other petroleum-based prod ucts,” Roedel said. “I can’t guess how much the average bill will increase this winter. It depends on how cold it gets. Now is the time to check the energy efficiency of your home, make sure you have good insulation, energy-efficient windows and appliances and good sealing of doors. Any investment you make on those things will pay for themselves with lower energy bills. We have been stressing that for years.”

Robin Mizell, spokesperson for Black Hills Energy, said Black Hills Energy knows costs across the board, including energy costs, are up, and it will work diligently to procure natural gas supply with reliability and affordability in mind.

“We believe the best way to support our cus tomers right now is to offer proactive steps to manage consumption, and in situations where energy efficien cy and conservation are not enough, we like to partner with customers on bill assistance options,” Mizell said.

Mizell points out that natural gas prices have risen as a direct result of supply and demand, upending the dynamic over the past eight to 10 years when natural gas prices were relatively low.

“As Black Hills Energy does not produce natural gas, the company has an experienced gas supply team who works diligently to minimize cost impacts for cus tomers when they purchase gas while balancing our commitment to providing safe, reliable service,” said Mizell, whose company serves 180,000 customers in Arkansas. “We meet year-round natural gas needs with a balanced and diversified gas procurement plan. Our gas storage assets in Arkansas not only provide reliable supply and operational flexibility to adjust to customer demand, but also contribute to more stable pricing. And we consistently evaluate our gas procure ment plans and look for opportunities to reduce expo sure to market volatility.”

Mizell said Black Hills estimates the winter cost of gas in natural gas in Arkansas to be almost double what it was a year ago.

“Circumstances may change and result in a cost that is higher or lower than this current estimate,” Mizell said. “We recognize how current market costs can im pact a household budget, and we are here to help our customers manage use and bills. Black Hills Energy has a multifaceted approach to educate our custom ers on ways to manage monthly bills and plan for the impacts of higher natural gas commodity prices this

winter. Arkansas customers may also find energy effi ciency rebates, programs and services at energy-ready arkansas.com. By bringing awareness to some simple energy efficiency habits and resources, we hope to help our customers better manage their energy costs.”

Higher energy costs for Black Hills customers will be in addition to a 4.6% increase approved in October by the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC), which will add an estimated $4 per month to the aver age residential customer’s bill.

American Electric Power’s Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) has mitigated some of the gas price volatility with owned re newable resources, coal and lignite generation, as well as term natural gas purchases planned for the winter months, said Tara L. Muck, spokesper son for SWEPCO.

Increased costs for fuels to generate electricity will come on top of a 9.49% base rate increase approved by APSC that went into effect in July. Muck said the increase re flected higher costs for gen eration, transmission and distribution. Muck said the increase also included their investments in cleaner power generation such as the North Central Energy Facilities, a wind facility in Oklahoma.

“While this was a base rate increase, the fuel savings and tax credits we gain with the addition of renewable energy will help offset the cost of these facilities,” Muck said.

“SWEPCO is investing in renewable energy to help reduce our reliance on fuel such as natural gas. Our long-term strategy calls for more than one-third of our energy generation mix to consist of wind and solar resources. As we increase renewable energy as part of our generation mix, we can help offset the cost to purchase fuel and ultimately provide further savings to our customers. Currently, our generation mix consists of 21% wind energy, thanks to the recent completion of the third and largest wind farm at the North Central Energy Facilities (NCEF). The NCEF

provides 268 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to Ar kansas customers.”

SWEPCO, which has about 125,000 customers in Arkansas, has announced plans to add up to 1,071 MW of wind and solar energy by 2025.

Muck said when the cost of fuel is found to be sig nificantly higher or lower than the annual energy re covery rate set for customers, SWEPCO can file for interim adjustments throughout the year. That is what they did in September, when they determined that they had an under-recovered fuel balance of $44 mil lion since Jan. 1 because of the sharp increase in fuel over such a short period of time.

“This interim fuel adjust ment increased our fuel rate from 3.74 cents to 6.4 cents per kilowatt-hour,”Muck said. “This new rate is in effect from October to March 2023. For Arkansas residential cus tomers using 1,000 kWh per month, bills beginning Sept. 28 increased approximately $12.05 per month compared to their September bill of the same usage. The new adjust ed rate is in effect during win ter base rates, which are lower than summer rates. The lower winter rates will help lessen the overall fuel rate impact on customers.”

In Arkansas, SWEPCO of fers Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®, a compre hensive weatherization program for eligible residen tial customers that will help pay for energy efficient home improvements including insulation, LED light ing and caulking and weatherstripping. Muck said this is a great cost-effective way to cut annual heating and cooling costs by up to 10%.

For business customers, the Commercial & In dustrial Energy Efficiency Pathway provides incen tives to help Arkansas facilities reduce peak elec tric demand and annual energy consumption. The Small Business Pathway offers more tailor-made solutions for Arkansas small businesses that help provide energy saving upgrades at little to no cost with SWEPCO incentives.

“We believe the best way to support our customers right now is to offer proactive steps to manage consumption, and in situations where energy efficiency and conservation are not enough.”

EXECUTIVE Q & A with Kate East

Kate East is a partner at AMR Architects, a Little Rock-based architecture firm, where her father was a founding partner alongside Jimmy Moses and John Al lison, who both later went on to found separate firms. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Lake Forest College and a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from the University of Central Arkansas, and she has been a part of the AMR team since 2005. Though trained as an interior designer, she is also in command of the firm’s marketing, manages clients and is a major part of the firm’s effort to diversify its capa bilities. In short, she does far too much for any one title to sum up adequately.

AMP: Tell us a little about yourself.

EAST: I was born and raised in Little Rock — spending my first few years living in an apartment on top of the Stone Ward build ing in downtown Little Rock. My father was an architect and my mom was an artist. My father, along with his then-business partners Jimmy Moses and John Allison, was determined to re build the largely desolate area of downtown into a bustling city. My early life was intertwined in their efforts to create a vibrant, mixed-use and walkable community in the heart of downtown. Being surrounded by artists and architects who were focused on creating urban, walkable, creative hubs heavily influenced who I am today.

I worked in AMR’s office on and off growing up, but after high school wanted to venture away, and selected Lake Forest Col lege north of Chicago to study studio art, psychology and his tory. When senior year came around, my parents presented me with the opportunity to return to Little Rock to work for the firm with the sales pitch that, while Chicago was amazing, I would be a small fish in a big pond. In Little Rock, however, I would have a seat at the table, the ability to really help build a city and to use my background in the arts to support a career as a designer. They said, “Little Rock isn’t the same place it was when you grew up; the River Market district is growing and we are even building a high rise!” So, I graduated on Saturday, drove home Sunday and started work at AMR on Monday. I learned the ropes while

commuting to UCA to fulfill my interior design hours so I could test for NCIDQ certification.

I fell in love with almost every aspect of architecture and de sign- specifically, how they affect placemaking when they connect people. When my father passed away in 2012, his partner Frank Barksdale and I took over leadership of the firm. Now I have three incredible new partners, Jonathan Opitz, Adam Day and James Sullivan. We have created a collaborative and inclusive environ ment at AMR, and I try to offset the “seriousness” nature of archi tects tend towards and infuse humor in the whole operation.

My projects are heavily focused on higher education projects across the state. Campuses are like little walkable cities, which I love. I also work on a lot of multifamily projects, mixed-use de velopments, commercial interiors and hospitality projects. Cur rently we are renovating a retro motel in Fayetteville. So really, a little bit of everything.

AMR Architects, Little Rock

I now live with my husband, an architect, and my 8-year-old son in a downtown condo, where we are an elevator ride away from my mom, who also lives in the building.

AMP: How has your training in the fine arts complemented your work with architecture and design?

EAST: Fine arts and interior design are so completely inter twined. We spent so much time in school attempting to perfect scale, proportion, layering color and texture within our paint ings and mixed media pieces. This is really very similar to what interior designers do, but on a larger three dimensional scale. My arts education also focused on graphic design, a skill which I have heavily relied upon in not only my efforts running market ing for our firm, but also in designing environmental graphics and signage for our buildings and even our logo.

AMP: What are some challenges you face in design?

EAST: A topic that we discuss continuously as a challenge is one that people across many industries are examining: The hous ing shortage. We are incredibly interested in figuring out how we can use our skills as designers to create affordable housing solutions. This usually expands to a discussion of city code, ad dressing how to densify the amount of units we can build in tra ditionally single family zones. We want to make an impactful contribution to what is called the “missing middle.” These are structures that are more in scale with large single-family homes, but house multiple units — fourplexes, duplexes, medium mul tiplexes and live/work buildings. The finances often don’t pencil out on these as well as a large apartment complex, which is why they aren’t very enticing to developers. Zoning also prohibits these in many areas where we would like to build them to den sify and add housing.

We also struggle as a profession with informing the public about what we actually do as designers and why we are valu able. From code research to space planning, running budgets and pro formas, overseeing contractors’ work, specifications, construction drawings and client meetings, the job is so much more than “color picking.”

AMP: What, in your opinion, are the most important qualities for working in design?

EAST: The design world has a lot of paths that require different skill sets. For client-facing designers, working in the commercial world, you must be able to balance a good sense of design with strong presentation and communication skills. In our world, you are constantly selling yourself in interviews. My short time singing and dancing in community theater is honestly one of my most valued strengths. I have found that if you can get over the nervousness of singing in front of a group of people, then speak ing is so much easier by comparison. You absolutely must have the ability to follow through. Get yourself organized, even if it isn’t in your nature, and see tasks through to the very end. Come to the table with solutions, not just the problems.

If you are thinking about becoming a designer I think it is valuable to start becoming very analytical about spaces you en counter. If you find yourself in a space you love, or hate, sketch the floor plan, note the materials and lighting. Try to analyze what specifically about the space draws you in or repels you. You cannot always tell that from looking at images on Pinterest. Also, travel, travel, travel! Travel as much as you can to cities. Explore as many of the great cities of the world, large and small, that you possibly can. I realize this is a privilege, and I am very lucky to have traveled to many countries, but I encourage everyone to take any opportunity you have to get outside of your comfort zone and your bubble.

AMP: Reflecting back on your career, do you have any thoughts about how far you’ve come?

EAST: I work very hard, but I had a heck of a lot of help, and I want to acknowledge that. My father included me in meetings and conversations that designers right out of school rarely get to be involved in. This access and opportunity was invaluable. After his passing, I had partners and clients that went above and be yond to support my transition into ownership. They trusted AMR with their projects and were vital in our success. Allowing others access and transparency to what happens at the top of a business and supporting others that are transitioning in business is very important to me because of how others helped me at this time.

My current partners are incredible, as is my team at AMR. Surrounding yourself with talented people really is the way to success.

EXECUTIVE Q & A with Greg Cockmon

Greg Cockmon is the CEO of Cromwell ArchitectsEngineers, one of the oldest architecture or engineering firms in the state, with a history dating back to Benjamin J. Bartlett in 1885. Over his 33 years with the company, serving as president since 2009 and CEO since 2021, he has assisted with or directed countless projects across the state, country, and overseas. In addition to helping manage day-to-day operations, marketing and business development, he is deeply involved with design work and client management, especially with the federal gov ernment and Department of Defense.

AMP: Tell us a little about yourself.

COCKMON: I was born and raised in Central Arkansas. I grew up in Little Rock, one of a six-kid family, all of whom are either in Arkansas or Oklahoma, so all of us have stayed close. My fa ther was an engineer, so I did not fall too far from the tree when it came to choosing a profession. I had the opportunity to take some art and drafting classes in high school, which was instru mental in starting me down this path that I have been following during my career. After high school, I attended Southern Ar kansas University Technical College and then the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where I studied Architecture. I began my professional career at Cromwell in 1989 as an intern architect. I never imagined at the time that it would turn out to be my first job and that I would still be here today, working with an amaz ing group of talented individuals, working side by side with the clients that I have the opportunity to serve and in the leadership position that I am in.

At the same time I was starting my career in architecture, my wife and I got married. We have two incredible children, one a nurse currently traveling the country, while the other followed the same path as me and graduated architecture school and is currently practicing in Florida. I am an avid sports fan and love doing anything outdoors.

AMP: You’ve said that your childhood dream was to be a long-haul truck driver. What made you choose architecture instead?

COCKMON: I tell a story about when I was young; I always thought I wanted to drive a long-haul truck someday. I am not really sure why that was. But I think it might have been because of the times we spent driving around the state on camping trip. Seeing those big trucks running up and down the road. It gave me the idea that it would be a good way to see other places that I had never been and experience them for a short time. I have always been an Arkansas boy, and driving a truck was a way that I could see other places and still come back home. My dream changed as I got older, so I am glad that architecture and a career at Cromwell was in my future. I was still able to travel to those places and see those things I didn’t experience while growing up and still can come back home. The opportunity to travel for work has been extremely rewarding and beneficial. It has allowed me the opportunity to experience places and people

Cromwell Architects-Engineers, Little Rock

and to see some wonderful architecture. I am able to use those experiences and the things I see in our practice here in Arkan sas. Maybe more travel in a long-haul truck is in the future for a second career, although it may not be what my wife has in mind. Travel yes, truck no.

AMP: Are there any unique challenges you face as the CEO of an ar chitecture and engineering firm?

COCKMON: What I love about working in the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry and having the opportunities that we have had as a company, working for a va riety of clients all over the country and worldwide, is how you are always learning something new. That is why it is such a won derful and inspiring profession; every day is a new challenge that lends itself to new ways to learn and see things. Some of the challenges we face today in our firm are hiring to keep up with the growth of our organization and support the great opportu nities we have; the cost of construction continually increasing; materials and equipment shortages and delivery times that have continued to extend out along with the pace at which clients need to complete a job and open for business.

There are also challenges in keeping a business running. You not only have to get the work done, but you must keep up with changing technology and ways of doing things along with pursuing new project opportunities. Something that is always front and center for me is, how can we make Cromwell the best it can be, not only for the services we do for our clients, but for each member of our company? Do we have a place that allows them to be the best they can be, have the tools they need to do their job to the best of their abilities, and do that in an environ ment that is supportive, safe, and stimulating so that they have the opportunity to reach their full potential? You must always be looking to the future for opportunities and to be aware of our ever-changing industry and the competitive nature of our busi ness. I have always felt like we have some of the best design and construction companies in the country right here in Arkansas, and it excites me to see what the future brings us.

AMP: What work have you done in your career that you are most proud of?

COCKMON: Working at Cromwell has been the absolute best experience that I could ever imagine. Being with a firm that has been in business since 1885 is kind of intimidating when you are chosen to lead that company. You certainly want to do everything that you can to leave it in better shape than when you first started. I have had the opportunity to work on so many diverse types of projects and with so many wonderful clients throughout my ca reer. There have been opportunities to work in corporate, finan cial, health care, education, industrial and many others. But if I had to choose — which I don’t like to do — would say the area of our practice that I am most proud to be involved in is our federal market. Doing projects for the Department of Defense and serv ing the members of the armed forces is very rewarding. All the individuals and families that are impacted by those projects are more than you can imagine. That has had a significant impact on my life, and I am proud to say that our firm has been doing work for the Department of Defense for over 50 years.

AMP: How has architecture changed since you came into the field? COCKMON: This really dates me, which is not really exciting, but when I began my professional career, we produced all our documents by hand. Drawings were done with pen and ink. The pace of a project was much slower, and changes were not as common. You really had to commit before you put something down on paper, because change was not as easy as it might be considered today. Today everything is developed on a computer, an iPad, or a phone. Communication is much better and faster, changes are easier, but change is more prevalent. The pace and speed at which you produce a design and documents is much faster. Technology has changed the way we design, how we de sign in some cases and what we design. Systems are much more complicated; materials are more abundant; and new systems and processes will continue to change what and how we do things. That is what makes this such an exciting profession. Every day is a day you learn something new and face a new challenge.

MINORITY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS

We’ve been proud to feature many of the state’s most prominent businesses in Arkansas Money & Politics. These businesses represent the entire spectrum of industry in Arkansas, from local restaurants to trucking companies.

AMP asked its reader to nominate those businesses they considered “the best” in their fields. We think all Arkansas businesses are the best in their fields, but the top three vote-getters in each category are recognized and listed alphabetically in the pages that follow as the 2022 Best of AMP.

Proud of our legacy. Focused on yours

As the premier advocacy organization for business, our Chamber works daily to promote a healthy, vibrant economy while protecting and advancing the interests of our members and the community as a whole www nlrchamber org

CONGRATULATIONS

DR. HEFLEY

Named one of the Best Physicians in the state by Arkansas Money & Politics!

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Hefley, Jr. has a passion for relieving pain and restoring the mobility that makes life worth living.

If you have joint pain, make Arkansas Surgical Hospital your hospital. Physician Owned. Patient Focused. 877-918-7020 www.arksurgicalhospital.com

Home technology with you in mind

From security to entertainment to complete home control, Triple-S has the solution for you.

501-664-4599 2820 Cantrell Road, Little Rock triplesalarm.com

UAMS Proudly Celebrates the Best in Health Care

Congratulations to the outstanding UAMS health care team recognized among the best of 2022 in the following categories. • Diverse Workplace • Health Care Provider • Hospital

At UAMS Health, we’re here to ensure you have access to the best care, right here close to home. With a staff of the best and brightest, personalized medicine and convenient access to clinics, you can feel confident knowing the state of your health is in exceptional hands.

To find a doctor, visit UAMS.Health/AMPBest2022 or call 501-686-8000.

BROWN ROGERS & CO., LLC

FORVIS, LLP

SIXTYONE CELSIUS

LITTLE ROCK TENT & AWNING CO.

MAPLE LEAF AWNING & CANVAS BANK

ENCORE BANK

SIMMONS BANK

STONE BANK

BEST OF ARKANSAS MADE

BUSINESS INSURANCE AGENCY • BERRYHILL INSURANCE • BROWN & BROWN INSURANCE, INC. • SMITH & COMPANY INSURANCE (STUTTGART)

CAR DEALERSHIPS

• BMW OF LITTLE ROCK • MCLARTY DANIEL AUTOMOTIVE • RUSSELL CHEVROLET

PINNACLE APPRAISAL CO., LLC

PTC, INC.

POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS

BUSINESS CONSULTING FIRM

CASINO • OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT • SARACEN CASINO RESORT • SOUTHLAND CASINO HOTEL CEO • INUVO, INC., RICHARD HOWE • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES, ELIZABETH GLASBRENNER • THE JANET JONES COMPANY, JANET JONES CFO • ARKANSAS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, ERIC MANGHAM • INUVO, INC., WALLACE RUIZ • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES, INC., KELLIE SINH

CHAMBER

• ARKANSAS STATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • LITTLE ROCK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • NORTH LITTLE ROCK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Congratulations to our facilities, team, and leadership who are being recognized as the best in their respective categories all for the second year in a row! Conway Regional is proud to be voted as AMP’s Best Hospital, Best Diverse Workplace, and Best Health Care Provider. At Conway Regional, we are one team with one promise: to be bold, to be exceptional, and to answer the call.

BEST PRESIDENT OR CEO OF A HOSPITAL/HEALTH SYSTEM

Troup

AMP’s Best Fitness Center

Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center ConwayRegionalHFC.org

Matt

CHARITY EVENTS

• ARKANSAS GAME & FISH FOUNDATION, ARKANSAS OUTDOOR HALL OF FAME BANQUET

• CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTERS OF ARKANSAS (CACAR), WOMAN OF INSPIRATION

• RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE, CHOCOLATE FANTASY BALL

CHIROPRACTOR

• BLACKMON CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC, CHRIS BLACKMON, D.O.

• BLEDSOE CHIROPRACTIC, AMANDA BLEDSOE

• CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH & REHABILITATION, BEVERLY FOSTER, D.O.

COMMERCIAL CARPET/CARPETING

• BOB ROBISON COMMERCIAL FLOORING

• C&P CARPETS & ENTERPRISES, INC.

• MILLER COMMERCIAL FLOORING, INC.

COMMERCIAL CLEANING

• BUSTED KNUCKLES CLEANING, LLC

• JAN-PRO OF ARKANSAS

• STEAMATIC RESTORATION & CLEANING OF ARKANSAS, INC.

COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPER

• CHRIS H. OLSEN

• IT’S HIS TURF

• SOUTHERN LAWN SERVICE, LLC

COMMERCIAL PRINTING

• DEMOCRAT PRINTING AND LITHOGRAPHING

• MAGNA IV COLOR IMAGING, INC.

• TCPRINT SOLUTIONS (TWIN CITY PRINTING)

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

• COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

• KELLEY COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

• MOSES TUCKER PARTNERS

COMMERICAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY

• COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

• KELLEY COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

• MOSES TUCKER PARTNERS

COMPUTER SERVICES COMPANY

• EDAFIO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

• NETWORK SERVICES GROUP, INC.

• THE COMPUTER HUT

CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

• BALDWIN & SHELL CONSTRUCTION CO.

COO • ARKANSAS BLUECROSS BLUE SHIELD, GRAY DILLARD • ARKANSAS UROLOGY, JONATHAN RUSHING • SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE, QUINCY HURST COUNTRY CLUB • HOT SPRINGS COUNTRY CLUB

PLEASANT VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB • THE COUNTRY CLUB OF LITTLE ROCK

COURIER

SERVICE

• ARKANSAS BEST COURIERS • NWA COURIER • PARRISH DELIVERY SERVICES

CREDIT UNION • ARKANSAS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • DIAMOND LAKES FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

TELCOE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

DERMATOLOGY CLINIC

ARKANSAS DERMATOLOGY

DERMATOLOGY GROUP OF ARKANSAS

PINNACLE DERMATOLOGY

DISASTER RESTORATION

ALL-CLEAN USA RESTORATION SERVICES

LANGENWALTER CARPET CARE & WATER RESTORATION

METRO DISASTER SPECIALISTS

Dr. Bev. Foster has been one of Central Arkansas’ favorite Chiropractic physicians for over 31 years and has been continually voted “Best Chiropractor” by readers of Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the Arkansas Times, Arkansas Money & Politics and AY Magazine. Board certified in Chiropractic Orthopedics, Dr. Foster has been a guest lecturer at UAMS and has served the Arkansas and National Chiropractic examining boards in various capacities. CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH AND REHABILITATION 2701 W. Markham Street Little Rock, AR 501.371.0152 • drbevfoster.com

Dr. Bev. Foster

We are devoted to providing high quality care which celebrates the dignity and grace of every person who enters our facility.

At Sherwood Nursing and Rehab we are committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. Our qualified staff is here giving support for the tasks of day-to-day living, allowing for the enjoyment of more pleasant and carefree activities.

We specialize in Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care services.

DIVERSE WORKPLACE

• CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • THADEN SCHOOL • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

DRUG TESTING • COURTHOUSE CONCEPTS, INC. • FIRST CHOICE DRUG TESTING • XPERT DIAGNOSTICS, INC.

DRY CLEANING SERVICE • OAK FOREST CLEANERS

SCHICKEL’S CLEANERS

TIDE CLEANERS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR • ARNOLD & BLEVINS ELECTRIC CO. • CHAMBERLAIN ELECTRIC, LLC • GARY HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC.

ENERGY COMPANY • ARKANSAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE CORP.

BLACK HILLS ENERGY

ENTERGY ARKANSAS ENGINEERING FIRM

CRAFTON TULL

CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS

GARVER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING • ECCI (ENGINEERING, COMPLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION, INC.)

EXCAVATION COMPANY • FUREIGH HEAVY CONSTRUCTION • GRANT GARRETT EXCAVATING • KERRY YOUNG EXCAVATING

EXERCISE FACILITY/ FITNESS CENTER • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH & FITNESS CENTER • ST. BERNARD’S HEALTH & WELLNESS

• THE ATHLETIC CLUBS (LITTLE ROCK, NORTH LITTLE ROCK AND DOWNTOWN)

EYE GLASSES

• BURROW’S & MR, FRANK’S OPTICAL • MCFARLAND EYE CARE • UPTOWN EYES

FINANCIAL/PERSONAL INVESTMENT SERVICES • GADBERRY FINANCIAL GROUP

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

• BAPTIST HEALTH • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

HEALTH

INSURANCE PROVIDER

• ARKANSAS BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD • DELTA DENTAL OF ARKANSAS • UNITED HEALTHCARE SERVICES, INC.

HOME HEALTH PROVIDER • ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE • SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE

WASHINGTON REGIONAL HOME HEALTH

HOSPICE • ARKANSAS HOSPICE

HOSPICE HOME CARE

KINDRED HOSPICE

TANARAH LUXE FLORAL

HOSPITAL • BAPTIST HEALTH • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

HOTEL FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL

ALOFT ROGERS-BENTONVILLE

OAKLAWN HOTEL (OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT)

We’ve been helping Arkansas build and grow for more than 120 years. Our knowledge and experience cover a broad range of issues, including pre-construction planning, regulatory compliance, financial transactions, contract review and negotiation, tax opportunities and professional liability defense.

Our team offers sound guidance to private business owners, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, public entities and municipalities, construction companies, architects, engineers and real estate professionals in all phases of development.

An Arkansas resource for community development.

Offering relevant, high-wage career and technical programs that provide essential workers in business, health, education, and manufacturing

Expanding academic course offerings, including specialized 2+2 plans with state universities that allow a smooth transfer into a bachelor’s degree

Increasing access to affordable, high-quality programs taught by a caring, supportive faculty

Offering a robust concurrent student program that results in high school students completing collegiate certificates and associate degrees in conjunction with their high school diploma

Readers of AMP for Voting UACCM Best Arkansas Technical School

UACCM celebrates a proud past as we anticipate a future full of hope and continued progress.

UACCM provides:

§ High degree of personalized attention

§ Tuition rate that provides an excellent value

§ Scholarship and financial aid packages that result in no student debt

§ A strong workforce for the state of Arkansas

§ A Journey with Meaning

HOTEL FOR LEISURE TRAVEL

• 21C MUSEUM HOTEL BENTONVILLE • OAKLAWN HOTEL (OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT) • THE WATERS HOTEL HOT SPRINGS

HVAC

CONTRACTOR

• DASH HEATING & COOLING

MIDDLETON HEAT & AIR

POWERS OF ARKANSAS, INC.

INDUSTRIAL ROOFING

• GROBMYER ROOFING & RESTORATION, INC. • ARKANSAS INDUSTRIAL ROOFING, INC. • RILEY HAYS ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION, LLC INSURANCE

AGENCY

JEWELER

• LAURAY’S, THE DIAMOND CENTER • SISSY’S LOG CABIN • WILKERSON JEWELERS

LAND REAL ESTATE BROKER

• LILE REAL ESTATE

• MOSSY OAK PROPERTIES, INC. (DELTA LAND FOR SALE)

• WELLONS LAND REAL ESTATE

LANDSCAPER

• BETTER LAWNS AND GARDENS, INC.

• MAPLE LEAF LAWN CARE, LLC

• THE GOOD EARTH GARDEN CENTER

LAW FIRM

• FRIDAY, ELDREDGE & CLARK, LLP

• RAINWATER, HOLT & SEXTON • WRIGHT LINDSEY JENNINGS

MANUFACTURING COMPANY

• LEXICON, INC. • NATIONAL CUSTOM HOLLOW METAL DOORS & FRAMES • XPRESS BOATS

MEMORY CARE FACILITY

• MEMORY CARE OF LITTLE ROCK AT GOOD SHEPHERD

• ROBINSON NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER, LLC

• SALEM PLACE NURSING & REHABILITAITON, INC.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDER

• OUACHITA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

• PINNACLE POINTE BEHAVIORAL HOSPITAL • THE BRIDGEWAY HOSPITAL

MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS

• DOYNE CONSTRUCTION CO. • RENAISSANCE HEALTHCARE • THE DESIGN GROUP

MORTGAGE LENDER

• ARKANSAS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

• ENCORE BANK • SIMMONS BANK

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

• ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH FOUNDATION • LITTLE ROCK ZOO • RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF ARKANSAS

OFFICE

SUPPLIES

• AMERICAN PAPER & TWINE • ARKANSAS OFFICE PRODUCTS • PETTUS OFFICE PRODUCTS

PAYROLL SERVICE • COMPLETE PAYROLL SERVICES • PAYCHEX • PAYLOCITY

PEST COMPANY

• ADAMS PEST CONTROL • LEGACY TERMITE & PEST CONTROL, INC. • THE BUG MAN

PET HOSPITAL

• HILLCREST ANIMAL HOSPITAL • LAKE HAMILTON ANIMAL HOSPITAL

• PLEASANT VALLEY VETERINARY CLINIC

Briar wood Nursing and Rehab is a 120-bed skilled facility located in an urban setting within the heart of Little Rock, in the neighborhood of Briarwood. We are located just minutes from downtown Little Rock and are only one block off interstate 630.

We provide long-term care and short-term rehab care. All residents are monitored throughout the day with assistance in providing daily care as is needed: bathing, dressing, feeding and providing medications. Briarwood staff also work at ensuring the best care for residents through individual care plans of residents' needs, as well as daily activities, which allow for a variety of interests and abilities.

Nearly all - 98 percent - of our rehab residents return to the community as a result of positive, caring therapists. Briarwood's approach has provided healing to many people in the community.

At Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, we are committed to ensuring that the best possible care is given to you or your loved one in an atmosphere that is calm, quiet and focused on healing. We endeavor to ensure that all aspects of your well-being — mental, physical and spiritual — are cared for in a peaceful and safe environment. Our staff strive to promote dignity, respect, and independence as much as possible, in a beautiful, soothing enviornment that was designed with our residents' comfort in mind.

Briarwood's service-rich environment is made possible by its dedicated staff, from our nursing staff and therapists, to our operations and administrative employees. At Briarwood, our residents enjoy three generations of staff and families. That is over 30 years of service to the community!

• ALICE WALTON

• JOHNELLE HUNT

• WARREN AND HARRIET STEPHENS

PHYSICIAN

• BOWEN HEFLEY ORTHOPEDICS, DR. WILLIAM HEFLEY, JR.

• CONWAY REGIONAL SURGICAL ASSOCIATES, DR. ANTHONY MANNING, F.A.C.S.

• THE WOMEN’S CLINIC, P.A., DR. JILL K. JENNINGS

PLACE FOR A COFFEE MEETING

• LEIVA’S COFFEE

• MUGS CAFE

• NEXUS COFFEE & CREATIVE

• ONYX COFFEE LAB

PLACE FOR A LUNCH MEETING

• DOE’S EAT PLACE

• SAMANTHA’S TAP ROOM & WOOD GRILL

• THREE FOLD NOODLES + DUMPLING CO.

PLACE FOR A SPECIAL EVENT

• CRYSTAL RIDGE DISTILLERY

• CYPRESS SOCIAL

• RUSTY TRACTOR VINEYARDS

PLACE FOR TEAM BUILDING OR COMPANY RETREAT

• DEGRAY LAKE RESORT STATE PARK

• MID-AMERICA SCIENCE MUSEUM

• WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE

PLACE TO MEET AFTER WORK

• CAPITAL HOTEL BAR

• PETIT & KEET

• THE OYSTER BAR

PLUMBING CONTRACTOR

• ATLAS PLUMBING AND SERVICE

• BERT BLACK SERVICE COMPANIES

• DON M. HOUFF PLUMBING CO.

PRESIDENT OR CEO OF A HOSPITAL/HEALTH SYSTEM

• ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, MARCI DODERER, F.A.C.H.E.

• CARTI, ADAM HEAD

• CONWAY REGIONAL, MATT TROUP

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

• ARKANSAS NURSE PRACTITIONER ASSOCIATION

• ARKANSAS TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

• LITTLE ROCK EXECUTIVES ASSOCIATION (LREA)

PROMOTIONAL APPAREL • ARKANSAS GRAPHICS, INC. • INK CUSTOM TEES • TRIVIA MARKETING

PUBLIC RELATIONS

• GWL ADVERTISING, INC. • SIXTYONE CELSIUS • THE PEACOCK GROUP

RECYCLING COMPANY • ALMAN RECYCLING CO. • NATURAL STATE RECYCLING • WM (FORMERLY WASTE MANAGEMENT)

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY

• COLDWELL BANKER RPM GROUP • IREALTY ARKANSAS • THE JANET JONES COMPANY RESTAURANT FOR BUSINESS DINNERS

• ARTHUR’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE • RED OAK STEAKHOUSE • SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK ROOM

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

• CHENAL PINES RETIREMENT RESORT • COUNTRY CLUB VILLAGE, HOT SPRINGS • ST. BERNARDS VILLAGE

SECURITY COMPANY • ADVANCED ALARMS OF ARKANSAS, INC. • OLD ARKANSAS ALARM CO. • TRIPLE-S ALARM CO.

SENIOR CARE FACILITIES • BRIARWOOD NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER • PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE • SHERWOOD NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER, INC.

SIGN COMPANY

• ACE SIGNS: A DIVISION OF ACE COMPANY

• ARKANSAS GRAPHICS, INC. • D & D SUN CONTROL, INC.

The Preferred

SOLAR COMPANY

• DELTA SOLAR

• SEAL SOLAR

• TODAY’S POWER, INC.

SPORTING GOODS

• FORT THOMPSON SPORTING GOODS, INC.

• MACKS PRAIRIE WINGS

• SPORTSTOP, INC.

STAFFING AGENCY/ RECRUITMENT

• ASAP PERSONNEL SERVICES

• STAFFMARK GROUP

• TRAVEL NURSE ACROSS AMERICA, LLC

TAX SERVICES

• BROWN ROGERS & CO., LLC

• GARLAND & GREENWOOD CPAS AND ADVISORS, PLLC

• HOGAN TAYLOR, LLP

TECH COMPANY

• EDAFIO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

• INUVO, INC.

• SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING FIRM

• EDAFIO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

• MAINSTREAM TECHNOLOGIES

• SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNICAL SCHOOL

• NORTHWEST TECHNICAL INSTITUTE

• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT MORRILTON

• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE

TRAVEL AGENT

• POE TRAVEL • SMALL WORLD BIG FUN • SUE SMITH VACATIONS

TRUCKING COMPANY • ARCBEST • CALARK INTERNATIONAL • J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES, INC.

TWO-YEAR COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Artisanal Approach

Conway woodworker strives to make ’em like they used to

Self-taught woodworker Richard Eberle is a throwback to artisans of old.

The 35-year-old furniture maker and small business owner completes every as pect of a job himself — with an occasional tweak from his wife’s eye for design — from finding the wood and sawmilling to cutting and finishing.

No CNC machine; all sourced, designed and crafted by hand. It’s the foun dation on which he built his business, Richard Eberle Furniture & Design of Conway. And while he’s not in the business of giving his work away, Eberle goes about it with a singular focus: creating pieces of furniture that become treasured heirlooms.

His goal is to create furniture that customers will want to hand down to their kids and could even be passed down for generations. That’s the standard he sets for himself. His is no quick-fix, fill-a-need shop.

And people are drawn to this anti-IKEA approach, a return to the pre-mass production days of creating something of true quality, built to last, even if the process takes longer. Because of this approach, Eberle’s custom-made, Ar kansas hardwood pieces are drawing attention from across the state and, in this digital age, beyond.

Besides, what Arkansan wouldn’t be immediately drawn to a hand crafted coffee table in the shape of a Razorback, or one in the shape of the state itself?

For Eberle, profit takes a back seat to perfection. The satisfac tion he receives from completing a job is reward enough. That Eberle taught himself the craft at age 26 makes that satisfaction especially rewarding.

“Since I didn’t go to school for this, it’s just been a jour ney of learning and failure and trying again and getting

By Mark Carter

Photos provided by Richard Eberle

back up. It brings me a lot of joy to see somebody kind of gasp when they see the beauty of the wood that’s not been stained, but it’s using the natural hard woods and the beauty of that.

“It always brings me a lot of joy to see somebody appreciate good work in a day and age where everybody loves something that looks beautiful, and they want to manufacture it really fast, but it’s cheap and it doesn’t last.”

Eberle has no showroom for cus tomers to browse. His is a process lent specifically to craftsmanship, and his business model is strictly custom-order. He creates all makes of furniture as well as countertops, built-ins and bookshelves, and backs up each piece with a lifetime warranty for the original owner covering any fault in craftsmanship or defect in the wood.

And it all starts with a conversation. This isn’t an order of nug gets at Chik-Fil-A, after all. As his company tagline makes clear, this is handcrafted furniture built for a lifetime. Eberle said his lead times can last from six to 12 weeks.

“When someone reaches out to me, we get a little bit of an initial design, and I try to feel them out because I do have a lot of tire kickers,” he said. “When someone reaches out and says they’re very serious about buying a piece, some have an idea of what they want. Some people have no clue. And so, it really just begins a conversation. And that’s what I love about being highly custom. I’m not just put in a box. I really want to help people discover really what they want and what they’re looking for. And sometimes they don’t even know it.”

Eberle is one of the few who see the inner beauty in the wood he crafts. He gets his wood where he can find it, be that friends in the tree service business or even scouring his own property. He also sources wood from local sawmills and suppliers. And when he was still in Fayetteville, Eberle sourced wood from old buildings and houses when the home renovation/flipping craze was at its peak.

But he doesn’t take living trees that otherwise don’t need to

be cut.

“I don’t want to cut down a tree to cut down a tree. I’m just not one to do that,” he said. “I have some people who say, ‘Hey, you just want to come cut this tree out and take the wood?’ And I’m like, ‘No, not really.’ If this tree is healthy and still alive, leave it, and let it be and grow. But if it has to come down for some reason, I do love to be able to take it and give it a second life, so it’s not taken to the dump or burned as firewood when there’s a great inner beauty inside of it that can be turned into something.”

Eberle’s woodworking journey started those nine years ago in Fayetteville with a hammer, a hand saw, a drill and a pry bar. Then living in Fayetteville with his wife, current UCA chemis try professor Julie — she of the company design department — in graduate school, Eberle started to “piddle” with reclaimed wood, as his father, Mike Eberle, describes it.

“His skill just continued to develop,” Mike said. “His focus was always more artsy, but he had never really used it.”

Richard, a youth pastor with a degree in social work before the woodwork bug bit, didn’t inherit his craftsman bent from his dad, but he did inherit a family aptitude for entrepreneurship.

“It’s just deeply satisfying to work with your hands and take something that’s raw like wood and make it into a very functional and beautiful piece that families are going to use and enjoy for a lifetime.”

Eberle says his goal is to make furniture that’s handed down for generations.

Mike launched and owns his own insurance agency in Sherwood, Eberle Insur ance, and his grandfathers on either side, as well as his paternal great grandfather, were small business owners.

“He took a big leap of faith,” Mike said. “This is his ministry now.”

Much of Eberle’s style and approach was learned from a Conway physical therapist who happened to sell him a Hitachi router through an online marketplace. Rick DeRouge is an accomplished woodworker in his own right. But instead of selling his pieces, he makes them for friends and family and even created each piece of furniture in his house.

DeRouge made a big impression when Eberle went to pick up the router.

“I’d never met somebody who made the level of the quality of work that he had,” Eberle said. “And I just remember asking him, ‘Do you sell your stuff?’ And he said, ‘No, I build for legacy. I have a job, and I do what I love. This is what I do for fun.’”

And thus Eberle was inspired to take a new look at how he approached his craft.

“That next day I actually shut down my business. I didn’t re ally take a lot of orders from people and just really focused on learning and continuing to push myself in really high-end fine woodworking. Just had him mentor me and take some time. In stead of producing a lot of stuff, I took several years to say, ‘You know what, if it takes me six months to make something, it takes me six months, because I want to just make it as best as I can.’”

And DeRouge said Eberle has excelled with this approach.

“I may have sparked in him that feeling of working hard and doing something at a high level that means something. And he’s taken it to a very high level. He appreciates that there’s some

thing about making something that as a society we’ve lost a little bit. That feeling of honest labor working with your hands.”

Appreciation for the craftsmanship notwithstanding, launching his own business indeed was a leap of faith for Eberle, especially as a woodworker with no formal training. Walking a “razor’s edge of success or failure” will motivate a person, especially a husband and a father, he said. And it’s been a self-described journey of learning and failure, of trying again and getting back up.

“This isn’t a big, lucrative thing I’m doing; it’s not something that everybody’s running out to do,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work, and it’s a big risk because, you know, is there a market for it in Arkansas? And then too, the time. It’s not really something you can do on the side to provide for a family. You’ve gotta fully throw yourself into it.

“It brings me a lot of satisfaction that I’m getting to do what I want to do, even though there are days it’s scary, when you won der when the next piece or project or paycheck is going to come in. There’s also deep satisfaction that I’m kind of on this adven ture of kind of paving my own way and setting an example for my family. And even that, you know, there is the risk of failure. But again, life’s too short to be scared of failing.”

Eberle wants to expand, but never to the point where he’s anywhere close to mass production. His business model will re

main decidedly retro. As a one-man shop, Eberle relies on family and friends both for the ethereal and the tangible — from Julie’s design suggestions and presence with him “in the trenches” to friends help ing move, install, even brainstorm.

This help affords Eberle the opportu nity to focus on the craft.

“I always want to do very high custom work and focus on the quality of the craft,” he said. “And I would love to have some apprentices one day who want to come in and continue to learn a skill that takes time to develop. I look back at those artisans, knowing that they put in the time. And that’s the thing. It’s just not something where you’re going to be able to go out and buy a bunch of tools and say, ‘Oh, I can build this whatever.’

“It’s just deeply satisfying to work with your hands and take something that’s raw like wood and make it into a very function al and beautiful piece that families are going to use and enjoy for a lifetime, and hopefully, past that lifetime.”

Eberle custom designs all his furniture. He’ll even work with people from Texas.

“It brings me a lot of satisfaction that I’m getting to do what I want to do, even though there are days it’s scary, when you wonder when the next piece or project or paycheck is going to come in.”

The Business of the

ZOO

By Mak Millard Photos provided by Little Rock Zoo

No matter how or why people make their way to the Zoo, they all find themselves in the midst of one of the most unique and challenging business models around. The Little Rock Zoo is no different. It sits at the intersection of edu cation and entertainment, at once a tool for conservation and an invaluable local attraction. Part retail, part restaurant, part global species management project – the Zoo wears a lot of hats. Keeping the animals healthy and the visitors happy is no mean feat, and it all depends on a carefully run combination of people and resources working behind the scenes every day.

Little Rock Zoo Director Susan Altrui explains that, “The Zoo is a department of the City of Little Rock, so we are owned and operated by the city. As such, we are a little bit more unique than other departments, because we are revenue-earning.”

Over half of the Zoo’s approximately $7 million budget comes from gate admissions, special event tickets, concessions, mem berships, gift shop purchases and other sales. To supplement this, the Zoo also depends on the Arkansas Zoological Foun dation, a 501c(3) nonprofit. The AZF raises money primarily through special events, securing sponsorships and gathering do nations. The upfront investment and continued support of the AZF allows the Zoo to put on events like GloWILD, which has become a major source of annual fundraising in just two years. In the case of GloWILD, the AZF partners with Tianyu Arts & Culture to turn the Zoo into a nightly array of lantern displays during the holiday season. The AZF secures sponsors for the different displays and splits the ticket sales with Tianyu, while

the Zoo maintains any revenue from things like concessions and gift shop sales.

“We’re always trying to bring in more revenue and dona tions,” Altrui adds, “because that means we can increase our footprint across Little Rock and across the state.”

In 2021, the Little Rock Zoo commissioned a study from the company Zoo Advisors (now Canopy Strategic Partners). That study summarizes the economic impact and activity that the Zoo has generated and will generate from 2015-2030 as it contin ues to invest in upgrades.

It should come as no shock that the Zoo contributes heav ily to the Little Rock economy when it comes to tourism and job creation, but even the company performing the study was “pleasantly surprised” at just how big the Zoo’s impact is, ac cording to Altrui.

“Zoos are one of the few attractions that families will travel to. When that happens, there’s a lot of economic activity that gets tagged onto that – eating at restaurants, staying at hotels, getting gas to fill up their vehicle and travel back home. There’s all that ancillary economic activity that happens as a result of their trip to the Zoo.”

The Zoo creates or contributes to thousands of jobs in Cen tral Arkansas and brings in hundreds of thousands of tourism dollars annually. According to the study, each visitor to the Zoo in 2019 generated about $120 in non-Zoo spending during their trip. The study also found that the Zoo’s current economic im

While guest services keeps Café Africa running smoothly, keepers and veterinary staff perform wellness exams on animals like Blitz (Nigerian dwarf goat) and Zina (Asian elephant).

pact is close to $35 million annually. In looking towards the fu ture of the Zoo, Canopy Strategic Partners (then Zoo Advisors) found that with an investment in capital projects over the next 15 years of $50 million, Little Rock could see an economic return to the tune of $400 million in economic impact and $600 million in total economic activity.

“We know that the Zoo is a really important economic driver for the Central Arkansas area, and for Little Rock in particular,” Altrui says. “The more that we continue to invest in upgrades to the Zoo – we know that’s going to attract even more people and more economic activity, creating even more jobs for this area.”

As far as what those upgrades look like, “It’s all about experi ence,” she says. Increasing the interactions visitors and families have while they’re at the Zoo – and investing in the staff resourc es to create those interactions – is a vital part of the plan.

Also in the works are upgrades to the Zoo’s aging infrastruc ture. Many of the Zoo’s buildings were constructed in the 1930s, and “We really need to tear down some of the older buildings in order to build new things,” Altrui says. “We’ve been working with architects on a design for what the Zoo will look like in the future, to give the public a view of how exciting the Zoo is going to be with that reinvestment. We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming.”

Of course, just how successful all of that reinvestment is also depends on having the personnel to back it up. The day-to-day functioning of the Zoo comes down to an army of highly skilled full- and part-time staff.

The Zoo has over 40 full- and part-time keepers, senior keep ers and curators. Each keeper is assigned to a specific area, like carnivores or primates. Little Rock Zoo Assistant Director and General Curator Fran Lyon details the average daily routine for those in the animal department:

“They get here at 7:30 in the morning. They feed and clean animals, clean exhibits, do their keeper chats and have ap pointments with the veterinarian. At the end of the day, they bring their animals back in, feed them and either let them out or keep them in for the evening, depending on what the tem peratures are. It may sound quick, simple and easy, but it’s not quick, simple and easy.”

Lyon explains that because the Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums – and the only AZAaccredited zoo in Arkansas – it must meet a higher standard than other institutions. Beyond just cleaning and feeding, the Zoo must provide an enriching environment for the animals in its care. Zoo staff also train the animals to make veterinary care easier for everyone involved.

“We like the animals to give us at least quarterly weights, so they’ll have to step on a scale and stand there until the scale is read,” Lyon says. “For our great apes, we have a swing that’s at tached to a scale, and we get them to go on the swing and sit there while we read the numbers. With other species, they’ll get into a crate, and the crate will be moved onto the scale.”

Injection training is also a key responsibility. “You’d be amazed at how many animals will stand and wait to get blood

Making the Little Rock Zoo an incredible experience is big business – more accurately, it’s a mix of several different businesses, each requiring hospitality prowess and a knack for customer service.

Guest services handles everything from pop-up gift shops to the Zoo's non-animal entertainment, like the historic Over-The-Jumps Carousel and Arkansas Diamond Express Train.

taken,” Lyon says. Training animals to react calmly to shots means there’s less of a chance the animal will need to be darted when there’s a need to sedate them for physical exams. From safely capturing an exotic bird to coaxing a small primate out of hiding for a vet visit when it doesn’t feel well – there are countless skills needed to work with the variety of animals the Zoo houses.

Once an animal is sedated, captured or otherwise ready for a checkup, the job doesn’t get any easier. The Zoo has a full-time veterinarian and certified veteri nary technician. A zoo veterinarian has to be special ized in hundreds of animals, so the Zoo has also re cently started a yearlong internship program in which certified veterinary interns can gain vital experience working with different wildlife.

Lyon emphasizes that, “Zookeeping is a profession. It’s not just cleaning up after an animal. There are all these things we look at, and all these things that our staff can tell you about their individual animals. It’s not just about the group or the family. It’s about the individuals and how good their care, welfare and management is on a daily basis.”

Everything the Zoo does with its animals is recorded so that keepers and curators have data-driven expectations for each animal. An important aspect of that monitoring is understand ing how stress affects different animals, especially given the amount of special events the Zoo puts on. If an animal doesn’t react well to the noise or other stimuli, the keepers are careful to make sure that that animal gets locked in safely, away from all the after-hours commotion.

Another place that all of that data comes in handy is in fol lowing an animal’s Species Survival Plan, or SSP. SSP programs are designed to manage and conserve stable populations of ani mals considered threatened or endangered. Experts from across the country and even the world look at genetics, medical records and behavior before making recommendations.

For the Little Rock Zoo, the most recent SSP success looks like three new Malayan tiger cubs, courtesy of the Zoo’s female, Asmara, and a male, Jaya, from the Jacksonville Zoo and Gar dens. Malayan tigers are one of the most critically endangered

animals in the world, with less than 200 estimated to be living in the wild, so the three new cubs are a positive development for the conservation of the species.

“There was a lot of thought that went into how we introduced Jaya and Asmara,” Altrui says. “You can’t always predict it, but you can make sure that it’s done safely and in the best interest of both animals.”

But the Zoo is not just in the business of setting up dates. There are also flocks of visitors and an ever-growing list of main tenance needs to attend to. That’s where two other departments – facilities and guest services – come in.

“The animal department isn’t successful without a really great facilities operations department,” Altrui says. “Those two departments really go hand-in-hand.”

Asmara and her cubs also illustrate the need for a quality fa cilities team. After being born, the cubs stay inside with mom for several months before they venture out for the first time. The facilities department was called upon to construct an indoor den where mom and cubs can all stay comfortably for that ex tended period.

Not very often does a job require someone to pivot from ti ger housing to checking out leaky pipes and changing old light bulbs. The Zoo relies on the “small but mighty” facilities depart ment for everything from routine upkeep to new construction planning. They’re even constantly looking at the overall sustain ability of the Zoo as it works towards becoming more of a zerowaste facility.

“Plumbing, electric, janitorial – the list goes on and on,” Al trui explains. “If you think about the horticulture alone: we’re on 33 acres. They’re responsible for the flowerbeds, some of the mowing and making sure the Zoo looks beautiful all the time. That’s a lot of ground to cover.”

To complete the trifecta of teams that keep the Zoo running smoothly, there’s the anything-but-small, definitely mighty guest services crew.

“The guest experience is what it’s all about,” Altrui says, “and it’s a really fascinating piece of what we do.”

Making the Little Rock Zoo an incredible experience is big business – more accurately, it’s a mix of several different busi nesses, each requiring hospitality prowess and a knack for cus tomer service.

There’s the retail element: not only running the gift shop, but keeping products stocked and navigating customer needs. There’s also the theme park-like entertainment side, thanks to the Zoo’s historic Over-the-Jumps Carousel. It’s a one-of-a-kind antique ride, and keeping it running can be a tall task. It’s a simi

lar story for the Arkansas Diamond Express train. Skilled opera tors are required for both rides to keep things running correctly, safely and on time.

Not to be forgotten in this equation is concessions. Guest ser vices members are not only working retail, manning the front gate and running rides; they’re in the restaurant business as well. Those staff members are cross-trained to cover shifts all over the Zoo, making the entire department the picture of mul titasking with a smile.

“The head of that department, it may not surprise you, used to be a Southwest Airlines flight attendant,” Altrui says. “He is very customer service-oriented. He has never seen a bad day.”

The Zoo exists to inspire people to value and conserve the natural world. That manifests through a whole host of in-house programming – keeper chats, feedings, amphitheater shows and Zoofari camps, to name a few – as well as classroom programs that take place across the state. Most vitally, though, that vi sion depends on being able to take care of the reasons – be they striped, scaly or covered in feathers – that people show up at all.

“First and foremost,” Altrui says, “our investment in the care of our animals tells the conservation message every single day.”

The ability of the Zoo to function depends heavily on its abil ity to make money, and that money goes right back into the Zoo’s upkeep, education and outreach efforts. Because of the direct re investment, Altrui says, “Every time you come to the Zoo, you’re helping us to fulfill our mission.”

Facilities staff and keepers worked together to successfully breed three Malayan tiger cubs — Zoya, Kae and Sundari — in accordance with the Malayan tiger SSP.

NEW DIGS FOR FEW

By Angela Forsyth // Photos provided by Few

Few has found a new home. The digital product design and de velopment company recently moved to 1308 S. Main in the historic SoMa district of downtown Little Rock. Well-known to locals for its funky artistic atmosphere, SoMa pro vides the perfect new hub for this cre ative company.

For the past six years, Few’s team of more than 30 people had been work ing mostly remotely across 12 states and three countries with a small meeting space in the Little Rock Tech Park that allowed for some basic office storage and collaboration opportunities. Now, the recently moved-in team has a larger and much more artistically inspiring space for creating web sites, applications and mobile apps.

According to the company’s owner, Zack Hill, when COVID unfolded, Few was already ahead of the curve in terms of being set up for remote work. From the beginning, they had built out a cul ture structure that allows people to work from home, yet still feel connected with opportunities to join all-hands-on-deck projects or sit in on full-team update meetings. “I think the ultimate flexibility is being able to work from wherever you want,” he says.

Now that many businesses have re turned to an in-house standard, Hill notes that Few will always be a remotefirst company, although he prefers to run it on a hybrid model. Offering more flex ibility to employees via this new location, he explains, is more about strengthening company culture than acquiring a new office space. As the pandemic began to unwind, Hill and his business partner, Arlton Lowry, considered the growth Few had experienced in the last two years.

“We knew there was going to need to be a more robust presence to represent our brand in a better way,” he says. They were looking for a space that would better rep resent who they are as a creative agency and express their company culture.

When Hill and Lowry began their search for their new headquarters, they knew they wanted to be somewhere near downtown, either in SoMa or East Village. Initially, they were looking for another lease, but everything they saw required major work in order to make the space their own. As the search went on, they realized they wanted more than

Few's new office in the fun and funky SoMa district.

a temporary space. If they were going to make an investment to create a place for themselves, they wanted it to be truly theirs. Not only did it make more sense financially, but it would solidify their footing in the heart of Little Rock. Fortunately for them, the perfect place crossed their path. A property group in Little Rock had recently acquired a small historic unit on Main Stteet and they hadn’t done anything with it yet. “We went and looked at it, and it really just sold itself,” Hill recalls. The standalone building had a larger retail space downstairs and two apartments upstairs. “That’s what sold it for us because since we’re a remote first company, we have team members from Brooklyn to Oak land,” Hill notes. Few currently has 30 total employees. Nearly half of them live in the Little Rock area. The rest live in Northwest Arkansas or out of state.

Hill and Lowry have already begun to renovate and update the upstairs to make it a comfortable and practical place for visitors to stay. Out-of-town Few em ployees will be able to stay there rather than at a hotel and walk downstairs for work. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Hill says. The space adds value for both lo

cal and visiting staff members, and it also represents a cost-savings for the company owners who can circumvent hotel and transportation fees. The work upstairs will likely be completed by the end of the year.

Hill is hoping the staff will take advan tage of the rich community experience this unique neighborhood offers. Fami lies, friends and co-workers can gather at various coffee shops, sandwich spots, fine dining restaurants and everything in between. He hopes some will even choose to live in the SoMa area. So far, employees seem to be enjoying the new place. On Fridays, the office is generally packed. Hill does a team launch on Fri days. By Monday, there may be one or two people there. “That’s the idea,” he says. “The purpose wasn’t to force any body to come into the office, but so far, it seems to be something people are taking advantage of.”

Hill’s intention for a hybrid office is to allow employees to interact beyond just working on projects together. He wants to give them an additional level of flex ibility. If people needs to be home for any reason, they can do that, he explains. Or, if employees prefer to get out of the house

The new space allows coworkers to connect in a way that has really been missing over the last couple of years with everything going on.

“

(Above, Left) Business partners Zack Hill and Arlton Lowry. (Right) Original mural hand painted by Chicago-based artist Jesse Hora.

and work at a desk, they can find that at the SoMa office. “The new space allows coworkers to connect in a way that has re ally been missing over the last couple of years with everything going on,” he adds.

Hill also plans to use the space to ex press a sense of creativity and community to clients – an aspect he felt was lacking at the previous site. “There was nothing for them to buy into from a culture or brand standpoint; it didn’t convey who we are,” he says. The new SoMa office features a commissioned mural created by Chicago-based artist Jesse Hora, who has created art pieces for notable busi nesses such as Starbucks, Shake Shack and Adidas.

The interior design is primarily an open layout with moveable desks that anyone can grab and turn into their own workstation. It’s more of a coworking concept without assigned seats. For mo ments when privacy or quiet is needed, staff members can take over one of the smaller huddle rooms, which are perfect ly sized for one or two people. This allows for a private conversation or for making a phone call without interrupting others. In more classic fashion, the office has a large conference room, where the team can hold presentations for clients.

Post remodel, the new office retains its beautiful architectural details that en rich its historical character while updat ing to a modern space. Hill and Lowry added a large circular light fixture to the entrance to brighten the space and kept the exposed brick and traditional crown molding to honor its 100-year-old his tory. Before Few moved in, the space had belonged to an architectural firm. Before that, it had originally been the workshop for a cobbler who worked downstairs and lived upstairs with his family.

Hill hopes to keep the headquarters in SoMa for a long time. At the moment, Few is not actively trying to grow, but the parnters are open to it if opportunities present themselves. The growth the team has experienced over the last two years has brought several new talented people onboard, but the additional projects and workers has also meant that the team has

had to learn how to streamline and pro cess the workflow better. Consequently, Few has become more refined in choos ing projects that better match the com pany mission rather than saying “yes” to everything.

“I think my business partner and I would be perfectly happy and not com plaining at all if we stay at the same size and just optimize the team to do the type of work that really ends up being positive work, profitable obviously, but also the type of work that we as a team enjoy do ing,” Hill says. “But if more opportunities come along for the type of work we enjoy doing and is profitable, we’re not going to be opposed to scaling and growing, and I think the space is going to help support that in various ways.” Even without the apartments being completed, Few al ready has a schedule of remote employ ees who will be coming into the office to connect with the company leaders who are based in Little Rock.

Coffee corner for Few employees and clients to sit and sip.

A Drone’s-Eye View

NWA Tech Summit of the 2022

By Mak Millard Photos provided by the NWA Tech Summit

The Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit, self-de scribed as “the Heartland’s premier technology confer ence,” returned for its ninth edition this October. This year's summit, with the theme “Fast Forward,” hosted 1,700 attendees in venues across downtown Bentonville. The sum mit’s 137 presenters represented a range of industries as well as big names in Arkansas business like Tyson Foods, Walmart and J.B. Hunt. According to statistics provided by NWA Tech Summit Director Kris Adams, 43% of this year’s presenters were women and/or BIPOC, and visitors traveled from 27 other states to attend.

The three-day summit featured breakout sessions across five tracks: mobility and supply chain, health and wellness, entre preneurship, cybersecurity and Web 3.0. Keynote presentations throughout each day’s programming and were livestreamed to the breakout session locations. Demonstration booths includ ed companies showing off the latest in artificial intelligence, autonomous and electric vehicles, robotic dogs, drones and blockchain network technology.

According to organizers, the tech conference “serves to en hance, prepare, and diversify the NWA economy” and is for “ev eryone who is interested in how technology can help businesses and communities collaborate to solve common challenges.” The conference was a networking opportunity for attendees and sponsors as well, with receptions and a “Convos & Cocktails” happy hour. Also on display was a gallery made up of non-fungi ble tokens (NFTs) -- unique digital versions of art pieces created

"Secure Autonomy" breakout session led by Tulsa Innovation Labs.

NWA Tech Summit Director Kristopher Adams.

using blockchain technology.

The general mood surrounding the event was overwhelmingly positive, with Chief Technology and Automation Officer at Tyson Foods Scott Spradley noting, “I’m ecstatic about the capabilities of the tech community in Northwest Arkansas. The level of talent and the investment by the private sector has created a perfect storm for growth.” *************

In the mobility and supply chain track, speakers addressed the evolving land scape of transportation, sustainability, innovations in technology and pandemicimposed obstacles. DroneUp Vice Presi dent of Marketing and Strategy Brielle Giordano spoke to the “far-reaching po tential of drones,” while Executive Vice President of Highway Services at J.B. Hunt Eric McGee pointed out “how tech is dis rupting transportation.”

George Richter, senior vice president of supply chain management at Cox Com munications, gave a keynote presentation addressing supply chain challenges in a “post-pandemic” world. Supply chain en gineering executives from Walmart took part in two different keynote speeches, one described as an “innovation and au tomation update” and the other involving business-to-business (B2B) short-haul lo gistics company Gatik on the developing landscape and logistics of autonomous vehicle fleets.

Breakout sessions covered even more

topics in transportation and supply chain management. A few of the sessions, fea turing executives from companies like Movista, RevUnit and Snowflake, dealt with improving the use of data to cre ate more intelligently-connected supply chains and improve supply chain resilien cy. Other sessions addressed AI, automa tion and drone technology, with represen tatives from Hewlett Packard Enterprises and Eaigle taking on topics like “humancentric AI” and the use of networks and applications in supply chain automation.

In another session, Executive Vice Pres ident at Envirotech Vehicles Sue Emry made the case for last-mile electric ve hicles, including the market opportunity and positive environmental impacts that leveraging last-mile EVs could have.

Emry commented, “As we look towards the future of mobility, EVs will be vital in lowering delivery costs and increasing gross profit and bottom line results for manufacturers and distributors across the country while simultaneously lowering harmful emissions.”

In the health and wellness arena, a keynote speech on “health beyond health care” featured the perspectives of Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Salesforce Geeta Nayyar, MD; Chief Medical Officer at Tyson Foods Claudia Coplein, DO; Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Population Health at Arkan sas Blue Cross Blue Shield Joanna Thom

as, MD; and Senior Director of Benefits and Wellness at J.B. Hunt Rick George.

During the health and wellness break out sessions, EY presented the Innovator of the Year Award in Health and Well ness to Chris Thompson, Jake Foerster and Chris Aburime for their work on So ber Sidekick, an app and social network that helps people maintain their sobriety through community.

Health and wellness breakout sessions covered topics like women’s health, health care and cybersecurity, economic strate gies in health care and innovations in digi tal health care. Jennifer Thomas, manag

This year's summit, with the theme “Fast Forward,” hosted 1,700 attendees in venues across downtown Bentonville.

NWA Pitch Competition winners NeuraStasis (left), Diatech Diabetes (middle), CatalyzeH2O (right) and judges.

ing director at Plug and Play Tech Center, discussed developments in home care. Robert S. Williams, MD, chief medical officer at Arkansas Children’s Northwest, and Amber Neil, BSN, RN, clinical inno vation manager for HealthTech Arkan sas, discussed “hospital engagement in health care innovation.” Executives from Walmart Health and Wellness discussed the importance of technology in creating a “connected care continuum.” Attendees also heard from companies like Delphix, Deloitte, UAMS, Washington Regional Medical Center and FemHealth Founders.

The keynotes and breakout sessions in the cybersecurity track ranged from social media safety concerns to hiring talented cyber professionals. Janelle Waack, intel lectual property attorney and member at the firm Bass, Berry & Sims, addressed the legal aspects of cybersecurity. Executives from Edafio Technology Partners led a ransomware workshop called “30 Minutes of Terror.” From prevention to interven tion and recovery, representatives from the likes of Dell Technologies, Walmart’s cyber security incident management team and Tulsa Innovation Labs tackled lead ing concerns in the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity.

PwC awarded another of the Emerging Innovator of the Year Awards. The cyber security award went to Lee Watson, CEO and founder at Forge Institute, an orga nization developed to design and enable private-public collaborations supporting economic and national security initiatives.

In addition to featuring in one of the cy bersecurity breakout sessions, Conor God frey, cyber and data lead at Tulsa Innova tion Labs, gave a keynote address earlier in the day about economic development and the future he sees for the entire region.

“The NWA Tech Summit continues to demonstrate how the 412-Corridor con necting Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Quad Cities in NWA is poised to lead America’s future mobility industry, as well as make critical contributions in cybersecurity, dig ital health, and the development of Web3 technologies,” Godfrey commented. “The quality and quantity of technology leaders gathering at the NWA Tech Summit year

after year is a testament to the region’s fundamentals and to the massive poten tial for growth and dynamism in the years ahead.” *************

Innovation and economic development were the words of the day for those in the entrepreneurship track, with keynotes from Tulsa Innovation Labs, Red Hat and Micro soft for Startups. Taking place in between breakout sessions, the NWA Tech Summit Pitch Competition rewarded a few talented entrepreneurs across supply chain, health and wellness and sustainability.

NeuraStasis took home the $10,000 first-place prize. The company, co-found ed by Kirt Gill, MD, and Joe Upchurch, is developing “a novel, noninvasive elec trical stimulation device to preserve the brain during an ischemic stroke.” The de vice would help limit the amount of brain damage caused by a stroke in order to pre vent long-term disability in survivors.

“It was an honor to be recognized among many other great companies par ticipating in the NWA pitch competition,” Gill said. “What I loved about the confer ence was the opportunity to connect with other entrepreneurs in all spheres of tech nology. It was my first time in Bentonville, and I can see why it’s a growing tech hub in the region.”

Diatech Diabetes, led by CEO John Wilcox, won the second-place prize of $2,500. SmartFusion, the company’s in fusion monitoring software platform for people who use insulin pumps, will ana lyze data from insulin pump systems in order to better detect device malfunction and prevent injury and death caused by infusion failure.

In third place with a $1,000 prize was CatalyzeH2O. Vice President Aaron Ivy described the company’s product, Ozark, as “an advanced filterless electrochemical dual-stage water purification system.” The company is working to improve current water filtration methods in order to make them more sustainable, safer for the envi ronment and cost-effective for businesses.

A few of the breakout sessions dealt with entrepreneurial challenges like funding and growth. John Gaebe, vice president of Software Engineering and

AcreTrader, spoke about scaling a startup, while CTO Kanat Bekt and COO Chris tine Tan of SupplyPike recounted their own experiences growing the company from 10 people to over 100. Doug Hutch ings, entrepreneur in residence at Inno vate Arkansas, gave advice on securing resources and capital alongside Spencer Jones, director of R&D at Lapovations, and Sterling Smith, NWA managing di rector at Atento Capital and founder of Black Freelancer.

Another key focus of the entrepreneur ship breakout sessions was the support that businesses can find in Northwest Ar kansas and the state as a whole. Canem Arkan, managing director of Endeavor Heartland, moderated a discussion be tween Senior Program Officer at the George Kaiser Family Foundation Ben Stewart, Director of Philanthropy at Lever for Change Karen Minkel and Senior Pro gram Officer at the Walton Family Foun dation Yee-Lin Lai, titled “Why the Heart land’s Super Region is the Place to Invest.”

In another session sponsored by the Arkansas Economic Development Com mission, Lineus Medical CEO Vance Clement and NuShores Biosciences CTO Alex Biris, Ph.D., joined Bob Kucheravy, director of the small business and en trepreneurship development division at AEDC, to discuss “how entrepreneurs found success and support in Arkansas.” Speakers also included representatives from companies like Atento Capital, Black Tech Street and Namida Lab.

Those in the Web 3.0 track enjoyed keynotes and breakout sessions featuring NFTs, blockchain and a whole metaverse of topics in between. Paul Brody, Princi pal and Global Blockchain Leader at EY, gave a presentation on the “new rules” that come with the rapid evolution of Web 3.0 markets. Jordan Waldenville of Tokenproof and Photure executives Matt Gray and Evan Morris spoke to the bene fits of NFTs in different breakout sessions titled “From URL to IRL: Unlocking the Benefits of NFT’s in the Real World” and “Non-financial Utility of NFTs and the Blockchain.”

BILDR CEO Mark Magnuson and de

veloper Drew Thomas joined Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas Zach Steelman, Ph.D., for an interactive BILDR workshop. BILDR is an all-in-one platform for visual web development that allows users to build websites and web ap plications with or without code.

Dave Zastrow, founder and partner at Kydari Ventures, Joe Payne, CEO and cofounder at Society of the Hourglass, and Jeff Mullins, Ph.D., assistant professor of information systems at the University of Arkansas, spoke about Web 3.0’s impact on the future of gaming and entertain ment. Other sessions dove into the regu lation of cryptoassets and the benefits of decentralized networks. Speakers from companies like Coinbase, MPAC Crypto, VeriTX and the Fayetteville-based Myce lium Networks were also eager to share their visions for the next generation of the web and its real-life implications.

The summit’s forward-thinking focus

didn’t just apply to the technology itself. The conference also included a collection of sessions aimed at preparing high school students for opportunities in tech. Two of the morning sessions saw Chris Moore, an account manager at Google Cloud, and Gary Dowdy, vice president of engineer ing and technology at J.B. Hunt, speak to students about college internships at local companies and how to “kickstart” a career in tech. Another of the sessions featured John Mark Russell, an Ignite Technology Instructor at Bentonville Schools, and stu dents enrolled in the Ignite Professional Studies program, on technology skills and certifications.

In the afternoon, Lonnie Emart of the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences and Claudia Scott of the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Q&A session about apprenticeships. Wrapping up the high school program ming was a session titled, “Be the Next Generation in Technology,” where repre sentatives of organizations like J.B. Hunt, Tyson Foods, Google, Edafio Technolo gies, SupplyPike, DroneUp, the Univer sity of Arkansas and Walmart presented various tech-centered career options to students.

As the demand for technology and tech

jobs grows, the summit is a vital oppor tunity to bolster and highlight Northwest Arkansas’ standing as a force to be reck oned with in the technology sector.

“Northwest Arkansas has become a na tional hub for technology and innovation, and this event helps showcase the tech that lives and works here,” said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the North west Arkansas Council.

From companies born and built in Ar kansas to groups looking for opportuni ties to expand, the region is a hotbed for innovation and development and will continue to give the state a strong foothold in the rapidly growing industry.

“The NWA Tech Summit convened like-minded innovators from not only the region, but from around the country,” said Mary Lacity, Ph.D., with the Blockchain Center of Excellence at the University of Arkansas, one of the event’s sponsors. “Thought leaders shared their insights in keynotes and panels; the booth sponsors offered intimate conversations to learn what companies are doing. The cherry on top was the networking opportuni ties – I’ve added so many people to my network, and the conversations continue. Every out-of-state visitor praised what we are doing here in Northwest Arkansas. We are the new Midwest Silicon Valley.”

Ashley Wardlow (upper left), interim CEO at the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, welcomed summit attendees. Mary Lacity, Ph.D. (lower left), director of the Blockchain Center of Excellence at the U of A, spoke during the Web 3.0 ses sions. Demo booths from companies like Tyson Foods (above) featured the latest in robotic and other technologies.

BURNING NOTICE

AGFC'S PUSH TO EDUCATE PRIVATE LANDOWNERS

By Ken Heard

While Thomas Baldridge was interviewed for an Ar kansas Game and Fish Commission video recently about the conservational benefits of burning under brush on his land, a wild turkey gobbled off-camera.

Baldridge stopped mid-filming and smiled. “That’s distract ing,” he said.

The outtake remained in the clip, which can be seen on You Tube, and is testament to how using a method called prescribed burning can help improve habitat and restore habitat popula tions, such as turkeys, quail and deer.

The prescribed burning effort is one of the measures the Game and Fish Commission is encouraging landowners to use to help bring back wildlife to the state. Officials plan to increase education about the program in the coming months.

Landowners use fire to burn off debris, vegetation and some

trees that may create a sunlight-blocking canopy that stunts the growth of native plants that wildlife thrive on. Since Baldridge began burning on his 400 acres near Searcy three years ago, he’s seen a vast increase in quail, painted buntings, turkeys and other birds.

Baldridge’s sister, he said, lives near his farm and is an avid birdwatcher. Since he began burning his land, she’s noted a vast increase in the number of birds she’s seen.

The National Audubon Society reported that since 1970, the U.S. has lost 3 billion birds.

“We are in a bird emergency,” said National Audubon Soci ety senior vice president Sarah Greenberger in a press release about the loss of birds. “And we know that if they are in trou ble, so are we.”

Baldridge recently found eggs of monarch butterflies on the leaves of small milkweed that grew after he burned off the de

Photo courtesy of AGFC

Photo courtesy of AGFC

bris. The butterflies, like many species, have disappeared off of private lands because of so much unattended undergrowth of plants and trees.

It’s a reverse from years of encouraging people to fear fire – mostly brought on by one of the most successful advertis ing campaigns by the U.S. Forestry Service. In that campaign, developed in 1944 by the Advertising Council, a cartoon bear wearing a ranger hat with “Smokey” on it urged people to be careful of wildfires.

“Only you can prevent forest fires,” Smokey, voiced by many over the years, including actor Sam Elliott, ominously intoned.

“It instilled that fire was a bad thing for the landscape,” said Ted Zawislak, statewide private lands supervisor for the Game and Fish Commission. “When you burn, you’re doing some thing bigger than yourself. There are controls to doing it right. If you do it wrong, you lose a tool in the toolbox of restoring

wildlife.”

The Game and Fish Commission has partnered with Wild life Management Areas, the U.S. Forestry Service, the Nature Conservancy, Quail Forever and other agencies to burn on publicly-owned land for years.

But only about 10% of Arkansas is publicly owned.

“If you do a bang up job [of burning debris and brush] on the 10% of land we control, that’s only a 10% success rate in the state,” said Randy Zellers, assistant chief of communications for the Game and Fish. “We need to teach private land owners how to work their land.”

The Game and Fish Commission has stepped up its focus on private lands, Zawislak said, with the creating of Prescribed Burn Associations. They are groups of landowners who form partnerships and pool their knowledge and experience to help others with controlled burns.

Once the association is formed, they will receive training and can apply for use of a burn trailer that provides workers and equipment. Classes, called “Learn to Burn” and “Learn to Burn 2,” are held periodically to instruct landowners on proper burning techniques.

Most of the state’s associations are in northern and north central Arkansas now, but there’s a push to add many more. The Game and Fish Commission has created a Facebook group called Arkansas Private Lands Habitat Division, where people can read about techniques, scheduled meetings and any updates.

Presently, the state has one private land biologist who helps with the associations’ burnings for every six to eight counties, Zawislak said. In neighboring Missouri, there are land biologists for every one to two counties, he added.

The commission hopes to increase the percentage in Arkansas.

“It’s all about relationships,” Zawislak said. “It takes visits to build trust.

“Fire is the most economical tool to help restore wildlife, but it’s the most challeng ing. There’s the fear we deal with.”

Baldridge said he was a bit apprehensive about burning his land at first. But, he comes from a family of firefighters. His father was a fire chief in Jacksonville and Searcy, and Baldridge has been a firefighter as well.

“Fire was comfortable to me,” he said. “We had property my dad owned next to National Forestry Service land. They’d burn every two to three years as a hazard reduction.

“I understand people’s apprehensions and fear,” he said. “Whenever people encounter fire, it’s a scary thing. We see the big wildfires and house fires on television. The message of the benefit of fire and its part in the ecosystem is lost, though.”

Before Arkansas was settled, fire was used by the natives who lived in the area to help prairie lands flourish. Voyager Henry Schoolcraft traveled into the state in 1849 and kept a journal of his trip. He entered the state from near West Plains, Missouri, cut over to Mountain Home and back up to Springfield, Mis souri. He then followed the White River down to Batesville.

In his journal, Schoolcraft noted the lack of trees in some ar eas near the Ozark Mountains.

“He wrote that there were places he couldn’t find two sticks to start a campfire,” Zawislak said. “Fire was a much bigger portion of the landscape then than it is today. He wrote there were places [near the Ozarks] where you could ride a horse through a forest and not hit a lower limb. You can’t do that today.”

Another conservation project the Game and Fish Commis sion is applying is work on greentree reservoirs, which are bot tomland forests artificially flooded by land management agen cies to provide habitat for ducks.

The Game and Fish manages nearly 50 greentree reservoirs

across the state with more than 50,000 acres of flooded forests like the Dave Donaldson Wildlife Management Area near Poca hontas and the Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Manage ment Area near Bald Knob.

Game and Fish commissioners approved transferring $1 million to complete construction and installation of the Glaise Creek water-control structure at Henry Gray Hurricane Lake. The plan calls for improving the drainage and capacity for sus tainable bottomland hardwood forest management, a Game and Fish press release said.

“This is the biggest project,” Zellers said.

He added the project will help create both habitat and food sources for mallards and ducks.

“Arkansas is called the duck hunting capital of the world,” Zellers said. “Going to the Wildlife Management Areas are on [hunters’] bucket lists.”

Arkansas’ bottomlands were gradu ally changing as red oak trees began be ing replaced by oaks that produced acorns with “overcaps,” or the shelled caps atop the nut. Ducks eat the acorns but, because they have no teeth, cannot shell the caps of the newer acorns.

“Those trees are not as desirable for mallards,” Zellers said. “We’re trying to shift that and make slow changes in the habitat. Over 10 years, it may be a drastic change, but year to year it’s a slow process.”

The Game and Fish Commission is also replacing a water block control structure at the Bayou Deview Wildlife Manage ment Area near Weiner. Plans call for changing a 4-foot wide block with a new 12-foot wide and 10-foot tall block.

And, the commission is focusing on improving turkey popu lation in the state by opening forest lands.

“They need open fields and broad leaf vegetation for insects,” Zellers said. “They need grains. They have a diverse diet. The key to getting turkeys is to get sunlight on the grounds. Natu ral disasters like tornadoes and fires help open up land, but we need to teach landowners about that.”

Finally, the Game and Fish is also working with municipali ties to create shooting ranges across the state. The commission collaborated with Jonesboro, opening a shooting range in May. They’ve also helped build one in Jacksonville and are working on a range in Northwest Arkansas.

All of the conservation projects include collaborative efforts and partnerships. It’s a goal Game and Fish Commission Direc tor Austin Booth is working toward increasing.

“We want to recruit the next generation who care about con servation,” Zellers said. “If not, there’s no one left to pick up the shovel and continue on tomorrow.”

One of the partnerships involves working with The Nature Conservancy, an organization that works with climate changes and conserving lands and wildlife.

Before Arkansas was settled, fire was used by the natives who lived in the area to help prairie lands flourish.

The organization is working with private landowners to help inform them about pre scribed burns, said Roger Mangham, the di rector of the Alabama chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

“There are certain times of the year for burning,” Mangham said. “We need to get that information across Arkansas. A majority of land there has been out of [burn] rotation for 50 years.

The conservancy is advocating the use of drones to safely burn lands. The best time to burn lands is between December and April when land is dormant. The second time is between July and the first frost of late October.

“We’re trying to assist private landown ers,” he said. “In the next 10 years, we will focus on private lands in a big way.”

The Prescribed Burn Associations is one way to get information to landowners, Za wislak said.

“Half of the courses are group educa tion,” he said. “The other half is hands-on training.”

Those wanting to burn their land will first assist other landowners who have scheduled prescribed burns so they can see how the pro cess works.

“Fire is restoring habitat,” he said. “We’ve seen increases in quail. Quail need open grassland. There’s no vegetation in canopy lands. Quail in Arkansas began declining in the 1970s. We’re hoping to bring them back.”

The Game and Fish hold annual banquets to award landowners for good conservational stewardship and management.

“We’ve turned this around in the last three years with sweat equity and guidance,” he said.

Baldridge was awarded for his conserva tional efforts earlier this year.

“What we’re doing is so drastically differ ent than in the past,” Baldridge said. “There had been a focus before on planting trees. There are more forested areas now than when white man first came here.

“What we need to do is cut trees and clear out the landscape. We’ve seen a lot of changes, but there’s still an endless amount of work to do.”

The Game and Fish reported that hunters checked a total of 7,013 turkeys in 2021, an 18% decline from the 2020 season. The COVID-19 epidemic could be blame in part for the decrease, but the harvest was still 15% less than 2019. The lack of proper

habitat is a major cause for the de cline, Game and Fish officials have said.

Baldridge said he did a test on his land, cutting down five cedar and oak trees to clear land.

“By mid-April, stuff was start ing to grow,” he said. “I saw milk weed natural to the area come back. They weren’t growing because there wasn’t any sunlight. It was an amazing thing to see monarch but terfly eggs on the leaves and realize you’re a part of that.

“Burning is one of the ingredients. It’s not the entire recipe. It’s all about removing the invasive components and letting the natural growth come back.

“Those who may object to this should contact a Game and Fish biologist and join a PBA. If they don’t have turkeys gobbling on their lands, and I have turkeys on my land and quails walking across my yard while the kids are on the trampoline, maybe they ought to listen.”

Photos by Thomas Baldridge

Plentiful Game Populations. Generous Bag Limits. Beautiful Public Land.

There’s no better place to hunt than The Natural State. Arkansas is full of hunting destinations, some of them world-famous. The best part is, for Arkansans, none of them are too far from home. Map out your hunting season around these wildlife management areas.

Start planning your next hunting trip now. Find a wildlife management area near you:

Populations.

What’s a Wildlife Management Area (WMA)?

A WMA is property that is set aside and managed to increase wildlife habitat and provide outdoors opportunities such as hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and hiking. The AGFC owns dozens of WMAs and works with many other state and federal agencies to provide more than 3.2 million acres of public hunting opportunity in The Natural State.

THE 2022 FALL SPARK! COHORT Drawing Up Ranks

By John Callahan

Through the Venture Center and Little Rock Regional Chamber, some of the most promising startups in Central Arkansas have been brought together in the Spark! 2022 Fall Cohort. The Spark! program provides a unique opportunity for development and learning in the form of a 10-week business accelerator that will teach valuable business skills in sales, marketing and small business finance.

The Fall Cohort’s members represent a highly diverse set of businesses and backgrounds, ranging from construction software to mental health services to moisturizer to cupcakes.

Kathleen Lawson Sprinkles and Spice

Sprinkles

and Spices is a cottage bakery based in North Little Rock, producing home made and delicious baked goods such as cakes, cookies, cookie cakes, cocoa bombs, and all manner of other sweet treats.

Founder Kathleen Lawson has an unusual story for her start: While in her position as Executive Director of Economics Arkansas, she became inspired by one of their own pro grams, a high school entrepreneurship competition called the “$10 challenge,” in which students start a microbusiness with only a $10 investment.

“I am most proud of the unexpected interest my own children have taken into the world of entrepreneurship as a result of watching me grow my business,” Lawson said. “My 9 year old will often say, “Mom, let’s go work on our businesses together.” For him, that means working on his graphic novel series at the table while I am baking a few feet away in the kitchen.”

The 2022 SPARK! fall cohort. (Photos provided by Venture Center)

Kenitra Jones Kenitra’s Travel

Kenitra’s Travel is a full-service travel agency that specializes in interna tional travel, customizing vacation pack ages that cover flights, resorts, transpor tation and excursions to create unique experiences for each client, while offer ing 24/7 support throughout the vacation.

“I became a travel consultant to help other people get a chance to experience other cultures, decompress from the stresses of everyday life and to be able to bond with their families and significant others,” Founder Kenitra Jones said.

Be it a honeymoon or anniversary, a bachelorette trip or a family vacation, Jones prides herself on having the exper tise to know just where clients should go and what they should do to get the most out of their vacation. All of the work is handled on her end, leaving her clients only the task of enjoying themselves.

With the assistance of the Spark! pro gram, Kenitra hopes to improve her lead ership skills as a first-time manager of employees and expand her business by hiring new agents that can improve upon their current services and create new ones.

Mariah Brown The Vision Project

TheVision Project is a private mental health service with two main ideals: affordability, and the normalization of mental health, which together help reach the ultimate goal of empowering clients to take control of their lives.

Mariah Brown, a Licensed Profession al Counselor, founded the Vision Proj ect to serve the community in ways that other mental health services cannot, of fering flexible evening and weekend ap pointments for individual, couple, family or crisis situations.

“My proudest moment is obtain ing my brick and mortar in the heart of downtown Little Rock,” Brown said. “I was finally able to cultivate a space that allowed people to be authentically who they are. I was able to be a healthy thera pist by getting in this space.”

With the Spark! program, she hopes to network and build lasting relation ships that will endure beyond the pro gram itself.

Marissa Cahill Cahill Exterior Design

Whileinterior designers abound, Marissa Cahill has taken the path somewhat less traveled by founding Ca hill Exterior Design, an online service that allows you to plan, edit, and create visuals for exterior renovations before making a single physical change.

For customers, the process is as easy as taking photographs of their home, se lecting a service package, and sending it in. Cahill can then give the client what they want to see, whether that be color changes, adding or removing features of the home or landscaping, and even ma jor overhauls in things like lighting and structure. And if it’s not a renovation that needs to be done, changes and custom izations can also be made for a house plan that is yet to be built.

“I chose to start this business because there is a HUGE demand for virtual exte rior designers that work one on one with clients,” Cahill said. “There is an interior designer around every corner but what about the exterior? My business being virtual adds another element to the equa tion and really lets clients customize their needs. We are helping clients create the space of their dreams while helping them save potentially thousands of dollars!”

She hopes to learn from the Spark! program about how to run her business most effectively by learning from the suc cesses and failures of others in order to reach her dream of scaling her business into a multimillion-dollar company.

Cheryl Humphrey Candy Butta

Will Tidwell SpeakUPZee

Bo Dillon BuilderBid

Candy

Butta isn’t really candy, but it’s just as sweet in its own way. It is a type of butter: a homemade, handcrafted, organic, shea butter moisturizer. Founder Cheryl “CandySoul” Humphrey developed Candy Butta as an answer to her own needs after her other career as a musical artist, songwriter, composer, and music producer took a toll on her mind and body.

To help relax and recuperate, she cre ated a product that could help repair her skin, making her look better, feel better, and smell better. Candy Butta is now an e-commerce company that sells home made shea butter in three sizes and nu merous different scents, from cherry va nilla to cinnamon cookie to “midnight sky,” a popular unisex scent.

“I got tired of putting heavy waterbased and scent-fading lotions on my skin, which was starting to cause me to break out and dry out,” Humphrey said. “Also, perfumes were starting to irritate my sinuses. I wanted to create a healthier alternative that kept me moisturized all day without reapplying all while smell ing amazing at the same time, which would also eliminate me from having to use perfume as well.”

Ahybrid

company that focuses on so cial impact, communications, media and business consulting, SpeakUPZee, LLC serves to make connections with and between like-minded community organi zations, nonprofits, creatives, and entre preneurs and their communities, helping them to share their visions with the world.

“SpeakUPZee, LLC was created for very selfish reasons to be quite honest,” said Founder Will “Zee” Tidwell. “My only goal was to find a way to monetize the gifts in which I knew I had been blessed with. But, once I was able to get into the thick of what SpeakUPZee has built and we served so many families, mentored so many youth, and helped impact so many lives/platforms ... I fell in love. So, in a way, SpeakUPZee came about by accident, but the happiness and freedom it brings our community, our partners and myself has made it something I will work to make last as long as possible.”

Tidwell’s efforts in motivational and educational speaking and work with any community program he can help won him both the Community Activist of the Year and Arkansas Man of the Year awards in 2019. Between his podcast, programs, ini tiatives, speeches, and products, Tidwell estimates that his company has served over 100,000 people.

Founded by Bo Dillon of Little Rock, BuilderBid is a construction technol ogy startup that aims to create simple-touse, best-in-class software that can help home builders and contractors quote jobs faster and more accurately by streamlin ing the preconstruction process.

A first time founder, Dillon combined his experience in his parents’ custom home building company with his own passion for software development, put ting both his knowledge and his enthu siasm to work in solving problems for small building companies across the country.

“I’d love for BuilderBid to become the go-to estimating solution for builders across the nation,” Dillon said. “Help ing residential contractors compile more accurate budgets in less time will allow them to set up their projects for success, improve profit margins and enable more happy customer experiences.”

With the education and connections to be gained from the Spark! program, Dillon sees a future of profitability and full product-market fit, as well as the pos sibility of entering the job management software market as early as 2023.

DRIVING INNOVATION

FR8relay Accelerates in the Transportation Industry

By Sarah Coleman

Brainstorming is the fine art of finding a way to bridge a gap, create the piece missing from the puzzle or make a way where there once was none. Dreamers are the people who use idea-first brain storming methods to create a plan. Do ers are the ones who make those dreams a reality. The wife and husband team of Deme and Aayush Thakur are the dreamers and the doers that not only brain stormed, but executed the creation of FR8relay, an Ar kansas-based nonprofit startup that envisions efficient, profitable, equitable and sustainable trucking logistics.

Startups are unique because there are many ways in which they can begin. From the time the dream con ceives an idea to the time the idea is solidified, there are many leaps to implementation. Logistics is the art of solving problems every day, and in the truck ing industry, there is a seemingly endless number of issues that could arise.

Long-haul truck drivers are responsible for moving freight across the country, so that everyone has access to the merchandise and supplies they need. The traditional model of transporting in a long-haul method often leaves drivers on the road and away from their families for weeks at a time. According to Aay ush, there are many benefits to truck driving, but there are also many sacrifices.

“The normal path to starting a career in truck driving would be about five weeks of training to get a CDL license, work as an ap

prentice and then drive your own truck, and while it isn’t a two- or four-year degree, it’s still very competitive. A truck driver might find themself in a situation where they make about $30,000-$50,000 a year, away from any sense of connection, sleeping in the cab of their truck and sustaining themselves with gas station food,” Aay ush said. “In the ῾70s and ῾80s, a lot of companies moved to being owner/operators, and the problems they faced came down to not having the same access to the same resources as bigger companies. Owners/operators take more risk, and that risk has resulted in some horror sto ries. A lot of people want to stay closer to their families and miss bonding.”

Aayush also said a common complaint from owner/ operators is spending weeks traveling only to have to put their earnings toward maintenance on their vehicles.

Deme and Aayush Thakur

The relay model, that is attached to FR8relay’s name, is one that allows trucking companies to move freight across the coun try — while making a way for truck drivers to stay within a threeor four-hour radius. It comes down to a collaborative model, in which multiple drivers in multiple areas all work together to get the shipments where they need to go.

“This model opens doors to other folks that haven’t tradi tionally looked at a career in the truck driving world. There are currently huge disparities in women in trucking and oth er demographics in trucking, and this kind of model opens up this job to people who wouldn’t normally be interested,” Aayush said. “This makes it a shift job; people are able to come back home, live their lives regularly and not be away for long pe riods of time. Our hope is to bring new people into the workforce by making this more appealing to them.”

Starting out in Mem phis, Deme and Aayush moved to Bentonville in 2020, with hopes to ex pand their dream. In the beginning was a lot of hard work; and while in vestment came to develop the product, Deme and Aayush hus tled to cover living expense.

“We had both quit our jobs, and we were doing two shifts where we would take turns driving for Uber or Lyft for the first six or seven months, and then we got it up and running,” Aayush said.

“Aayush is a visionary in the technology and transportation industries, and he has expertise in the trucking and technology field,” Deme said, noting that prior to FR8relay, she had never pictured herself in the transportation industry. “He was always interested in business, and part of his dream was to make the world a better place for people.”

“When he introduced me to the area of long-haul truck driv ing, it was really clear that it shouldn’t have to be this way for drivers, and that a relay method could be life-changing for folks. We decided to take the dive and do it full time.”

Deme, prior to starting FR8relay had experience in the non profit world, which has been helpful in creating FR8relay, as a nonprofit organization.

While focusing on problem-solving for long-haul trucking, Deme and Aayush also saw the need to reduce empty miles, miles that are accumulated in driving an empty trailer. Benefits of reducing empty miles include attracting which cuts shipping times, creates faster freight and happier drivers.

This last benefit is particularly important as drivers are in particularly short supply these day, a problem Aayush said was not a new one.

“The truck driver shortage is not really a new problem, as it’s been talked about a lot for the last decade or so. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) does annual surveys of the trucking companies, and this issue has existed for quite some time,” Aayush said.

ATRI released a report on critical issues in the trucking industry in 2021 that highlights a few of the very issues that Aayush spoke of.

“For the fifth consecutive year, the Driver Shortage is the trucking industry’s top concern on the overall list, with more than four times as many first-place votes as the next issue on the 2021 Top Industry Issues list. According to the American Trucking Associations, the industry’s current shortage of over 60,000 drivers could grow to over 160,000 by 2028.”

The ATRI report also highlighted driver retention as the No. 2 industry issue, jumping four places from its 2020 ranking. Other industry issues included driver compensation followed by lawsuit abuse reform – truck parking, CSA, detention and delay, infrastructure and congestion funding and insurance among others.

Aayush also noted that while bigger companies may be expe riencing an issue with filling roles, smaller trucking companies attribute the empty jobs to retention rather than hiring.

“Ninety-five percent of trucking companies in the United

States have less than 20 trucks, meaning that the trucking in dustry is run by lots of small business owners,” Aayush said.

Aayush said the issue with smaller trucking companies is see ing less incentive to keep drivers, and drivers have seen less in centive to continue in their roles. In continuing to build the FR 8relay method of trucking, Aayush and Deme knew they wanted to create opportunities for small businesses.

“We are trying to build a com munity-based business by being involved in organizations and talk ing to local administration of rural areas about what we are trying to accomplish. We wanted to make sure this would positively impact long-haul trucking, and it kind of cascades from there. We have been very lucky in making these con nections,” Aayush said. “Our com munity has been very supportive on both the investor and business sides, and in being connected we’ve been able to create this business.”

Aayush explained FR8relay dif fers from other startups in the aspect that it is mostly grant-funded.

“We are trying to make this a more sustainable model, meaning that it is taking longer than some startups do, but it is something that Deme and I both wanted to do. One of the things that I am most proud of is hearing enthusiasm about this, because it would be helpful to so many communities,” Aayush said. “We want to be community-driven. That is the exciting part for us.”

In May, FR8relay announced that it was chosen to receive $206,468 from the Department of Energy as part of 259 grants totaling $53 million. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant was awarded for Vehicle Technologies – Energy Ef ficiency in Emerging Mobility Systems: Developing and Apply ing Novel Mobility Solutions for Underserved Disadvantaged Communities.

Grant criteria calls for small businesses to develop and ap ply novel mobility technology solutions as to increase energy

productivity for individual businesses. According to a news release from FR8relay, the nation relies on trucking to move 72.5% of its freight.

In September, The National Science Foundation, announced FR8Relay would receive $225,983 as part of its SBIR phase one program.

“As part of the NSF project, FR8relay’s patented technology pools shipments and matches tractors and drivers with trailers and cargo in a relay fashion that ensures equipment and cargo keep moving while driver’s return home daily,” according to a news release.

Other funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture SBIR phase two program. In August, the USDA announced FR8 relay would receive $649,998 in order to further establish its goals in trucking and technology. In phase two, FR8relay is aiming to prove the practical feasibility of relay trucking in the real-world context of American lo gistics, per news release.

Going forward, the company will fur ther refine its relay trucking model, look ing at feasible ways to enhance benefits from logistics, profitability and even the environment.

“In phase two, we are focusing on our ability to reduce emissions and idling while implementing vehicle potential,” Deme said.

Finally, the company’s plan also outlines potential economic benefits to the small towns that lie along relay shipping routes. Thus far, Aayush said, leaders in these communities have been enthusiastic about the potential for relay stations to bring jobs and economic opportunity to town.

“Our first SBIR grant from the USDA [allows] us to look at how our technology could potentially economically benefit ma jor trucking companies in rural towns,” Deme said. “We learned that if we are to place these switching locations in rural com munities, we can both improve truck drivers on long-haul trips [and] create more job opportunities.”

We learned that if we are to place these switching locations in rural communities, we can both improve truck drivers for long haul trips, creating more job opportunities.

“Guests of the Centennial Campaign Kickoff Gala celebrate the announcement that $162 million has already been raised toward the goal of $250 million.”

By AMP Staff // Photos by Ben Krain, courtesy of UA Little Rock

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock kicked off the public phase of its largest-ever fundraising campaign over two days from Oct. 13 and 14, first with a gala for key stakeholders and then with a community-wide formal an nouncement during its annual BBQ at Bailey tailgate-style event.

Concurrently with the campaign kickoff, the university an nounced a special gift given by the Yupo and Susan Chan Chari table Trust. The $6.75 million gift was given in honor of the late Yupo Chan, Ph.D., founding chair of the department of systems engineering, who died in 2020. Chan’s wife, Susan, and her

niece, Alexandra Johnson serve as trust ees; both were honored at the UA Little Rock Centennial Campaign Gala.

“Dr. Chan was an extraordinary leader and mentor,” said Dr. Christina Drale, UA Little Rock chancellor. “His accom plishments at this university touched many lives and helped elevate our engi neering school to national prominence. This gift will continue the transforma tional effect on students and programs that he was known for and to which he dedicated his career.”

The gift is the second-largest endowed gift and the fifth-largest gift overall in UA Little Rock history. It includes $1.5 million to establish the Yupo Chan Di rector of the School of Engineering En dowment, $2 million to create the Chan Wui and Yunyin Endowed Undergradu ate Scholarship and $3.25 million to cre ate the Chan Wui and Yunyin Endowed Graduate Scholarship.

The graduate and undergraduate scholarships, named for Chan’s parents, will be awarded based on financial need and/ or merit and will assist full- and part-time engineering students with education-related expenses.

“Yupo’s parents believed strongly in the value of education, that education was the path toward success in life,” Susan Chan said.

According to Angelita Faller, UA Little Rock news director, “The endowment will help attract and recruit highly qualified individuals to the position of the Director of the School of Engi neering, which will be named for Dr. Chan, and provide the di rector with the resources to further their contributions to teach ing, research and public service. The fund will also supplement university support for outstanding faculty in the school.”

Earlier this year, UA Little Rock announced the creation of four new schools through the reorganization of several smaller academic departments. The School of Engineering and Engi neering Technology, which the Yupo and Susan Chan Charitable Trust’s gift will support, brings together the systems engineering department and the engineering technology department. The school of engineering will also include the university’s programs in electronics and computer engineering technology, mechani cal engineering technology, mechanical engineering and elec trical and computer engineering.

Born in Guangzhou, China, Chan and his family fled to Hong Kong in the 1950s following the rise of the Chinese Communist

The late Dr. Yupo Chan served as a professor at UA Little Rock for 20 years and was the founding chair of the Department of System Engineering.

Party. Upon graduating high school, Chan moved to the Unit ed States to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a master’s degree in transportation systems, and a Ph.D. in opera tions research. Before joining UA Little Rock in 2000, Chan held positions at the State University of New York at Stoney Brook, Penn State University, the University of Washington and the Air Force Institute of Technology.

In his two decades as an educator and researcher at UA Little Rock, Chan established the UA Little Rock chapter of Tau Beta Pi, an honor society for engineering students, and founded the Chan Wui and Yunyin Rising Star Workshop to consider the analytical relationship between mobility and communication. Chan also worked with a team of scientists to develop a small, cost-effective way to observe atmospheric levels of greenhouse gasses using CubeSats.

vision boiled down to an interest in helping make

“Yupo’s

“Yupo’s vision boiled down to an interest in helping make UA Little Rock an important center for engineering and operations research.”

(Left) Susan Chan and Alex Johnson,

Professor Yupo Chan, are honored at the UA Little Rock Centennial Campaign Gala on Oct. 13 for their family’s $6.75 million gift to benefit the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

(Right) “UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale, the Centennial Campaign Committee and university leaders at the Centennial Campaign Kickoff Gala.”

UA Little Rock an important center for engineering and op erations research,” Susan Chan said. “The two things he most enjoyed about working at UA Little Rock were mentoring in dividual students to make a difference in their lives and doing engineering research. He wanted to make a significant differ ence to UA Little Rock.”

Lawrence Whitman, Ph.D., dean of the Donaghey College of STEM, described the financial gift as “transformational” in its provisions for the future of engineering at UA Little Rock.

“Dr. Chan served as the initial chair of systems engineering and brought engineering to our campus,” Whitman said. “Dr. Chan’s legacy will continue to positively impact engineering at our university by strengthening the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology at both the undergraduate and gradu ate levels.”

The endowment is the latest good news associated with the university’s Centennial Campaign, a bold and ambitious investment in the institution’s future. The campaign’s si lent phase has been ongoing since 2017, and UA Little Rock hopes to raise $250 million before the university’s 100-year anniversa ry in 2027. Thus far, $163 million has been raised from 20,000 donors.

“This campaign celebrates our first 100 years and ensures a robust beginning to our second 100 years by reducing student debt, securing the best in instruction and providing a great living-learning environ ment for the campus community,” said Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor for uni versity advancement. “The boldest fund raising campaign in the university’s history will empower students, enhance our aca demic programs, and transform our community and Arkansas for the better.”

The campaign centers around four key emphasis areas: stu dent scholarships, student success initiatives, living and learn ing environment upgrades and program excellence.

Student scholarships reflect the University’s goal of making higher education more accessible. Since 2018, UA Little Rock has reduced its net cost of attendance by more than 22%. UA Little Rock’s student success initiatives support the University’s returning student retention rate and include services such as tu toring, career coaching and emergency support.

Upgrades to the University’s facilities, including classrooms and labs, will ensure students have access to state-of-the-art technology. UA Little Rock has also updated spaces such as the Learning Commons and Ottenheimer Library to encourage

wife and niece of the late

“A

portrait of Yupo Chan is unveiled by his niece, Alex Johnson, and wife, Susan Chan.”

“Students and scholarship recipients welcome Gala attendees with signs representing the different types of students UA Little Rock supports, including single parents, first-generation and working adults.”

community engagement and connection with peers. As part of the campaign, more campus gathering spaces are in the works.

Continued investment in academic programs will both en sure students receive a high-value education and aid UA Little Rock in recruiting and retaining talented faculty and research ers. According to the University, “Offering internships, con nections with industry and opportunities to conduct research helps students succeed, graduate and then positively impact our communities.”

Jerry Damerow and Alfred Williams are leading the Centen nial Campaign Committee as co-chairs. The campaign commit tee also includes Chancellor Christina Drale, Provost Ann Bain, James Bobo, Bob Denman, Thomas Dickinson, Courtney Little, R.J. Martino, Don Riggin, Cheryl Shuffield, Bill Sowell and Mi chael Williams Sr.

“This campaign comes at a special moment in the history of this university,” Drale said. “The last 100 years have been an inspired journey to excellence. By raising these funds, we are ensuring that UA Little Rock will continue on that journey and continue to provide educational opportunities for generations of students to come.”

According to the University, donations received so far have also included $25 million from an anonymous donor for schol arships and student success programs and $5.5 million from the

Donaghey Foundation to construct a new north-to-south prom enade called Trojan Way and a new Library Plaza. An additional $2.25 million has been received from the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust to preserve and educate the public about the history of Arkansas and the contributions of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller. Philanthropists Sherri and Jerry Damerow have also made a planned gift of $1 million to support scholarships for science majors at UA Little Rock.

“If we don’t build Arkansas, who will?” Damerow said. “We could give our support anywhere, but we’ve found the best stu dents are right here at home.”

The campaign centers around four key emphasis areas: student scholarships, student success initiatives, living and learning environment upgrades and program excellence.

Making History

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is first woman to win governor’s race

By AMP Staff

After almost 200 years of statehood, Arkansas has its first female governor.

As expected, Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Little Rock was elected the state’s next gover nor, pulling in about 63.1% of the vote against Democrat Chris Jones of Little Rock and Libertarian Ricky Har rington of Pine Bluff, both Black males. Jones garnered approximately 35.1% of the vote; Harrington 1.8%, as re ported by the Associated Press with 93% of votes counted as of 10:15 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, served the Trump campaign as senior advisor and the Trump administration as deputy press secretary and press secretary. She was the third woman and first mom to serve in the latter role.

In addition, Sanders is the nation’s first daughter of a former governor elected to fill the position formerly held by her father, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Sanders carried 70 of the state’s 75 counties, as reported by AP at 93%

Throughout the campaign, Sanders enjoyed a huge fundraising edge and was endorsed by her former boss in the White House, who won the state with 61 percent of the vote in the 2020 election.

“This election is about taking Arkansas to the top,” Sanders said in her acceptance speech, as reported by AP. “I know that Arkansas can be first, and I’m committed to being the leader who takes us there.”

The race itself was historic, pitting a white female against two Black males.

Sanders will succeed term-limited Asa Hutchinson, who served his two terms with broad support across the state. And Sanders inherits a friendly Arkansas legisla ture. Republicans have dominated state politics since the red wave of 2010.

Heading into the election, the GOP held 78 of 100 House seats and 28 Senate seats in addition to every con stitutional office.

Saders’ campaign focused on lowering taxes, eco nomic development, education and support for law en

forcement. She has advocated for eliminating the state’s income tax.

Sanders supports school choice and teachers’ pay raises as well as holding schools accountable for failing students, is pro-life and does not favor exemptions to Ar kansas’ abortion law and wants to re-introduce a work re quirement to the state’s Medicaid program.

She came out against Issue 4 to legalize recreational marijuana and has proposed Truth in Sentencing legisla tion aimed at violent repeat offenders. Sanders also has proposed increased mental health programming for pris on inmates as well as a “victim’s bill of rights.”

Regarding the death penalty, Sanders told the Arkan sas Democrat-Gazette that she would enforce the laws on the books and “always take a strong stand against violent crime.”

Sanders, 40, received her bachelor’s degree in politi cal science and mass communications from Ouachita Baptist University. She met her husband, Bryan, a fellow campaign consultant, on the 2008 presidential campaign trail. Together, they founded Second Street Strategies, a political consulting firm.

Sanders grew up in Pine Bluff and Texarkana, graduat ed from Little Rock Central High School and lives in Little Rock with her husband and their three young children.

Her extensive political experience includes serving as campaign manager for her father’s 2016 presidential cam paign and national political director of his 2008 presiden tial campaign.

She was a senior advisor with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, a senior advisor with Tim Pawlen ty’s 2012 presidential campaign, campaign manager for John Boozman’s 2010 U.S. Senate race.

Sanders began her consultant work in 2011 with Tsamoutales Strategies and was promoted to vice presi dent in 2014. While there, she worked with the ONE Cam paign, founded by U2’s Bono, and several Fortune 500 companies. She and her husband founded Second Street in 2016. That same year, she served as senior advisor to Missouri gubernatorial candidate John Brunner.

Sanders will be sworn into office on Jan. 10.

Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders celebrates with family during her election night party Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Little Rock, Ark.

(AP Photo/Will Newton)

If These

Could Talk: Club 1836

Wall

There’s no denying that, the 1836 Club, perched at the top of the downtown portion of Cantrell Hill, has borne witness to nearly all of central Arkansas’ history following the Civil War. From political skirmishes to the Civil Rights Move ment, the 1836 Club is rooted in Natural State history.

Until it became the 1836 Club, the building that hosts the now swanky Southern pri vate club was known as the Packet House. Before that, the building, distinguished by its outstanding Second Empire architectural style, was the Mc Donald-Wait-Newton House. For the sake of brevity, we will refer to the 1836 Club’s building as the Packet House.

The Packet House was con structed before Cantrell Road was even called Cantrell.The building’s original address was 1406 Lincoln Ave., due to peo ple along that street, in one way or another, being pro-Union, either having been Union sympathizers of they’d moved here from the North. The houses built along this strip were referred to as the “Carpetbagger’s Row Mansions.” Out of the five of which only the Packet House remains.

The house was constructed in 1869 by Alexander McDonald, who moved to Arkansas in 1863, shortly after the Union took Little Rock. McDonald was president of Merchant’s National Bank and was involved in the railroad industry. He was the first Republican U.S. Senator from Arkansas, a position he held from 1868 to 1871. The house was built while he was a senator, and for a while, McDonald was considered the richest man in Ar kansas. Unfortumately, his bid for re-election to the Arkansas General Assembly were in vain, and McDonald sold the house and moved to New York.

The house was sold to William B. Wait, who moved from

By Katie Zakrzewski

Knoxville, Tennessee, to the Arkansas Post, then to Little Rock as part of his merchandising and real estate business. He, too, was the president of Merchant’s National Bank for some time. His tenure in the household was a quiet one, and not much is known about it.

In 1887, the Packet House was bought by Ann McHenry Re ider, and was soon full with her two daughters and their fami lies. The Reider daughters had married two brothers, Thomas and Robert, of the prominent Newton family, who remained in the home for four generations.

In 1946, the home was sold, turned into apartments and re named the Packet House for the overlook to the Arkansas River which once teemed with packet boats.

When the house was built, it was considered to be on the out skirts of Little Rock, but is now considered to be in one of the busiest and most central areas. The architecture of the Packet House is unique, right down to the roofing tiles, which were once on the roof of the penitentiary that sat where the state Capitol currently sits.

The McDonald-Wait-Newton House (Packet House) was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 14, 1978 thanks to the efforts of Susan McDougal. In addition to apartments, the Packet House was used for various purposes over the years, including as office space and as several different restaurants.

In 2016 Mark Camp, a pilot, aviation enthusiast and artist in Little Rock, added “political adviser” to his list of positions when then-Mayor Mark Stoloda appointed him to the Little Rock National Airport Commission. That same year, Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed Camp Executive Director of the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission, where he led statewide efforts to preserve the beauty of the State of Arkansas.

The 1836 Club is home to several lounge rooms and bar areas, such as the Churchill Cigar Lounge and other chic drinking lounges.

Growing up, Camp’s grandmother en joyed talking about their geneology, spark ing his enthusiasm for diving deep into his tory. Camp shared a desire for an upscale private dining venue in Little Rock with his primary business partner. Most cities had private dining clubs, but Arkansas had none.

In 2015, while driving down Cantrell Road during his morning commute, Camp noticed the for sale sign in the front yard of the Packet House. Camp and his wife, along with two business partners, purchased the house and restored it. The house was called The 1836 Club, in honor of the year Arkan sas became the 25th state. Kaki Hocker smith, one of the most accomplished inte rior designers in the country, aided them in their restoration journey.

Camp is in the final stages of publishing a book about the history of the Packet House, titled “If Walls Could Talk: The Packet House Remembers — A Unique Glimpse of Little Rock History from the Perspective of an Historic Landmark.” In the book, set to by published in early 2023, Camp writes of the unique history of the Packet House; its strategic position to bear witness to some of Arkansas’s most crucial historical events.

“The Packet House has quite the history in Little Rock poli tics, from the Reconstruction period to the present, from the owners to events that happened around the house,” Camp says. “It was the Packet House restaurant back in the ῾80s, and a lot of people have stories about it. When I’d bought the house and we were redoing it, one of the contractors was working alongside his brother-in-law and pointed out a spot near the window, and that’s where he’d proposed to his wife. We’ve met lots of peo ple who remember that restaurant. So many prominent people lived here, including one of the Stephens brothers, who lived up on the third floor.”

Camp shares that he still bumps into people today who talk about their ancestors being born in the house or living in the house.

“It’s neverending, as far as the stories go,” Camp says.

If you have the privilege of dining at the 1836 Club today, you’ll get to see the Pilots Lounge, featuring pieces and parts of planes and aircraft, pieces from the Clinton National Airport, as well as

a tribute to Arkansas’ own “Wingman to the Aces,” Floyd Full erson. Additionally, guests will find the Churchill Cigar Lounge, a well-ventilated cigar lounge that has over 50 pictures of cigar enthusiasts Sir Winston Churchill.

Camp is proud to see how the 1836 Club has come full circle. While the Packet House that houses the Club has witnessed events that would make one question their confidence in human ity, the Club welcomes some of the most diverse audiences every evening for dinner, making up a host of ethnicities and creeds.

Camp says it best: “The 1836 Club serves as a reminder of our past and is a tribute to our progress towards redemption.”

Perhaps one of its most unique features is that Packet House roofing tiles were once on the roof of the penitentiary that sat where the state Capitol currently sits.

OTHER SHEEP

By Mark Carter

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

— The Gospel of John 10:16

NASA recently got its closest look at Europa, the Jovian moon that scientists believe hides an ocean of liquid water under its icy crust and has a thin atmosphere of mostly oxygen.

The smart guys in lab coats specu late that if alien life is to be found in the solar system, Jupiter’s Europa is a prime candidate. Probably, THE prime candidate. We’re talking mi crobial life, more than likely, but life nonetheless.

The Juno probe is making the closest run to Europa since Galileo in 2000. Juno’s two-hour fly-by at 219 miles above the moon’s surface gave NASA its three closest-ever looks, shared recently by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

JPL officials said the images reveal rugged terrain, including tall, shadow-casting blocks (monoliths, anyone?), bright and dark ridges and troughs that curve across the surface, and even a possible impact crater.

So, aside from satisfying our inner nerd, why is this important?

NASA is gathering as much information about Europan geol ogy as it can in advance of the Europa Clipper mission, sched uled to launch in 2024. JPL says the mission will study the at mosphere, surface and interior of the moon to try and help determine if its ocean could support life as we know it.

Perhaps most importantly, NASA hopes Clipper can identify potentially habitable “pockets” of liquid water just underneath the ice cap. The mission is scheduled to reach Europa in 2030.

Europa’s life-sustaining possibilities have helped necessitate a rethinking of what constitutes a “Goldilocks zone.”

For starters, scientists are convinced there’s liquid water un der the cap on Europa, and that the tidal give-and-go from Jupi ter enables the water to remain liquid and drive crust movement similar to plate tectonics. This interaction enables chemical ab sorption from the surface into the water below.

This speculated interaction would provide, potentially, build ing blocks for life. At least, as we know it. ***

The sixth-largest moon in the solar system, just smaller than

our own, Europa is believed to contain two to three times the volume of all water on Earth, and its global ocean to be 10 times as deep as any terrestrial body of water.

Like the continent, Europa is named for the Greek princess with whom Zeus was enamored. In the guise of a white bull, he enchanted Europa and bore her on his back to the isle of Crete, where she became his queen.

Europa — a beautiful mystery, awaiting our ability to discov er it. Perhaps, in eight years, Clipper will arrive like Zeus’ white bull and enchant her into revealing its secrets.

And gradually she lost her fear, and he Offered his breast for her virgin caresses, His horns for her to wind with chains of flowers Until the princess dared to mount his back Her pet bull’s back, unwitting whom she rode. Then—slowly, slowly down the broad, dry beach— First in the shallow waves the great god set His spurious hooves, then sauntered further out ‘til in the open sea he bore his prize Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw The fast receding sands. Her right hand grasped A horn, the other lent upon his back Her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze.

— from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”

DESIGN AWARDS | 2022

Great people, great service, and great products from companies like Siemens. This is how we create customers for life. One customer at a time.

Building automation not only makes a more comfortable facility, but can also save energy and money. At Powers, we know building automation inside and out. We offer heating and cooling solutions to architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners that both do the job and fit the budget. Call us and put our knowhow to work on your next project. 501.374.5420 www.powers-hvac.com

WHAT WE DO

H. CRAIG BOONE, AIA PRESIDENT, AIA ARKANSAS

2022 | FROM THE PRESIDENT

As the 2022 President of AIA Arkansas, it is my honor to present to you this year’s AIA Design Awards Publication, highlighting our Chapter’s achievements through our Design Awards Program and our Chapter Awards. These individuals and projects represent the accomplish ments of our state’s architects, consultants, contractors, building own ers and clients.

These awards were recently highlighted in our own Chapter’s state convention held in October. Architects, Design Professionals, Allied Members, Clients and friends joined together to celebrate those ac complishments.

This year 36 entries were submitted by member firms in the Design Awards Program. The individual jury members were chosen for their diverse design backgrounds and sensibilities. This year’s jury identi fied 10 finalists in the categories of Merit, Honor and Citation Award. The finalists can be found throughout this publication. We thank all our entrants for their work and look forward to seeing next year’s sub missions.

In addition to the jury selected recipients, our chapter honors two additional recipients through the Members’ Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award. The Members’ Choice Award is selected by the AIA Members at our convention, and the People’s Choice Award is selected by the public.

The cover of this year’s publication highlights the 2021 Member’s Choice Award winner, Little Rock Southwest High School in Little Rock, designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects.

This Year’s Chapter Awards are as follows.

The Emerging Professional Award is intended to recognize a new professional, practicing for 10 years or less, who has expanded the role of the architect through civic participation and professional mentorship. This year’s recipient is Katherine Lashley, AIA. Katherine has established herself as an important voice in the Arkansas AIA, demonstrating a true commitment to her colleagues in the profession. Having served the Arkansas AIA in a wide variety of roles, Katherine has shown particular interest in the support of young professionals, working on the Emerging Professionals Committee since 2018. She has been involved in numerous events for emerging professionals over the last four years and sets an outstanding example for your professionals in architecture. Katherine’s reputation as a skilled design professional and confident team leader continues as she rises in experience and responsibility.

The Award of Merit is AIA Arkansas’ Recognition of an individual, public official, members of any allied profession, public agency or company that thorough interest, activity, and concern with the profession of Architecture, shall have advanced the cause of good plan ning and design and/or contributed to the dignity and value of the Architecture Profession. This year’s recipient is David Wooly of Alma School District, in Alma, Arkansas. David is a nationally recognized educator who retires this year after 50 years of service as superin tendent to the Alma School District. As deputy superintendent and superintendent, David oversaw the construction of over 400,000 SF of new facilities and over 400,000 SF of additions and renovations. These projects include classrooms, new schools, football stadiums, performing arts centers, basketball arena and scores of support spaces. His approach to facilities construction and management is to be closely connected with the design team and to be involved in the day-to-day construction process.

AIA Arkansas’ Diversity Award was established to recognize an individual, public agency, organization or company for exemplary com mitment and contributions to inclusiveness within the architectural profession and education in the state of Arkansas. This year’s recipient is the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. Since its founding in 1998, the WFA’s guiding principles have been consistent – to understand the diverse needs and realities facing women and girls, and to respond through purposeful action and engaged philanthropy. In 2018, the Women in Architecture and Diversity committees took part in an initial benchmark study with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas in conjunction with the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service Graduate Student Researchers to create a Gender Equity Scorecard allowing Arkansas businesses to evaluate the current state of gender equity in their workplaces. Wage gap, workplace barriers, financial literacy, flexibility, benefits, mentoring, and much more was discussed to create indicators of gender equity not only within our profession, but many others. We hope everyone enjoys this publication; it does a wonderful job showcasing the amazing talent and projects we have in Arkansas. Congratulations to all the Award Winners! We greatly appreciate you taking time to celebrate with us.

BRITTANY MORTIN, ASSOC. AIA

Brittany Mortin grew up in the suburbs of Chica go. With both sides of the family in the construc tion industry in a growing city, she was drawn to blueprints and building designs at a young age. She moved to Arkansas in 1998, where she fell in love with drafting through a class at Jonesboro High School. Brittany moved back to Chicago to study engineering before deciding to pursue ar chitecture instead. After completing her degree and working for Dell Design Services, Brittany returned to Arkansas to start her family. Her first job back home was with Little and Asso ciates Architect firm, where she worked from 2004 until 2021. After leaving Little and Associ ates, Brittany started Mortin Design Services to offer architects drafting, as-builts and construc tion administration services. Brittany will attend Harding University to further her architecture studies in the spring of 2023.

HONOR AWARD | BANK OZK HEADQUARTERS

FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: CDI CONTRACTORS

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

OWNER/CLIENT: BANK OZK

PROJECT TEAM:

PATTY OPITZ, AIA DAVID PORTER, AIA, REESE ROWLAND, FAIA JB MULLINS, AIA NIKKI CRANE, ASSOC. AIA DAVID ROGERS, AIA LAURA HENDRIX, ASID ALEXANDRA WARD, ASID

CONSULTANTS: BATSON INC., ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS INC., WHITE-DATERS & ASSOCIATES, STUDIO OUTSIDE, ARUP

Located between parallel ridges in the shadow of popular Pinnacle Mountain State Park, the 44-acre partial ly developed land generated a walkable multi-phased campus master plan that centers on environmentally sound principals with a collaborative focus, blurring lines between inside/out, and making the entire site a place of work, respite, and interaction with nature. The gently sloping site allowed parking to be bunkered un der the building and tucked against the grade, making a 388-car deck stretching the width of the site undetect able, while creating a public engagement through a sculpted, artistic landscape. Site retention becomes water features in the park-like green that the building bridges, attracting wildlife within steps of associates. All future buildings will face the green, with parking concealed under as well.

Two primary office wings are linked by a 5-story atrium that acts as a vertical collaborative center, with confer ence rooms cantilevered into the space like Ozark Mountain bluff outcroppings, highlighting beautiful views as a link between two distinct green spaces. Below, a café beckons interaction and gatherings inside or out. The multi-use space serves employees, shareholder meetings, and public events, while creating a vertical gallery for the bank’s extensive art collection. The atrium is bridged by a sweeping roof, a symbol of speed, movement, and financial prowess, while shaped to perfectly match the rolling hills and mountainous surroundings; the building becomes a man-made ridge. Stairs are pulled to the exterior and wrapped in glass, encouraging use while acting as vertical beacons from a distance.

The building stretches east-west with deep horizontal blades on the south, and vertical fritted glass fins on east and west to mitigate glare while reducing heat gain. Incredibly, the headquarters, along with 40 branch banks, are powered by a bank-owned solar array that provides 100% of electrical power, taking the building off the grid. 95% of 800 employees will sit within 35 feet of windows overlooking greenspaces instead of the normal sea of parking. The curving roof and clerestories bring light from above, while reaching up across the atrium to connect leadership at level five with four associate floors below... a symbol of openness and accessibility.

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

HONOR AWARD

COLER MOUNTAIN BIKE PRESERVE

Crafted in a vernacular palette of raw steel, natural wood, and formed concrete, Coler Mountain Bike Preserve was completed in 2020 and has quickly become the mountain biking mecca of the central and southern United States. The 17 miles of progressively built mountain bike trails, calibrated for every skill level, are strategically populated with thoughtfully crafted pavilions, bridges, campsites, amenities, and ride elements that take full advantage of the cross section of the Ozarks.

Located in the heart of the beautiful Ozark Mountain Region of Northwest Arkansas, yet only a five-minute bike ride from downtown Bentonville, this premiere recreation destination pushes the limits of mountain biking as the flagship destination of a 250+ mile network of natural-surface trails. Coler is a unique respite devoted to connecting family, friends, enthusiasts, and professionals to nature—whether you choose two wheels or two feet.

The Coler mountain bike trail system is a world-class preserve and serves all levels of the sport from be ginners to experts. Every element is tied to a common design language, rooted in the thresholds and flows of mountain biking. This language combines to form an aesthetic sensibility derived from the Ozark ver nacular. The design team had the unique opportunity to program, place, and fully design the entire palette of the visitor experience from the simplest wooden berm wall rides to the restoration of the original home stead structures and the new trailside cafe crafted in formed concrete. Our work blends nature and man in a harmonious play of defining thresholds and understanding the flow of the natural elements and the visitor experience, from hilltop to valley creek.

The Homestead

The original Homestead Barn, once an actual working cattle barn, is reimagined as a place for families. The ground level of the barn and the loft interact as a three-dimensional maze, a play structure as well as a simple shade pavilion. The restored original structural elements simply display an honest form and construction, providing that always-intriguing play of shadow and light, subtle reminders to the history of the place and the vernacular. It represents and educates with the stories of the agrarian and humbly-hewn past.

Ghost Barn

The Ghost Barn is a celebrated formal expression of the humble chicken coop at the homestead site. This small structure is a backdrop and operative stage for the homestead lawn and offers a smaller scale inti mate space for reflection within the large public park. Most importantly, this structure is about a moment in time, capturing what we all love most about old barns; the play of light and shadow through the natural, repetitive wood construction.

The Berm

A ruin emerging from the Ozark hillside, the berm is crafted in highly textured concrete. The perceived relic creates mystery, shade, form, and frames views to the Homestead site. The timeless nature of the architecture invites users to pause at the center of Coler and is a counterpoint to the light, woody barns of the Homestead. The Berm is home to Airship Coffee and acts as the proverbial front porch to the valley trail. A rooftop terrace and a beer garden in the holler complete the ensemble, providing ample space for visitors to relax, play, and refresh along their journey through Coler. This building is a beacon of trailside food and beverage and culminates in the most solid and permanent design language of the entire preserve.

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

CO-OP Ramen is meant to be an oasis, set apart from the busy market outside and the hectic pace of Bentonville. The existing glass storefront faces west to parking, so a layer of steel beaded curtains is placed inside the glass to screen views into the restaurant from the exterior, withholding the full experience until visitors are inside. The curtains also reduce and soften the intense western light, providing an opportunity to escape for a moment into another world.

Visitors are met by a wooden ceiling that extends across the restaurant, providing a soft, warm light. Made from simple, construction-quality plywood, the ceiling and the booths are dignified through fine craftsmanship and detailing of the ex posed plywood edges. Light from concealed fixtures travels through the deeply coffered ceiling, causing light and shadow to become caught up in the recesses. The warmth of the wood is juxtaposed against walls of concrete block with a ser rated face, emphasizing the relationship of the handmade to the industrial.

A twelve-foot-tall living green wall is a counterpoint to the concrete block walls around the open kitchen where guests can watch the chefs at work. Like the re fined versions of the traditionally simple food on the menu, the design is an ex ample of something common being elevated and honored through thoughtful care and invention. With a variety of seating options provided, visitors can choose between a cluster of booths, communal dining tables in the open, or bar seating in front of the exposed kitchen. Although only two thousand square feet, CO-OP Ramen creates a remarkable variety of spaces that remain unified by the design. This simple strategy provides a tactile experience within an industrial relic, offer ing humanity and scale.

HONOR AWARD

OSAGE PARK PAVILION

FIRM:

The Osage Park Pavilion is a gateway and centerpiece for Osage Park, which resides at the northern end of a small municipal airport in Bentonville, Arkansas. The airport is a playground for unique small aircraft, and this pavilion derives its playful form and structural expression from aircraft wing design. The simple, fluid form lifts seamlessly out of the ground, evolving into a light, airy structure that celebrates natural light pouring through repetitive structural elements and the dynamic, undulating Arkansas-sourced cypress facade.

The pavilion acts as a hub within the larger park and contains a covered gathering space, restrooms, green room, and an outdoor stage and amphitheater that anchors the eastern edge of the 55-acre recreational area. As the pavilion rises out of the park, the occupiable green roof becomes a viewing platform for watch ing planes take off and land.

The existing wetlands at Osage Park remain and play several roles, including water purification, water storage, and processing of carbon and other nutrients. Boardwalks are used for circulation throughout the park to preserve existing wetland and riparian areas. Other green infrastructure includes riparian buf fers and the introduction of native plants to aid in phytoremediation and restore a more natural aquatic environment.

Just as visitors slide through various riparian areas of the park, the pavilion rises from the earth with a clear polycarbonate roof that is truly the 5th facade viewed from the air. This gentle glowing creature is simulta neously part of the land and a gesture to the sky.

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

HONOR AWARD

The low-slung body of the house is a simple rectilinear form that begins as a figural, expressive front to a planar, framed rear. The brick on the main facade is textured to emphasize the public face, punctuated by a generous canopy over the front door, while the southern, rear façade, the painted steel plate cladding gives the appearance of having been cleaved - the brick volume cut open and exposed to the woods beyond. The garage extends to the east, connected to the main house by an art studio. Carefully framed windows punc tuate the brick front and sides while the interior is lined with continuous glazing around the courtyard. Warm, tactile materials fill the interior, including a rift cut white oak ceiling throughout the house and out side on the covered terrace, only interrupted by generous light wells. The brick of the exterior reappears inside for the fireplace fronts in the living room and main bedroom, each washed in sunlight. Polished concrete floors are warmed by radiant heat, with a herringbone stone tile border evocative of the brick tex ture on the front. Wrapped around the courtyard, the main living and dining spaces all enjoy distant views through an elevated, covered terrace and immediate views into a landscape of native plants and grasses that terraces down to the forest.

The courtyard and covered terrace expand the living area of the house, taking advantage of the Arkansas climate and the significant time that can be spent comfortably outside. In true Roman fashion, the com pluvium roof collects rainwater for irrigation of native plants. The terrace itself serves as a brise soleil and a bridge between the wings of the house, screening the occasionally intense southern sun as one of many passive and active sustainability strategies. With a geothermal system to provide heating and cool ing, high efficiency lighting and plumbing fixtures, and insulation exceeding the energy code, the house is extremely efficient, quiet, and comfortable.

Embracing the significant change in topography - a geographic feature for which the Ozarks are well known - the house gradually projects from the hillside, revealing a series of foundation wall ‘fins’ that give the house another kind of scale and texture. The seemingly simple organization of the plan evolves directly from the site strategy, resulting in varied spaces and light, at once inspiring and inviting, formal yet familial. With a variety of comfortable spaces to enjoy, flowing from inside to out and back again, the Shaw Residence is a thoughtful alternative to the conventional homes that surround it, with a contemporary language that draws from timeless traditions

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

This infill project is designed to be a striking addition to the burgeoning SoMa district while respecting the scale and historic nature of the neighborhood. The living units are a mix of studios and lofts that share a courtyard for gathering on the second floor. This central courtyard not only provides an amenity for the tenants, but also further breaks down the scale of the building to a more pedestrian level at the sidewalk. Two living units occupy the ground floor and allow the possibility of a live/work option with the small retail bays centered in the building. Traditional rhythms and symmetry are combined with newer materials and colors that veer from the typical South Main palette. South of the Interstate-630 divide, SoMa is a large, mostly residential neigh borhood with multiple overlapping historic districts. It has an eclectic mix of buildings from early 1900s Victorian architecture to more mid-century small scale retail buildings.1424 SoMa is one of very few new-construction projects in the district, and is unique in its more modern design. To satisfy key design standards outlined by the Design Overlay Commission, factors such as height, scale, and proportion had to be considered for their appropriateness. The com mission did allow for the building to be set back 3 feet to allow for outdoor din ing along the front to activate the streetlife which is important to the vibrancy of the district.

PHOTOGRAPHER TIM HURSLEY/RETT PEEK

The project began with a ladder in the back of a pickup truck. The owner’s original goal was: ‘make it cheap and build on the flat part.’ However, upon maneuvering to just the right spot on the site and obtaining just the right elevation, we were able to illustrate just how amazing the views could be. Naturally, the next step was to hang the house off the side of the cliff, cantilevering 37’ out over the water. By using a combina tion of ICF and steel construction for the overall structure, we were able to achieve an extremely energy efficient design. The design itself sought to use very inexpensive materials and simple overall forms to help achieve a very cost -efficient, yet dynamic end result.

PHOTOGRAPHER JASON VINCENT

MERIT AWARD | MUSE BOWLING GREEN

On a lush 10-acre site adjacent to Western Kentucky University is Muse, a 381-bed, 218unit student housing complex focused on community gathering. One- and two-bedroom units are located in the four ‘flats’ buildings, while the 33 detached four-bedroom urban houses assemble in clusters of three homes around residential-style courtyards. The site features a central barn pavilion, resort-style swimming pool, fitness center, hammock park, vegetable gardens, and lawn with fire pit.

The barn pavilion, with its black-stained cypress exterior, is elegantly situated within a luxuriant landscape. The design concept alludes to the agrarian roots of the region, tak ing inspiration from the once-ubiquitous tobacco barns dotting the terrain. The pavilion serves as a gathering space for residents of the complex. The rich, natural surroundings of Bowling Green, Kentucky, take center stage against this simple pallet of black and white buildings.

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

MERIT AWARD | VALLEY SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ

CONSTRUCTION

LOCATION: VALLEY SPRINGS, AR

OWNER/CLIENT: VALLEY SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT

PROJECT TEAM: JOSH SIEBERT, ASSOC. AIA MATT POE, AIA LAURA RAMIREZ, ASSOC. AIA

Valley Springs High School is a beacon, sitting proudly on a prominent corner of campus, representing the community’s historic commitment to education. The translucent glow on the exterior of the library is sta tioned by the contrasting computer lap mass above and these two volumes craft a new identity for the district as the mass volume of highway traffic now has a scholastic landmark. The glowing library serves as a remind er of the former greenhouse that was once a visual marker on this site for thousands of sunsets. The grand entry pays homage to the historic stone architecture on campus as students flow into the building between the light polycarbonate panels and massive gabion walls as a spring would a valley. The gabion baskets contain hand-placed limestone from a local quarry less than a mile from campus while the remainder of the building is clad in a maintenance-free metal panel. The metal panel profiles are randomized to create a unique rhythm that reinvigorates the mundane metal panel surface quality on a typical k-12 campus.

This new two-story, 9-12th grade facility breathes life into the rural campus that has been vacant of major construction for 30 years. The second-story mass spans the stone and polycarbonate forms to cover the entry while the exterior spaces created from this move become an outdoor science lab and a future green roof. These two exterior spaces provide elevated views back to the campus and spark energy for learning with the expectation of experiments and agricultural exploration. The exterior design moves are concentrated and simplistic allowing for a powerful exterior experience while allowing for a high-quality interior experience throughout, with custom fabricated details such as mascot signage and door pulls built by the architect’s own fabrication shop.

The interior spaces are a canvas for the education process with every room, including the janitor’s closet, washed in natural light. These modern yet raw interiors allow the steel structure to stand proud over the common spaces, library, and computer lab. The clean canvas is accented with natural wood tones to provide warmth and grab your attention when needed for building security, library checkout, and academic acco lades. The wood slat forms are carved to create function and to accept the approaching students and visitors. The minimalist approach to detailing these forms is also captured with custom-designed HVAC grilles that remove the typical and ever cumbersome metal products.

Valley Springs High School is a 21st-century school building; invigorating, desirable, and cutting edge for students; dignifying, comfortable, and secure for teachers.

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

2021 MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARD | LITTLE ROCK SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

Located equidistant from the two campuses that this new facility replaces, Little Rock Southwest High School must at once merge past traditions while also forging its own new identity for students in the 21st century. Planned for 2,250 students, the three-level facility incorporates more than 65 modern classrooms, advanced science laboratories, a robotics lab, art rooms, dance studios, tiered collabora tion classrooms, a large media center, a multi-level cafeteria for 850 students, and a 1,200-seat auditorium, among other amenities. The campus includes a 2,400-seat basketball arena, a football/soccer stadium for 4,000 spectators, a track & field complex for 500, baseball and softball stadiums, and a tennis complex.

The 55-acre site was intentionally arranged to create distinct zones between public/private and academic/athletic. The academic wing running east-west isolates public/visitor access on the north to the school, stadium, and arena, from the private/student zones on the south. The cafeteria, art and auditorium form that runs north-south engages the academic building with the athletic facilities to the east. The stadium is intentionally enclosed by the mass of the arena on the north, academic building on the west, and the field house on the south to create a sense of enclosure and to maximize fan noise and the game-day experience.

Evoking historic schools in the district, the building is clad in a traditional brick material, and then strategically articulated and delami nated to expose the modern, transparent ribbon of glass and school-branded colored panels that hint at the 21st century educational process within. This glass & metal ribbon, beginning at ground-level on the south side of the classroom wing, wraps around the entire perimeter of the academic building, defining the tiered collaborative classrooms, forming the covered portico over the main entry, and ultimately transitioning to a complete ribbon of cantilevered glass that serves as the press box overlooking the football stadium.

The pedagogy for the high school is designed as an academy structure of focused college and career readiness pathways. Within each pathway, interdisciplinary teaching methods are used to increase student exposure to various fundamentals. The architectural response to this concept is to put learning on display within atriums that vertically bisect the academic building. These atriums provide visual and physical connection between floors, facilitate collaboration between faculty and students, extend natural light down into the core of the building, and are lined with glass-enclosed classrooms that showcase student work and active learning to students who may oth erwise not be exposed to certain subjects.

An additional goal of the district was that the school should not only function as a safe place to educate children, but also be a resource for the neighborhood. To this end, the school campus includes after-hours access to community-use soccer fields, walking trails, and the auditorium with its own dedicated entrance and parking for public events. Integration of the community fabric into the design and use of the facility fosters pride not only for the school and its immediate neighborhood, but for the entire city.

Faced with a growing number of aging Air Traffic Control Towers, the FAA hosted an open design competition for the rapid deployment and replacement of current facilities nationwide. The competition sought innovative design strategies that would allow designs to be adapted to varying height conditions ranging from 60 to 119 feet. Other requirements included the ability to quickly adapt to changes in climate and site conditions based on the wide variety of locations, to be durable with an anticipated age range of 50 to 60 years, to have the abil ity to be quickly constructed and deployed across the United States, and for the design to utilize innovative sustainable solutions.

Our design addressed these requirements by creating a 12-foot prefabricated shell module that stacks to meet the varying height constraints. Each module shell is composed of an assembly of concrete fins, thin shell pre cast concrete wall panels, and a mixture of clear and photovoltaic glass. Vertical circulation elements, utility chases, and Air Traffic Control Tower program requirements, such as meeting and mechanical rooms, would all be housed within this shell.

At the base of the tower, the prefabricated shell is open to the air. This allows quick and unrestricted access to the tower’s vertical circulation components, the elevator and the stair. As the tower gains height, the prefabri cated concrete shell module begins wrapping around these vertical program elements. Additionally, opening the base of the tower up produces a stack effect cooling or heating depending on the HVAC configuration. The glass and concrete shaft heat the air at the base creating pressure differences to produce air flow. The tempera ture of this air can then be used to supplement the load placed on mechanical systems.

The design includes several sustainable solutions. Leaving the base of the tower open to the elements allows the glass and concrete shaft to heat the air producing the stack effect. This airflow can then be used to supple ment the towers HVAC systems depending on the towers location. The glass infill panels inside each concrete fin are designed with photovoltaic glass. Because of the large area of glass used it is estimated that each tower could produce enough power to both offset their own energy needs and produce additional power for their locations.

Utilizing prefabricated precast modules increases the speed, efficiency, and quality of the construction. Each module would be shop built in controlled factory conditions and shipped to the site for rapid on-site deploy ment. Additionally, precast concrete and prefabricated construction decreases the amount of material wasted during construction adding to the overall sustainable footprint of the towers.

DAVID WOOLLY | AWARD OF MERIT

David Woolly recently completed a 50-year career as an educator, all of which was spent in the Alma School District. A native of Little Rock, he earned a Bachelor of Sci ence in Music Education, A Master of Education in Administration, and an Education al Specialist in School Leadership, all from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

During his 50 years in the Alma School District, he served as High School Band Direc tor, High School Assistant Principal, District Federal Programs Coordinator, Assistant Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and for his final eleven years as Superinten dent. He has served on countless boards and commissions dealing with educational issues both in Arkansas and nationally.

Along with his other responsibilities, Woolly oversaw the construction or renovation of all of the Alma School District facilities throughout his time as Deputy Superin tendent and Superintendent. This consisted of the total renovation of approximately 400,000 square feet and the new construction of an additional approximately 500,000 square feet, including a new middle school, a new primary school, Airedale Stadium, the Alma Performing Arts Center, the Dyer Arena, and scores of classrooms and sup port facilities. His approach to facilities construction and management is to be closely connected with the design team, and to be personally involved in the day-to-day con struction process.

KATHERINE LASHLEY, AIA | EMERGING PROFESSIONAL

Katherine Lashley attended the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design and gradu ated with honors in May 2016. Immediately after graduation, Katherine joined Fennell Purifoy Architects in Little Rock, where she was first encouraged to get involved with AIA Arkansas, gaining experience and earning her license. During her time in Little Rock, she also served on the City of Little Rock Board of Adjustments. In November 2021, Katherine returned to Fayetteville joining Marlon Blackwell Architects. She has been an active member of AIA Arkansas for five years, serving on the Emerging Pro fessionals and Young Architects Committee, Executive Committee, and Public Rela tions Committee. As a member of the EPYA Committee, she has been a part of several initiatives to support Emerging Professionals including serving as Associate Director in 2020 during the height of COVID-19 and helping launch the MERGE Mentorship Program in 2021.

WOMEN’S FOUNDATION OF ARKANSAS | DIVERSITY AWARD

The mission of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is to ensure economic equity and security for Arkansas women and girls. Since its founding in 1998, the WFA’s guiding principles have been consistent – to understand the diverse needs and realities fac ing women and girls, and to respond through purposeful action and engaged philan thropy. The WFA intentionally approaches this work with the intersectional idea that there is no gender equity without racial equity. The WFA works to dismantle the very real inequities that women and girls of color face each day in their pursuit of economic security, with the goal of reducing gender and racial wealth gaps across the state of Arkansas through research, grantmaking, and two programmatic initiatives: Girls of Promise® and Women Empowered.

MICHAEL LEWIS LEJONG, AIA | MICHAEL LEJONG LEADERSHIP AWARD

Michael represented the American Institute of Architects and the architectural pro fession on many levels throughout his career. From his early involvement in the stu dent chapter to serving in various capacities at local, state, regional and national levels, he has taken a leading role in the guidance and structure of the AIA organization. His service and leadership led to many professional accomplishments and awards –however building relationships is what Michael did best. Michael developed lasting relationships with every colleague, project team, and community he worked with. He took pride in every project he worked on and served his community well.

It takes a diverse and deep bench to field a winning team. And it’s central to the playbook we use to deploy an energy portfolio that meets the needs of our 1.2 million members on a daily basis. Holding the line on every down are our reliable baseload resources—such as natural gas and coal. With assists by our growing wind, hydro and solar energy sources, we’re able to continue to responsibly deliver affordable power to our members. It’s this game-winning strategy, using a Balance of Power, that keeps Arkansas right in the game.

A Growing Health System for a Growing Community

At Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic, our highly-skilled group of interventional cardiologists and emergency department physicians have one of the state's best door-to-balloon times for providing emergency heart care. To schedule an appointment with the Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic, call 501-358-6905 or visit ConwayRegional.org to learn more.

Left to Right: Ronak Soni, MD, Don Steely, MD, Rimsha Hasan, MD, and Yalcin Hacioglu, MD of Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic