Arkansas Money & Politics November 2023

NOVEMBER 2023/armoneyandpolitics.com

BUILDING HISTORY ARCHITECTS USE PAST TO TELL STORY OF FUTURE

Reese Rowland of Polk Stanley Wilcox at the Pinnacle Mountain visitors center

INSIDE: AEC | AIA Design Awards | Hawgball preview | Conservation $5 USD

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FEATURES NOVEMBER 2023

13 STRONG HEADWINDS The industries that make up the AEC moniker, like most others, have experienced their own unique challenges over the last few years. However, demand remains.

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100 CONSERVATIONISTS

HAWGBALL

With a name like the Natural State, Arkansas has an obligation to maintain its outdoors for the future. Several conservation leaders in the state are doing their part.

Eric Musselman and the Hogs return to the hardwood for the 2023-23 season with another round of impact transfers and high expectations. Dare we dream?

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N OVE M B E R 2023

November 2023 PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Heather Baker | hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com

8 | Plugged In

AGRICULTURE

9 | Publisher’s Letter

108 Aquifer (not) rising

10 | Viewpoint 134 | Arkansas Visionaries 166 | Digs of the Deal 192 | The Last Word AEC

Groundwater levels in the Delta, are declining at critical levels due to agricultural and industrial needs and are not being naturally replenished quickly enough.

TRANSPORTATION

124 ArcBest at 100

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dwain Hebda | dwain@armoneyandpolitics.com SENIOR EDITOR Mark Carter | mcarter@armoneyandpolitics.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS Sarah Coleman | scoleman@armoneyandpolitics.com Mak Millard | mmillard@armoneyandpolitics.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Darlene Hebda | darlene@armoneyandpolitics.com STAFF WRITERS John Callahan | jcallahan@armoneyandpolitics.com Sarah DeClerk | sdeclerk@armoneyandpolitics.com MANAGING DIGITAL EDITOR Kellie McAnulty | kmcanulty@armoneyandpolitics.com

28 Garver strong

ONLINE WRITER Kilee Hall | khall@armoneyandpolitics.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Mike Bedgood | mbedgood@armoneyandpolitics.com

Fort Smith’s logistics powerhouse started out with two trucks and mule and now boasts more than 250 locations, 15,000 employees and $5 billion in revenue.

Garver, the engineering firm based POLITICS in Arkansas, has quietly grown to become an industry tour de force Prison reform with more than 1,000 employees spread across 18 states.

State Sen. Ben Gilmore was a driving force of the passage earlier this year of the Protect Arkansas Exec Q&A Act, which will attempt to address AMP visits with Abbey Redmon of criminal justice issues.

WDD, construction law attorney Devon Kalkbrenner of Mitchell SPORTS Williams, Clay Gordon of Kinco and Matt Crafton of Crafton Tull.

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41 Making progress

152 Arkansas roots

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mary Funderburg | mary@armoneyandpolitics.com Colleen Gillespie | colleen@armoneyandpolitics.com Karen Holderfield | kholderfield@armoneyandpolitics.com Jona Parker | jona@armoneyandpolitics.com Dana Rodriquez | dana@armoneyandpolitics.com Bethany Yeager | bethany@armoneyandpolitics.com EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Jessica Everson | jeverson@armoneyandpolitics.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Bethany Yeager | ads@armoneyandpolitics.com CIRCULATION circulation@armoneyandpolitics.com ADMINISTRATION billing@armoneyandpolitics.com TO ADVERTISE

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BEST OF 2023

We asked for readers’ business preferences, and they delivered.

From cleaning services to financial planning, AMP readers gave us their Best of AMP.

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Greg Churan | gchuran@armoneyandpolitics.com

CEO | Vicki Vowell

Architecture, engineering and construction have traditionally been industries where only men roamed, but women continue to break glass ceilings and prove their worth.

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GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Lora Puls | lpuls@armoneyandpolitics.com Jenna Kelley | jkelley@armoneyandpolitics.com

Susan Alturi, Scott Hamilton, Tommy Keet, Bobby Martin, Shannon Newton

Golf fans may not realize it, but many of the top courses they watch on TV were designed by Heritage Links, a division of Little Rock’s Lexicon Inc.

158 PGA pull

Pleasant Valley Country Club was already planning a renovation of its clubhouse but landing a PGA Champions golf event for next year put plans in overdrive.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Becky Gillette, Kristin Kaufman, Jamie Lee, K.D. Reep, Terrance Armstard, Chris Davidson, Jacquie Ferrato, Matthew Friant, Kenneth Heard, Evan Lewis, Steven Lewis, Todd Traub AMP magazine is published monthly, Volume VI, Issue 7 AMP magazine (ISSN 2162-7754) is published monthly by AY Media Group, 910 W. Second St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Periodicals postage paid at Little Rock, AR, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to AMP, 910 W. Second St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Subscription Inquiries: Subscription rate is $28 for one year (12 issues). Single issues are available upon request for $5. For subscriptions, inquiries or address changes, call 501-244-9700. The contents of AMP are copyrighted, and material contained herein may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Articles in AMP should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised in the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AMP. Please recycle this magazine.

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PLUGGED IN NOVEMBER 2023/armoneyandpolitics.com

ON THE COV E R Photojournalist Jamie Lee photographed architect Reese Rowland of Polk Stanley Wilcox in front of the new visitors center being constructed at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

INSTAGRAM

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BUILDING HISTORY ARCHITECTS USE PAST TO TELL STORY OF FUTURE

Reese Rowland of Polk Stanley Wilcox at the Pinnacle Mountain visitors center

INSIDE: AEC | AIA Design Awards | Hawgball preview | Conservation $5 USD

FEEDBACK ATTRACTING AND RETAINING A HIGH-CALIBER WORKFORCE “This is outstanding! What a wonderful company culture.”

Bailey Newcomb Faulkner 2023 AMP TOP 100 PROFESSIONALS SPECIAL FEATURE, SHANNON BOSHEARS “Beautiful friend with the biggest heart, Shannon Boshears!”

Cathy Tuggle CHILDREN’S AWARD DINNER RAISES OVER $257K, HONORS MARGE SCHUECK “Marge Schueck is an Arkansas treasure! Always gracious and kind!”

Stan Jones Mallard Lodge ACHIEVERS IN THEIR FORTIES 2023 SPOTLIGHT • ERRIN STANGER “Well deserved, Errin is amazing!”

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For Benjamin Oliver of Lowell, a cinematographer, producer and editor with Benjamin Oliver Films, one day is rarely the same as another.

TOP PROFESSIONALS — DAVID BUSH: THE PERFECT FIT “Most deserving of this recognition. David is an exceptional leader! Congratulations, David.”

Tonya Villines DAY TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MPA STUDENTS AT UA LITTLE ROCK “Bryan Day is about as good a man as one could know. He is a gift to our city.”

Bruce Holsted BALD KNOB SCHOOLS HIRES BANGS AS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT “I am happy thrilled that he came out of retirement to help our school.”

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TOP ONLINE ARTICLES Oct. 3 - Nov. 6 1 Hot Springs Developer Plans to Bring Iconic Buildings Back to Life 2 Airbnb Launches Northwest Arkansas Remote Working Hub 3 Resort at Rockwater ‘Right on Budget, Little Ahead of Schedule’ 4 Moses Tucker Acquires 23-Acre Site For NWA Housing Project 5 Award-Winning Journalist Elicia Dover Joins JF Media+Marketing 6 Legacy Wine and Spirits Sold to New Owners 7 2023 AMP Top 100 Professionals

Forward Arkansas recently expanded its statewide team with the addition of Imaobong (Ima) Dixon as its senior manager of policy and engagement.

8 Sissy’s Log Cabin to Open Seventh Location 9 Wet? Dry? Sunday Sales? A Look at Arkansas’ Disparate Alcohol Laws 10 SIG SAUER Plans $150M Expansion for Jacksonville Facility N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

By Mark Carter

HOG FANS AND THE SHAPE WE’RE IN Save your neck or save your brother; Looks like it’s one or the other.

Oh, you don’t know the shape I’m in.

— The Band When Trey Biddy of Hawgsports asked Sam Pittman, in the postgame presser following the Mississippi State “incident” of Oct. 21, how an offensive line on a Pittman team could end up in the shape it’s in after four years, the head Hog seemed at a loss for words.

Biddy was channeling every Hog fan from Texarkana to Timbuktu, and Pittman, to his credit, was as candid as you’ll ever hear from a Power 5 coach. He admitted, matter-of-factly, that he didn’t have the answers. It was a response that may not sit well with most fans, boosters or ADs, but Pittman is not one to shovel coachspeak and call it Shinola.

An answer was thrust upon the head Hog the next day with the announcement that offensive coordinator and Pittman pal Dan Enos had been let go. The university press release seemed to emphasize the part about Enos no longer being a part of the program “effective immediately.”

Whether that decision was all Sam, all Hunter Yurachek, all big-money boosters or a combination of ‘em all doesn’t matter

so much. It was a call that needed to be made. (It’s highly likely that Yurachek told his coach he had a choice to make.)

Given a six-game losing streak and an offense as stagnant as any at Arkansas in the modern age, Pittman shouldn’t have been surprised by the “save your neck or save your brother” scenario that likely played out before him. Hiring his old friend wasn’t the answer — hiring friends rarely works out well in high-stakes industries like Power 5 college football.

Sam Pittman, though, is the anti-Petrino, and besides, he wasn’t alone at the time in thinking Enos was a good choice to replace Kendal Briles.

Perhaps parting ways with Enos will be

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

a case of addition by subtraction. By the time this letter is published, we’ll know how the new-look Hog offense performed under interim play caller Kenny Guiton, who promised a faster tempo, to the public appreciation of many players including, most importantly, KJ Jefferson.

The prospect of KJ getting back to an offense that perpetuates his strengths is one that should infuse at least a little hope into the fan base. Assuming the offense musters a pulse, the last four games on the schedule are winnable.

Pittman will be back unless the Hogs go winless down the stretch or win only the FIU game. A return to 0-fer in league play would rouse the villagers and their pitchforks. Maybe it’ll take winning out to save Sam’s job. Unlike a small melodramatic chunk of the fanbase, most of us are rooting for him to do so. Reality, though, is a harsh mistress. As likable as the head Hog is, as good a man, as strong a motivator, as perfect a cultural fit as he is for Arkansas, he’s running out of lives in an industry that has little patience for mediocrity. Even in the cold black gauntlet of the SEC West.

Out of nine lives, I spent seven; Now how in the world do you get to Heaven.

Oh, you don’t know the shape I’m in.

By Heather Baker

IN AEC, STATE HOLDS ITS OWN WITH ANYONE November delivers a focus on AEC — architecture, engineering and construction — and this issue of AMP always serves to remind me how lucky we are in a small, rural state to have such quality architects, engineers and builders.

Arkansas can hold its own with anyone in AEC, and the proof can be found inside the pages of this issue. This month, we’ll take a broad look at the state of AEC in Arkansas, recognize prominent women of AEC, feature iconic Arkansas firms Garver and Polk Stanley Wilcox, and our Exec Q&A will visit with Clay Gordon of Kinco, Matt Crafton of Crafton Tull, Abbey Redmon of WDD and Devon Kalkbrenner, who practices construction law for Mitchell Williams.

We’ll also highlight the state of conservation in Arkansas including a look at a diminishing aquifer, visit Fort Smith for ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

the 100-year anniversary of ArcBest and consider prison reform. Plus, roving freelance reporter Ken Heard made it to Earle to talk with Mayor Jaylen Smith, making waves in a good way at just 19 years old.

On the sports side, we’ll preview the Hogs’ 2023-24 basketball season, find out how Little Rock’s Pleasant Valley Country Club snagged a PGA event and more.

This month’s Arkansas Visionary is Walt Coleman. Arkansans will remember him from Coleman/Hiland Dairy and his three-decade run as an NFL official. Coleman was distinctive for his Southern accent when announcing penalties and especially for his attachment to one famous (or infamous) call.

As always, there’s a lot packed into the issue, and we are proud to be able to share it with our readers. Hit me up with questions, comments or story ideas at HBaker@ ARMoneyandPolitics.com.

Heather Baker 9

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VIEWPOINT

BUILDING A FUNCTIONAL TEAM TAKES MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK

By Kristin Kaufman

R

ecently, I have worked with a few organizations and teams that are struggling to build good working environments.

We have all heard the adage, “Teamwork makes the dream work,” and this is most certainly true. Most of us have been members of teams and organizations that were, in a word, dysfunctional. No one was happy. Everyone was competing for recognition, visibility, power and empowerment. It was a miserable experience for everyone.

I am amazed at how often I stumble into organizations that are stymied by this dysfunction, and the leaders have no clue how to navigate out of the situation which they have created.

When trying to turn dysfunction into a well-oiled system, here are a few thoughts to consider:

agement and “atta boys” or a private voice mail offering support. Knowing what is right for each person is key. Then give them what they need and want, early and often.

Team members need support in all ways and at all times.

Some need the B12 shot of encouragement.

Some need support in the form of “business Kristin Kaufman therapy” or leadership listening to their issues and offering advice. Yet one thing is for sure: We are all in the human condition, and we need to realize this and be kind to one another in business and in life.

Everyone needs to feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves.

My definition of alignment is when we love what we do, we are good at it, and most importantly, the work is tied to something greater than ourselves. This “greater good” can be our mission, our purpose or even our “calling.” Yet, when we are aligned — as a team — it is even more powerful. We can help build this awareness and foster alignment by creating a common Facebook page or website to share ideas, having team events to engage everyone and rally the troops, and even by having team meetings to share successes and have group training. None of this is rocket science, yet the key is to tie the work to something greater than oneself.

Consider pulling the team together for a charitable cause that everyone can support.

In my prior executive roles, we always had at least one leadership-team outing a quarter to focus on those less fortunate. We hosted Ronald McDonald House dinners, offered hours of soup kitchen volunteering and even helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity. There is nothing more humbling and unifying than to be of service to others.

Building a team and ultimately an organizational culture is a never-ending effort. That work can erode overnight if the team is not built on a solid foundation. Yet when the team’s foundation is anchored by cornerstones that are collectively defined and embrace values and the team is aligned around a common mission supporting a greater good — whew — it does not get much better than that.

Everyone wants to feel like they belong.

There is nothing worse than being left out and not feeling the pride of ownership or belonging on a team. There are many ways to foster this sense of belonging — profit sharing, allowing team members to have a voice in the organization’s strategy or just promoting the feeling that one’s input and involvement matter. When folks are not included in any aspect of a team effort, whether a training event or a celebratory dinner, they become dejected. Now, please know that folks may not always participate, yet just giving them the option is the key point.

Arkansas native Kristin Kaufman is the founder of Alignment, a leadership-coaching consultancy based in Dallas. She has served in executive positions at Hewlett Packard, Vignette Corporation and UnitedHealth Group and is also the author of the acclaimed Is This Seat Taken? series of books about personal and business success. Kaufman was raised in Hot Springs and maintains a home on Lake Hamilton. She graduated with a degree in business and quantitative analysis from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, served on the Arkansas Alumni Association board for two terms and remains an avid Razorback fan.

Having inspiration from every member of the team is vital.

Inspiration does not have to come solely from the top. It is very powerful to have team members inspiring one another. It is equally powerful to have accountability come from all members of the team, not just from the leader. Group accountability can produce alchemy on a team.

Recognition has been proven to be more motivating than money.

The secret key is to meet people where they are. Not everyone wants their name in lights. Some want personal notes of encour-

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ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING/CONSTRUCTION

E C

ARCHITECTURE: The art and science of designing and erecting buildings and other large structures.

ENGINEERING: The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, processes and systems.

CONSTRUCTION: The processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities and associated activities through to the end of their life.

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING/CONSTRUCTION

STRONG

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HEADWINDS Despite lingering workforce issues, AEC industry experiencing forward motion

By Becky Gillette // Photos provided

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McLarty Volkswagen in North Little Rock is one project of Black, Corley, Owens & Hughes in Benton.

“Construction would be an excellent career choice for any young person who is willing to show up on time and work hard.

The possibilities are, in my opinion, limitless.”

Brian Black

C

osts for construction have gone up to levels much higher than would have been dreamed possible four years ago, said Brian Black, principal, AIA LEED AP, for Black, Corley, Owens & Hughes in Benton. Projects that were built for $185 per square foot in 2017 now cost $360 per square foot, he said.

“In particular, the costs of steel, glass, HVAC equipment and electrical equipment are exceptionally high,” Black said.

“Much of the workforce has remained working at home even after the end of the COVID pandemic emergency. We no longer receive many calls to design office buildings as much of the workforce remained at home after COVID.” While the architectural company has $76 million worth of projects under construction and a similar amount in various stages of design, there are still strong headwinds but with significant problems, including supply-chain issues, high interest rates and labor shortages.

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“Construction would be an excellent career choice for any young person who is willing to show up on time and work hard,” Black said. “The possibilities are, in my opinion, limitless. Interest rates are affecting the size of the projects. Owners are learning to do more with less space. Buildings are becoming more compact and efficient. However, the demand continues to rise in the markets my company works in.”

Projects currently under construction for the Black firm include Lewis Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Lewis Ford, Lewis Pre-Owned and Lewis Commercial Service Center, all in Fayetteville; Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel in North Little Rock; Riser Harness Ford in Searcy; and James River Ford and Lutesville Ford in Missouri.

Projects currently on the boards include Benton City Hall, Cowboy Chevrolet in Heber Springs, Everett Infiniti in Rogers, Fletcher Honda in Bentonville, McLarty Volkswagen in North Little Rock, Orr Hyundai in Russellville, Russell Honda in Sherwood and in Texas, Fort Worth Nissan and Granbury Nissan.

Nabholz, a multi-service commercial general contractor and construction management company based in Conway, has big projects going on around the region, including work at Arkansas Children’s in Little Rock and northwest Arkansas totaling $318 million; Hays High School in Hays, Kan., $104 million; Wynne Schools in Wynne, $125 million; Sapulpa Public Schools in Sapulpa, Okla., $110 million; the Northwest Arkansas National Airport terminal expansion, $34 million; and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Health Orthopaedic & Sports Performance Center in Springdale, $70 million.

Greg Fogle, Nabholz chief operating officer, said artificial intelligence is finding its way into the industry more often and in more ways.

“It is being used for tracking and managing data related to workflows, scheduling, workforce production and equipment, and materials management,” he 16

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said. “Virtual and augmented reality is being used for training and for hazard detection and avoidance. Virtual design and construction is widely used and improving every day to enhance planning and collaboration between trades and the design team.”

Wearable sensors for employees working on a site track their locations and monitor their biometrics. This is useful for determining a worker’s location within the worksite, separating workers from dangerous activities and detecting a worker’s health measurements (e.g., overheating, heart rate, etc.), so appropriate measures can be taken to protect the worker.

Fogle said the use of robotics is becoming more common, including for layout and materials management. He said robots are used more now for tasks such as building inspections, progress monitoring, topographical surveying and quantity measurements.

While supply-chain issues have improved, Fogle said there are still many suppliers facing production delays, raw material shortages and, of course, labor shortages that continue to create supplychain issues.

“Labor availability is in short supply,” he said. “Construction is a business that is performed in work environments with extremes in temperature and often dusty, dirty conditions, which make it a less attractive choice for some people. Additionally, long hours can be required from time to time. Because of this, along with the fact that there are simply fewer people interested in the construction industry, labor can be scarce at times.

“Nabholz has benefited greatly from its

training and development programs which allow us to employ younger employees — 16 and 17 years old — and train them as an apprentice. We also offer training programs for employees with little or no experience in construction, which has softened the labor shortage impact for our company.”

Higher interest rates change the feasibility of many construction projects.

Fogle said some choose to post“The use of robotics is becoming pone their buildmore common, including for layout ing plans hoping and materials management. Robots for lower interest are used more now for tasks such rates in the fuas building inspections, progress ture, and others monitoring, topographical surveying build smaller, less and quantity measurements.” costly projects because more of Greg Fogle their investment dollars must be committed to interest expenses.

Rising costs of construction materials are forcing architects to be more creative with building systems and design, said Chad Young, AIA, LEED AP, president and CEO of WDD Architects in Little Rock.

“I think that being able to offer a resilient, cost-effective design that is still creative, functional and beautiful is the focus of us architects,” Young said. “The ability for architecture to be able to adapt to technology and create designs used for multiple purposes coming out of a pandemic is a big trend. Flexibility is essential in commercial facilities. Many offices are providing landing spots for workers who work remote and in the office. It is ever evolving.”

Young also sees labor availability challenges and said there are large construction projects around the state that are tying up manpower and skilled laborers.

“Talking with our construction manager partners, there is still a pretty large demand and not a lot of available skilled workers on new projects, especially in northwest Arkansas,” Young said.

The highest interest rates seen in more than 20 years are impacting projects, he said.

“Projects whose owners need financing are

Brian Black of Black, Corely, Owens & Hughes said high interest rates have led to more compact buildings.

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Rob Seay said a diversified client base has been a boon for Cromwell Architects Engineers, which designed the CARTI Surgery Center and Sterling Market in Little Rock.

“The ability for architecture to be able to adapt to technology and create designs used for multiple purposes coming out of a pandemic is a big trend.”

Chad Young

not going forward as fast as some of the public projects,” Young said. “Financing, the higher cost of construction materials and a busy labor pool all impact the market and have caused some owners to delay their plans until things settle down.”

Current WDD projects include the University of Arkansas silicon carbide chip fabrication facility in Fayetteville, which will allow for the research, design and fabrication of microchips. Another significant project is the addition to UA’s Bogle Park, home of the Razorback softball program. The addition will include training facilities, as well as locker room and stadium upgrades. WDD also is renovating the existing Stone Bank headquarters in west Little Rock and designing the new Resorts at Rockwater, an upscale apartment project on the river in North Little Rock.

Meanwhile, Fayetteville’s C.R. Crawford Construction, which specializes in commercial construction, is reporting few workforce problems.

“We see that labor in general is tight for this market, but we’re doing just fine with our workforce,” said Jordan Ligon, director of business development. “We have strong relationships with our partners and subcontractors and that has put us in a position where labor hasn’t beN OV E M B E R 2 02 3

come an issue on our projects here.”

“We see that labor in Right now, the comgeneral is tight for this pany is very busy, Limarket, but we’re doing just gon said. While it has fine with our workforce.” become more challenging to get projects within owners’ budgets, the availability Jordan Ligon and cost of supplies is a little more predictenough land for new housing if the trend able than in the middle of the COVID-19 continues towards single-family homes pandemic, he said. with large lots.

C.R. Crawford is starting a mixed-use “More density is definitely a way to project in Rogers in the fast-growing Pinsolve that problem without taking up too nacle Hills area that will include multimuch land for development,” Ligon said. family housing, a hotel, retail stores and “It has been an emphasis from developrestaurants, including a new, two-story ers in the community to find a way to get Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The project will more density and, at the same time, get be located near the site of a planned 5,000more workforce housing, as well. There seat soccer arena that will serve as home to are a lot of advantages to mixed use. Peoa triple-A level professional franchise. ple can walk from their home to restau“This is a really good project that outrants and shops. People moving from out of-state developers are doing in our marof state from highly populated areas may ket,” Ligon said. “It will be a first-class be more used to that.” development.”

High interest rates are causing deAs the population of northwest Arkanvelopers and owners to push the pause sas continues to grow rapidly, concern button as they re-examine their original about housing shortages grows with it. budgets. Ligon said when interest rates People moving in to take jobs are finding rise, the company is going back to the it tough to find housing, and some studdrawing board to bring on other invesies have suggested there is not going to be 18

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The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital, left, and the Mississippi County Courthouse, above, are both projects of Cromwell Architects Engineers in Little Rock.

“Mechanical equipment is required to be manufactured tors or put more cash in the till to keep projects going. with variable-speed everything — fans, compressors, “The sentiment we are getting is that everyone still wants pumps, etc.,” Seay said. “Renewable energy is an ongoing to do the projects they have intended to do,” Ligon said. “It trend with a push towards net-zero buildings. Reducing just delays the process of when a project will start. It has a the carbon footprint of buildings is the goal.” ripple effect on labor and everything else as far as what Seay said he also sees a continued merging of engineerthey had planned for their upcoming pipeline. Our biggest ing calculations using 3D modeling and virtual design. 3D change over the past year is we are doing a lot more designscanning of buildings and job sites is the standard now, and build industrial projects where we have been able to be more scanners become more accurate every year, he said. Seay efficient in the cost and the process by having all those seradded the tech used may be a handheld device that meavices under one roof.” sures the interior of buildings quickly or a drone that can Cromwell Architects Engineers, headquartered in Little scan an entire campus in a matter of hours.

Rock and one of the biggest players in the state, has found “No more hand measuring,” Seay said. “It is now safer, value in being diversified in its client base, which includes faster and more accurate to measure buildings and sites medical, industrial, educational and government clients. with scanners. This information is “This allows us to take easily imported into 3D models for advantage of technology design and planning purposes.” and innovative knowl“Renewable energy is an While no clients have specificaledge from each sector to ongoing trend with a push ly identified financing cost as a facbenefit our wide range of towards net-zero buildings. tor in their project decision-making clients,” said Rob Seay, Reducing the carbon process, Seay said they must be a PE, LEED AP, principal footprint of buildings is the factor in project planning on the and executive vice presigoal.” client side. The biggest challenge dent. “Regarding specific right now is material and equipprojects, an example of a ment lead times, he said, a probrecent industrial project Rob Seay able hangover from COVID in that factories cannot keep would be Hostess Brands in Arkadelphia. Construction was up with demand, which is true of many industries. This recently completed where we converted an existing manufacis a major contributor to the significant escalation of conturing plant into a donut factory. It was a very challenging but struction costs, he said. rewarding project.”

“The lead times for mechanical equipment like roofA major medical project is the Lyon College Institute of top units are getting better, but electrical equipment apHealth Sciences, which will include a dental and veterinary pears to be getting worse,” Seay said. “Large electrical school in downtown Little Rock. The schools will provide switchgear is in the range of 48 weeks lead time from the much-needed education facilities for the people of Arkansas. time the factory receives the order. Emergency generators Major trends that Seay points to include a constant push are two years out, as well as some electrical transformers. for sustainability in design. Energy efficiency is continually These drive costs up and require careful constructionimproving due to requirements driven by the U.S. Departschedule planning.” ment of Energy.

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Providing Architecture and Engineering Services to Arkansas

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WE ARE ALSO THRILLED TO CONGRATULATE BROCK AND TELA

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ON BEING NAMED TO AMP’S 2023 WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION LIST! In 2022, only 10.9% of U.S. construction workers were female.

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ARCHITECTURE

STRUCTURED STORYTELLING

Polk Stanley Wilcox uses past to tell story of future in Arkansas

Fort seum in rshals Mu a M ) . y .S le U The y Hurs

by Timoth (Photos

Smith

By K.D. Reep

A

fter years of fundraising and delays due to a global pandemic, the United States Marshals Museum in Fort Smith now welcomes visitors inside a soon-to-be iconic structure. With an influence from the end scene of High Noon, during which Gary Cooper takes off his marshal’s badge and tosses it into the dirt of the street, the museum resembles a marshal’s star emerging from the earth and looking west to opportunity, adventure and expansion.

“We were thinking about what the structure of the museum should be, and we couldn’t get away from the fivepointed star badge marshals wear,” said Reese Rowland, design principle and architect with Polk Stanley Wilcox, the Arkansas firm that designed the museum. “We wanted this building to tell a story when you approached

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it, when you were inside it and when you leave it. We continued the five points throughout the five galleries, which educate guests about the marshals’ past, where they are today and how they are evolving to uphold the rule of law.”

Growing up in Paris, just 42 miles east of Fort Smith, Rowland was particularly invested in winning the museum project.

“Paris was kind of a Norman Rockwell upbringing in a small town, but I had relatives that lived in Fort Smith. We’d go every weekend. It was our big city,” Rowland said. “Growing up, going downtown to Rogers Avenue to shop with family, eating at what I think was the first McDonald’s in the state, all of that was what gave me a lot of interest in architecture as a child. I had an artistic ability as a child, and I thought, ‘How can I figure out a way to make a living by drawing?’

“When this opportunity came up in Fort Smith, I think we were able to connect with the committee in a way of telling the story not only about historic marshals in Fort Smith, but what the marshals are today and what they mean for us in the future.

During the interview process, I talked about how important Fort Smith was for me in becoming an architect and what an opportunity we had to make this museum stand out.”

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The museum, which sits on the river near downtown, was built to resemble the badges that marshals wear.

Rowland explained that when you look at the Arkansas River from downtown Fort Smith, it has not changed that much from what the marshals in the 1800s saw.

“There’s no real development on the other side of the river because it’s lowlands,” he said. “At the time the marshals were in Fort Smith, the river would have been more like a creek because there was no dam system. It was easy for outlaws to take off into the wilderness. Thinking about how the marshals looked into the Oklahoma Territory and saw it not only as a lawless area but an opportunity for the nation’s expansion and progress influenced how the museum structure could tell this same story today. It faces west and into the sunset, so looking out on the potential of what can be was just as important to us in the design of this building as telling the history of the marshals.”

The organizers of the museum had a monumental task in 2008 and 2009, Rowland said.

“We were so excited to be involved with it. What we did with our partners in Boston, C7A, was create the conceptual framework for what a museum could be and mean,” he said. “In 2009, we had a recession, and after coming out of that and moving into a global pandemic, the museum weathered some setbacks that others may not have been able to survive. They had a real challenge ahead of them on how to not only maintain momentum, but to raise the money for a museum not in Bentonville or Little Rock.

We had to look to what this could be for the future and how to draw people from all over the country that aren’t coming to Fort Smith for the history.

“We wanted to give them something new and bold and exciting, so, it had a lot of meaning to me as not only an architect but as

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We were thinking about what the structure of the museum should be, and we couldn’t get away from the fivepointed star badge marshals wear. We wanted this building to tell a story when you approached it, when you were inside it and when you leave it.

“

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We thought about this visitor center in terms of the experience: the climb, the trails, the creeks. We didn’t want the visitor center to compete with that. Instead, it should blend in so seamlessly that it feels like it’s always been there.

“

a person who grew up there knowing these stories. This museum is not meant to be local. It’s a national museum, and so it needed to have a national and bold character to it.”

It was the concept of working with the nature and stories of the area in Fort Smith that also influenced Rowland’s approach to the new $8.8 million visitor center at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in Roland. Rowland said he and his team looked at Pinnacle Mountain as the gateway to every state park in Arkansas.

“The thing about Pinnacle Mountain is you can see it from the Interstate 430 bridge or as you drive out [Arkansas] Highway 10 and hit a hill,” he said. “We thought about this visitor center in terms of the experience: the climb, the trails, the creeks. We didn’t want the visitor center to compete with that. Instead, it should blend in so seamlessly that it feels like it’s always been there.”

The team looked at the heights and slope of the mountain and constructed the visitor center to run along the base of it instead of building up. Rowland said they wanted to keep the scale of the center low on the front side and set the roof to match it.

“The angle of the roof matches the angle of the mountain,” The Polk Stanley Wilcox team looked at Pinnacle Mountain as the gateway to every state park in Arkansas.

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The visitor center is divided into two main buildings under one roof.

Rowland said. “When you’re standing in front of the building, you really don’t see the roof. You just see the edge of it. You see the trees behind it, and when you’re up the mountain looking down, you don’t see a big roof. It’s constructed to blend into the overall area.”

The visitor center is divided into two main buildings under one roof, the idea of which is to serve as a gateway to both Pinnacle Mountain and to all Arkansas state parks.

“We wanted visitors to come to Pinnacle and experience everything it has to offer, to really soak it in, and hopefully, what you experience ignites in you a passion and a desire to see more.

You can stretch your legs and see the rest of what our state parks have to offer beyond Pinnacle, but we want you to come back again and again,” Rowland said.

Rowland said the building is constructed from three main stone outcroppings with glass in between, the concept for which is when visitors enter, the experience mimics stepping between stones as one would climbing the mountain.

“Once you slip between them, the center’s all glass on the backside, and everything relates to the view up to the mountain and the experience of being there, and the way we’ve stretched the structure along the bottom, it knocks off some of the road noise.”

Pinnacle Mountain and its visitor center do not begin when one walks in the door, he explained.

“The experience begins when you’re crossing the 430 bridge.

The center feels like it’s floating like a tree canopy above these rocks. We had to utilize the iconic nature of the mountain itself and its meaning for the people who visit to tell the story of Pinnacle Mountain and all our state’s parks.”

Storytelling in architecture is what unifies seemingly opposing missions, he said, While the U.S. Marshals Museum and visitor center at Pinnacle Mountain do not look anything alike, they do share some of the same characteristics.

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“Architecture is nothing if not storytelling,” Rowland said. “How do you draw the public to you? How do you encourage them to want to enter a building, whether it’s a museum, visitor center, office or home? You must consider what you want the building to convey and how it lends itself to the overall mission. I’ve always thought the best teachers I ever had were storytellers. Whether it was math or history or whatever the subject, if you can relate that back to something the student is interested in, you can draw them into learning. If people can learn experientially, they can identify with the message you want to convey, and that includes structure.”

At Polk Stanley Wilcox, architecture is about making structures accessible and meaningful spaces to the public, Rowland said.

“The idea is to create a new amenity and make it inclusive of everyone. For spaces like museums and visitor centers, the goal is to create a space to benefit everyone, regardless of socioeconomic levels,” he said. “In these spaces, you have ownership. That’s what makes our state parks so successful. You don’t have to spend money to have a wonderful experience. We find beauty in nature. It’s all right there. You just have to see it, recognize it and use it in a particular way.”

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GarverUSA.com

Engineering a better Arkansas As Garver’s Water Quality Practice Leader, Dr. Ashley Pifer has dedicated her career to securing a sustainable future for Arkansas and its residents. A renowned expert and leader in her field, she helps deliver innovative infrastructure solutions to provide safe water supplies that help communities grow.

Garver is proud of Ashley for being at the forefront of one of our nation’s most vital industries and for being named one of AMP’s Women in AEC. Congratulations, Ashley!

Ashley Pifer, Ph.D., PE | Water Quality Practice Leader

Little Rock

Springdale

www.KincoConstructors.com

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our story

England Elementary School 2023 AIA Merit Award Winner Design Excellence

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WE BELIEVE

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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, economic development incentives, regulatory compliance, contract review and negotiation, tax opportunities and professional liability defense. Our team offers sound guidance to owners, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, public entities and municipalities, construction companies, engineers, architects and real estate professionals in all phases of development.

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AEC

SECRET SAUCE

NOT NEEDED At Garver, emphasis on people, clients leads to success

By Kenneth Heard

G

arver, the state’s largest engineering and consultant firm, was formed almost as an afterthought when founder Neal Garver saw a need for structural engineers in Arkansas following World War I. Now, a century later, the company hires 1,200 people in 18 states and is consistently voted by peers as one of the best places to work.

The firm’s resume is impressive. Garver designed Little Rock Central High School, the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Interstate 630 connecting downtown Little Rock with the rest of the city, the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock, the new Broadway Bridge, and the Bobby Hopper Tunnel on Interstate 49 in northwest Arkansas.

“Garver has been involved with some pivotal projects in the history of Arkansas,” said Laura Nick, the company’s corporate communications director.

“Before, [Garver] saw a profit in geography in where they set up,” she said. “Now, profit is based upon what we do.”

The firm’s namesake came to Little Rock in 1918 to help construct a munitions plant during World War I. He was a civil engineer and first worked for the American Bridge Company in Toledo, Ohio, in 1905, designing the steel used to rebuild San Francisco after the massive 1906 earthquake that devastated the California city.

Four years later, Garver taught structural engineering at what is now the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and on June 18, 1918, according to his unpublished autobiography, he moved to Little Rock to help with the munitions project there.

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Garver’s work includes the new I-30 bridge and the Broadway bridge (facing page), each of which span the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock.

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The company recently contracted with the Kansas Department of Transportation to work on road projects and bridges. Its largest program now, Nick said, is advising the Arkansas Department of Transportation on how to use sales tax funds earmarked for highway projects.

However, the firm’s bread and butter is its engineering design, Nick said.

One of the main draws of the company is its care for employees and its focus on health and wellness.

Garver has a 1,500-square foot gymnasium near the Big Dam Bridge River Park at its headquarters in North Little Rock and has access to walking and bicycling trails. Many Garver employees are cyclists, Nick said, and the company caters to that.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have named Garver as one of the best health-conscious employers.

It was enough to lure Nick to Little Rock in 2009, she said.

“I googled businesses in Arkansas and found Garver,” said Nick, who came to Garver from a Memphis architectural firm.

“I saw them and said, ‘This is where I want to work,’” she said. “’If this is their mindset, this is exactly what I want to set my sights on.’” She became the communications director in 2016 and directs a staff of about 15.

Hoskins said the work environment is created to keep employees happy and productive. ”We have the best, most passionate people on the planet,” Hoskins said. “Our people are so passionate about winning, excelling and being our clients’ No. 1 trusted advisor. Repeat work from more clients who trust Garver enable us to hire more of the best people, and our culture makes them want to stay here.

“We absolutely plan to continue our growth so we can provide more opportunities for our people — all part of our ‘best employee experience’ priority,” Hoskins added. “This growth will also allow us to strengthen our trust relationship with our clients.”

Rather than acquire new locations through acquisition efforts in the future, Garver is focusing on getting communities to “want to be part of Garver,” Nick added.

“The biggest draw is the very entrepreneurial opportunities to somebody,” Nick said. “Garver says, ‘We believe in you,” to areas.

We want to serve the communities. We will support you. It’s a team effort, not a bureaucratic one.

“We invest in people who serve our clients,” she added. “There’s no secret sauce for our success. It’s part of our culture.”

turn to Illinois, Garver remained in Arkansas when he saw the need for his work.

“Architects were here in sufficient numbers to design buildings,” he wrote in his autobiography, “but few could design complicated structural features.”

He became the state’s first highway bridge engineer and opened Garver and Morrow. By 1930, the firm oversaw construction of 2,000 bridges in Arkansas. It became Garver & Garver when his son, Laura Nick Mark, joined the firm, and in 2006, when the company grew to 200 employees, it was rebranded to Garver, Nick said.

Much of the later growth is credited to former Garver CEO Brock Johnson, who died in 2012. Nick said Johnson turned a small company into a regional one; there are now offices across the country, including in Phoenix, Birmingham, ALA., Denver, New Orleans, Atlanta, Tampa, Fla., Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and St. Louis.

In Arkansas, Garver has locations in North Little Rock, Little Rock, Conway, Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Rogers and is looking to open a branch in Jonesboro, Nick said.

Now, Brock Hoskins, the fourth Garver CEO, is committed to continuing the company’s vast growth.

“He is visionary for intersecting our people and the culture,” Nick said. “He has the vision to set up business.”

Hoskins and company officials are also Brock Hoskins discussing expansion into the Carolinas and the northeastern U.S. shore.

Revenue has increased, as well. In the early 2000s, Garver saw earnings of $80 million. By fiscal year 2023, the company reported gross earnings of $250 million.

Garver is one of the top 100 largest engineering firms in the country.

In addition to structural engineering, it provides consultation for other projects, including wastewater, aviation, transportation, software development, environmental work, road projects and federal projects.

Garver employees celebrate the firm’s being named a best place to work.

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EXEC Q&A

AEC Execs dish on

Challenges, Culture and LEADERSHIP

By Mark Carter and Sarah DeClerk

T

he architecture, engineering and construction industries, these days grouped together under the AEC umbrella, are among the most impactful of mankind’s endeavors. Without them, humans would still be living in caves and traversing dirt roads. The hard work issuing forth from these industries enables people to find secure shelter from the storm and travel across vast networks of roads and highways that tame previously unconquerable barriers.

Anyone who has done anything inside recently has an architect, an engineer and a construction worker to thank.

As we progress a little further from the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed the way people do business across all industries, AMP reached out to a few representatives of AEC for their take on where these sectors are headed. What we discovered was that they love their jobs and thrive on challenges and that technology continues to grow its influence.

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Abbey Redmon,

Interior Designer

WDD Architects, Little Rock What kinds of projects make you most excited?

The most exciting part about design is the active participation in creating places and spaces that create a better life and environment for people. Creating spaces that enhance the health, life and wellness of users can manifest in many ways. Designing a solution for clients, all unique in their needs, is an exciting challenge.

I also love finding unique solutions to design problems for any type of project.

I get excited when there’s an opportunity to design something custom or create a distinct solution. Iteration of design is my favorite part of the process.

What are the most important aspects of quality interior design to you?

The comprehensive relationship of the interior and the architecture of the building is a key aspect of good design.

When a building provides a cohesive design, it creates a much stronger identity for the end user. At WDD, our interiors department is incorporated with the architecture team from conception of the project, and I enjoy that back and forth in the design process because it creates a strong connection of interior and exterior.

I’m also passionate about creating beautiful interiors that maintain and enhance the health of users. At the beginning of the sustainable movement, the industrial interior style was popular but often felt cold and uninviting in some instances. I believe we’re growing into a good middle ground where interiors can be healthy and sustainable while also feeling warm and inviting. This is where sustainability feels the most attainable to me, when there’s a user benefit that is not only seen through a lower carbon footARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

print but through a designed space that is comfortable, invites occupants to stay, and has a positive impact on health and daily habits.

What are some of your favorite projects and why?

One of the favorite projects that I’ve designed with the WDD team is the Special Olympics Arkansas Legacy Building in North Little Rock.

We are working closely with the Special Olympics team to create a headquarters building that fits their needs that includes workspace and offices, event spaces, and secure storage while keeping the footprint modest and creating flexibility to use all spaces to their fullest potential. This way, they can best serve the 19,500 athletes ages 8 and up and 25,000 young athletes ages 2 to 7.

Creating a beautiful, well-designed place for an organization that contributes so much to our community through the good work they do is the foundation of why I do what I do. Not only are we able to help them create a legacy that allows them to grow the Special Olympics program, but the SOAR team is also excited about a uniquely designed space, so creating a building that encompasses the ethos of Special Olympics was a great challenge.

What have been some of your most impactful roles and why?

I believe you can grow in any role. There’s always something to learn and improve upon. I’ve found that one of the most impactful roles where I learn and grow the most is an active team member involved in design and development with the priority of the project and good design being highest. On paper, that sounds good, but working in that capacity can be and is a challenge to put yourself, your opinions and ideas last so you can truly listen and learn from team members around you. When I take the opportunity to learn and grow from my environment, I grow as a designer and as a person the most.

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EXEC Q&A

Devon Kalkbrenner, Construction Law Attorney

Mitchell Williams, Little Rock What does it mean to provide turnkey service to a construction client?

The term “turnkey” is borrowed from the construction industry, where it usually refers to a contractor being responsible for a project from beginning to end. When this term is used in the context of legal services, it means that I can offer assistance throughout the entire project-development process until the last statute of limitations has expired. At every step of the process, I can help evaluate risk and advise on the best course of action to reduce a client’s exposure to risk.

ter to seek legal assistance before agreements are signed, work begins or claims are made. This approach can help avoid potential issues and ensure that everything runs smoothly.

What are some of the most common questions you are asked by your clients?

What is your advice for other women who hope to practice construction law?

Clients often have questions about managing risk, whether it’s how to structure contracts to reduce or avoid risk before starting work or how to mitigate risk resulting from an unexpected issue. In most cases, the underlying issue boils down to determining who bears the risk. As they say, the best defense is a good offense, and that is especially true in structuring and negotiating construction agreements.

How is construction law different from other types of law practice?

Construction law is a unique area of law that has its own characteristics. One of the notable differences from other areas of law is that it’s more useful when practiced proactively rather than reactively. In other words, it’s bet-

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It’s OK to ask questions. You don’t have to know everything there is to know about construction to be an asset to your clients. It is expected that you are always learning and growing in the practice of law, especially in a practice specialty like construction law.

As a woman working in construction, I have often been the only woman present at meetings or other events, and it can be intimidating. It became obvious to me over the years that something important was missing and that something, or rather, someone, is women. The unique leadership skills, empathy and tenacity of women make them especially qualified to handle complex issues and resolve difficult disputes. I have met many talented women who work in the construction industry and am thrilled to be a part such an amazing group.

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Clay Gordon, President

Kinco Constructors, Little Rock What is something that might surprise people about the construction industry?

Don’t know that this would be a surprise, but I do believe our industry still suffers with perception issues at times. What people might see driving down the highway looking at projects, either vertical or horizontal construction, does not tell the story of the skill, professionalism and dedication of the people in it. The people in our industry are some of the hardest working, caring and dedicated professionals I have ever been around, no matter their role.

I think the general public may also be surprised by the level of technical proficiency it requires today. Today’s craftspeople combine oldschool capabilities and hard work with the latest in technology, be it equipment or software. Construction professionals today display their skills combined with a love for hard work and problem solving that is to be admired. It is one of the things I love about this industry. Our people care about their work, their commitments and co-workers. A handshake still means something. I think people would probably be surprised at how rewarding a career it is, with outstanding pay and benefits. I can’t think of many other industries that give someone the ability to build something impactful for their communities, to know their work has impact, while providing a rewarding career.

What are your goals as president of Kinco Constructors?

I want to build upon the successes Kinco has had for many years.

One pillar for us is to be a company and a culture where people truly enjoy their work, relationships and career. I want to work in collaboration with our team to lead Kinco with manageable growth in the central and northwest Arkansas markets. We don’t seek to be the biggest builder, but we do want to be the best at what we do. For that reason, another goal is to seek consistent improvement in everything we do through training and developing our people. Lastly, I have been fortunate to have many great mentors throughout my career, and I have incredible co-workers at Kinco. I want my work to be something that makes them proud and hopefully impacts them as I have been. I hope to help mentor a new generation in our industry to give back in ways that were invested in me.

Kinco celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. What are some keys to the company’s longevity?

I can’t comment on this without first acknowledging the leadership of both our founder Jack Kinnaman, who led the company from 1973 to 2000, and our current CEO, Doug Wasson, who has led this company since taking over in 2000. Jack started the company and built up an original group of employees and clients, many of whom are still part

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of Kinco today. Jack instilled in our culture a desire to build with excellence and to give back to community and industry with countless examples. Doug has built upon that culture over the last 23 years. Under his leadership, Kinco has grown our employees, services and clients while continuing to focus on fundamentals of being excellent builders. He has given back to our community and industry through numerous volunteer activities and has led this company through some of its most trying and successful times. I believe it has been Doug’s ability to lead by example to our team members that has been one very big key to our longevity.

Additionally, there are several of our Kinco team members who have been here for 20, 30 and 40-plus years. Their commitment and love for this company is like a family, and it shows. It is something that our new team members see and feel. I believe it is that commitment and love for the company that creates our culture and is what keeps us going.

What does it mean to have a builders-first culture?

Builders-first culture is something we talk about as a means to keep us focused on who we are and what we do.

We are builders, and we want to be the very best builders in our market. Everyone in a management position at Kinco began their career in the field with shovels, hammers, nails and brooms. That background gives us the ability to understand the challenges that our team members go through as they construct a project. We believe that if we, as managers, stay focused on the fundamentals of building and excellent customer service, then we will succeed. It keeps us close to our people, clients and our projects.

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EXEC Q&A

Matt Crafton, P.E., LEED AP,

President & CEO Crafton Tull, Little Rock How has your background as a civil engineer in the U.S. Air Force impacted your work?

I’m grateful for the education and experience I gained in my time serving in the Air Force. It gave me leadership experience and taught me to always keep the big picture in mind and stay focused on the ultimate mission. As engineers and other professionals, we keep our focus on what our clients are trying to achieve with their project while also safeguarding the public’s health, safety and welfare.

What are some of the leading trends in environmental design?

Our firm has staff who have gained specialized training and certification in streambank protection and restoration.

More and more communities are recognizing the need to protect and restore the greenway channels and streams in their towns, and the specialized training allows us to design those protections using natural elements that are hardened to withstand significant storm events while also being aesthetically pleasing. As our communities grow and develop, it’s in everyone’s best interest to protect both the beauty and function of our streams so that they are an attractive benefit to the community rather than eroded eyesores.

What would you like to see from the future of design?

In the immediate future, what our industry needs is more people doing what

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we do. We are — thankfully — in a period of significant public and private investment in infrastructure and other community improvements. Arkansas and the U.S. need more engineers, surveyors, architects, planners, landscape architects, environmental scientists, etc., to do the work. Our firm, like most in our industry, has many open positions that are hard to fill due to an insufficient number of people with the needed expertise.

There are great career opportunities in our industry, so we need to continue encouraging kids in junior high and high school to pursue STEM higher education and career fields. It’s a great time to be an engineer.

What is your approach to leadership?

What I know about leadership starts from the example my father gave me when I was a kid: “Never ask someone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.” I think all leadership comes down to that — leading by example. If you want people to do something, they must see you aren’t sparing yourself and that you’re in the trenches with them, and that goes to everything in how a leader lives, even down to the mundane daily tasks. If you expect people to live by your company’s core values, then the leader must set that example. If you want people to start some new operational initiative, then the leader has to show the way by doing it himself or herself. Lead by example, and people will follow.

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clarkcontractors.net

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ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT: AMERICAN SUBCONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF ARKANSAS

GROUP TRADES NOTES ON ETHICS, BEST PRACTICES

By Sarah DeClerk

F

rom waterproofers and painters to electricians and HVAC technicians, subcontractors come in all shapes and sizes but are united by the commonalities of running such businesses, said Courtney Little, past president of the American Subcontractors Association of Arkansas and owner of ACE Glass, which has locations in Little Rock and Lowell.

“We all do different technical-type work but have the same issues as far as running a business — you know, how to negotiate a contract, how to properly bill a project. You have human resources issues that are common between us,” he said. “We get together and do education on that, do a little bit of advocacy so that when the legislature is looking at laws that could affect our businesses, we’ll get together and discuss those and give our opinion on that.”

Little’s father was a past president of the American Subcontractors Association of Arkansas, which formed in 1976 and has about 30 members. Little joined the organization after buying ACE Glass in 2008. The national association is more than 75 years old, he said.

He added that the Arkansas chapter is unique because there were two back-to-back national association presidents from the chapter who also served as presidents of the Arkansas chapter — himself and Anthony Brooks, president of Platinum Drywall of Little Rock.

Little said one of the ways the association has helped his business is by providing standards that have allowed ACE Glass to be recognized for its ethical practices, and he estimated that the Arkansas chapter has a better-than-average number of members who are recognized nationally for their ethics.

“I think the Subcontractors Association gives us an opportunity and a set of standards for ethics, and then we talk about how to negotiate contracts in a good way,” he said.

The association promotes best practices by providing business leaders with opportunities to meet and discuss problems that they may have and find potential solutions to help better serve customers, employees and the community.

“The Subcontractors Association is a good place to go and spend time with your peers and say, ‘Oh, I keep struggling with this,’” he said. “Some of those problems take a long time to fix, but I think doing it on your own definitely stretches that timespan out, and that can be very painful, trying to get better without any guidance.”

The Foundation of the American Subcontractors Association has a current emphasis on mental health, he added, and the asN OV E M B E R 2 02 3

sociation is currently looking at ways to create healthier workplaces and reduce depression, stress and anxiety.

He said the Arkansas chapter has a diverse board and membership base and that the chapter partners with the National Association of Women in Construction.

“Construction in general needs more people,” he said. “We don’t have enough Courtney Little diversity in our business. Specifically, women are not in a lot of businesses right now because of the hours and type of work, so we’re all looking at ways to be more inclusive.”

The association has advocated for a variety of legislative issues, most recently the reform of indemnity laws, he said, adding that the association often partners with the Associated General Contractors of Arkansas and Associated Builders and Contractors when weighing in on legislative issues.

“The motto we have is ‘better construction through fair construction,’” Little said. “That primarily means building partnerships with other subcontractors, with owners, with people like insurance and banks and things like that, and then doing education, advocacy and networking so that we become better professionals.”

The American Subcontractors Association of Arkansas hosts an annual crawfish boil in April, proceeds from which benefit scholarships for students of the construction management program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“The school’s done a great job and is putting out some really good students who have become great professionals,” Little said.

“As an organization, we wanted to be part of supporting that.”

He said the association hopes to continue providing opportunities for subcontractors in Arkansas, particularly those who are just starting out. While most entrepreneurs understand the nuts and bolts of their trades, many struggle with the ins and outs of business ownership, including accounts payable, insurance and human resources. That is where the association can help, he said.

“We’ve got a strong construction industry in the state,” he added. “We’ve got a strong group of subcontractors, and I think that for us to serve our communities, it’s important to have an organization like the Subcontractors Association, where like minds can get together, compare notes and reach out to improve.”

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ASA promotes the rights and interests of subcontractors, specialty contractors and suppliers by building strength in community through education, advocacy, networking and professional growth.

Better

Construction Through Fair Construction

Promotes quality construction, ethical and equitable business practices, safety in the work environment, and best industry practices.

P.O. Box 354 Little Rock, AR 72203 contact@ASAofArkansas.org

SPONSORED CONTENT

Building Value While You Build Communities:

Advice for businesses in the construction industry

I

love working with businesses in the construction industry. Who doesn’t love supporting those people building our communities and the future of Arkansas? From a valuation standpoint construction businesses have significant hard assets, such as equipment, real estate and strong cash flows that are a huge help in establishing a reliable value. On the other hand, such businesses often come with complicating factors, as well.

Ownership challenges, poor corporate structures or incomplete documentation can be problematic to find a value for. So what should a business owner in this field pay attention to? I’m so glad you asked.

First things first: when you created your business, you chose a corporate structure. It is critical to match up your business with the correct one — and the default option is likely not the one you want. Taxation, control, partner involvement, size and geography all play a role here. Additionally, some companies need to change their corporate structures multiple times throughout their lifespans. Make sure you get good advice, and then revisit the structure every few years to make sure it still makes sense.

Another thing: your corporate structure will require certain documentation to be proper. There are several pieces of paper you will need, but the first ones that springs to mind to me as a valuator are your bylaws or operating agreement. These documents spell out how the business should be run and who makes decisions. Your banker, your attorney, the HR folks and yours truly will absolutely want to see, in writing, who has the legal authority to transact business on behalf of the company.

It is not unusual for a business in this industry to have multiple owners, and in the event that multiple owners exist, it is not unusual for there to be restrictions on how you can sell or transfer ownership. This is important for several reasons, not the least of which is that it can have a huge effect on the valuation of your shares in the company. If ownership in your company cannot be freely sold to an outside buyer, I may be forced to discount the value of your shares due to a lack of marketability.

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Another commonly overlooked issue is how you protect yourself in the event of the death or permanent disability of a partner.

You should have a written contract, known as a buy/sell agreement, that spells out what to do in that circumstance. Imagine your current business partner and how well you work together.

Now think about their spouse, and imagine trying to work with that person in the same capacity. I assume that while you may really like this person, there is a good chance they are not a one-toone replacement for the dynamic you had before. Honestly, they might not want to be in partnership with you anyway.

With that in mind, it is just common sense to have a plan in place. Your partner’s family can receive the value of their shares of the company, while the proper party can take control of those shares for the good of the business. Oh, and in case you were wondering, please do not try to make this up yourself. Seek out a professional who knows what they are doing. It will be worth the cost to have all of your T’s and I’s crossed and dotted properly on the front end.

Victor Werley, CFP, ChFC, CDFA, CVA, MAFF, CFE, CEPA, is a financial consultant in Little Rock and the founder of Pinnacle Advisors. Werley has practiced for more than 20 years and has managed hundreds of business transitions for himself and his clients. He has spoken to numerous groups in the business and legal fields about business valuation, how to structure good business deals, and many other topics. He is passionate about small businesses and helping the economy of Arkansas.

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WOMEN IN AEC

BLAZING MORE TRAILS

November’s focus on architecture, construction and engineering gives Arkansas Money & Politics an opportunity to recognize prominent women in fields which traditionally have been male dominated. Many Arkansas professionals, however, are proving that women can thrive in these industries, whether their role is on a job site or behind a desk.

This month, AMP recognizes some of those leaders — in roles ranging from bid coordinator to owner — who are helping blaze trails and grow the state economy in the process.

By AMP Staff

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION Women making strides in AEC but still have a ways to go

By Dwain Hebda Photos provided

T

he last time 57-year-old Bridgette Smith worked predominantly with women was a five-year retail stint at Sears starting when she was 16. After that, the former cattle buyer and real estate developer spent 15 years working for an electrical company before joining Baldwin & Shell Construction in Little Rock six years ago.

Throughout that time, she has been successfully slugging it out with the boys.

“I was more the type that sat down at the table and never felt any different, I guess, because of my background,” she said. “I was a daddy’s girl, and I was in front of men in all of the businesses he had. Traveling with him as a kid, he was always dealing with men. I got used to walking straight in and sitting right down.”

Growing up in such environments invested Smith with a palpable confidence and a multifaceted skillset that has allowed her to manage situations gracefully yet resolutely.

That’s come in handy in construction, where like many women, she’s had her share of clients who mistook her for an administrative assistant or scoffed at her when they learned who she was. She’s learned to address such situations with a combination of toughness and tact, mortared by the enduring wisdom of her favorite pseudo-Latin phrase.

“Illegitimi non carborundum,” she said. “Loosely translated, it means, ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down.’”

Now a service manager, Smith is still an anomaly in the construction industry, though not quite as much as she once would have been. With time and effort, women are now a more familiar sight throughout Baldwin & Shell, as well as the industry as a whole.

“Our HR group is out every day, recruiting female project managers,” she said. “Even six years ago when I started, that was almost unheard of around here. Now we have got

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Bridgette Smith

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assistant project managers, project managers. We have got one of the best superintendents out in the field, and she’s female. She’s awesome.”

Smith and her female cohorts find themselves at an unprecedented period in the history of architecture, engineering and construction as far as making inroads into previously closed industries. Partially due to COVID-19 pandemic-related labor shortages, partially due to an increased focus on diversity and partially due to previous generations butting against locked career doors until they cracked, the faces of the AEC fields are changing fast.

“I think we’re making progress,” said Beth Maris, closeout manager with Nabholz. “Just over the past two years, we have a lady up in our Springfield [Mo.], office who is now an assistant superintendent out in the field, running work on her own. That’s so fun to see that she’s not only running it but getting the respect from people because she knows her trade.

“I love the fact that it seems to be becoming much less about gender and more focused on, ‘Can you do the job?’

That’s always been a big thing for me.”

According to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ 2022 NCARB by the Numbers report, two in five new architects are women, a statistic that has increased nearly 1 percent annually for the past five years. Increased numbers of women are also reflected in every one of the report’s five ethnic classifications, with white and Hispanic women enjoying the biggest jump in numbers.

In engineering, the story is much the same. The Society of Women Engineers reported in its internal magazine that the percent of women enrolled in undergraduate engineering programs rose from 19 percent in 2010 to 24 percent in 2019, and the percentage of women enrolled in graduate engineering programs rose 4 percent in just the past five years. Meanwhile, ConstructionDive.com reported the percentage of women in the construction field hit 14 percent in 2022, an all-time high. The article cited research by The Washington Post that noted the steady increase in recent years was led by Hispanic women, a segment which has grown 117 percent over the past six years and, in 2020, surpassed white women in the construction fields for the first time.

Encouraging though that may be, there are caveats to be found in the upwardly trending numbers. First, while women make up about half of STEM workers, the largest representation are in social sciences (64 percent), math (47 percent), and life and physical sciences (45 percent). In the

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Beth Maris

two largest categories, computer and engineering, which make up 80 percent of STEM jobs, women made up only 25 percent and 19 percent respectively, with computer seeing a decrease of women between 1990 and 2019.

As AEC industries continue to work to achieve greater parity of male and female workers, there are plenty of examples of companies giving women the opportunity to advance through the ranks quickly. Katie Bruhl, principal and architect of Allison + Partners in Little Rock, said one of the big advantages of working for a small firm is the opportunity it affords all employees to immerse themselves in every aspect of the business.

“From the very beginning, I got to be involved in a lot more of all aspects of design, starting with early-on projects and working through construction administration,” 43

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she said. “On the business side of things, I was more involved helping submit proposals on projects and just seeing how the business runs itself.

“When I was at a large firm, I had the tasks that were assigned to me on every project, and I stayed on those tasks.

I didn’t necessarily get to do construction administration, had no clue how the business was run. Maybe if I’d stayed there longer, I would have worked up through that and learned some of those things, but when you work in a small firm, it’s very much there. You get to do all of it.”

Maris has enjoyed a similar work environment, creating her current role through a suggestion-for-improvement program at Nabholz. That resulted in the creation of an entirely new department and placed her in a position of leadership to run it.

“Kera Britton, a coworker, and I were finishing up a big project, Little Rock Southwest High School, back in 2020,” she said. “We were working on all of the closeouts, which are the final documents you turn over to the client at the end of the project. I mentioned to her, ‘We need a closeout department that would do this consistently and be more efficient at doing it.’

“Our company has an innovation department that puts out little competitions all year asking employees to submit innovative ideas. We submitted that idea, and while we didn’t win the competition, they allowed us to come and present it to the board. They liked what they heard, so they said, ‘Why don’t you guys do a couple of pilot projects and see how it goes?’ Next thing you know, here we are.”

Unfortunately, for every progressive-thinking company like Nabholz, there’s at least one that’s still stuck in the past when it comes to providing opportunities for female employees. Emily Waldenmeyer, vice president with northwest Arkansas-based HP Engineering, found this out while working for a large engineering firm in Dallas.

“I’d gone from a satellite office that had 12 people in it who were all pretty equal to going to an office of a company of 700 people,” she said. “In the headquarters were 150, 200 people, and it was probably a 25/75 split, with most of the women sitting in that office being admin support. That was the first time that I sat in a room and was totally discrimi-

nated against, being a woman or, actually, being a mother.

Because I went out on maternity leave, they didn’t think I was worth [the salary amount] I was asking for.

“It gave me a huge eye-opening experience. I could either take this and just stay where I’m at, or I could do something about it. It lit a fire for me to where I needed to show, not only for myself but for everybody else, you can be a mother and rule the world.”

Waldenmeyer would soon join HP Engineering, with whom she opened the company’s Dallas office, and then moved to Kansas City to do the same. With each move and subsequent success, her professional skin got a little thicker, and her support network grew a little wider.

“Being a young woman in this industry is tricky,” she said. “There were many times that I’d email somebody for a meeting, and they’d show up to lunch, and they were like, ‘Wait, you’re who I’m meeting?’ I’ve never let that affect me, and what has helped me immensely in this industry full of men is that there are — Beth Maris wonderful women who have made it, and almost all of them are so pro-women-supporting-women they will pull you up, even if you are their competition.

“I’ve had engineers who are in my exact spot. We’re fighting after the same architect and everything, but we’re hand in hand because we’re fighting against the same thing,” she said. “Having that support system in the AEC industry is what has made it easier to get there.”

Market circumstances have also advanced the cause, not only by the ongoing labor crunch, which has forced many AEC firms to broaden their field of view to stay staffed, but also by the growth in remote work arrangements. This greatly assists female workers who are often cast in the dual role of caregiver and professional.

“I think there’s still a big gap in women in leadership roles in architecture, and I think part of that is because of the challenges women face in all fields, no matter what it is, in finding affordable care,” Bruhl said. “Once you have a family, staying in the profession can be kind of difficult.

The way we learned to work during the pandemic, with more flexible work environments where you could work

I love the fact that it seems to be becoming much less about gender and more focused on, ‘Can you do the job?’

That’s always been a big thing for me.

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from home, helped a lot.

“Now I am in the office exclusively except, on occasions when my children are sick, I will work from home. During the pandemic, those first six or eight weeks or so, I was at home with the kids, working. There were definitely challenges with that, but it is nice to have that flexibility.”

As for the future, all the women interviewed agreed that things were moving generally in a more equitable direction, right down to the women and girls still in school, who are increasingly developing an attitude of inclusivity that could one day revolutionize the workplace.

“I think we’re doing a great job at the education level, and we have been for the past 10 years,” Waldenmeyer said.

“What I really think is going to have to happen is time. I think that current upper management, the generation that believes things just a little bit differently, has to move on and the new generations have to come in before things are really going to change.

“I think women are going to continue to move up, and you’ll see spurts of us coming up, but I don’t think it’s going to be the norm or even close to 50/50 until generations that have been raised that we are equal are in charge. I do really think it’s just going to take time.”

Maris said another leveling agent in the AEC fields is the diversity of opportunities that exist for women now, since each new woman added to payroll chips away at ageold barriers to advancement.

“Our industry works very hard to try to convey that construction is not just about swinging a hammer or driving a backhoe,” she said. “There are so many different things.

Three doors down from me is an attorney, and there’s accounting. There’s marketing. There’s graphic design.

There’s so many things that touch the construction industry that don’t actually put a shovel in your hand, and that, I think, is finally starting to break down some of those stereotypes. There is more interest in our industry today [by young people], but we’ve still got a long way to go in educating our educators, the teachers who can say, ‘Here’s what the industry offers,’ and guiding kids who have that interest our way.”

Smith said succeeding in a male-dominated industry is

I’m the project manager, but in some of these jobs, I’m the superintendent, and I’m also the laborer. I’ve been out in black pants and black heels with a push broom, sweeping up drywall dust.

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— Bridgette Smith less about the challenges that are thrown in one’s path and more about how one attacks them once they present themselves. For her, it comes down to excellent people skills, a firm grasp of client psychology and plain old hard work.

“I’m the project manager, but in some of these jobs, I’m the superintendent, and I’m also the laborer. I’ve been out in black pants and black heels with a push broom, sweeping up drywall dust,” she said, “but when I meet a new client or a new subcontractor, the first thing I do is break the ice with, ‘Let me tell you something. I don’t know anything about construction. I’m relying on you to make this thing work.’

“Of course, I’ve picked up a few things along the way, and I know a little bit more than what I let them know, but when I put it on them like that and build them up, they’re happy with me, and everything goes great.”

Every so often, a ray from the future beams into the AEC industry, illuminating a glimpse of things to come.

Smithsaid she still cherishes the memory of one such experience.

“This story that comes back to me all the time when I think about women in construction,” she said. “I was on a job site one time, and there was a dad, a client of mine, who I was doing a remodel for. He would bring his young daughter with him, who was a preteen or in her early teens.

She’d just sit in the corner and watch me. I always felt those eyes on me.

“After about three or four weeks of this, I was standing about 10 feet away, and the little girl goes, ‘Dad, I want to do what she does.’ Thankfully, and I love this, that dad said, ‘Then do it. There’s nothing stopping you.’”

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TOP CURRENT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN ARKANSAS PROJECT

PROJECT OWNER

LOCATION

PROJECT TYPE

VALUATION

CONTRACTOR

UAMS Health Orthopaedics & Sports Performance Center

UAMS

Springdale

Clinic/Medical Office

$85 million

Nabholz

Central High School New Science Building and Fieldhouse

Little Rock School District

Little Rock

Middle/Senior High School Athletic Facility Site Development

$60.6 million

Nabholz/Doyne

Mountain Home Community and Aquatics Center

City of Mountain Home

Mountain Home

Swimming Pool Miscellaneous Recreational

$35M to $40M

Gregory Co.

Hot Springs World Class High School Phase 1

Hot Springs School District

Hot Springs

Middle/Senior High School

$37.5 million

Hill & Cox

MUSiC Lab Phase

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville

College/University Testing/ Research/Development Lab

$23.2 million

Whiting-Turner

GX 16 Xpress Glide

Glide Express Carwash

Fayetteville

Vehicle Sales/Service

$14.8 million

Max Alley Construction

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Stella Boyle Smith Music Center

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Little Rock

Social Club/Miscellaneous Recreational

$11.8 million

Bailey Construction

Farm Credit Office Building

Farm Credit of Western Arkansas

Russellville

Office

$10 million

Nabholz

New Hotel Building

Private — not listed

Fort Smith

Office

$8.5 million

Not listed

New Clinic Construction

City of Greenwood

Greenwood

Clinic/Medical Office

$8 million

Beshears Construction

Kirby School District New Gymnasium

Kirby School District

Kirby

Miscellaneous Education Building Athletic Facility

$7.5 million

Moser Construction

New Commercial Building

Private — not listed

Jonesboro

Office

$5.6 million

Ramsons Construction

Pope County Emergency Medical Services Facility

Pope County

Russellville

Fire/Police Station

$5.4 million

Smith-Doyle Contractors (Tenn.)

ASBVI-ASD New Health Services Building

Arkansas Department of Education

Little Rock

Miscellaneous Education Building Clinic/Medical Office

$4.1 million

Flynco

Capstone Gymnasium Project

Capstone Treatment

Judsonia

Athletic Facility

$3M to $5M

Wagner General Contractors

Circle of Life Home Care Services

Circle of Life Hospice

Lowell

Warehouse Clinic/Medical Office

$3M to $5M

Milestone Construction

Mountainburg School District New Activity Center

Mountainburg School District

Mountainburg

Miscellaneous Education Building

$3M to $5M

Van Horn Construction

White County Central 7th and 8th Grade Building

White County Central School District

Judsonia

Middle/Senior High School

$3M to $5M

Nabholz

Darby Middle School Health Clinic

Fort Smith Public School District

Fort Smith

Clinic/Medical Office

$1M to $3M

Nabholz

Glide Express Car Wash

Glide Express Carwash

Fayetteville

Vehicle Sales/Service

$753,000

Max Alley Construction

Source: Dodge Construction Central Note: Project details provided where listed

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WOMEN IN AEC

WOMEN

IN AEC It’s no secret that like many other professions, the architecture, engineering and construction industries are predominantly made up of male workers. But more women are stepping into leadership roles in these industries, thanks in part to programs put in place to encourage girls to pursue STEMrelated fields and companies making conscious efforts to be more inclusive in the hiring process.

Arkansas Money & Politics is proud to showcase some of the prominent women of AEC in Arkansas. These professionals have used their elevated designing, planning and building skills to shatter the glass ceilings in their respective industries and replace them with a solid foundation for future female leaders.

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WOMEN IN AEC

Michelle Ashmore

Christy Clark

Michelle Ashmore joined the project management team at Koontz Electric in October 2018.

She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, where she earned an Associate of Applied Science in business office technology. She is certified in construction quality management for contractors by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Her duties include scheduling, tracking and submitting all bid opportunities, which total more than $120 million annually. Ashmore also executes and bonds all contracts received and keeps all regulatory compliance current.

Christy Clark serves as controller for Clark Contractors, founded in 2009. The firm has grown to include more than 120 employees and more than $250 million in annual revenue and has opened satellite offices in Rogers and Southlake, Texas.

Clark is a 1992 graduate of Arkansas State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She is an inactive certified public accountant. Clark’s professional memberships include the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She is a founding member of the A-State Women’s Business Leadership Center and a member of the board of directors for Home for Healing in Little Rock and Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches. She also is active with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, the CHI St. Vincent Auxiliary and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Auxiliary.

Bid Coordinator and Contract Specialist Koontz Electric, Morrilton

Dian Bartlett, AIA, LEED AP Architect Polk Stanley Wilcox, Little Rock

Dian Bartlett was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. She graduated from the University of Indonesia School of Architecture. Prior to moving to the United States, she worked for architectural firms in Jakarta and Singapore. Since joining Polk Stanley Wilcox, she has worked on a variety of building types and sizes, including the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, the renovation and expansion of the Robinson Center and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, all in Little Rock, as well as the Arkansas Children’s Clinic in Pine Bluff.

Most recently, she was involved with the campus expansion of Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale. While she has always had a love of the aesthetics of architecture, she has also developed a strong appreciation for the technical side, as best said by acclaimed designer and architect Charles Eames, “The details are not the details. They make the design.”

Mindy Burton, CDT

Director of Specifications Cromwell Architects Engineers, Little Rock Mindy Burton is a seasoned design professional with a career spanning more than 15 years in the fields of interior design and construction specifications. She is a senior associate at Cromwell and holds the position of director of specifications. Burton is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management, as well as the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where she graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in interior design. Burton is an active member of the Construction Specifications Institute and is licensed through the Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers. She holds certifications as a construction documents technologist and with the National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

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Controller Clark Contractors, Little Rock

Brock Cline

Business Development Officer Nabholz, Jonesboro

Brock Cline joined Nabholz in 2009 as business development officer and has been instrumental in the success of the Jonesboro office due to her understanding every part of the construction process — from grants and millages to procurement guidelines at the local, state and federal levels, as well as post-construction warranties.

Cline is also committed to a hands-on approach when supporting her community, especially in the education and health care realms. She has fundraised for the Community Health Education Foundation and serves on the Jonesboro High School Advisory Board, Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leaders Steering Committee and the Lyon College Employer Advisory Council. She was previously a board member for the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, was involved in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Arkansas chapter, is a graduate of Leadership Arkansas and Leadership Jonesboro, chaired the Jonesboro Green Business Committee, and is the former president of the Downtown Jonesboro Alliance and the Rotary Club of Jonesboro.

Michelle Dodroe

VP of Infrastructure, Civil Engineer Crafton Tull, Fort Smith

Michelle Dodroe is an experienced civil engineer who leads Crafton Tull’s office in Fort Smith. Her expertise includes sanitary sewer assessment and remediation, mainline water extensions, water and wastewater asset mapping and modeling, and roadway and drainage design. She is a member of Leadership Arkansas Class XVI and graduated from Leadership Fort Smith in 2019.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

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MEMBER DRIVEN, MEMBER FOCUSED At ABC Arkansas, we strive to continuously deliver member value to the commercial construction industry by educating, connecting, advocating, and supporting those we serve!

Leading that charge is Megan Greenland Williams, Vice President of Chapter Development, for ABC Arkansas.

Congratulations, Megan on being named an AMP Woman in AEC. ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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WOMEN IN AEC

Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, Ph.D., Associate AIA, Affiliate ASLA

Emily Keith

Director of Analytics Lexicon, Little Rock

Associate Dean and Professor of Architecture University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Emily Keith joined the Lexicon team in April 2022 as a corporate analyst, and in only a year, she was promoted to director of analytics. In this role, she leads and manages a team of analysts dedicated to deriving valuable insights from company data.

Historically, the company has relied heavily on paper-based methods for data capture (like much of the construction industry), but by digitizing this information, Lexicon has not only improved the efficiency and accuracy of its data collection but has also enhanced its ability to access and analyze information. A native of Orange City, Iowa, Keith earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to joining Lexicon, Emily spent almost seven years at Vestcom, where she worked her way up from cost accountant to assistant controller. “Lexicon’s unwavering commitment to nurturing its talent and embracing cutting-edge technology makes the work both fascinating and gratifying,” she said.

In a career spanning nearly five decades, Ethel Goodstein-Murphree has made significant contributions to architectural education through teaching, scholarship and academic leadership.

As associate dean of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, where she has taught since 1992, Goodstein-Murphree oversees academic affairs and research in a student-centered and multi-disciplinary design environment. Goodstein-Murphree received her Bachelor of Architecture from the City College of New York, her Master of Arts in the history of architecture from Cornell University in New York and her Ph.D. in the history of architecture and American cultural studies from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, she practiced architecture in New York City, served as architectural historian for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and began her career in architectural education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

April Kesterson

Contractor Advocate and Project Coordinator Powers of Arkansas, North Little Rock

Sara Hedge

April Kesterson is the contractor advocate and project coordinator for the manufacturer rep businessequipment team at Powers of Arkansas. She joined Powers in 2015 as operations manager and, in 2020, moved into her current job, which involves taking equipment projects from submittal approval through booking, order, delivery and startup. She also handles warranty issues and works with contractors on any other issues with which she and her startup team of three can assist. Before joining Powers, she worked for BR McGinty for almost 20 years.

She also sits on the board of the Arkansas Construction Education Foundation, an apprenticeship school in Little Rock. Kesterson works as a volunteer fire fighter and EMT for the Lonsdale Fire Department, which serves both Garland and Saline counties. She is also a Search and Rescue Technician II with the search and rescue teams in both Garland and Grant counties.

BIM/VDC Coordinator CDI Contractors, Fayetteville Sara Hedge is the building information modeling and virtual design and construction coordinator for CDI Contractors in Fayetteville. A native of the Natural State, she graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in architecture studies. During her decade of BIM/VDC experience, Hedge has completed more than $1.5 billion in design and construction projects. Upon joining CDI in 2021, she received her Certification of Management-BIM accreditation, one of only 11 people so accredited in the state. Hedge is an active member of the National Association of Women in Construction and a committee member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative of Northwest Arkansas.

Kim Koch

Founder and Principal Insight Engineering, Little Rock

Jennifer Johnson

Office and Project Assistant Manager C.R. Crawford Construction, Fayetteville

As founder and principal at Insight Engineering, Kim Koch is a driving force for progress in her community and the field of engineering. She holds a degree from the University of Arkansas in mechanical engineering, is a registered Professional Engineer and a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional. With more than two decades of experience, Koch specializes in mechanical systems design, project management and leadership within her company. She manages and designs projects across various sectors, including K-12 education, higher education, health care and commercial markets. Her expertise extends to an array of mechanical systems ranging from ground-source heat pumps to intricate district energy systems. She is an active member in the Arkansas chapter of the American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers and serves on the boards of studioMAIN, Arkansas HVAC/R and the Arkansas STEM Coalition.

Jennifer Johnson is office and project assistant manager at C.R. Crawford Construction in Fayetteville. She shares the firm’s passion for excellence and success for clients and their projects.

She has served in current role for almost 10 years. Previously, she served as project manager assistant for C.R. Crawford.

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TRACY MEEKS Pr ojec t Ma na ge r, En g i n e e ri n g

LESYA MORRISON P r o j ec t Ma n a ge r , Ar c h i t e c t ur e

ARCHITECTURE + ENGINEERING YOUR PROJECT TEAM-OF-CHOICE We’re a full-service Architecture & Engineering firm licensed in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Architecture & Interior Design Engineering including Fire Protection

teamofchoice.com I

479.636.5004

Construction Compliance Energy Services

I Rogers, AR I Dallas, TX

Congratulations to Benchmark Group Project Managers Tracy Meeks and Lesya Morrison for being featured in the AMP "Women in AEC" list!

WOMEN IN AEC to her duties as project manager, Meeks enjoys attending conferences and career fairs on Benchmark Group’s behalf, as well as events where she networks with others in the industry and community. She volunteers with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and the Children & Family Advocacy Center. She is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women, the CREW Network Scholarship Selection Committee, the Urban Land Institute of Northwest Arkansas and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Suzanne Lantz

Vice President of Design and Customer Service The Stitt Group, Rogers Suzanne Lantz is vice president of design and customer service for the Stitt Group. Lantz has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in architectural studies from the University of Arkansas and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council Arkansas. Through the National Home Builders Association, she holds designations as a certified active adult specialist in housing and a certified green professional. She joined the Stitt Group in 1980 and has designed hundreds of custom homes in 18 states, specializing in sustainable, energy-efficient and passive solar designs. Her work has been a part of 17 Energy Value in Housing Awards, as well as Builder of the Year and the People’s Choice Awards sponsored by the NAHB Research Center. She is also a Project of the Year award winner in the NAHB National Green Building Awards competition. She was a part of planning and implementation of the Stitt home office addition and remodel in 2009 that achieved one of the first LEED Platinum awards in the state of Arkansas. From 2012 to 2021, Lantz was involved in building three homes that won the Sustainability Award from the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

Lesya Morrison

Project Manager Benchmark Group, Rogers As a project manager at Benchmark Group, Lesya Morrison focuses on building long-term relationships with clients. She believes that strong and consistent communication is key, which is reflected in the interactions she has while overseeing a team of architects and designers and coordinating with multiple onsite contractors and engineers.

With more than 200 projects to manage, Morrison has extensive project-design experience, including prototype development, shell plans, fuel stations and HVAC projects for large distribution centers.

One of her most notable achievements includes managing a disaster project that consisted of a complete remodel. In addition, she handles project scheduling, quality control, budgeting and site visits. She also enjoys building training outlines with multiple disciplines to help streamline the training process for new employees, which has been very successful. She helps raise funds for the Rampy MS Research Foundation and Food 1st Fitness, a group of local athletes that spend time giving back to local charities.

Kara McElyea

Co-owner and Principal Arch + Craft Design, Fayetteville Kara McElyea co-owns arch + craft design, a Fayetteville-based commercial architecture firm, where she serves as principal architect. She has more than 14 years of experience in the field of architecture and is licensed in Arkansas as well as several other states in the region. McElyea holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Design Build from Auburn University. Her experience includes working at several firms in northwest Arkansas, northeast Arkansas and Memphis, as well as teaching at the University of Memphis. She specializes in commercial architecture, having completed a wide variety of projects ranging from retail to medical to institutional. Notable projects completed since founding arch + craft design include The Uptown, a 80,000-SF adaptive reuse of the lone remaining anchor store of a demolished mall and NEA Baptist Urgent Care Plus, a 17,000-SF, state-of-the-art medical facility, both located in Jonesboro.

Brittney Peace

Project Manager HP Engineering, Fayetteville Brittney Peace’s deep-rooted understanding of the construction industry stems from her upbringing, shadowing her father, a seasoned contractor.

Despite initially embarking on a nursing career, her trajectory took an unexpected turn when she joined her brother’s engineering firm in its early stages. Initially uncertain about delving into electrical design, she soon found her stride and never looked back. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for ensuring client satisfaction, Peace has established herself as a proficient project manager with a specialized background in electrical systems and lighting design.

Her ability to navigate complex projects, oversee team dynamics, and maintain stringent quality control has earned her a reputation for precision and efficiency. Peace’s creative prowess shines through her intricate designs of electrical distribution systems, lighting layouts and controls. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation and takes immense pride in the health projects she has spearheaded in tribal communities, as her work directly contributes to providing vital access to rural and tribal areas that would otherwise be underserved. With her unwavering commitment to infusing indigenous values into her work, she actively champions the development of sustainable and community-centered projects. Her expertise in lighting specification, low voltage and fire alarm device coordination demonstrates her comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of modern infrastructure. Peace has a lighting certification from the American Lighting Association and actively participates in the Illuminating Engineering Society.

Tracy Meeks

Project Manager Benchmark Group, Rogers Tracy Meeks is a project manager at Benchmark Group’s Rogers office, where she oversees mechanical, electrical and plumbing remodel teams. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and holds two associate degrees from NorthWest Arkansas Community College. She is enthusiastic about excellent customer service, clever problemsolving and strong communication skills. As leader of an engineering design team, Meeks manages a group of 25 staff members who handle full commercial remodels, site adapts, fuel projects and hotel remodels. In addition N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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Congratulations,

JENNIFER JOHNSON on being named an AMP Woman in AEC!

Jennifer is a dedicated member of the C.R. Crawford family who shares our passion for excellence and success for our clients and their projects. We are so proud to have you on our team!

DESIGN-BUILD

PRE-CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

GENERAL CONTRACTING

C R C R AW F O R D. C O M

THANK YOU AMP READERS BEST ENGINEERING FIRM

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

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WOMEN IN AEC

Ashley Pifer, Ph.D, PE

Abbey Redmon

As engineering firm Garver’s water quality practice leader, Ashley Pifer has dedicated her career to securing a sustainable future for Arkansas and its residents. A renowned expert in the water engineering field, Pifer has published seven peerreviewed journal articles and is spearheading research that keeps Arkansas’s water clean, safe and reliable. She has led groundbreaking water research projects, including having served as the principal investigator on a project with the University of Arkansas, the city of Houston and Dallas Water Utilities to develop new tools and processes to proactively address water quality concerns — a project that ultimately resulted in a patent.

Ashley’s dedication and expertise has put her at the forefront of one of the nation’s most vital industries. The water industry continuously faces new regulations — including the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions and upcoming Lead and Copper Rule Improvements — which impact every community water system across the country. As water systems prepare for this monumental change, Ashley has provided guidance and training to water systems from North Carolina to Colorado through workshops and conference presentations to help them prepare for compliance with the complex regulations. She is currently working directly with nearly 20 water systems to help them identify lead service lines within their systems and develop strategies to remove those lines and reduce human exposure to lead in drinking water.

Abbey Redmon is an National Council for Interior Design Qualification-certified registered interior designer with WDD Architects. She has a background as a health care provider prior to graduating from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Interior Design. This experience shapes the framework of Abbey’s passion for design: to create beautiful, sustainable interior design that promotes health and wellness. She has obtained her LEED Green Associate certification and is working toward her WELL accreditation. Redmon is dedicated to designing spaces for people and creating dynamic, thoughtful designs that meet clients’ needs and create memorable experiences.

She has diverse interior design experience ranging from award-winning luxury residential design to corporate, health care and educational design. She is always looking forward to the next design opportunity at WDD, where the interior design team is integrated with the architecture studio.

Water Quality Practice Leader Garver, North Little Rock

Interior Designer WDD Architects, Little Rock

Natalie Rogers, PE, CFM

Water Resources Team Leader and Project Manager Halff, Little Rock Natalie Rogers wears many hats, and she wears them well. As the water resources team lead and project manager at Halff, she’s the driving force behind a team of professionals who work out of Little Rock and Bentonville offices. Her passion for civil engineering led her to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State University in 2010 and a Master of Science degree from Mississippi State University in 2013. Natalie’s professional excellence extends far beyond her academic achievements. She holds the title of a registered professional engineer in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and is a certified floodplain manager. As a water resources engineer at Halff, she manages an array of projects, specializing in developing and applying hydrologic and hydraulic models. These models are pivotal in FEMA floodplain studies, dam breach analysis, inundation mapping, emergency action plan development and public outreach. Rogers is more than just an engineer. She’s a community education and outreach champion, proudly serving as the chair of the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association. Through her involvement with AFMA, she promotes flood awareness and effective flood damage abatement by emphasizing education and sustainable mitigation actions.

Amanda Lee Powers, J.D.

President and CEO AVCOR Construction, Heber Springs Amanda Lee Powers, president & CEO of AVCOR Construction, is a licensed attorney and general contractor with more than eight years of experience in the construction industry and nearly two decades of legal experience. Powers received her B.A. in political science from Centenary College of Louisiana in 2001 and her juris doctor from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2004.

Powers is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, North Dakota, Mississippi and Arkansas. After several years in private practice, Powers served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserve and Arkansas Air National Guard before leaving the military at the rank of major. The unique perspective that Powers brings to AVCOR’s construction projects comes from her diverse legal background, willingness to think outside the box, ability to grasp new technical concepts and knowledge of navigating the government procurement process. AVCOR has been awarded many high-profile federal projects, including contracts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Park Service and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Under Powers’ leadership, AVCOR has been certified by the Small Business Administration as an 8(a) small business, a woman-owned small business, a historically underutilized business zone and a servicedisabled veteran-owned small business.

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Tammy Siler, PE, BCxP, CEM

Director of Energy Services Cromwell Architects Engineers, Little Rock Tammy Siler is a distinguished mechanical engineer with a career spanning more than 30 years who serves as director of energy services at Cromwell Architects Engineers. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree.

Siler has accrued a wealth of experience in various project types, including health care, higher and secondary education, government facilities, multifamily housing, high-rise office spaces, and restaurants. Her proficiency extends beyond HVAC systems design, encompassing project management, commissioning, retro-commissioning, utility monitoring and energy modeling. Siler has designed and commissioned several sustainability projects, many of which were LEED certified. She has also commissioned multiple U.S. government facilities throughout Europe. Siler is

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Tela Webb

a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and the American Society for Health Care Engineering. She holds professional certifications as a building commissioning professional, a certified energy manager and a construction quality management for contractors from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is a licensed professional engineer. In addition to her professional achievements, Siler dedicates herself to the community by leading Cromwell’s volunteer efforts.

Assistant Project Manager Nabholz, Rogers Assistant Project Manager Tela Webb has been with Nabholz for five years. Her background lies in the visual arts, and she transitioned to construction through an internship with Nabholz’ Rogers team. She holds certifications in OSHA 30-hour training and as a construction documents technologist from the Construction Specifications Institute. As a specialist in subcontracting, cost control, scheduling and project closeouts, Webb is dedicated to making her clients’ missions a reality. She also encourages women to explore construction careers, emphasizing the industry’s opportunities. “I want women to excel in construction as a career. It’s a viable choice — every day is different and presents you with challenges and opportunities for growth,” Webb said. A sculptor at heart, Webb now creates art with a new palette of mediums, beginning her career in the field with the construction of the award-winning Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center in Bentonville. She has led numerous regional projects to successful completion, including Railyard Park, Sam’s Club Kids Club and the Sports, Wellness & Academic Center at Fayetteville Public Schools. She graduated with top honors from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in construction engineering technology. A certified mountain biking instructor, she serves with Women of OZ, supporting female mountain bikers of all backgrounds and skill levels.

Bridgette Smith

Service Manager Baldwin & Shell Construction, Little Rock Bridgette Smith commenced her professional journey in the family-owned livestock industry and residential land development sectors. During this period, she engaged in cattle trading across the southeast United States, managed livestock transportation and actively participated in the livestock sale barn industry. Simultaneously, she served as a partner for a land development enterprise. With a profound passion for the livestock sector and its vibrant community, Smith eventually felt the need for a career transition and secured a position with an electrical contracting firm. Over a span of 15 years, Smith demonstrated her versatility by assuming roles ranging from receptionist to overseeing equipment procurement. Her responsibilities also extended to managing electrical licensing procedures and nationwide permit acquisitions. Eventually, she ascended to the role of service manager, overseeing a dedicated 10-member electrical team that operated 24/7. Then she made the move to join Baldwin & Shell Construction, a leading general contractor in Arkansas. There, she was entrusted with the responsibility of managing the service department. As service manager, Smith handles a wide spectrum of projects ranging from minor repairs for clients to comprehensive $1 million remodels across the state. Her work style reflects a hands-on approach, evident in her active presence both in the field and at the office.

Megan Williams

Vice President of Chapter Development Associated Builders & Contractors - Arkansas Chapter, Little Rock Megan (Greenland) Williams was born and raised in Conway. She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor emphasis in graphic design from the University of Central Arkansas in 2012 and her master’s in communications from Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., in 2019. In 2013, she was hired as director of events and communications for the Associated Builders & Contractors of Arkansas (ABC) and was promoted to vice president of chapter development in 2019. ABC is a trade association providing business development, political advocacy, safety training, and education to the commercial construction industry. During her time at ABC, Willians has helped increase the quantity and quality of events ABC offers each year, co-developed the Arkansas Chapter’s Young Professionals Program, implemented new youth programs and in 2017 helped launch ABC’s new apprenticeship program, the Arkansas Construction Trades Academy. She also travels the state providing Heartsaver First Aid/CPR/AED Training to members in the industry.

Tania Taylor

Millwright Foreman Lexicon, Little Rock Tania Taylor started her career at Lexicon in 2015 and remains one of the company’s top performers of any gender. She is committed to excellence and safety. As a millwright foreman in the Lexicon Industrial Constructors division, she leads a team of 28, including millwrights and ironworkers, ensuring they have the tools and materials to do their jobs safely and efficiently. Her team is in charge of installing, setting and aligning equipment to very fine tolerances. It is Taylor’s responsibility to make sure safety and quality requirements are followed while conducting this finely skilled work. As a foreman, Taylor takes pride in her team and appreciates the dedication each team member gives to the job. She said while this is traditionally a male-dominated industry, at Lexicon, she has always been treated as an equal and with respect. “I appreciate Lexicon entrusting me with this position,” she said. “It takes all of us as a team, doing our individual jobs, to complete a project. We are a Lexicon family, and we are building America.”

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Leigh Wood

Co-owner and Senior Vice President PDC Construction, Little Rock Leigh Wood is an owner and senior vice president of PDC Construction. She serves as the qualifier for PDC’s contractor’s license. She has spent 35 years in service to PDC Construction, where she provides precise job-cost accounting from the very first stages of a project through project completion. Wood has played a key role in the growth and success of the company by building and maintaining industry and strategic relationships. PDC’s project history includes apartment complexes, banks, hotels, recovery centers, schools and more, and the firm has worked closely with multiple state and federal funding groups, including the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

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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 2023 Best of AMP.

ACCOUNTING FIRM/CPA

AWNINGS

CFO

• BROWN ROGERS & CO. • FROST, PLLCC • GARLAND & GREENWOOD CPAS AND ADVISORS

• HOT SPRINGS AWNING • LITTLE ROCK TENT & AWNING CO. • MAPLE LEAF AWNING & CANVAS

• ERIC MANGHAM, ARKANSAS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • KELLIE SINH, SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES • TYLER BLAIR, ARKANSAS HEART HOSPITAL

ADVERTISING AGENCY • AGENCY GWL • ROCK CITY DIGITAL • STONE WARD AIR CHARTER SERVICE • CENTRAL FLYING SERVICE • JETT • OMNI AIR CHARTER APPRAISER • FERSTL VALUATIONS SERVICES • PINNACLE APPRAISAL CO. • RICE APPRAISAL SERVICES ARCHITECT • CHRIS HARTSFIELD, ALLISON + PARTNERS • CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • REESE ROWLAND, POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS ARCHITECTURE FIRMS • CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEER • WDD ARCHITECTS • WER ARCHITECTS ARKANSAS MADE • BUFFALO CANOES • CAVENDER’S GREEK SEASONING • DASSAULT FALCON AUCTION COMPANY • BLACKMON AUCTIONS • I-40 AUTO AUCTIONS • WILSON AUCTIONEERS AUTO SERVICE • BALE CHEVROLET • PARKER LEXUS • RUSSELL CHEVROLET CO. A R M ON E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

BANK • ENCORE BANK • GRAND SAVINGS BANK • STONE BANK BOAT DEALER/ MANUFACTURER • GREGG ORR MARINE & RV • LACEY’S NARROWS MARINA • XPRESS BOATS BUSINESS CATERER FOR EVENTS • JTJ RESTAURANTS • RX CATERING • THE CROISSANTERIE BUSINESS CONSULTING FIRM • JCD CONSULTING • PINNACLE ADVISORS • PROFUSION MARKETING BUSINESS INSURANCE AGENCY • BROWN & BROWN INSURANCE • FLEXIBLE CHOICE INSURANCE • SMITH & COMPANY INSURANCE, INC. CAR DEALERSHIPS • BALE CHEVROLET • MARK MCLARTY FORD • RUSSELL CHEVROLET CO. CASINO • OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT • SARACEN CASINO RESORT • SOUTHLAND CASINO HOTEL CEO

CHAMBER • ARKANSAS STATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • CONWAY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • GREATER HOT SPRINGS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • NORTH LITTLE ROCK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CHARITY EVENTS • ARKANSAS OUTDOOR HALL OF FAME BANQUET, ARKANSAS GAME & FISH FOUNDATION • CHILI FIGHTS IN THE HEIGHTS, THE HAT CLUB OF LITTLE ROCK • CHOCOLATE FANTASY BALL, RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF ARKANSAS • LIGHT THE PATH, PARTNERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING HUMANS CHIROPRACTOR • DR. AMANDA BLEDSOE, BLEDSOE CHIROPRACTIC • DR. BEV FOSTER, CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH & REHABILITATION • DR. CHRIS BLACKMON, BLACKMON CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC • DR. SHAWN MCGHEE, LAMEY CHIROPRACTIC COMMERCIAL CLEANING

• GREG COCKMON, CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • MATT TROUP, CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • RYAN FLYNN, NETWORK SERVICES GROUP 57

• ADEBAYO CLEANING SERVICES • JAN-PRO CLEANING AND DISINFECTING • MOLLY MAID N OVE M B E R 2023

UAMS Proudly Celebrates the Best in Health Care Congratulations to the outstanding UAMS health care team recognized among the best of 2023 in the following categories.

• BEST Diverse Workplace • BEST Hospital • BEST Mental Health Services Provider • BEST Place to Work • BEST Surgeon - Dr. C. Lowry Barnes 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/AMPBest2023 or call 501-686-8000.

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GET ON THE LAKE! THANK YOU FOR VOTING US BEST MARINA AND BOAT DEALERSHIP

Lacey’s Narrows Marina and Boating Center 7674 Edgemont Rd. | Greers Ferry, Arkansas 501.825.6214 | laceysmarina.com

SALES | SER VICE | RENTALS

Photo by Michelle Cheesman

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US THE BEST

BEST PAYROLL SERVICE

MORE THAN PAYROLL

HIRE. MANAGE. GROW. MORE THAN PAYROLL

morethanpayroll.com | 501-374-2435

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COMMERCIAL PRINTING

CREDIT UNION

ENERGY COMPANY

• DEMOCRAT PRINTING AND LITHOGRAPHING • DIGITAL PRINT & IMAGING • TCPRINT SOLUTIONS

• ARKANSAS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • BARKSDALE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • TRUSERVICE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • UNITED FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

• BLACK HILLS ENERGY • ENTERGY ARKANSAS • FIRST ELECTRIC

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • KELLEY COMMERCIAL PARTNERS • MOSES TUCKER PARTNERS • SAGE PARTNERS COMMERICAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY • COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL • KELLEY COMMERCIAL PARTNERS • WEICHERT, REALTORS — THE GRIFFIN COMPANY COMPUTER SERVICES COMPANY • C SQUARED NETWORKS • NETWORK SERVICES GROUP • PINNACLE IT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY • DAVID MURPHY CONSTRUCTION • JAMES A. ROGERS EXCAVATING • NABHOLZ CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU • EL DORADO ADVERTISING & PROMOTION COMMISSION • FAYETTEVILLE ADVERTISING & PROMOTION COMMISSION • VISIT BENTONVILLE COO • DANIEL ALFORD, NETWORK SERVICES GROUP • QUINCY HURST, SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE COUNTRY CLUB • CHENAL COUNTRY CLUB • PINNACLE COUNTRY CLUB • PLEASANT VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB N OV E M BER 2 02 3

DENTIST • HEATHMAN FAMILY AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY • SMILE DAILY • WISENER, COOPER & FERGUS, DDS DERMATOLOGY CLINIC • ARKANSAS DERMATOLOGY • DERMATOLOGY GROUP OF ARKANSAS • PINNACLE DERMATOLOGY DISASTER RESTORATION • DISASTER MASTERS RESTORATION CONWAY • METRO DISASTER SPECIALISTS • SERVPRO DIVERSE WORKPLACE • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES • USABLE DRUG TESTING • COURTHOUSE CONCEPTS • FIRST CHOICE DRUG TESTING • XPERT DIAGNOSTICS

ENGINEERING FIRM • CRAFTON TULL • CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • GARVER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING • ECCI • HARBOR • SNYDER ENVIRONMENTAL EXCAVATION COMPANY • FUREIGH HEAVY CONSTRUCTION • GARRETT EXCAVATING • JAMES A. ROGERS EXCAVATING EXERCISE FACILITY/ FITNESS CENTER • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH & FITNESS CENTER • HOT SPRINGS HEALTH & FITNESS • LITTLE ROCK ATHLETIC CLUB EYE GLASSES • BURROW’S & MR. FRANK’S OPTICAL • JAMES EYECARE & OPTICS GALLERY • MCFARLAND EYE CARE FINANCIAL/PERSONAL INVESTMENT SERVICES

• HANGERS CLEANERS • OAK FOREST CLEANERS • SCHICKEL’S CLEANERS

• APRIL POLLARD EDWARD JONES • GADBERRY FINANCIAL GROUP • MERIDIAN INVESTMENTS ADVISORS

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR

FLORIST

• CCI OF ARKANSAS • COWLING ELECTRIC • GARY HOUSTON ELECTRIC

• CABBAGE ROSE • FRANCES FLOWER SHOP • TIPTON & HURST

DRY CLEANING SERVICE

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For trusting us for 75 years to bring you, your loved ones, your company, your community peace of mind…thank you. It is Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s mission to improve the health and financial security of the members and communities we serve. And it’s our privilege to help look out for your physical, emotional and social health, connecting you with resources, and helping you navigate the healthcare system — so you and the ones you love can live your best life, your whole life long. Take good care, Arkansas.

YEARS 01084.01.01-1023

MOSES TUCKER PARTNERS

BEST COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FIRM 2023 P r o p e r t y

M a n a g e m e n t

|

C o m m e r c i a l

B r o k e r a g e

&

L e a s i n g

The Promenade at Chenal

Historic Boyle Building

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

Museum Center

mosestucker.com

|

1001 Technology Dr, Little Rock

501.376.6555 65

|

Little Rock

|

Bentonville N OVE M B E R 2023

Serving Seniors For Over 38 Years 1st Nationally Accredited Caregiver Registry in Arkansas.

Thoroughly screened, experienced caregivers can provide:

The most trusted name for in-home care in Arkansas

N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

•Housekeeping

•Transportation

•Meal Preparation

•Medication Reminders

•Shopping/Errands

• Personal Care

5 Category Winner!

26 Locations Serving ALL of Arkansas • 501-663-CARE

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Protecting the poultry industry since 1954. thepoultryfederation.com

FOR VOTING US BEST NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

LIVE WELL. BE HAPPY. Presbyterian Village is empowering seniors to live vibrantly with the support they need.

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US BEST NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Start your day with an exercise class or game of bingo. Head to the beauty salon, pick up a paint brush, and enjoy delicious southern-style meals in our private dining room.

And for those that need it, we offer 24-hour skilled nursing and short-term rehab.

Visit LittleRockZoo.com

501.225.1615 www.presbyvillage.org N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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Conway Regional has been the community’s hospital for more than 100 years, providing high-quality, compassionate care. As our community continues to grow, recognitions like Best of Arkansas Money and Politics’ highlights our commitment to ensuring the communities we serve receive exceptional care today and in the future.

Best Diverse Workplace Conway Regional Health System Best Health Care Provider Conway Regional Health System Best Hospital Conway Regional Health System Best Exercise Facility/Fitness Center Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center

Matt Troup

Anthony Manning, MD, FACS

Best CEO and Best President of a Health System

Best Physician and Best Surgeon

I am deeply honored and humbled to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you for selecting Pinnacle IT as the best in the categories of Computer Services Company, IT Company, and Tech Company for 2023. This recognition is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our dedicated team and our relentless pursuit of excellence in the ever-evolving world of technology. At Pinnacle IT, we strive to push the boundaries of innovation, delivering cutting-edge solutions to our clients, and this prestigious acknowledgment only reinforces our resolve to continue our journey of excellence. We are immensely grateful for your trust and support. Thank you for choosing Pinnacle IT, and we look forward to continuing to exceed your expectations in the years to come.

- Chris Bates, CEO

Pinnacle IT

YOUR PROBLEM SOLVED.

N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

WW W. PI N N AC LE I T.CO M | ( 501) 907-7 70 0

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Why Delta Solar?

Solar Experts: We live and breathe solar.

Our CEO has a Ph.D. in this stuff!

End-to-End Service: From analysis to maintenance, we've got you covered at every step.

Local Focus: Tailored solutions for our community – because we're not just experts; we're your neighbors!

Time is Ticking: Net Metering Changes!

In Oct 2024, Arkansas's net metering changes. Act now to lock in current rates until 2040!

501.683.8835

www.deltasolar.com

NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER at

GOOD SHEPHERD At Good Shepherd Nursing and Rehabilitation 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.

Jennifer Siems, Administrator 3001 Aldersgate Road, Little Rock AR 72205 Phone 501-217-9774 • Fax 501-217-9781 www.goodshepherdnr.com

BEST MEMORY CARE FACILITY

Convention & Visitors Bureau

EXPECT

MORE

THANKS FOR VOTING US

AMP BEST OF 2023 SHOP. DINE. STAY. PLAY. N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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SAY GOOD BYE TO CLOGGED GUTTERS! THE ONLY ONE-PIECE COVERED GUTTER LeafGuard brand by Englert is the original and only one-piece gutter system, with a built-in hood that covers the gutter bottom and deflects leaves and other debris. This unique, seamless design keeps debris from collecting in your gutters which:

• Prevents clogs from forming • Eliminates leaks and the threat of water damage • Keeps water flowing freely • Makes climbing ladders to clean gutters unnecessary

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US BEST GUTTERS OF 2023

CALL TODAY 501-508-6474 | 479-226-8829 | 1-877-848-2422

leafguardandmore.com

FOOD TRUCK

HOTEL FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL

JEWELER

• AT THE CURB • OUACHITA BAR & GRILL • TACOS GODOY

• ALOFT ROGERS-BENTONVILLE • CAPITAL HOTEL • OAKLAWN HOTEL

• JONES & SON FINE JEWELRY • LAURAY’S, THE DIAMOND CENTER • SISSY’S LOG CABIN

FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE

HOTEL FOR LEISURE TRAVEL

• LYON COLLEGE • UA LITTLE ROCK • UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS

• 21C MUSEUM HOTEL BENTONVILLE • CAPITAL HOTEL • THE WATERS HOTEL HOT SPRINGS

GLASS COMPANY • ACE GLASS • CAPITOL GLASS COMPANY • DISCOUNT AUTO GLASS HEALTH CARE PROVIDER • ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL • BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER-LITTLE ROCK • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDER • ARKANSAS BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD • UNITED HEALTHCARE • USABLE HOME HEALTH PROVIDER • ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE • SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE • SYNERGY HOMECARE HOSPICE • ARKANSAS HOSPICE • HOSPICE HOME CARE • HOSPICE OF THE OZARKS HOSPITAL • BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER-LITTLE ROCK • CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES N OV E M BER 2 02 3

HVAC CONTRACTOR • BOB & ED’S • DASH HEATING, COOLING & PLUMBING • MIDDLETON HEAT & AIR

LAND REAL ESTATE BROKER • ESQ REALTY GROUP • LILE REAL ESTATE • MOSSY OAK PROPERTIES DELTA LAND MANAGEMENT LAW FIRM • FRIDAY, ELDREDGE & CLARK • LAW OFFICES OF KATHERINE E. BLACKMON • WRIGHT LINDSEY JENNINGS MANUFACTURING COMPANY

INDUSTRIAL ROOFING • ARKANSAS INDUSTRIAL ROOFING • GROBMYER ROOFING • RILEY HAYS ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE AGENCY • BROWN & BROWN INSURANCE • G&G INDEPENDENT INSURANCE • SMITH & COMPANY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER • AT&T • WINDSTREAM • XFINITY INVESTMENT ADVISORS

• LEXICON • NATIONAL CUSTOM HOLLOW METAL • POWER TECHNOLOGY MEMORY CARE FACILITY • MEMORY CARE OF LITTLE ROCK AT GOOD SHEPHERD • SALEM PLACE NURSING & REHABILITAITON • WOODLAND HEIGHTS - A PHOENIX SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDER • LEVI HOSPITAL • PINNACLE POINTE • UAMS PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS

• BECKIE COMSTOCK • MERIDIAN INVESTMENT ADVISORS • RED DOG INVESTMENT GROUP

• AGENCY GWL • CERTIFIED PIES • K HALL & SONS PRODUCE

IT COMPANY

MORTGAGE LENDER

• NETWORK SERVICES GROUP • PINNACLE IT • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES

• ENCORE BANK • FIRST COMMUNITY BANK • SIMMONS BANK

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Thank you for voting us Best Sign and Promotional Apparel Company of 2023!

Printing Arkansas for 50 Years 800 South Gaines St. Little Rock | 501.376.8436 arkansasgraphics.com

From the way your parents handled money to your plans for retirement – many factors impact the way you view your wealth. We take the time to understand who you are, your vision of your future, and what you need from your financial partner. From there, we develop solutions that are as unique as you are. We make it easy to work with us so your life is less complicated and you can enjoy what you value most.

Pat Moon Managing Principal

INVESTING FOR A RICH LIFE Realizing what you value.

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

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Brad Smith Senior Advisor

Marshall Moon Senior Advisor

11300 Cantrell Road, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72212 501-663-7055 MeridianIA.com N OVE M B E R 2023

1.501.327.4166

Thank You for Voting Us Best Boat Dealer in 2023

www.littlerockconwaysign.com

g us n i t o v r o f u o y k Than !

3 2 0 2 y n a p m o best of sign c

740 S. German Lane, Conway, AR 72034 greggorrmarindandrv.com

4903 Central Ave Hot Springs

501-525-1818

Sales | Service | Slips | Pro Shop | Winterization | Storage | Rentals | Fuel N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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Thank you for voting us

Best of Food Truck!

Monday — Closed Tuesday — Saturday 7am - 2pm 4:30pm- 7:30pm

Established in 2019, Tacos Godoy is a family-owned food truck that specializes in traditional Mexican guisados, which are stewed or braised dishes made from fresh ingredients, and served on a fresh corn tortilla. Based in the Little Rock area, owner Alejandro Gutierrez brings tacos and recipes that he and his family have enjoyed and perfected over the years, just like our mother Sabina.

BEST HOMEMADE MEXICAN FOOD

FOOD TRUCK MENU Prices do not include tax*

APPETIZERS Cheese Dip

$8 -12

8 / 12 ounces of the best cheese dip $5

Salsa green or red

DRINKS Bottle Water $1 Bottle Soda (16 oz) $2 Mexican Coke $3

8 ounces

ENTRÉE $3.50

Tacos 1 taco made on a fresh corn tortilla a la carte

$12

Taco Combo 2 tacos of your choice, a side of beans and rice

Burrito

$13

Extra large flour tortilla with beans, rice, and any meat all fixings. $12

Quesadilla

Cheese and choice of meat on. a flour tortilla $6 Cheese only

Nachos

MEATS Asada - Chopped steak

$12

Tinga de pollo -Shredded chicken & onions in a chipotle sauce Puerco en salsa verdeChopped pork in green sauce Chorizo - Mexican sausage

Fresh made chips with white cheese dip and meat

ADD ONS Sour cream

$0.75

Cheese

$0.75

Extra meat

$2.00

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS Rajas con crema Poblano peppers with sour cream

SIDES Frijoles (Refried beans) Arroz (Mexican rice)

$2.50 $2.50

DESSERTS Flan Napolitano

Delicious homemade mexican rice

(501) 779-0806 tacosgodoyfoodtruck@gmail.com

Please check social media for locations

$4

ESTABLISHED IN 1950,

Capitol Glass Company Inc

is the oldest locally-owned and operated glass company in the Little Rock area.

SERVICES WE OFFER

• Auto Glass Replacement • Rock Chip Repair • ADAS Recalibration • Sunroof Replacement • Door Glass Repair • Door Lock Repair • Rear View Mirrors • Bus and Big Rig Auto Glass Services • Water Leaks • Mobile Service • In Shop Service • Pickup & Delivery Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship and Installation

501.374.6422

capitolglassinc.com

801 S Broadway, Little Rock

PROUD TO BE VOTED THE BEST BEST

ADVERTISING AGENCY

BEST

WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS

BEST

PUBLIC RELATIONS

BEST

WEB DESIGN FIRM

BEST

MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS

BEST

agencygwl.com N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

VIDEO PRODUCTION

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

Thank you for voting us best Residential Builder in Arkansas.

501.954.8570 parkinsonbuildinggroup.com

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1976.

Thank you for voting Middleton Heat & Air Arkansas’s Best of the Best in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning! We’re honored to be recognized for providing customers with state-of-the-art, reliable HVAC systems and services. When Arkansans need residential or commercial HVAC, they know they can rely on Middleton.

“We’ll Take Care of That”

Give us a call or visit us online today!

501-847-0371 I MiddletonInc.com

Whether you are planning a corporate event, party with friends, a wedding to remember, or a holiday party let Rx Catering put “special” in your special event. At Rx Catering impeccable food and first class service are a way of life.

Thank you

for voting us AMP’s Best Caterer of 2023!

(501) 221-3929 | rxcatering.net 921 West Capitol Ave., Little Rock N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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

We build inspiring projects that create community value and social prosperity.

Our Vision is to build a Legacy that impacts the lives, hearts and minds of people.

Voted

BEST EXCAVATION COMPANY Central Arkansas: 5500 US-67 Benton, AR 72015 (501) 520-5200 Scan to visit our website

Northwest Arkansas: 5211 W. Village Pkwy.

Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 636-5516

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

PHILANTHROPY FOUNDATION

PLACE TO WORK

• ARKANSAS GAME & FISH FOUNDATION • ARKANSAS ZOOLOGICAL FOUNDATION • GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF ARKANSAS

• ARKANSAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION • HEIFER INTERNATIONAL • WINDGATE FOUNDATION • WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

• NETWORK SERVICES GROUP • SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES

NURSING HOME

PHYSICIAN

• BRIARWOOD NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER • LAKE HAMILTON HEALTH & REHAB • PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE

• DR. ANTHONY MANNING, F.A.C.S., CONWAY REGIONAL SURGICAL ASSOCIATES • DR. CHAD RODGERS, LITTLE ROCK PEDIATRIC CLINIC • DR. WILLIAM HEFLEY JR., BOWEN HEFLEY ORTHOPEDICS

OFFICE DESIGNER • CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • EVO BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS • WER ARCHITECTS OFFICE SUPPLIES • AMERICAN PAPER & TWINE • COLEMAN’S OFFICE PRODUCTS • PETTUS OFFICE PRODUCTS PAYROLL SERVICE • COMPLETE PAYROLL SERVICES • PAYLOCITY • THE PAYROLL COMPANY PEST COMPANY • CURRY’S TERMITE, PEST & ANIMAL CONTROL • LEGACY TERMITE & PEST CONTROL • THE BUG MAN PET HOSPITAL • HILLCREST ANIMAL HOSPITAL • LAKE HAMILTON ANIMAL HOSPITAL & HOT SPRINGS ANIMAL HOSPITAL • PINNACLE VALLEY WESTROCK ANIMAL HOSPITAL N OV E M BER 2 02 3

PLACE FOR A COFFEE MEETING • BIG CUPPA MORRILTON • FIDEL & CO. • THE CROISSANTERIE PLACE FOR A LUNCH MEETING • DOE’S EAT PLACE • MIKE’S PLACE • SAMANTHA’S TAP ROOM & WOOD GRILL PLACE FOR A SPECIAL EVENT • CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY • CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART • RUSTY TRACTOR VINEYARDS PLACE FOR TEAM BUILDING OR COMPANY RETREAT • UA WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE • SHEPHERD OF THE OZARKS • TEAM TREK

PLUMBING CONTRACTOR • BERT BLACK SERVICE • RAY LUSK PLUMBING • VICTORY PLUMBING PRESIDENT OR CEO OF A HOSPITAL/HEALTH SYSTEM • MATT TROUP, CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM • RON PETERSON, BAXTER HEALTH • TROY WELLS, BAPTIST HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION • ARKANSAS NURSE PRACTITIONER ASSOCIATION • ARKANSAS POULTRY FEDERATION • ARKANSAS TRUCKING ASSOCIATION PROMOTIONAL APPAREL • ARKANSAS GRAPHICS • NATURAL STATE PROMOTIONS • TRIVIA MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS • AGENCY GWL • SIXTYONE CELSIUS • THE PEACOCK GROUP RECYCLING COMPANY • ACE GLASS • ALMAN RECYCLING • BENNETT’S RECYCLING RESIDENTIAL BUILDER

PLACE TO MEET AFTER WORK • HILL STATION • PETIT & KEET • SAUCED BAR & OVEN 82

• GRAHAM SMITH CONSTRUCTION • PARKINSON BUILDING GROUP • RIVER ROCK BUILDERS ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

STOP STRESSING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND GAIN SOME MOMENTUM!

A PARTNER THAT CARES At Network Services Group we know you are the kind of person who wants their organization to be successful.

In order to gain success, you need IT Support you can trust.

Ryan Flynn, President

• Best Of CEO • Best Of COO • Computer Services Company • IT Company • Place to Work • Tech Company • Technology Consulting Firm

501-758-6058

5105 McClanahan Drive Suite J-3, North Little Rock / nsgdv.com

Best of Electrical Contractor

CCI OF ARKANSAS QUALITY ELECTRICAL AND COMMUNICATIONS

24 HOUR SERVICE 501-753-1940 1-800-809-0350 cci@cciarkansas.net

DOE'S KNOWS LUNCH & DINNER

The Best Steak in Arkansas for over 35 years! n ow ta k i n g r es ervat i o n s fo r h o li day pa rt i es!

FULL BAR & PRIVATE PARTY ROOM M-Fri: Lunch 11-2 M-Sat: dinner 5-9

1023 West Markham Downtown Little Rock 501-376-1195 doeseatplaceLR.com N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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Thank you

for voting us Best Of Dry Cleaning Service!

LOOK YOUR BEST TO BE YOUR BEST TRUST OAK FOREST CLEANERS 501-224-7611 8717 W. Markham Little Rock AR, 72205 501-663-6049 1217 Fair Park Blvd. Little Rock AR, 72204

Congratulations

for winning Best Business Consulting Firm of 2023

Business Consulting • Litigation Support • Tax Services • Personal Financial Planning LITTLE ROCK • CABOT www.pinnacleadvisor.net | (501) 327-6277

Thank you,

ARKANSAS! Voted Best Industrial Roofing

7123 Interstate 30, Suite 6 Little Rock, AR 72209 Cell: 501-626-5435 // Business: 501-373-8239 N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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AVALON 870-735-4543 610 South Avalon West Memphis, AR 72301

Siloam Springs

Mt. Vista

Harrison Batesville

BATESVILLE 870-698-1853 1975 White Drive Batesville, AR 72501 BRINKLEY 870-734-3636 1214 US Highway 49 Brinkley, AR 72021 BROADWAY 870-735-5174 800 W Broadway West Memphis, AR 72301 CAMDEN 870-836-6833 900 Magnolia Road SW Camden, AR 71701 CHENAL 501-228-4848 3115 Bowman Road Little Rock, AR 72211 CREEKSIDE 870-449-4202 620 North Panther Yellville, AR 72687 EL DORADO 870-862-5124 1700 E. Short Hillsboro El Dorado, AR 71730

Creekside Jonesboro

Greers Ferry Avalon

Searcy Premier

Brinkley

Chenal Park Avenue

Broadway

John Barrow Pinnacle Mountain Pine Bluff

Minecreek Hillcrest Texarkana

Camden

Magnolia El Dorado

GREERS FERRY 501-362-8137 1040 Wedding Ford Rd. Heber Springs, AR 72543

JOHN BARROW 501-224-4173 2600 John Barrow Rd. Little Rock, AR 72204

HARRISON 870-741-3438 115 Orendorff Avenue Harrison, AR 72601

JONESBORO 870-935-7550 1705 Latourette Drive Jonesboro, AR 72404

HILLCREST 870-887-3811 1421 W 2nd Street North Prescott, AR 71857

MAGNOLIA 870-234-7000 2642 North Dudney Magnolia, AR 71753

MINECREEK 870-845-2021 1407 N Main Street Nashville, AR 71852 MT. VISTA 870-741-7667 202 Tims Avenue Harrison, AR 72601 PARK AVENUE 501-623-3781 1401 Park Avenue Hot Springs, AR 71901 PINE BLUFF 870-534-8163 6301 South Hazel Street Pine Bluff, AR 71603 PINNACLE 501-868-8857 6411 Valley Ranch Drive Little Rock, AR 72223 PREMIER 501-955-2108 3600 Richards Road North Little Rock, AR 72117 SEARCY 501-268-6188 1205 Skyline Drive Searcy, AR 72143 TEXARKANA 870-772-4427 2107 Dudley Street Texarkana, AR 71854

Proudly serving thousands of Arkansans throughout our state with Short Term Rehab and Long Term Care

Congratulations DR. HEFLEY

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

Congratulations on being named “Best Physician in Arkansas.”

Thank you for voting us

one of the best in Arkansas

Best Bakery • Best Breakfast • Best Dessert • Restaurant

14710 Cantrell Rd, Little Rock 501-412-4244 chefs@thecroissanterielr.com N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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Honored to be Voted 2023 BEST OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS

FOR SALE

11501 Financial Centre Parkway Little Rock, AR 72211 Toll-Free Phone: 800-880-3322 Local Phone: 501-223-3322

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

TO HOPE…

To Heal…

To Laugh…

TO LIVE!!!

pinnaclepointehospital.com

Best Land Real Estate Broker NEW LISTING • 320 +/- Acres, Green Tree Reservoir Cross County • Near L’Anguille River • Call Kevin Keen (870) 215-1185

NEW LISTING • 1210 +/- Acres, Stone County • Frontage on Middle Fork Little Red River

Kevin Keen, Robert Eason and Lance Talbert

• Call Lance Talbert (501) 951-3073

2024 North Main Street North Little Rock (501) 604-4565 arkansaslandforsale.com 89

N OVE M B E R 2023

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY

STAFFING AGENCY/ RECRUITMENT

• COLDWELL BANKER RPM GROUP • THE CHARLOTTE JOHN COMPANY • THE JANET JONES COMPANY

• A.I.D. TEMPORARY SERVICES • ASAP PERSONNEL SERVICES • ROCK CITY STAFFING • TRAVEL NURSE ACROSS AMERICA

RESTAURANT FOR BUSINESS DINNERS • CYPRESS SOCIAL • RED OAK STEAKHOUSE • SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK ROOM RETIREMENT COMMUNITY • CHEROKEE VILLAGE • COUNTRY CLUB VILLAGE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY • PARKWAY VILLAGE SECURITY COMPANY • ADT • RS DEFENSE GROUP • TRIPLE-S ALARM CO. SENIOR CARE FACILITY • PARKWAY VILLAGE • SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE • THE SPRINGS OF PREMIER HEALTH & REHABILITATION SIGN COMPANY • ACE SIGNS • ARKANSAS GRAPHICS • LITTLE ROCK SIGN CONWAY SIGN SOLAR COMPANY • DELTA SOLAR • SEAL SOLAR • TODAY’S POWER

N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

• AMERICAN ABSTRACT & TITLE COMPANY • FIRST NATIONAL TITLE COMPANY • PULASKI COUNTY TITLE TRAVEL AGENT

SURGEON • DR. ALI KRISHT, CHI ST. VINCENT • DR. C. LOWRY BARNES, UAMS • DR. TONY MANNING, CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM

• M & M TRAVEL CONSULTANTS • POE TRAVEL • SMALL WORLD BIG FUN TRUCKING COMPANY • ARCBEST • BRUCE OAKLEY TRUCKING • STALLION TRANSPORTATION GROUP

TAX SERVICES • BELL & COMPANY • BO FRAZIER • BROWN ROGERS & CO. TECH COMPANY • NETWORK SERVICES GROUP • PINNACLE IT • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES TECHNICAL SCHOOL • ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITYOZARK • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT MORRILTON • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING FIRM • EDAFIO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS • NETWORK SERVICES GROUP • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES

SPORTING GOODS • FORT THOMPSON SPORTING GOODS • GEARHEAD OUTFITTERS • MACK’S PRAIRIE WINGS

TITLE COMPANY

TIRE COMPANY • AMERICAN TIRE & WHEEL • AUSTIN BROTHERS • MCKINNEY TIRE PROS 90

TWO-YEAR COLLEGE • NATIONAL PARK COLLEGE • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE • UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT MORRILTON VIDEO PRODUCTION • CRANFORD CO. • DAVE CREEK MEDIA • SEE SPOT RUN PRODUCTIONS WEB DESIGN FIRM • AGENCY GWL • JACKPOT INTERACTIVE • WEBMONSTER WHEEL REPAIR • ARCH STREET WHEEL & TIRE • ARKANSAS WHEEL REPAIR • RAW WHEELS + TIRES WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS • AGENCY GWL • SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE • THE CROISSANTERIE

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

2023 Best Law Firm - Little Rock The Law Offices of Katherine Blackmon is honored to be recognized for their dedication to their clients.

With an emphasis on a team approach, Katherine Blackmon Carroll, Jalen Toms, and Lydia H. Hamlet are trauma-informed attorneys focused on providing empathy and support to the people who trust them with their family law matters, while also bringing zealous advocacy and strong litigation skills to the courtroom.

The firm is grateful for this honor and will continue its commitment to providing the highest level of representation to Arkansans facing family law challenges.

Lydia H. Hamlet

Katherine Blackmon Carroll

Jalen Toms

Congratulations!

212 Center Street | 11th Floor | Centre Place | Little Rock 501.372.7636 |

KEBlackmon

Introducing our newest associate, Jordyn Nykaza

Powering a brighter future for Arkansas Arkansas is what we accomplish together. Our momentum carries us into tomorrow. It’s that collective spark that has allowed Entergy to power our communities for generations. Today, we’re creating an even brighter future by investing in reinforced infrastructure and adding more renewable energy every day.

Entergy is honored to be named one of Arkansas’ Most Admired Companies. Together, we’ll continue to power our state into the future.

A message from Entergy Arkansas, LLC ©2023 Entergy Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

ENGINEERING | EHS | SUSTAINABILITY

Are You Smiling?

Transform your smile at Heathman Family Dental Since 2000, our team has been 100% focused on your oral health. We offer our patients the very best that dentistry has to offer through advanced technologies and procedures. We provide personalized dental care with compassion and skill in order to provide a great treatment experience.

WE OFFER: • Veneers • Crowns • Smile Makeovers • Adult & Pediatric Services • Implant Restorations & Restorative Services • Family & Cosmetic Dentistry for All Ages • BOTOX Injections and more!

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US BEST DENTIST 2023!

2021

7

HEATHMAN FA M I LY D E N TA L

12501 Cantrell Rd., Little Rock • 501-223-3838 2001 South Buerkle St., Stuttgart • 870-683-2687 heathmanfamilydental.com •

HeathmanFamilyDental

THANK YOU. Thank you for voting Arkansas Children’s BEST HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. We are proud to deliver care where children live, learn and play.

Join our team at archildrens.org/careers

EOE, Drug-Free, Nicotine-Free, Inclusive Work place

Thank you for recognizing us as

Best Insurance Agency of 2023!

Locations in Stuttgart, Forrest City,

Marianna, and Little Rockin Serving the entire state of Arkansas with offices Forrest City, Little Rock, Marianna & Stuttgart.

N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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Smith & Company 701 South Main Stuttgart, Arkansas 72160 (870) 673-7221 thesmithandcompany.com ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

#Digdifferent

Moving the earth since 1962 Thank you for voting us AMP’s Best Excavator & Construction Company of 2023!

INTEGRITY | COMMITMENT | ADAPTABILITY | PRIDE | TRUSTWORTHY | RESPONSIBLE | TEAMWORK

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OUTDOOR RECREATION

A beaver swims across a pond at The Nature Conservancy’s Logan Springs Preserve in Benton County. (Photo by Chris Davidson)

The State of

CONSERVATION N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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s the Natural State, Arkansas has an obvious and vested interest in conservation. No matter their specific focus or methods, conservation and outdoor groups in Arkansas all point to the state’s uniquely unified approach to the work that needs to be done. Not only do agencies work with each other, they collaborate with private landowners, as well.

That is for good reason, since 90 percent of lands in the state are privately owned, according to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Austin Booth. To that end, the commission has created a private lands division to better support landowners in their conservation goals. Legislative support has also allowed for the creation of a conservation incentive program to further encourage landowners to take care of the natural resources at their disposal.

“One of the things that sets Arkansas Game and Fish apart on a national level is not only the number of partners we have, but the strength of the partnerships that we have with both the public sector and the private sector alike,” Booth said. “We have the best possible relationships with the private sector and the public sector both, and we see that every single day.”

Roger Mangham, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, echoed that sentiment. Mangham has worked in Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and even internationally, but he described the level of teamwork in Arkansas as the best he has ever seen.

“It’s like a family,” he said. “It’s like we are sacrificing for each other to move something forward. I know all the other agency directors personally. We talk all the time, and our staff know each other. When we have to work on something that’s difficult, there’s a level of trust there that just makes it work.”

Groups of all kinds, from state agencies to nonprofit organizations, are constantly at work to ensure that Arkansas’ natural resources are protected for generations to come. Whether it is habitat and wildlife management, sustainable agricultural practices, or investment in recreational spaces, there are multiple fronts on which the Arkansas outdoors and the state’s beloved moniker depend.

AUSTIN BOOTH,

DIRECTOR, ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION During Booth’s two years with the AGFC, “We have, maybe for the first time in this agency’s history, taken a very proactive approach to how we manage our greentree reservoirs,” he said. “We are near a point with at least three greentree reservoirs where we are either about to begin renovation after spending years in hydrolo-

Arkansas conservation leaders speak out on stewardship of land

By Mak Millard

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OUTDOOR RECREATION gy design and engineering phases, or, as in the case of Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area and Bayou DeView Wildlife Management Area, where we’re almost completed.”

On the waterfront, the agency is also working on renovations to its hatchery systems around the state to ensure the AGFC can reuse the water supply at each of them. Renovation has begun on the AGFC’s flagship fishery, Lake Conway, and work undertaken at the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery in Lonoke, Booth said, will save the Sparta-Memphis Aquifer 500 million gallons of usage every year.

“When you put all those major projects together, they’re all legacy infrastructure challenges, and we’re tackling those headon every single day. Compared to where we’ve been — which was really this phase where we were wringing our hands and thinking, ‘What are we going to do about it?’ — it’s a really impressive milestone for this agency. Now we’re in the problemsolving phase.“ Outside of the hatcheries, the agency is “fairly concerned” with water quality as it relates to the habitats around Arkansas’ rivers. Bank degradation is a consistent challenge, and the agency’s streambank restoration effort works to identify private landowners whose banks are a problem for a river or stream.

“We did a project in partnership with some private landowners on the Ouachita River that will prevent an amount of sediment going into the Ouachita River that is the equivalent of 4,000 dump truck loads every single year. That’s just one example,” Booth said. “If you look at the number of rivers and streams we in Arkansas are blessed with — roughly 96,000 miles — that’s a great thing, but sediment going into fisheries is not only bad for habitat, it’s also a very real, long-term challenge for people that like to fish there.”

One point of pride for Game and Fish lies in education and recreation. The AGFC Education Division is in every single county school district in the state, and the addition of a recreational shooting division reflects the growing popularity of

As the largest lake constructed by a state wildlife agency, Lake Conway is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s flagship fishery.

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youth archery and youth shooting sports. The agency’s main priorities around shooting sports are twofold: increasing public access through new and existing ranges and training and recruiting high quality coaches.

“I’ve been very encouraged and very grateful to work with the governor and the first gentleman with the Natural State Initiative Advisory Council,” Booth added. “I think these are the brightest days in a very, very long time for what the future of outdoor recreation looks like in Arkansas.”

ROGER MANGHAM,

ARKANSAS STATE DIRECTOR, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY When it comes to The Nature Conservancy’s work in natural spaces, Mangham said, “A lot of people think that we try and lock these places up and make them museums. We don’t do that. We want our places to be used by people in some way.”

The organization’s “Inspiring People for Nature” concept, in fact, is designed to get people out into nature, to care for it, to believe it is important and support it in the long term, he said. Through partnerships with other agencies and private donors, TNC’s Pinnacles project has allowed for the purchase and preservation of land around Pinnacle Mountain State Park, including Rattlesnake Ridge and, most recently, the Blue Mountain Natural Area.

“We’re trying to think about now, through other initiatives and through larger partnerships, a way to eventually tie the Big Dam Bridge all the way into that loop,” Mangham said.

In northwest Arkansas, the group has purchased Logan Springs, an area that had been on TNC’s radar because it is home to a number of rare plant and animal species. The protected area now has a parking lot, a children’s catfishing pond and hiking trails for visitors to enjoy.

Mangham also stressed the role of private lands in TNC’s work. The organization looks primarily at ecoregions, or large stretches of habitat, to assess the best practices to keep the area sustainable over long periods of time. Private landowners manage much of the land on the group’s radar, and owner’s financial wellbeing is inextricably linked to the habitats they sit on.

“We’ve got to make sure that they don’t get taxed off of those places or moved out of those places,” Mangham said. “The Nature Conservancy doesn’t want to own those lands. I would rather work with private landowners to help

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manage those lands for what is important to them. Now, I have a stake in that — I want them managed for good habitat for wildlife — but in most cases in Arkansas, that’s what a lot of those private landowners want anyway.”

One vital area TNC has a hand in is prescribed burning. The health of Arkansas’ forest depends on the practice, since a decline in fire during the state’s development has led to overly dense tree cover. TNC’s prescribed burn crew is made up of federally certified wildland firefighters, and the fire crew works with Game and Fish, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to burn certain areas.

“It’s probably one of our most impactful things we do across the state, and we bring in private money and private emphasis on fire,” Mangham said. “That helps leverage other state and federal grant dollars for them to do their work, as well.”

In Arkansas waterways, TNC’s work differs depending on the region and its needs. In the Ouachitas and Ozarks, the group is concerned with the effects of climate and landscape changes on river banks. Erosion is a common problem, and sediment from collapsed banks and unpaved roads has negative impacts on both the wildlife and the people who rely on those waters.

To address the issue, The Nature Conservancy is working with county judges and small communities to assess county roads and bring grant funding for improvements. The group also works to remove aquatic barriers in ways that do not negatively affect surrounding residents.

“Let’s say that they have a low water crossing that’s just a bunch of rock and a couple of culverts. Can we bring money and get them a bridge?” Mangham said. “You’re bringing that barrier out. It’s reducing the amount of erosion that’s occurring on each side. It’s making a better road service and driving service for the public. That’s a win-win-win.”

In the Delta, however, the group focuses more directly on the intersection of water and agriculture. Much of that work revolves around the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership. The program, run through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, provides funding to encourage farmers and

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A Nature Conservancy crew (left) completes a controlled burn (Photo by Jacquie Ferrato); TNC is working to preserve areas such as the Bluffton Preserve (above) in the Upper Little Red River Watershed. (Photo courtesy of TNC)

producers on lower quality farmland to put the land back into wetland forests instead.

“We really went big on that back in about 2008, and we were able, using private and federal investment from our donors and members here in the state, to bring a little bit of money that matched large blocks of federal dollars to increase the number of acres going into the WRP program,” Mangham said.

For farmers who are not eligible for the WRP program, The Nature Conservancy is working to bridge that gap and turn more land back into suitable habitat while still benefiting private landowners. The group is currently in the process of launching a pilot for its “markets for floodplains” concept.

“Through philanthropic money and through eventual development of carbon credits for climate mitigation, we have come up with a way to work with landowners to pay them a payment over a 30-year window to reforest their lands and basically pay them the complete cost of the land, as well, if they’re willing to take it out of ag and put it back into trees,” Mangham said.

“They can still hunt it. They can still use it. They can still harvest

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Rattlesnake Ridge in the Pinnacle Mountain wilderness of western Pulaski County. (Photo by Matthew Friant)

timber to a point on it. We are launching that using some private philanthropy, and eventually, after the trees get tall enough, we can generate carbon credits that can be sold into a competitive market, and it becomes a business.”

These sorts of innovative approaches, along with close-knit support for other agencies, is where The Nature Conservancy thrives.

“We are not an environmental organization. We are a conservation organization. The places that we work, with ag, with the Cattlemen’s Association, with the Poultry Federation, with water users, with irrigation, those are spaces a lot of environmental organizations don’t want to be because that’s where hard decisions have to be made,” Mangham said. “That’s where we operate the best. We can bring practical, real solutions to the table. There are ways to make it better that not only benefit nature — they make people money, so they’ll do them. That’s the key.”

COREY DUNN,

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR,

JAKE SPEARS,

REGIONAL BIOLOGIST, DUCKS UNLIMITED In the face of better technology, more investment in research and university chapters across the state, Dunn summed up the Ducks Unlimited view of conservation in the Natural State: “There are more great things happening in the state of Arkansas right now than ever.”

In addition to its support of the AGFC’s greentree reservoir efforts and on the heels of securing 1,500 acres in West Memphis for its wetland conservation project, Ducks Unlimited Park, the group has also strengthened its support for conservation education in the Natural State. DU recently announced plans for an endowed professorship in wetlands and waterfowl conservation at the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“There are several of these throughout the country, and it just did not make sense — if Arkansas is the ‘Duck Capital of the N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

World,’ why do we not have an endowed professorship where we know we’re going to have the funding in perpetuity to make this a priority in the state of Arkansas?” Dunn said. “The reason that we started this down at Monticello, honestly, is because of Doug [Osborne, professor of wildlife ecology at UAM,] and what his program has done. The quality of students and conservation professionals that he’s pumping out down there is critical to the future of the state of Arkansas.”

Osborne’s GPS tracking research is an upgrade to the usual process of banding ducks, and the information being collected by his students is helping DU plan better management strategies for both public and private lands. Ducks Unlimited has hired several of Osborne’s former students, including Spears himself.

“If you put a band on a duck in the winter or in the summer and it gets shot at some point down the road, you know where it was banded and where it was harvested, and that’s really all the information you can get from that duck,” Spears said, “but now, with these transmitters, along with the combination of aerial imagery and all this new software we’re using, we can see exactly, down to the foot, where that duck has been hanging out. What specific habitat types are they selecting during different weather events, different temperatures, different times of the year? Those are questions we couldn’t really answer 10 years ago.”

“There’s a lot of time and there’s a lot of money that goes into being able to have the habitat the right way. If we can get this figured out on the front end instead of wasting time and money doing something incorrectly, it’s better for us, and it’s better for the resource in the long run,” Dunn added.

Of course, not all of DU’s work happens in the field, and public-policy work is another crucial arm of the nonprofits efforts.

“A lot of folks aren’t really aware that we have staff that live in D.C. We have staff in Arkansas that spend more of their time in the courthouse than they do out on the ground,” Spears said.

“The farm bill is the most important piece of legislation, in my opinion, when it comes to putting habitat on the ground, and our policy guys are right there, shoulder to shoulder with Congress, voicing their opinions on how it needs to be written to boost funding for conservation. Without those policy guys, we couldn’t get anything done.”

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One of the group’s main areas of concern right now has no easy solution, but it is one that has deep repercussions for DU’s long-term conservation goals: a country-wide decline in the number of hunters. DU’s R3 initiative is designed to “recruit, retain and reactivate” hunters to combat the decline.

“The more hunting licenses we sell, the more federal money that we get back in the state of Arkansas to be able to work on this public hunting land, and not just the hunting land, but these WMAs and public spots that we have are being used by hikers and bikers and kayakers and birdwatchers,” Dunn said.

“There’s a ton of folks that are able to benefit from the dollars that the hunters are putting in. We’d love to be able to see the birdwatchers and hikers and kayakers go out and buy a hunting license and a duck stamp to be able to help with some of the funding, as well.”

STAN JONES, ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION CHAIRMAN; OWNER, STAN JONES MALLARD LODGE While private and public land management differ in many ways, they are both top of mind for Jones, whose 11,000 acres and multitude of hunting spots are surrounded by Game and Fish-managed land.

“That’s almost like a wildlife management area, me doing all these different things and having 60 different places to hunt,” he said. “You get out of something what you put into it, so I do go that extra mile for conservation and habitat.”

Jones employs many techniques to create an ideal habitat for migrating waterfowl, even when the techniques are at odds with what might be best for his farming operation.

“As soon as duck season’s over, I don’t get my water off. I leave it for a while because I know they’re going to be coming back,” he said. “Farming-wise, it’d be better for me to get the water off and let the ground dry up, but conservation and duck-wise, it’s better for me to leave that there and let them use it again. They remember to come back again next year. I call it imprinting.”

Jones highlighted the growing practice of earlier rice harvesting, which, in addition to post-harvest tillage, can destroy the leftover grain that ducks depend on. He avoids tilling the fields he plans to flood for hunting season, and he also has several fields left intentionally unharvested as food for wildlife.

“Through the years, these seed companies have [gotten] them to where they come off quicker and earlier, so people today are harvesting rice in August,” he said. “When you harvest in August and some of that falls on the ground, when it rains, what’s on top of the ground is going to sprout and come up. It loses its food value because the duck won’t eat it.”

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Responsible water management is another key component of Jones’ work. Many of his fields are set up for recapture; ditches take any excess water from the fields to a reservoir, where the water can be pumped back into another field.

“We try to recapture and reuse as much water as we can.

There’ll be some silt-in of the ditches; you’ve got to redig them so that the water will flow the way you want it to get back into a reservoir,” Jones said. “There’s always maintenance to this process and doing this, but the water that you use is a lot cheaper than pumping it up out of the aquifer.”

One of the starkest differences between private land ownership and that of Game and Fish comes down to speed and timing. While he is free to act quickly on his own land, efforts at any state agency are necessarily beholden to more hoops, hurdles and rungs of the ladder. Despite that, in his seven years on the commission, Jones has seen the agency work hard to take more decisive action on conservation projects.

“We’ve had success with cleaning out some of these lakes and restoring them and making great fishing. Right now, we’re doing Lake Conway. It had lost 40 percent of its volume. For the past 60, 70 years, it’s been a great lake and a great fishing lake, but it’s just silted in. It’s just not as good as it once was. I understand if you’re 75 and you live on that lake, you’re probably not happy with what’s going on, but if you’re 20, 25, you can say, ‘Well, for the next 40, 50 years, I’m going to have a great lake to fish.’ No one likes change, but it was just time for us to pull the trigger and do this.”

Regarding challenges for the agency, Jones pointed to the level of funding needed to match rising costs for equipment and manpower. Issues such as license increases face legislative hurdles, making it that much more difficult to get done, but, as Jones pointed out, people have great expectations for the Arkansas outdoors, and it takes money to keep those standards high. “[It’s] just like a school. If you need new buses, if you need new streets, if you need a new football field, well, you’ve got to increase the tax a little bit to get those things done. If the town wants it, they’ll vote for that. We’re trying to do the best we can do with what we’ve got to work with.”

Public and private differences aside, Jones does try to do for the Game and Fish what he would do for his own fields. Anything to make the land better, to keep the hunting and fishing sustainable, to keep the trees healthy and the rivers clean, he considers worth the work, no matter who owns it. His argument for this ethos is simple: just look around.

“Our state has so much to offer, and a lot of people don’t even know that. We’re very fortunate to live in a state like this.

I mean, you could put a fence around the whole state of Arkansas, and we’d be fine. Very few other states can say that.

As a commissioner and the rest of the commissioners, it’s like we’re stewards of God to take care of this. I am commissioned to help take care of all the things that we’ve got. It doesn’t have anything to do with privately [owned] or state agency [owned].

It’s just built in to know to take care of what God has given us in this beautiful state.”

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AGRICULTURE

H2O

GROUNDWATER LEVELS IN ARKANSAS REACHING CRITICAL STAGE

By Kenneth Heard // Photos by Terrance Armstard

Joe Christian, a farmer in Jackson County, said as farms have increased in size, the use of aquifers for irrigation has increased.

G

roundwater levels in Arkansas, especially in the Delta, are declining at critical levels due to agricultural and industrial needs and are not being naturally replenished quickly enough.

A report released this summer by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division indicated that three aquifers in the Delta are being naturally replenished at a rate of between 37.7 percent and 55 percent.

Farmers rely on the aquifers to pump water onto their crops if they cannot draw water from reservoirs, rivers, creeks or other above-ground sources.

Agriculture is not the only industry draining the aquifers. Industry, commercial development, residential subdivision construction and even an increase in the consumption of drinking water also are contributing factors.

The Arkansas Groundwater Protection and Management Report, produced annually by the state’s Natural Resources Division, inspects the state’s 13 aquifers and provides yearly monitoring of their levels.

“The general trend in Arkansas’ long-term water-level change is that the groundwater levels are declining in response to continued withdrawals at rates which are not sustainable,” the current report reads.

“At these pumping rates, water-level declines and the adverse impacts on the state’s groundwater system will continue to be observed.”

The report focuses primarily on the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, which is along the eastern edge of Arkansas from Clay County south to Louisiana, and the Sparta-Memphis Aquifer, which stretches east from central Arkansas. Between 300 and 400 wells are monitored each spring for water levels on the alluvial aquifer, and 100 to 200 wells are checked for the Sparta-Memphis Aquifer.

The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer sees a draw of 7.63 billion gallons a day with a replenishment rate of 44.2 percent.

The Sparta-Memphis Aquifer has a draw of about 160 million gallons a day and a 55 percent rate of replenishment.

“The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial is the most agriculturally used aquifer in the nation,” said Blake

Forrest, a geology supervisor with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

Forrest described aquifers as similar to “big buckets of water” that have fluctuating levels based upon use. It is wrong to think of aquifers as merely underground caverns filled with water that rise and fall like tides, he said, since porous rocks hold the water.

Decades ago, when farming was not as dependent on large amounts of water for irrigation, rainwater runoff would naturally replenish the aquifers.

Now, however, larger farms need more water to produce crops, and that puts more stress on the aquifers.

“Aquifers are dynamic, complex resources,” Forrest said.

The annual report chronicles the monitoring of the aquifers, the history of their levels and usage, and their efficiency for agricultural and industrial needs.

“The top priority for natural resources is management,” Forrest said. “The No. 1 industry in the state is agriculture.

FARMERS RELY ON THE AQUIFERS TO PUMP WATER ONTO THEIR CROPS IF THEY CANNOT DRAW WATER FROM RESERVOIRS, RIVERS, CREEKS OR OTHER ABOVE-GROUND SOURCES.

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Christian, who grows soybeans and rice on 3,500 acres, said if farmers cannot irrigate, they cannot raise crops.

It’s important to the state that we can keep the aquifers going.”

I’d rather have a small farm, but I couldn’t afford the equipThe state agriculture department has implemented various ment if I did.” proactive measures to help preserve the aquifers. Officials enThe depletion of aquifers is not a problem solely in Arcourage farmers to draw more water from rivers, streams and kansas. A recent New York Times report surveyed 80,000 wells creeks or to build water-holding reservoirs to store water. across the country and noted a 45-percent “significant deHowever, not all farmers live near rivers, and many must cline” in water levels. rely on aquifers for irrigation.

In Wichita, Kan., farmers used to reap between 165 and 175 “If you can’t irrigate, you can’t raise crops,” said Joe Chrisbushels of corn per acre. Now they produce only an average tian, who raises soybeans and rice of 70.6 bushels per acre, according on 3,500 acres in Jackson County. to the newspaper’s report.

Christian is able to irrigate his Land around Galveston and fields by using the water from the Houston in southeast Texas has nearby Cache River. That poses sunk more than 12 feet in the past problems, though. Because of a large century due to dry lands and deblockage of dead timber in the river pleted aquifers. In Phoenix, city near Grubbs, the Cache often backs officials have placed a moratorium up and floods, rendering Christian’s on the construction of new subdiviland inaccessible in some areas. sions in the populated city because — BLAKE FORREST, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE “There is a lot more use of aquiof “insufficient groundwater” as a fers,” he said. “Farms have to be result of over usage. larger in order to make any money to pay for [expensive] equipChristian bristles at the idea that agriculture is the main ment. Larger farms need more water. I don’t want to get bigger. culprit for the critical loss of water and instead said farmers

“THE NO. 1 INDUSTRY IN THE STATE IS AGRICULTURE. IT’S IMPORTANT TO THE STATE THAT WE CAN KEEP THE AQUIFERS GOING.”

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Christian is able to irrigate his farm by pumping water from the nearby Cache River, but because of a large blockage of dead timber, the river often backs up and floods.

are serious conservationists.

“We’re all doing everything we can to slow it down,” he said of the aquifer depletion. “Farmers are alternating wet and dry crops. We’re storing water if we can. It is cheaper to use water out of a river, but not everybody has a river on their land.”

George Dunklin Jr., noted conservationist and owner of Five Oaks Duck Lodge in Humphrey, relies on water for his duckhunting business.

He said the state averages 55 inches of rain each year and has not seen the serious drought conditions found in the western U.S. for years, so the capability to restore aquifers is there. The usage of water has increased, he added.

“Agriculture by far uses the most,” he said. “We have to find out how to adapt. Rice crops? You can’t grow that without water.”

The state could provide incentives for farmers who use water-recovery systems, he said. The state already offers enhanced tax credits for conservation practices through the state’s Groundwater Conservation Tax Credit Program.

“If conservation and the development of excess surface water are not successfully implemented in the impaired areas in the future, the state may have to consider regulatory alternatives to preserve the aquifers at a sustainable level,” the Department of Agriculture’s report reads.

Chris Colclasure, the director of the department’s natural resources division, said education will be key to preserving aquifers.

The division will “continue to promote conservation and the conjunctive use of ground and surface water at rates that are sustainable for current and future generations of Arkansas,” he said.

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THE DEPLETION OF AQUIFERS IS NOT A PROBLEM SOLELY IN ARKANSAS. A RECENT NEW YORK TIMES REPORT SURVEYED 80,000 WELLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND NOTED A 45-PERCENT “SIGNIFICANT DECLINE” IN WATER LEVELS.

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SPECIAL SECTION

Corporate

Gifting From sausages to seasoning, Arkansas outfits provide the holiday goods

T

he approaching Christmas holidays are many things, corporate gifting season among them.

In the pages that follow, we’ll look at a few Arkansas companies known for products that make popular business gifts, be they intended for employees as Christmas presents or for clients as thank-you gifts. Whatever the reason, these delectable corporate gifts from Petit Jean Meats in Morrilton, Townsend Spice & Supply in Melbourne, Coy’s Southern Eats of Bryant and Little Rock’s Diane’s Gour-

met & Gifts — plus a surprise useful gift available from AY Media Group — represent a great way to show gratitude and holiday spirit.

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Coy’s Southern Eats: Treasure chests of flavor

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oy’s Southern Eats owner Tracy Brown said new holiday gift boxes, filled with her team’s famous seasonings and spices, remain a big hit after debuting last year as corporate gift options.

The boxes, designed by Lamb & Associates in Maumelle, look like real wood grain, and Brown said they resemble the top of a treasure chest, which is appropriate because she believes they hold treasure inside.

“We had a cool bundle to start with, and then with the new gift boxes, it just took off,” she said. “It was a big hit last year. When we came up with the new boxes, I couldn’t keep ‘em in stock.”

Corporate holiday gifts are a bigger focus for Brown and her team now. Corporate gift boxes include a five-pack of Coy’s Southern Eats authentic seasoning; the Signature Gourmet Gift Box, which includes two packets of Coy’s famous house dressing, a twopound resealable bag of Coy’s Southern Seasoned Breading and one of the company’s popular saltine cracker warming tins. There also is a nostalgia box, a sportsman’s gift box and the Five & Two gift box — all five of Coy’s seasonings, two packets of Coy’s house dressing and dip mix.

Brown said one of her favorite parts of the job is developing new products.

“The more products, the more boxes I can create,” she said.

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Diane’s Gourmet & Gifts: As delectable as the catering

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iane’s Gourmet & Gifts is known throughout central Arkansas for its catering. The menu includes 20 casseroles ranging from Mexican and Italian to Southern comfort and vegetable, as well as 17 soups, a broad selection of desserts and salads, and entree selections that include salmon filets, crab cakes, pork tenderloin and meat loaf. Closing in on 40 years in business, Diane’s is a catering go-to in the region and a reliable source for business and corporate gifts.

Owner Leigh Graham said corporate gifts make up as much as 25 percent of business in November and December.

“We make baskets, which include meats, crackers, nuts, chocolates and many other holiday-themed food items,” she said. “These are very popular among our corporate clients. There is a large variety in the baskets to appeal to almost any taste. We will also wrap and ship the baskets for them.”

In addition to those themed specifically for the holidays, gift baskets include the Firecracker, filled with spicy treats and seasonings; the Survival Box, which includes a snack mix, salsa, chips and cookies; the Chocoholic’s Dream, filled with a variety of chocolate, chocolate-filled and chocolate-covered treats; and the Ultimate Collection, a large basket stuffed with gourmet treats, including smoked salmon, cookies, a snack mix and cheese.

Graham said Diane’s Arkansas-themed gift baskets are popular, as well.

“We have a wide variety of Arkansas treats,” she said. “Many companies use us to send food to employees for sympathy, illness or more happy occasions like a baby.”

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Petit Jean Meats:

A century of smoked goodness

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etit Jean Meats is about as Arkansas as companies come, tracing its roots back to 1926 and German immigrant Felix Schlosser, who launched what became Morrilton Packing Co. Nearly a century later, the company is still in the family and producing Petit Jean’s award-winning products.

Petit Jean has long been a corporate gift favorite. The company’s gift boxes include Arkansas-style smoked sausage, hickory-smoked sliced bacon (including a peppered version), and pork and beef summer sausage. The deluxe basket includes all that plus a three-pound boneless smoked ham.

The breakfast box includes sliced smoked bacon, peppered and otherwise; a fresh roll sausage; smoked ham slices; and a cinnamon-walnut coffee cake.

Other popular business gifts include the Christmas sausage five-pack, which has five 14-ounce packages of Petit Jean’s renowned sausage boasting its blend of cloves, allspice and other special family ingredients, and the Ultimate Sampler — a seven- to-nine pound half bone-in smoked ham, as well as smoked and peppered bacon, smoked and Christmas sausage, jalapenoand-cheese smoked sausage, and jalapeno-and-cheese venison sausage.

Individual gift options include boneless hams, bone-in hams, spiral hams, smoked hams, carved ham slices, peppered ham, complete ham dinners, ham and bacon samplers, and a whole smoked turkey.

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Townsend Spice & Supply: Maintaining the tradition

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ownsend Spice & Supply started in 1978 as Townsend Supply. John Hatfield bought the business from original owners Catherine and Richard Townsend and expanded the business’ offerings of spices, herbs, sausage seasonings, meat cures, rubs and blends.

When Shane Linn and David Blankenship bought the business in 2012, they moved it down the road a few miles but otherwise were determined not to try and fix something that wasn’t broken and let the Townsend reputation continue to do its thing. Today, Townsend products are used by butcher shops and barbecue chains across the country including Little Rockbased Whole Hog Cafe, 17th Street BBQ in Illinois and the Sonny’s Barbecue national chain.

While business gifts account for a small percentage of Townsend’s business each year, the blends, rubs, cures and seasonings it produces are gaining ground as great corporate holiday-gift options.

“It’s still a small percentage of the business, but we grow it every year,” Linn said.

Corporate gift options include custom three-blend and four-blend boxes, a three-blend box that includes Townsend’s famous Greek, Magic Chick Dust and Crash Coarse rubs and

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a four-blend box with the same rubs, plus Townsend’s original barbecue seasoning. Also available are trays custom made from reclaimed wine staves manufactured by local artisans.

Linn said the Magic Chick Dust is a poultry rub that’s been around at Townsend since the 1980s. Linn said his team is focused on maintaining the meticulous method of creating Townsend’s seasonings and spices started by Catherine and Richard.

“Nobody takes the time to do that,” Linn said. “We try to operate it like it’s still a small mom-and-pop, and people continue to use our seasonings.”

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AY Media Group:

Giving the gift of AMP

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ince its first issue hit the streets in March of 2014, Arkansas Money & Politics — the business-focused little brother to AY About You from AY Media Group — has sought to fill a niche in the coverage of business and politics in Arkansas.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024, AMP looks forward to even more growth in the next decade to come, and that’s just it — as other publications came and went or struggled to stay afloat when a digital wave and the COVID-19 pandemic sounded a supposed death knell for print, AMP grew, thanks to readers who gravitated to its focus on taking a deep dive and telling the positive stories behind money and politics in Arkansas.

Just in time for Christmas, AMP is offering a special one-year subscription deal — 12 issues for just $30, only $2.50 an issue. The magazine will continue to distribute more than 20,000 cop-

ies throughout the state each month, but copies are known to disappear quickly from racks and stands. Now though, AMP can be delivered each month straight to the mailbox of your client, boss, employee or colleague — no need to go looking for a copy.

AMP features the work of award-winning writers and designers, and its covers have featured notable Arkansans such as Gov. Mike Beebe, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Danyelle Sargent Musselman, Warren Stephens, Dr. Ali Krisht, Trey Biddy, Tommy Smith, Patrick Schueck, George Makris, Judy Henry and a future governor in Sarah Sanders. When Sanders returned home to Arkansas, AMP was her first local print interview. The future Arkansas chief executive appeared on the AMP cover in October of 2019.

An AMP subscription would make a winning business gift for the holidays.

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ENGINEERING

A MARVEL OF

ENGINEERING PROTON CENTER OF ARKANSAS BOASTS LATEST TECH IN CANCER CRUSADE

By Sarah DeClerk

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he Proton Center of Arkansas opened in September at the new University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Radiation Oncology Center in Little Rock. As the first proton center in the state, it provides state-ofthe-art technology to aid in the treatment of cancer.

Al Graham, director of planning, design and construction at UAMS, said there are fewer than 50 proton centers in the world and close to 30 in the United States.

While traditional radiation therapy uses photons to irradiate and destroy tumors, proton therapy uses protons to do the job. The method uses a large electromagnetic centrifuge to split protons from hydrogen ions and accelerate the protons at two-thirds the speed of light. Then the protons are guided into a proton beam to treat patients. A gantry that revolves around the patient houses the beam.

By using pencil-beam scanning, proton therapy maps tumors, including mobile ones, with extreme accuracy. The process is less harmful to surrounding healthy tissue than traditional radiation therapy. That is especially important because the UAMS Radiation

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Oncology Center is the only cancer center that provides radiation therapy to children in Arkansas.

The 9,000-square-foot Proton Center of Arkansas is situated on the second floor of the 58,000-square-foot radiation oncology center, a $65 million project that has been in the works since 2019 and broke ground in 2021. In addition to the proton therapy treatment room, the facility includes a high-dose radiography room, two computerized tomography rooms, three linear accelerator rooms and a fourth room shelled for a linear accelerator.

The Proton Center of Arkansas was a joint project by UAMS, Baptist Health, ArAl Graham kansas Children’s and Proton International. A legion of companies brought the vision to life, including WDD Architects, Tsoi Kobus Design, Kinco Constructors, DCI Engineers, IBA Proton Therapy, BR+A Consulting Engineers and Bernhard TME. Bernhard helped design the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire-protection, medical-gas and low-voltage systems for 118

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your concrete floors and your white walls — and it can feel a bit sterile and unnatural,” he said. “I think the design team did a great job, from landscape design to even the full design of the building, to capture the comfort and the beauty of the things around.”

A skylight that runs along a hall and an eyecatching entryway chandelier, as well as marble walls, a window-wall to a landscaped courtyard and other features geared toward patient comfort, make the new center a fine place to be treated, Graham said.

“It’s calming from the time you walk in to the time you get treated, and then on your way out,” he said. “It’s probably a marquee project for us in a number of decades.”

He added that the construction of the top-ofthe-line facility went fairly smoothly.

“There’s always challenges,” Graham said, “but you know, surprisingly, this is such a good design, and it was so well thought out, and we had the right contractor and the right project team, we really didn’t have any major challenges.”

Watson said one tool that helped the project go well was a building-information modeling program that allowed the engineering and design team to use a 3D model to identify and resolve construction conflicts prior to building.

“Coordination on the front end of identifying all the conflicts before the building even began construction was a huge help,” he said.

Visitors and staff members mingle during a tour of the Proton Center of Arkansas. (Photo by Sarah DeClerk) “Technology and our ability to resolve conflicts, help expedite construction and reduce change orders due to conflicts that would typically arise in the field was big.” the new radiation oncology center. Phil Watson, an engineering Watson said the project had an “aggressive schedule” that nedirector at Bernhard who was the engineering project manager cessitated sizing and ordering equipment such as air handlers, and mechanical engineer for the project, said the proton center pumps and switchgear ahead of time to mitigate delays caused was “definitely one that will be on my resume and one that I’ll by supply-chain problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. remember working on.”

“During COVID, there were really long He said Bernhard designed almost every part of the building wait times,” he said. “We would expect lead besides the proton treatment area, which was designed by BR+A times on a lot of equipment, like transformof New York. That company also designed the lighting, he adders and switchgear, to be under 16 weeks, but ed. WDD worked with TKD to design the center, he said. IBA we oftentimes found lead times getting to 52 leases the proton center from UAMS to operate and maintain weeks, so not only were we combatting an the sophisticated equipment, he added. aggressive schedule, but we were combat“We effectively almost have two owners in the building, and ting long lead times due to COVID putting we have two architects, two MET engineers and kind of doubled a strain on the procurement of materials for down on all the consultants and owners for this job,” he said. the building.”

The treatments offered are not the only modernized aspect of Phil Watson Through careful planning and communithe new radiation oncology center; Graham said the atmosphere cation with its partners, Bernhard was able to order such supplies itself is different from a traditional hospital setting — a wave of ahead of time while leaving a safety margin for design changes. architectural design that “brings the outside in” and is being uti“The reason why there’s risk there for us is because when we’re lized in other new facilities built by UAMS. still in design, the design is still getting reviewed by the owner.

“When you walk into a traditional hospital, some hospitals in The owner’s still making changes,” he said. “When you make some areas of the nation can be quite sterile feeling — you know, ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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ENGINEERING changes to an active design, it’s hard to feel comfortable that you can actually purchase equipment that’s going to be of the right capacity to serve the final result of that design.”

Another test engineers faced was extending water pipes to the site.

“Being a medical campus, it’s very busy below grade,” Watson said. “A lot of the utility services run north-south along the west side of this site and really almost created an invisible barrier below grade, separating this building from the rest of the campus.”

After considering digging a 20-footdeep trench and other solutions to extend the utilities, Bernhard ended up piping the water through a neighboring parking deck, he said. Unique to UAMS is a 24-megawatt power-generation plant designed by Bernhard just to the north of the new radiation oncology center, he added.

“That effectively allows this facility to always have reliable power, and because of that, we can always make sure that pumps are running and chilled water can be provided to the facility and heated water can be provided to the facility,” he said. “There was a lot of money being saved on the HVAC system side because we didn’t have to buy redundant chillers. We didn’t have to buy boilers. That redundancy was already built within the infrastructure that served the building, so we were able to save a little bit of money there and save on some square footage for the building not to have some HVAC assets that you would typically see for a building this size.”

Having everything built and functioning to exact specifications was a must because of the sensitive equipment at the proton center. The tolerances for temperature, relative humidity, and the reliability of chilled and heated water for the proton treatment room were very stringent, Watson said.

“They have to use a lot of energy to separate a hydrogen atom into protons and electrons,” he said. “When you have a large inrush of power, you have a large inrush of heat, and so just the fraction of time that the HVAC system is not responsive to addressing that heat load to prevent equipN OV E M B E R 2 02 3

ment from overheating or even the electrical system from not being able to be reliable, to ensure that the building can ramp up to the speed that it needs to and also ramp down to the speed that it needs to, is really important.”

Alex Halloran, an engineering director at Bernhard who worked on The radiation oncology center broke ground in 2021. the project, said he was (Photos provided) excited to work with novrequires Bernhard to issue a post-impleel technology and about the impact the mentation report about the building’s proton center will have on the region. energy efficiency after monitoring its use “The building was highly technical for one year. from a design standpoint,” he said. “They “We really watch our energy, especialhad a lot of imaging equipment from CT ly in the design, so we let the designers machines to linear accelerators, and then handle that up front. That’s important for of course, the proton therapy machine us, to be environmentally friendly, and itself. It’s a really dense project that had it’s important for us to reduce our carbon some challenges, but that’s kind of the exfootprint as much as we can,” Graham citing part about it.” said. “We’re always looking for ways to He said some of the mechanical chalreduce our carbon footprint and improve lenges included extending the campus our energy use.” utilities through the parking deck and Graham said he was amazed by the designing a skybridge from the parking massive amounts of concrete — 800 cedeck to the facility. ment trucks’ worth — that were poured, “There were some budgetary chalincluding for the proton center treatlenges, but I think overall, the team got ment room vaults. The walls around the project within budget by the time we the treatment room are six to eight feet got to delivering the design documents,” thick, he added. he said. “Some of the other challenges “It was an incredible amount of steel were just ensuring occupant comfort and concrete that went into that,” he with stuff like the skybridge and things said. “They literally had concrete trucks like that, ensuring that building occubacked up for miles, and they ran all pants were comfortable and the building night for weeks, so it was a huge underwas properly controlled. I think overall, taking just to get the concrete and steel the delivery of the project from the conput in place.” tractors’ standpoint went really well.”

The thick walls, as well as security meaDespite the considerable energy use, sures such as badge-access restrictions, the building is fairly energy efficient, Watare necessary because of the radiation inson said. The water is delivered from an volved in proton therapy, he added. energy-efficient heat pump chiller, he said, “There’s shielding. There’s all kinds and the building likely beats the average of mitigation techniques to keep radiaof 24 percent of energy use expended on tion from leaving that treatment area,” he lighting because all the lights are LEDs. said. “It has locked doors, and it has a bit He added that, like other structures of a maze that you have to walk through.” of its type, the radiation oncology buildTo soften the passage through six feet ing must comply with Arkansas Act 674, of concrete into the treatment room, a which mandates that the baseline enerwall near the entryway displays progy consumption of the building be at or jections of sea life and nature scenes to better than ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and 120

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The Proton Center hosted a bellringing to celebrate the grand opening. (Photo by Sarah DeClerk)

soothe patients.

Bringing more than 250 tons of proton therapy equipment to Arkansas was a feat in itself, Graham added.

The machinery left port in Belgium, then floated across the Atlantic Ocean for several weeks before reaching the U.S., where it was transported by a trailer more than 200 feet long that necessitated perThe Proton Center of Arkansas at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in mits for every Little Rock was a joint venture between UAMS, Baptist Health, Arkansas Children’s state and county and Proton International to bring the latest cancer-care technology to Arkansas. that it crossed, (Photo courtesy of Brad Browning at Bernhard TME) he said.

“It was quite the parade coming in,” he said.

“I hope this building really solidifies that for them He added that his favorite part of the and meets their goal that they’re trying to achieve in journey was watching the enormous gantry Alex Halloran this state,” he said. “Hopefully the building makes a big being lifted into the center. impact on patients and people with cancer and other “The most exciting part for me was when they finally got the ailments in the state or even outside of the state.” proton [machine] across the sea and across the states, and then Graham said the project has personal significance bewheeled it in and when they raised it with a crane,” he said. “It’s cause one of his relatives will sign up for treatment there. very intricate in its engineering, and knowing the health and the “I think every family in the state of Arkansas has healing that people really get out of that one machine, it’s just someone with cancer or has experienced someone one big ball of engineering marvel, and dropping it through the with cancer,” Graham said. “I know I do, and to ceiling that day to drop it into place, I think, was the most excitknow that my family member can come here and be ing part for me.” treated with technology like that just really makes Halloran said he hopes the new radiation oncology center aids me emotional.”

UAMS in its quest to become a leading cancer-care provider.

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SMALL BUSINESS

FERTILE GROUND

Franchise owners share what makes Arkansas good for business

By Kelli Reep | Photos provided

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with relatively low taxes and a simplified regulatory environment, which maker it fairly easy to start and run a franchise.

The state has a supportive business community made up of a strong network of business organizations, chambers of commerce and other resources that provide guidance and support for franchise owners.

Being centrally located in the nation also has its advantages for franchises, which rely on transportation and logistics to receive products they need. The state’s railways, interstate highways and the Port of Little Rock support solid connectivity throughout the country.

Another advantage for business owners looking to franchise in Arkansas is the state’s diversity in terms of demographics and consumer preferences, which provides opportunities for a wide range of franchise concepts.

Two franchises established in Arkansas are growing beyond the state’s borders: 7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee, which was established in Rogers and now has 130 locations, and Rock N Roll Sushi, which launched in Alabama and now has locations throughout central Arkansas. AMP visited with Brandon Sebald, 7 Brew founding franchisee, and Jason Alley, area developer and co-owner of the Arkansas Rock N Roll Sushi franchise, about their experiences franchising in Arkansas and their plans for the future.

efore the days of GPS, drivers could tell they were entering the business district of any Arkansas small town by the number of franchises on either side of the road. Today, AMP: There seems to be an influx of national franchises in Arthere are more franchising opportunities than ever, and Arkansas kansas. How did you establish your first location in Arkansas? is a fertile place for them to take root and grow.

Alley: My business partner, Chris Kramolis, brought Rock N Roll Franchising allows entrepreneur-minded Arkansans an opporSushi to my attention in 2019. We were both looking for another tunity to own and operate their own businesses without having to franchise to bring to the state. I thought he was crazy — we did start from scratch. The franchise business model is established, not know anything about sushi. The more I researched the brand, proven, and comes with a brand that works and the resources to the more I fell in love with the concept. We began looking at real support the franchise owner. estate in central Arkansas and secured our According to Statista.com, the franfirst location in west Little Rock in late 2019. chising industry in the United States Our original plan from the beginning was works by having a franchise company to grow multiple locations across the state. like McDonald’s — the king of franchises Sebald: 7 Brew was born from a desire to — license the use of its brand, products change drive-thru coffee into a fun, mindand processes to a franchisee as a sepablowing experience for everyone, with the rate business. In 2022, there were roughly first stand in Rogers opened in 2017. We 792,000 franchise establishments in the were so eager to bring this new drive-thru United States, generating an economic option to the region. Our first stands found output of $827 billion and employing 8.5 Rock N Roll Sushi in Little Rock a great deal of receptiveness in the commumillion, according to Statista’s data. nities around them, thanks to our menu, The largest segment of the franchising industry has consistentenergy and quality of service. Expansion became inevitable. ly been quick-service restaurants, which comprise more than $276 billion of the industry’s total economic output. Business services AMP: How many locations do you plan to open within a year had the second-largest output, but it accounts for less than 50 perand in the next five years? cent of the total output from quick-service restaurants. Rounding Alley: Our goal for 2024 is to open three new locations across the out the top franchise industries are full-service restaurants and state. Lakewood Village in North Little Rock will be in last quarter real-estate services. of 2023, which will be our fifth location in the state. We are also Arkansas is strong franchise territory because of its diverse, looking to open a location in Fayetteville in the first quarter of growing economy and relatively low operating costs, including next year, and we really like the Hot Springs and Jonesboro marlow rent and labor costs, compared to many other states. This can kets for future growth. In the next five years, we hope to have more be advantageous for franchisees looking to control expenses. than 15 locations across the state.

Plus, Arkansas has a reputation for being business-friendly, Sebald: Currently, 24 stands are open in Arkansas, seven of which N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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our group franchised. Our franchise group plans to open six to eight within the next year and 12 or more in the next five years.

AMP: What makes Arkansas a solid place to establish a franchise?

Alley: The diversity of the state 7 Brew in Rogers is the first thing that comes to mind. Depending on the franchise, there is ample room for growth in different parts of the state. The northwest area offers great opportunities for locations, as does northeast and central Arkansas. Real estate is another reason Arkansas makes sense. Compared to other states, the Arkansas market is a great value.

Sebald: 7 Brew specifically meshes well with Southern culture, meaning we pride ourselves on providing a one-of-a-kind drivethru experience that will put a smile on customers’ faces while giving them the delicious jolt of energy they’re looking for — morning, noon and night.

AMP: What makes your franchises unique in the swirl of coffee and food offerings today?

Alley: We are a concept built on approachable sushi and a dining experience that is fun, family friendly and nostalgic. We like to play our music a little louder and show the videos on giant television walls. There is nothing in the market like us.

Sebald: 7 Brew is unique in how we prioritize positive experiences, offer hand-crafted beverages and provide exceptional speed of service. Our drive-thru wait times are typically less than five minutes. These are the three pillars of success that separate us from our competitors.

In addition, we offer an array of hot and cold coffee beverages, including our fan-favorite Blondie, chillers, teas, energy drinks, infused sparkling water and more. There’s a drink for everyone at 7 Brew, with over 20,000 flavor combinations and alternative milk options.

As a company, we are also highly tuned into coffee trends and roll out new products based on our customers’ requests.

Cold brew, for instance, was highly requested and something we were eager to launch this month.

AMP: Are there plans to expand your offerings, or do you plan to keep it as is for now?

Alley: Our menu is always evolving. In fact, we are currently testing some new menu items at our Conway location. You can expect Rock N Roll Sushi to introduce new menu items every three to four months. New offerings will follow seasonal trends.

Sebald: 7 Brew continues to explore new drink offerings, but in the short term, we just launched cold brew and cold foam within the last month, which has been a hit so far. It is a great, fully customizable product, like all our other drinks. You can do a straight cold brew, create any flavor combo you enjoy, or try one of our limited-time offers, like this month’s Pumpkin ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

Blondie Cold Brew with cold foam, which is a favorite of mine.

AMP: What do potential franchisees planning to open in Arkansas need to know? What should they be doing?

Sebald: Building and maintaining relationships with the community — with both regular customers and local organizations.

You will stand out as a corporation by showing a vested interest in the neighborhoods in which you operate.

MP: If you had it to do all over again, what would you do difA ferently when establishing your franchise in Arkansas?

Alley: Nothing so far. We opened our first location during the pandemic and then our second two months later. Again, I thought we were crazy for jumping all in so quickly, but it has proven to be successful, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Sebald: To be honest, we wouldn’t do much differently. 7 Brew has a phenomenal blueprint for success; we simply followed their playbook. Entrepreneurs like me invest so heavily in franchises because they have a great brand and systems in place that allow you to scale the model quickly.

I have been part of several other successful franchises, like Planet Fitness, and I can tell you that 7 Brew has as strong of a model for success and dominance. I am excited about the future growth of the brand and our team being part of that journey.

AMP: What advice would you give to someone wanting to open a franchise in Arkansas?

Alley: Do your research. Know the market you want to establish your brand in. If you plan on growing multiple locations, be strategic on how you divide locations across the state.

Sebald: I have opened businesses in almost 10 states. I can tell you Arkansas has been one of the most pro-business states to open a business, and that helps incentivize entrepreneurs to continue to invest in a state.

On the other hand, I have opened businesses in other states that were quite the opposite, and I will never do business there again. With that said, within each state, you will always have to coordinate with the local municipality to get permits and your business license, so I strongly advise creating a great relationship with each city you enter.

Brandon Sebald I moved to Arkansas with a shortterm plan to develop Planet Fitness locations in northwest Arkansas over five years and eventually move. Now, 12 years later, I call it home and will never leave, as the state has such great people and is a pleasure to do business in. Over those 12-plus years, my wife and I have fallen in love with the Arkansas outdoors lifestyle, community and the high volume of opportuJason Alley nity as a business owner.

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TRANSPORTATION

Long

HAUL

Innovation and customer service keys to milestone anniversary for ArcBest

By Sarah DeClerk // Photos Provided

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ArcBest has grown over the years and now includes ABF Freight, MoLo, Panther Premium Logistics and U-Pack.

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rcBest, a logistics company based in Fort Smith that provides shipping and logistics solutions by ocean, air and ground to customers around the globe, marked its 100th anniversary this year, and as with all major milestones, a celebration was in order.

In addition to an array of celebrations that took place throughout the year, the organization hosted a gala in September that was attended by the Fort Smith mayor and by Judy McReynolds, chairman, president and CEO of ArcBest. The Fort Smith Symphony played at the company’s family day this year, and people from all walks of life snapped pics of ArcBest big rigs during the spot-a-trailer social media campaign.

Perhaps the most significant moment, however, was when ArcBest representatives traveled to New York to ring the Nasdaq Stock Market Bell.

“We took two of our longest-tenured employees. They both have been here over 50 years, and they had their pictures up on the marquee at Times Square,” said Lori Brooks, vice president ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

The Fort Smith-based company celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.

of customer experience. “All these celebrations really centered around recognizing the work that our people do. We talk about people being at the heart of our success, and so that is really lived out by all of our leaders. When you think about it, if that is truly believed and people are treated in a way that they feel valued and respected, it just creates a great culture.”

ArcBest started in 1923 as a local freight hauler with two trucks and a mule, she said, and the company now has more than 250 locations, 15,000 employees and $5 billion in revenue. ArcBest includes ABF Freight, MoLo and Panther Premium Logistics, as ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

well as the household moving company, U-Pack.

ArcBest has been named an Inbound Logistics Top 100 Trucker 10 years in a row, the company won a slew of Quest for Quality awards from Logistics Management this year, and MoLo was named a 2023 Top Food Chain Provider by Food Shippers of America.

When McReynolds became CEO in 2010, more than 90 percent of the business’ revenue came from less-than-truckload services via ABF Freight, Brooks said, adding that the company has grown to meet additional needs.

“Judy’s vision was really to have a suite of integrated solutions that our customers could use across their supply chain to keep their business moving, and so we went through a series of acquisitions over the last decade to fill out the strategic holes in the business,” she said. “In 2017, we took those and really integrated the way that we went to market to the customers so that it was easier and more seamless for them to use.”

The first acquisition was Panther Premium Logistics, an expedite provider that handles high-value and high-priority freight.

When ArcBest acquired Panther 11 years ago, there was a growing need for such services because customers had begun moving to just-in-time delivery. When a supply chain operates with that 125

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ArcBest is the largest employer in the Fort Smith area and gives back to the community in numerous aways, such as supporting United Way and the Peak Innovation Center.

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level of precision and something goes wrong, having someone who can come to a facility within an hour, pick up freight and move it from point to point with no interruptions can be invaluable, Brooks said.

ArcBest acquired MoLo, a truckload provider, two years ago, she said, adding that, at the time, MoLo was one of the fastest-growing truckload brokerages in the U.S. because of its reputation for delivering on its promises. Focusing on customers and taking a holistic approach to meeting their logistics needs has been integral to ArcBest’s success, she added.

“When they grow, we grow,” Brooks said of the customers, adding that

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one company actually sent representatives to the Nasdaq bellringing to celebrate the 100th anniversary with ArcBest.

“They are over 100 years old, but they started out of the country,” she said of the company. “When they moved to the States, they were only doing parcel delivery because they were so small. They didn’t have enough freight to need a large truck, and as their business began growing beyond parcels … we’ve enabled their supply chain to be a differentiator for them as part of their solution, and now they’re one of our largest customers.”

ArcBest stepped up to help even more customers earlier this year when Yellow, one of the largest less-than-truckload companies in the country, declared bankruptcy.

“We have customers who were faced with trying to find ways to keep their supply chains moving, and they came to us and said, ‘Can you help me?’” Brooks

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said. “It’s hard for the market to absorb that much freight from one carrier instantly, and being able to look, again, holistically at the customer’s supply chain and work through finding creative solutions to help them has been really, really nice to be a part of, particularly with that disruption.”

The organization’s vision statement, “We’ll find a way,” was inspired by interviews with customers about how ArcBest differed from other logistics companies.

“That was a key thing: ‘You guys find a way,’” Brooks said. “When the going gets tough, they know that they can trust us.”

The going did not get much tougher than in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the logistics industry and, in fact, the world.

“None of us had ever lived through a global pandemic before, and so we had a rapid decline in business back in 2020,” Brooks said. “Then you had a rapid re-

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bound where, all of a sudden, people were working from home, and none of us could find toilet paper. Everyone was buying outdoor furniture and athleisure, and so you had this rapid change from people spending money on services to spending money on goods.”

While millions of Lori Brooks Judy McReynolds Americans stayed home during the pandemic, the truck drivers and dock bottlenecks that created a backlog of workers who comprise most of ArcBest’s cargo ships at the Port of Long Beach staff continued delivering the goods othin California and caused other logistics ers ordered online. In addition to impledisruptions, Brooks said. menting new policies and procedures She recalled hundreds of Cadillacs sitto keep its employees safe, ArcBest was ting in a parking lot, undrivable, because tasked with navigating supply-chain a microchip was delayed.

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TRANSPORTATION “That one piece of the supply chain being out of whack stopped that company from being able to collect revenue on a good that they had produced,” she said, “so you think about that across all the different pieces of the supply chain and just how complex it is.”

The company is not above intentionally creating some disruptions, either.

Brooks said risk-taking and keeping a pulse on customer needs have facilitated technological advancements that have been game changers for ArcBest.

“We have about a 500-person in-house tech team, and every year, we spend about $150 million on tech and innovation, and a lot of that’s really just to stay ahead of the curve,” she said. “We had an employee several years ago who brought an idea to leadership about what ended up being a groundbreaking innovation.”

That innovation was Vaux, a freight-movement system launched in March that changes the way trucks are loaded and unloaded. The invention helped solidify ArcBest’s fourth consecutive recognition as a FreightWaves FreightTech 100 company and received an honorable mention in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards.

“It’s patented hardware and software that enables you to strip an entire trailer, freight, within five minutes,” she said. “The trailer has been loaded and unloaded the same way for 100 years, one piece at a time from back to front, and you can imagine how timeconsuming that is.”

Vaux revolutionized shipping for one customer, the ATV manufacturer Polaris, she said, adding that the technology allows the company’s ATVs to be stacked in a way that was impossible before, cutting shipping costs in half. Vaux also allows workers to move the ATVs in and out of the trailer without touching them, which reduces damage to the merchandise, she said.

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ArcBest has also utilized artificial intelligence to improve its business. Last year, ArcBest started pilot tests of its City Route Optimization project, which uses generative AI to determine the best routes for truck drivers to use. The company completed the rollout this year.

“Our employees have said, ‘They’re making our jobs easier to do by giving me the information to do my job when I need it,” Brooks said. “It’s provided a significant revenue benefit back to the com-

“That one piece of the supply chain being out of whack stopped that com-

Optimization project, ArcBest uses dynamic pricing to reduce wasted miles, she added. The dynamic-pricing technology developed in-house helps ensure trucks are filled to the desired capacity and reduces empty miles caused by delivery trucks returning empty. The company’s efforts have garnered the SmartWay Excellence Award multiple times.

“There’s a lot of stuff we’re doing to make sure we’re improving the sustainability of our business,” she said. “Doing that before we’re asked to do that, I think, is one of the things that we’re really proud of. It’s just been a way that we’ve operated for years.”

In addition to taking care of the environment, the company takes care of its employees.

Forbes named ArcBest as one of America’s Best-in-State Employers for the fourth time in a row this year. The company also took home Best Compensation and Best Perks & Benefits during the website Comparably’s Best Places to Work series this year, and ArcBest’s training and development program has been featured multiple times on Training magazine’s Apex Award List.

“We really spend a lot of time trying to pour into our people, making sure that they are developed, because if the employees are taken care of, then they can take care of your customers,” Brooks said.

She added that the company strives to foster the financial, emotional and physical health of its employees by offering on-campus gyms, fitness classes and financial-wellness classes. The company also uses a leadership-development program to identify top talent.

ArcBest received an award for Best CEOs for Women from Comparably this year, and Brooks said having a female CEO has helped the company stand out as a woman-friendly employer in a maledominated industry.

“You’ve heard, ‘If you can see it, you

pany from being able to collect revenue on a good that they had produced, so you think about that across all the different pieces of the

supply chain and just how complex it is.” pany through more efficiencies, which is awesome because we also want to improve our sustainability. That’s a big focus for us, being a good steward of all the resources that we have.”

Solar panels on buildings and electric trucks, tractors and forklifts are just the start when it comes to the company’s sustainability efforts. ArcBest began working to make its trucks more fuel efficient during the 1960s, Brooks said.

Trailer skirts that improve aerodynamics and speed-limiters that ensure optimal speeds help make the trucks more fuel efficient.

In addition to the City Route

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can be it,’ and I think Judy’s been an inspiration to a lot of people,” Brooks said. “We’re a very professional organization that values excellence, and so when that’s a part of who you are, it’s in your DNA, I think it’s natural that you have some of that diversity come along with it. It helps when you’ve got senior leaders who are female because then I think you start from a ArcBest has won awards for its technoplace of diversity at the top.” logical innovations that have allowed the Forty percent of the board company to optimize routes and facilitate smoother loading and unloading. of directors is diverse in terms of gender or ethnicity, she said, and ArcBest has numerous programs geared toward diversity, equity and inclusion. The company launched six employee resource groups to increase diversity in hiring and ensure all staff members feel valued and respected, she said, and ArcBest has partnered with Integrate to hire neurodiverse employees.

ArcBest also works to recruit and retain veterans, she ArcBest has also earned said, and the company was numerous awards related recognized with a 2023 VETS to employee satisfaction.

Indexes Employer Award as a 4-Star Employer.

The Fort Smith community has been impacting the world by solving logistics fight human trafficking, she added, and a great fit for ArcBest since its inception, challenges, Brooks said. That goal was ArcBest modified its employee humanshe added. echoed by the company’s CEO. trafficking prevention training program “We’re the largest employer in this “ArcBest has a rich history of innovato provide to students and staff in local area, and Fort Smith has been good to tion that has established a solid foundaschools. us,” she said. “In return, we’ve been a valtion for our future,” McReynolds said.

For its 100th anniversary, ArcBest emued member of the community. I don’t “We’ve experienced a lot over 100 years, barked on a year of centennial giving, know that there’s any other place we’d and we’ve endured because we’re conduring which it donated to organizations want to call home. It’s beautiful. It has stantly looking ahead and listening to that aligned with the company’s philanlots of natural resources and fantastic our customers so we can adapt quickly thropic pillars of community, education people.” to changes in our industry, in technology and people each quarter. The beneficiaArcBest is a sponsor of United Way and in the world. I’m very proud of our ries were Feeding America, Dolly Parand made a million-dollar donation to values-driven culture and our people, ton’s Imagination Library, St. Christosupport the Peak Innovation Center in who have helped us get to where we are pher Tuckers Relief Fund and the Fisher Fort Smith, she said. The company has today. As we accelerate into our next 100 House Foundation. also partnered with the Polaris Projyears, we’ll continue to always find a way As it enters its second century, ArcBest ect and Truckers Against Trafficking to to get the job done.” plans to continue its mission of positively

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Little Rock Chenal - 12309 Chenal Pkwy | 501-404-4550 North Little Rock - 8800 Maumelle Blvd. | 501-758-1988 13 0

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RETAIL

EXPANSION COMES NATURAL FOR

Metro Appliances Capturing retail market key for appliance chain’s growth

By K.D. Reep

M

etro Appliances & More started as Metro Builders Supply in Nick “The Greek” Stavros’ garage. It was 1974 in Tulsa, Okla., and he sold appliances to multifamily units and apartment complexes. The first Metro retail store in Tulsa did so well, Stavros expanded to Oklahoma City.

Almost 50 years later, Metro Appliances has expanded into four states and has nine locations, the most recent of which opened on Chenal Parkway in west Little Rock in July.

“The original name was Metro Builders Supply, and it was strictly appliances,” said Wade Thompson, general manager of the Metro location on Maumelle Boulevard with which most central Arkansas customers are probably familiar. “We found that that name was a little misleading. A lot of people would come in and want a two-by-four or a box of nails.”

Metro changed its name to Metro Appliances & More about 15 years ago to reflect more accurately what it provides to customers.

“While we sell to building contractors, there are only so many in our market, and we wanted to continue to grow,” Thompson said. “Changing the name to include appliances opened us up a little bit more to where homeowners could come into the store and feel comfortable. A lot of people saw our name and thought they could only come here if they were builders. We knew capturing the retail market was where our growth was.”

Today, Metro Appliances & More has locations in

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Little Rock, North Little Rock, Lowell and Jonesboro; Wichita, Kan.; and Joplin and Springfield, Mo.; as well as Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Metro offers more than 50 major brands of appliances, including washers and dryers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, cooking ranges, hoods, ovens, and cooktops.

About five years ago, Metro expanded to offering outdoor furniture and built-in barbecue grills. Today, it offers exclusively multi-fuel barbecue grills and accessories. Its Oklahoma City showroom also offers an extensive lighting department. While each location provides an extensive display of products, the Chenal location is modeled for a more retail-driven customer.

“This particular store has a lot more displays showing the customer how the appliances might look in their home,” Thomp13 1

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Today, Metro Appliances & More has locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. (Photos provided)

“Retail customers are the ones who use the phone or online ways to buy what they need because they have done their research and know what they want.

Builders still come into the store because they want to see and touch the appliances to make sure it’s meeting what their client expects.”

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son said. “More than half the store includes built-ins, countertops and other displays. Then you have about 40 percent of the showroom that is actually a retail space, much like what you would find if you walked into Home Depot or Best Buy.” This includes rows of refrigerators, ranges and other appliances organized by the manufacturer. “This way, the customer can see everything GE makes, everything Maytag makes,” Thompson said. “They are much more educated on what they want, and we work to make it easy for them to get what they want.”

Thompson said the Chenal store serves as a place where customers can go when they must immediately replace an appliance.

“We get a lot of people who come in because their refrigerator is broken and have to have a new one right away,” he said, “or they are moving into their home the next day and need a washer and dryer. We can accommodate almost any need with the lowest possible pricing, financing and free delivery.”

The Chenal location was chosen for its centrality to the booming housing markets in Conway, Maumelle, Little Rock, Benton, Bryant and Hot Springs. Similarly, the Lowell store was selected for its accessibility to all of northwest Arkansas.

“We started with a smaller location in Bethel Heights,” Thompson said. “We knew the Northwest Arkansas National Airport would be

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While hands-off shopping experience is now more prevalent, the tradition of in-store shopping is still relevant, Thompson said.

coming soon, and the bypass had just been completed.

We moved to Lowell so we were easy to get to from Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville. We knew it would be a growth area for us with Walmart, J.B. Hunt and the university, particularly with multifamily units, apartments and the home-building boom happening.”

While in-store shopping is the focus of Metro Appliances & More, Thompson said he sees a trend toward more online shopping, which began with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You can buy any of our products online,” he said.

“A gentleman named Seth is our online retailer, and he and the online sales team take care of all those orders.

It’s all organized by your location, and we ship your appliance to you from there. COVID-19 changed the way everyone shops, and we saw a huge spike in overthe-phone and internet sales because people weren’t coming in and shopping as much. They did their due diligence online.”

Because customers are much more educated about appliances, the process became much more informal than what the Metro sales team was used to, Thompson said.

“We do see this continuing shift because the appliances are getting more where you don’t have to physically see or touch them to make them work for you,” he said. “Because of the internet and AI technology, you can sit in your living room and turn your appliances on and off from your phone. You can load your dishwasher at home and start it from your phone when you’re at your office. You can start your washer again when you’re at your office or preheat your oven in the car on

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the way home — all by using your smartphone.

“There’s so much stuff now that is making old ways of interacting obsolete. Where we once did sales completely in the showroom, we can now do it by social media, if you will. I can show you the entire showroom from FaceTime or Zoom or Google Meet or whatever app you’d like to use. All I have to do is pull up what you’re inquiring about on my iPad and show you what’s in the store without you ever having to come in.”

While this hands-off shopping experience is becoming more prevalent, the tradition of in-store shopping is still relevant, he added.

“Retail customers are the ones who use the phone or online ways to buy what they need because they have done their research and know what they want. Builders still come into the store because they want to see and touch the appliances to make sure it’s meeting what their client expects,” he said. “For example, they want to see the physical differences between the Sub-Zero and Thermador or how gold a handle on a particular appliance may be. They are building to the specifications of what the homeowner wants, and that can change, so they want to make sure they know what they are getting.”

Thompson, who joined Metro 18 years ago after working as a golf pro, said the company has been good to him and each of its employees. Because it is employee-owned, there is little, if any, turnover, he said.

“Our employees have a sense of pride in our company you may not find at other places because they have ‘skin in the game,’ if you will,” he said. “We offer a retirement plan to every employee, and they know the decisions they make have an effect on our bottom line. That’s why the delivery guy may be more willing to work after hours — he knows if the customer is happy, he or she will tell others who will come shop, or he or she will return. That means the delivery guy is making money, too, not just one or two owners.

“We invest in our team, too, and pride ourselves on providing factory training so our salespeople are all experts in the appliances we offer and customer service. We have manufacturers’ reps in our stores just about every week, going over training, and we send our sales team off to Louisville, Dallas, Atlanta and other cities for immersive training. It’s a family place — we hosted a pumpkin carving contest just last month — and we prioritize family over business.”

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ARKANSAS VISIONARY WALT COLEMAN: The milkman who delivered Tom Brady

By Dwain Hebda

Little Rock’s Walt Coleman is identified with distinction as an Arkansas business icon and a referee in the National Football League. (Photo by Steve Lewis)

W

alt Coleman III has held two jobs in his life — in dairy and as a referee — and in both he carried on the family business.

Coleman’s tenure with Coleman Dairy, now Hiland Dairy, started when he was 12 and has continued to this day through changing times, changing tastes and changing ownership, if not handlers.

His time in stripes stretches back almost as far, with nearly five decades in the high school, college and pro ranks until his retirement after the 2018 season.

“I got into the dairy business because it was a family deal. I got into officiating because of the same thing,” he said. “My uncle

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was a high school and college officiate. My dad was a high school and college officiate; he was in the Southwest Conference for 26 seasons. I was around officiating just like I was around the dairy business my whole life.”

Coleman served both professions with such distinction it is hard to say which of his jobs he is best identified with. In Arkansas, Coleman and his family have been known in the business community for five

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WALT COLEMAN ON HANDLING CONFLICT Central High School and was generations, during which time they proHow I handled a coach was just like how I such a standout in baseball that vided jobs for thousands of employees. As he would go on to play shortstop would handle a customer. You let them talk, a referee — try though he might to live by for the Razorbacks under brandthe mantra that the best-called game is one let them tell you what they think the problem new skipper, Norm DeBriyn. A where officials are invisible — he became is. Then, if you’ve got something, you can self-described “good-field, no-hit well-recognized in one of the biggest and tell them, ‘Coach, if it happened the way you guy,” Coleman earned three varmost successful sports leagues in the world. said it did, we missed it, but that’s not what sity letters between 1972 and 1974.

You would never know any of this by his we thought happened.’ Same thing with a After graduation, Coleman remodest — that is, cramped ­— office at the customer; if that’s our problem, we will take turned to Little Rock with a busitop of a back flight of stairs at the Hiland care of it, but sometimes people are just ness degree and the dream of one plant or the surprisingly few football metrying to take advantage of you or trying to day succeeding his father, Walter mentos he keeps on display there. Here, get in your head, which is what most of the Carpenter “Buddy” Coleman, as he is not Mr. Coleman or Referee No. 65. coaches were doing. In those cases, you just CEO. Today, he points with pride Around here, he is just Walt, a son of the say thank you, and then you get on. to the many innovations the comNatural State, just like anyone else. pany introduced both preceding “I have been very fortunate in my life to and during his tenure, including be around people who were really talented installing pasteurization equipment in the and taught me,” he said. “It helped me so of supermarkets and institutional accounts 1930s and investing heavily in marketing much because I knew what to expect. I down to residential delivery customers and advertising gimmicks to drum up the knew how I was supposed to act and how I statewide. Here and there throughout its Coleman brand. was supposed to react. I didn’t have to learn history, the company made acquisitions to “We were one of the first dairies in this by trial and error. help boost capacity and streamline distripart of the country that put in blow mold“I was also very fortunate to be in a great bution, but by the 1990s, it became clear ing equipment to create plastic milk jugs,” family, starting with my wife, Cynthia, that market forces had shifted against the he said. “We were also the first dairy in the who hung in there and raised two kids. I company’s favor. country to use handheld devices on our spent a lot of time dealing with the NFL, In 1995, Coleman Dairy sold and, afand if it wasn’t for my ter its parent company brothers and my dad, changed hands several WALT COLEMAN ON MAKING DECISIONS who helped run the times over the next deI still believe that all you can do is take all the facts you’ve got, all your business, and all the cade, became part of an education, all your training, and when you have an opportunity to make a other people involved Illinois-based company, decision, you just do what you know is right — not what’s the easiest, not here that did everywhich positioned the what’s the fastest, not what’s the most popular. You have to do what’s right thing, I wouldn’t have Little Rock operation because you really have no idea what the final outcome may be, but if you been able to do it. You as a division of Hiland have to have a support Dairy. As a nod of redo what’s right based on all the information that you’ve got, you can feel group, and I was very spect, the new owners comfortable with yourself and whatever happens after that. fortunate to have that.” held off changing the Walt Coleman was name until Coleman route trucks. That was something that I did. born the eldest of four boys. He grew up Dairy reached its 150th year in business.

Everything was manual then. We had to in a house on Asher Avenue in Little Rock “We didn’t want to sell, but if we didn’t, write the tickets out. I put handheld comhanded down by his grandparents that were we going to be able to survive? Would puters in back in the late ‘70s, which everybacked up to the 200-acre Coleman Dairy we get in a situation where we might have body uses now. spread founded in 1862 by Eleithet B. Coleto file bankruptcy? Could all our employ“We had many, many competitors, plus man. As a youth, he did odd jobs around ees lose their jobs?” Coleman said. “That we had vertically integrated customers like the facility and, like most children in family was an unbelievably hard decision, but Kroger who had their own dairy plants. businesses, continued to work throughout when we put all the facts together and we When your customers are also in your busihis high school years. looked at the 250 people, second- and thirdness, it makes things very difficult. Some of “Growing up, I had a job every summer generation people, who were working for the things we did as far as upgrading equipworking in the plant and running home us, the decision we made turned out to be ment and technology and so forth gave us delivery routes, which was very difficult,” tremendous.” the ability to survive when other people he said. “My route started at 3 a.m., and I Coleman’s time officiating began shortly didn’t.” had to be up working while all my buddies after he graduated from college as just anAt its peak, Coleman said, the business were out doing all kinds of fun things.” other fresh-faced 22-year-old looking to pay generated about $12 million in annual Despite his schedule, Coleman excelled his dues and work his way up the ranks. Besales, employed 250 and served a clientele in football and basketball at Little Rock ing the son and nephew of officials helped

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ARKANSAS VISIONARIES whole time much would come of it. To his All of it takes a back seat to Jan. 19, 2002, surprise, a call came requesting an interand the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game view, and before he knew it, he was in Chicontested in a snowstorm between the cago’s Soldier Field for a 1989 tilt between then-Oakland Raiders and New England the Cincinnati Bengals and the hometown Patriots, a game which would cement ColeBears. His first six years in the league man’s legacy for all time. Down late, secwas as line judge, which put him directond-year Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, WALT COLEMAN ON TEAMWORK ly in coaches’ line of fire. the relatively unknown 199th pick of the I love football. To me, it’s the “[Buffalo Bills’] Marv Levy had a previous year’s draft, appeared to fumble ultimate team sport. You’ve got guys Ph.D. in English, but he didn’t use the ball after a hit by Oakland’s Charles out there like offensive linemen. anything but four-letter words when I Woodson. Using the early iteration of inThey never get to touch the ball, and was on the sideline with him,” he said. stant replay review, Coleman determined “[Las Vegas Raiders’] Jon Gruden was Brady’s arm was coming forward and overnobody knows who they are until terrible; his favorite word starts with turned the fumble as an incomplete pass, they get a penalty. That’s when they ‘F.’ Heck, I stood in front of [Dallas which kept the ball in New England’s posget their number called. But they’re Cowboys’] Jimmy Johnson and [Miami session. The Patriots would win the game important, and that’s the way it is Dolphins’] Don Shula and [Pittsburgh in overtime. here. The guy that works in our cooler Steelers’] Bill Cowher back when I was NFL Network ranked the call the secthat shovels milk around, he’s damned a line judge, and they could sure visit ond-most impactful in league history, important because if he doesn’t put with me.

It wasn’t always pretty.” and entire documentaries have since the product out there, my sales guys Nearly three decades as an NFL been made about the so-called Tuck Rule don’t have anything to sell. referee invested Coleman with a mulGame. After that, New England advanced titude of stories and put him in the to and won its first championship, launchmiddle of some of the most memorable ing a dynasty that would include playing games in league history, as well as many necessary, that nobody appreciated and in eight more Super Bowls in 17 years. that were merely on the schedule. For each that was going to be difficult,” he said. “Also, Brady, widely regarded as the greatest one, Coleman brought his very best, dethat you were the integrity of the game, and quarterback of all time, would later credit spite the conditions or circumstances. how you handled yourself and the percepColeman’s call with springboarding his “There was a playoff game in Minnesota tion you gave people was really important. legendary career, which would eventually where it was so cold, it was minus-25 at kickThey showed me how to carry myself when include seven Super Bowl rings. Raider off. It was just brutal as far as how cold it things were not going very well.

Nation, led by soon-to-be-disgraced exwas,” he said. “In Cleveland, they threw stuff “My dad would say, ‘Walt, if a coach coach Jon Gruden, would never forgive out of the Dog Pound onto the field all the starts giving you a hard time, step out on Coleman. time before the NFL got smart and put camthe field. Don’t stand right there in his “That was my call. It was all me, and eras in the stadiums. throat. Step out four or five yards so you’ve back then, I had 60 seconds. When that 60 “I worked the Bounty Bowl between Dalgot a separation. Then, when it’s about time seconds was up, that [replay] screen would las and Philadelphia where it had snowed, for play to start, you can back up to the go black, and if you hadn’t decided, you and back then, they didn’t make them clear sideline. Be professional, understand they were up a damn creek,” Coleman said. “It out the stadium. Eagles fans were throwhave a tough job, and walk in their shoes.’ I was just huge. They’re still talking about it.” ing snowballs and everything else at Jimmy always tried to do that.”

When all was said and done, Coleman Johnson and all the Cowboys players. PhilColeman’s dream was to officiate bigwould work two conference championship adelphia fans were tough, man, they booed time college football like his father. He games and serve as alternate referee for their own quarterback, they booed Santa made it but reached a crossroads whereby three Super Bowls. He also inspired his son, Claus! Fans — that’s short for fanatic.” he had to gauge the risk-reward of workWalt Coleman IV, to officiate all the way to ing a Razorback game and the impact it might have on the company.

WALT COLEMAN ON INFLUENCERS “If I was to make a mistake or even If you get the opportunity to hang around people who are really good at what get it right but [sportswriter] Orville they do, dang! Just pay attention. They’ll show you how to be successful. I’ve been Henry decided it was wrong and blastvery fortunate to be around people who are really good at what they do, whether ed it in the paper, we could lose half our customers,” he said. “I had to do some- it was in the dairy business or whether it was in officiating. In the NFL, I was around the greatest coaches in the world, the greatest players in the world, unbelievably thing different if I wanted to stay in the dairy business.” successful businesspeople. I’ve been very fortunate to be around and be exposed The quandary led Coleman to relucto all that. Some of it rubbed off, hopefully. tantly apply to the NFL, doubting the the younger Coleman land games and also instilled a code of decorum into what he was doing.

“The older guys taught me that as an official, you’re doing something that’s very

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WALT COLEMAN ON LEADERSHIP

Coleman spent three decades as an official in the NFL. (Photo provided)

the pros, starting in 2015. Four seasons later, he retired as the longest-tenured current official, and following his last regular season game, which involved New England, the Patriots awarded him the game ball.

Only one NFL referee resides in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and while being the second would be nice, Coleman, who is enshrined in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame with his dad, is content.

“I was doing a podcast with a guy who wanted to talk to me from a mental standpoint about all the abuse and stuff I had taken. He wanted to know how that affected me,” Coleman said. “I told him when 80,000 people would be booing me, I thought it was great because I knew I was doing something. I was involved.

“In fact, I do some motivational speaking now, and the first thing I do is I ask everybody in the audience to boo. It’s just part of it. I sure hate making a mistake, but the booing and all that stuff didn’t bother me because that’s what’s supposed to happen.”

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Everything is a people business.

You’re dealing with people, whether you’re dealing with your employees or you’re dealing with your customers.

The NFL’s not any different; they’re a lot bigger and a lot faster and sometimes a lot smarter, some of them. How do you deal with a coach that’s just raising holy heck with you, hollering and screaming? How do you deal with a stadium of 80,000 people, and they’re all hollering, ‘Ref sucks!’? It’s all about how you handle and manage people. My enthusiasm for what I do is one thing, but the way I handled myself on the football field is different. I tried to be direct, but I was very laid back, and I tried to understand where they were coming from. I always tried to be very professional.

N OVE M B E R 2023

DOLLARS AND SENSE

FINISHING STRONG Tax moves to make before the year ends

By Mak Millard

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hile the average person might not be thinking about the start of tax season just yet, Jan. 23 is a date already circled on the calendars of accountants and chief financial officers everywhere. As is the case with most aspects of finance, both personal and professional, it pays to plan ahead, and there are a number of savvy moves one can make before Dec. 31 to take advantage of any potential benefits well before it is time to fill out a return. For business owners especially, adding a few taxrelated items to the year-end to-do list can set the stage for success in the new year.

“If a client waits until tax season to give thought to their tax situation, there is very little that can be done to potentially help with the tax liability, as the client would be trying to accomplish something in a subsequent tax year, and it may not be immedi-

ately beneficial,” said Rocky Goodman, certified public accountant and managing partner at accounting firm Garland & Greenwood in Little Rock. “One of the main reasons to begin thinking of taxes early is to get your information to your tax preparer as soon as possible. The later you wait to get that information to them, the longer it will take to have your return prepared and filed. This will delay any refunds that may be due to you.”

Somewhere between putting away the Christmas lights and making New Year’s Eve plans, every taxpayer should pencil in the time to take a close look at next year’s taxes. One of the most frequently recommended tax-related housekeeping items is maximizing one’s retirement contributions for the year.

“Making sure you have deferred the maximum amount of 401k withholding from your paycheck is the largest way to reduce your liability,” Goodman said. “The limit is $22,500 for 2023, and if you are over 50, you can make a catch-up contribution of another $7,500. This $30,000, if deferred into a traditional 401k plan, will not be included in your tax liability calculations. This is a tremendous way to reduce your current tax liability while putting money

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back into your own account.”

Under certain circumstances, Goodman added, one may also be eligible to contribute to a traditional IRA, or individual retirement account, up to $6,500, or for those older than 50, $7,500. That contribution will reduce one’s taxable income and can be completed anytime between Jan. 1, 2023, and April 15, 2024. Anyone considering the move, however, should discuss their situation with a tax preparer first to determine their eligibility.

Beyond the basics, other strategies can help taxpayers make use of rules that can minimize their liability. Those interested in making charitable contributions, for example, might consider “bunching” their contributions or making use of a qualified charitable contribution or donor-advised fund.

“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 increased the standard deduction to almost double what it was prior to the act,” Goodman said. “This greatly reduced the number of taxpayers who use itemized deductions rather than the standard deduction. Therefore, charitable contributions are not beneficial for those taxpayers.”

With the bunching strategy, taxpayers consolidate two years’ worth of charitable contributions into the same tax year, maximizing their itemized deductions for the year. Bunching does not have to mean cutting a one-time check to one’s favorite organization, however. A donor-advised fund account allows taxpayers to contribute multiple years’ worth of donations at once into a fund held by a custodian. Then, those funds are donated to the taxpayer’s favorite charity over several years as the domor desires.

“Lastly, those taxpayers who are taking required minimum distributions from their IRAs should consider diverting some of those required distributions to their charity of choice,” Goodman said. “The charity receives the money, and the taxpayer can omit this amount from their taxable income.”

While these strategies can help in general, it is important to note that every person’s tax situation is unique. A certified tax professional, such as one of the CPAs at Garland & Greenwood, can take those nuances into account and recommend the

best course of action for an individual. These experts can also steer one away from certain ill-advised courses of action. For example, Goodman advised against business owners rushing to buy something by the end of the year solely for the tax deduction.

“I have these conversations at the end of each year, and my advice is that it doesn’t make sense to spend a dollar to potentially save 30 cents. In effect, you are spending 70 cents,” he said. “It’s kind of like my wife telling me she got 25 percent off on something.

Rocky Goodman, CPA My mind says that the item was still 75 percent ‘on.’ If the business owner needs to purchase an item sometime in the next couple of months, then it might make sense, but don’t spend the money just to save some tax.”

Though “good enough” tax preparation might not spell disaster for a company, no business owner can rest easy with the thought of leaving money on the table. For those looking ahead to their business returns, Goodman recommended what he described as the biggest “bang for your buck” deduction: a retirement plan. There are many different types of plans with various potential benefits, depending on revenue earned, number of employees or owners’ salaries, he said, and business owners should work on getting such plans set up as soon as possible to take advantage of the deductions.

“In many cases, the business has until the due date of the business tax return, including extensions, to make contributions to the retirement plan to receive the deduction,” he said. “For example, they may be able to contribute on Sept. 15, 2024, and still receive the deduction on the 2023 income tax return.”

The importance of timing cannot be overstated. Goodman recommended business owners attempt to close their books as soon as possible after year-end. After all, the quicker one gets their information to a tax preparer, the quicker the turnaround time. That can be especially important if one has partners or shareholders waiting on a Schedule K-1 in order to complete their own returns.

In general, Goodman said, taxpayers should keep in mind that their preparers are very busy. Not only have their jobs gotten much more complicated in the past few years, but the profession has also suffered from staffing issues, making an already fraught job even more difficult. That being said, it is never too soon to start bending a bookkeeper’s ear about next year’s returns, so there is no reason to let Tax Day catch one by surprise.

“Your tax preparer is busy with planning for the upcoming season, getting some last-minute continuing education and spending some much-needed time with their families during the last couple of months of the year,” Goodman said. “You should be proactive and reach out to your preparer. They want to help however they can.”

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N OVE M B E R 2023

POLITICS

AND JUSTICE FOR

ALL

Truth in sentencing just one piece of Arkansas’ prison reforms

By Dwain Hebda

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publican legislator calls Crossett home and has watched how shley County’s borders are platted in drugs and despair have come here to roost in the form of inperfect right angles on three sides, with creased criminal behavior. only its western edge snaking and squig“Most people think that crime just happens in more urban argling along the course of the Saline and eas and in bigger cities like Little Rock,” he said. “While a higher Ouachita rivers. Viewed on a map, the percentage of it does happen in those areas, we can see that trickle county has the general shape of a graham out into the rural areas. Maybe we don’t see as many homicides or cracker being nibbled from the left side, things of that nature happen in rural areas, but what we’re seeing but in reality, there are far heavier socifrom a substance abuse issue is people who are using crime to etal issues eating away at life here in this help feed their addiction. We see that play out.” southeastern county anchoring Prior to being elected to public office, Gilmore sat the Louisiana border. on a local jury case which opened his eyes to the comLike many patches of the plexities and even contradictions of the state’s criminal Delta, Ashley County has sufjustice system. That memory, as well as the sickening fered a slow bleed of people and details of a child-molestation case, galvanized his deopportunity that has limited its sire to create change. In 2023, he got his chance as the prosperity. Per the Encyclopedia lead sponsor of Gov. Sarah Sanders’ sweeping crime of Arkansas, population peaked bill, Act 659, better known as the Protect Arkansas Act. at just under 27,000 people in “This crime problem is personal to a lot of folks. It 1940; by 2020 that number had Arkansas Sen. hits home,” he said. “[Criminals] are people who made slipped below 20,000 for the Ben Gilmore a mistake. We all make mistakes; we all are in need of first time since the dawn of the more grace. Some people who make these mistakes maybe need a 20th century. The main industry there – slap on the wrist, while some are the absolute worst of the worst. agriculture – ranks 42nd in Arkansas farm These are the people that we are afraid of. We want those people income, contributing to overall per capita off our streets, and we want them away from our communities income of just above $23,000. In all, 17 perand our schools and our children.” cent of Ashley County residents live below The Protect Arkansas Act addresses a variety of criminal justhe poverty line. tice issues, from putting teeth into sentences to addressing current Arkansas Sen. Ben Gilmore knows prison overcrowding to reducing recidivism through enhanced the beauty and the sorrow of Ashley rehabilitative programs. While many of the provisions of the 131County intimately. The second-term Re-

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page law have been reduced by critics to just one or two points, — as it applies to reduced recidivism. This suggests a Gilmore said the new law provides a comprehensive approach to state does itself no favors by light or reduced sentencing a complicated part of state government. as far as stopping the revolving prison door.

“What we introduced was a very good, comprehensive bill, in Criticism of longer sentences related to capacity ismy opinion,” he said. “To be very clear and to be very straightsues, however, is undeniable. According to statistics by forward, does it lock away people? Absolutely, it does, but I want the Sentencing Project, Arkansas currently ranks third to make the distinction that while we are locking away the worst in the nation in rate of incarceration at 556 inmates per of the worst violent offenders, the people we are truly afraid of, 100,000 citizens, behind only Louisiana (564/100,000) we are also, in the same bill, helping rehabilitate the people that and Mississippi (575/100,000). TSP reports Arkansas’ we’re just mad at. overall inmate population (prison and jail) totals about “There’s a distinction there in the sense that someone might 26,400 inmates. The Arkansas Department of Cordo something that we don’t like and we’re mad at them, but at rections contends the state’s prisons are at least at 106 the end of the day, they deserve a second chance or a percent capacity, forcing officials presently third chance.” to house some 2,000 prison inmates in local The new law puts teeth into sentencing by requirand county jails. ing offenders convicted of 18 violent crimes to serve For that reason, the governor also pushed 100 percent of their sentences, starting with those senfor and won the go-ahead to build a new $470 tenced next year. Among those offenses are murder, million, 3,000-bed prison, which will be the kidnaping, rape, aggravated robbery, human traffickfirst such project in nearly 20 years. Gilmore ing and a number of crimes against children. Starting praised the move, saying much of what the in 2025, being convicted of a crime in a secondary tier state’s criminal justice system is dealing with will require serving 85 percent of the sentence. These today stems from two decades of kicking the crimes include manslaughter, negligent homicide, Gov. Sarah Sanders capacity can down the road. first-degree battery, first-degree domestic battery and “I’ve had a sheriff get on the phone with first-degree sexual assault, among others. me and basically just vent and say, ‘I’ve had to go pick “No more letting violent offenders back on the street without up this person for whatever crime it might be, and I serious prison time,” Sanders said at the bill signing ceremony at have to decide to release someone else to make room the Arkansas State Police Headquarters. for them,’” he said. “When you have sheriffs having Critics immediately latched onto the provisions as making the to make that decision daily, that weighs on them, and problems in the state’s criminal justice system worse. They claim it weighs on their staff. Plus, they’re not equipped to the new sentence-serving guidelines merely exacerbate existing handle the level of inmates that they’re dealing with in capacity and safety issues while contending loudly that longer these county jails.” incarceration simply does not work. Critics also pointed to some conservative-leaning states that have begun to rethink traditional get-tough strategies in favor of programs that include pre-trial di“We all make mistakes; we all are in need version, mental health services and addiction treatment as a more meaningful use of the system and its resources. of more grace. Some people who make However, at least one recent study flies in the face of such critithese mistakes maybe need a slap on the cism. According to a 2020 report released by the United States Sentencing Commission, there appears to be a relationship bewrist while some are the absolute worst tween length of incarceration and likelihood of recidivism compared to a control group serving less time. of the worst. These are the people that The study employed three different research designs and found that in all three, inmates serving sentences of more than 120 we are afraid of. We want those people months were far less likely to recidivate eight years after release. off our streets, and we want them away In two of the models, the likelihood was reduced by 30 percent, while in a third, the likelihood was reduced by nearly half. The from our communities and our schools same effect was seen starting at 60 months; in two of the research models, incarceration of between 60 and 120 months reduced reand our children.” cidivism by about 17 percent.

Furthermore, the study found no statistically significant ben- Ben Gilmore efit to those serving the shortest sentences — less than 60 months

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POLITICS them custody levels and move them to prisons throughout our The announcement of a new prison triggered inventory of prisons in Arkansas,” he said. “There is some level several economic development organizations of assessment there, but I don’t find it to be as good as it could be to eagerly raise their hands to bring the facilin regard to identifying risk, needs and responsivity. Effectively, ity and its stable, recession-proof jobs to their testing an individual to understand what their aptitude is, what backyard. Speaking to the Arkansas Advocate, factors in their life might have led to criminal behavior, underlySteve Harris, president of Hempstead County ing substance abuse issues, what their education level is, if they Economic Development, said landing the new have literacy issues. prison would be a “game changer.”

“Then, having identified who the person is, we can effectively “It would be all-new money into our local create a journey map for them, which I call the corrections plan. economy,” he told the news site. “Any new prison, That will, in essence, be a roadmap of what that individual is gowhether large or small, the payroll and construcing to do while he’s incarcerated, what we’re going to focus on to tion jobs will be all additional to our local econotry to improve that person during their time in prison. My tagline mies, and it would be a long-term investment by for that is, ‘Time Well Spent.’” the state into our area. It’s all positive.”

Profiri’s second initiative would back up those efforts with an Such improvements are only as good as the enhanced reentry unit with its own release center that leadership managing them to the full addresses the many tripwires former inmates face in benefit of inmates and public alike, rejoining society and beginning the process of reand that mantle rests on Joe Profiri, building their lives. the secretary of the Arkansas Depart“It’s something as simple as when you’re in prison, ment of Corrections who took over you get told what time to wake up for breakfast, and the role in January. He said all the you have somebody make it for you,” he said. “Men state’s correctional facilities have the and women who have spent time in prison are not faopportunity to approach old probmiliar with cooking anything in the morning for breaklems in new ways, making senticfast, but at a release center, we could get them in that ing less about throwing the book at people and more along the lines of Joe Profiri space and back to engaging with other people, cooking some meals together in a kitchenette. That helps them throwing them a line to a better way transition into what they’re about to go to in the free world. of life after release.

“In that space, they could engage and learn some social skills “There’s an opportunity for incarcerated inby dealing with each other, by working with each other to achieve dividuals. If you spend that time well in proper the same outcome, celebrating each other’s successes, working programs that inform you to be a better person, on resumes and getting jobs. Some of them don’t know how to in proper counseling services and in proper engage in community; I can’t tell you how many mothers I’ve talktreatment services that inform you to be a beted to over the course of my career who said, ‘I was so excited for ter person, then the outcome at the end of your my son to come home from prison. Now he’s home, but he never journey for having been incarcerated, presumcomes out of his bedroom.’ I have to explain to her that it’s very ably, is going to be a better human being,” he normal, having lived in a cell for a long period of time. Give him said. “Better in the sense of better cognitive time to acclimate and adjust, and he will come around over the skills to make better decisions with regards to course of time.” behavior, to have potentially managed addicAs if that weren’t ambitious enough, Profiri said he’ll also retion issues and substance abuse desires and cruit community resources to support individuals as they transiwho might be further educated in ways that altion back into society. low them greater opportunity upon release.”

“I desire to develop that reentry center for individuals that are Profiri said while many prison programs have releasing from Arkansas prisons. Just like they came in the front been available for years, they have existed on the door at Malvern, they are going to go out the back door at this periphery. His vision is to chart a course for inrelease center,” he said. “At that center, I am going to invite other mates at the point of processing to better identify stakeholders of the community to provide wraparound services their needs and help establish a working plan so I can connect releasing offenders to medical services and treatthat achieves the most self-improvement pursument programs and housing and jobs and other opportunities ant to future goals and aspirations upon reentry. that inform a successful release.

“We receive all of our inmates through one “I can only do so much as the secretary of corrections. My institution, which is in Malvern. At that facility, team and I will do all we can while they’re in our custody and we intake individuals, and we basically assign

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Arkansas State Capitol

control, but if the community doesn’t join me at the table at the release end, then we’re going to be challenged with their success.

If we have the community at the table, then we can, I think, head off a lot of problems before they develop by helping people be successful because they may not have the resources themselves upon release to be successful. That’s one of the deficiencies I see in this department, and I think my team is ready to take on the challenge and put forth the effort to produce better citizens as a result of their time spent with us.”

The Protect Arkansas Act creates a reentry task force to evaluate and make recommendations for improved programs that help inmates prepare for life post-release, but the act doesn’t directly fund a reentry center. That isn’t stopping Profiri from hard-charging it into reality anyway. He’s already identified underutilized buildings on prison grounds to be converted for the use in the short term, paying for improvements from his current budget. From there, he said, the obvious benefits and demonstrable outcomes of the unit will provide a powerful incentive for the state legislature to fund expansion and enhancement of the program in the future.

“We will reduce recidivism in the state of Arkansas,” he said.

“There are some studies out there that show reducing recidivism by 1 percent can save up to $27 million over a 10-year pe-

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riod. So if we’re running at 50 percent recidivism rate, and we’re able to reduce recidivism even by 10 or 15 percent and keep those individuals from being justiceinvolved, that’s legit.

“One, your crime rate is going to be immediately less.

Two, the taxpayer dollars that would be saved in keeping an individual out of the justice system and as a contributing member of society are just exponential. It’s a tax savings to invest in these people while they’re in prison.”

Profiri’s passion for his cause is immediately apparent, despite the magnitude of challenges that such an undertaking represents. To this, he doesn’t bat an eye, on one hand acknowledging it will be years before the reentry center can develop to work to its full capacity while on the other insisting he will have some early version of it running next year. He affords himself a selfknowing chuckle at the audacity of the plan.

“I’m into lofty goals, and I act with a sense of urgency because I think it’s important,” he said. “I think we have all the elements to inform an amazing Arkansas or, may I say, a more amazing Arkansas. I’m looking forward to doing the work and bringing it to fruition and watching it happen.”

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POLITICS

Arkansans Still Seeing Red Checking the presidential snapshot a year out

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By AMP Staff

oting sentiments appear to be shaking out as expected when it comes to the 2024 presidential election in Arkansas. The Natural State continues to see red. In fact, Arkansas voted 32 percent more Republican than the national average in 2020, per research from Emerson College.

Despite his legal challenges, former president Donald Trump continues to be the choice of Arkansans to occupy the White House once again. According to an Emerson poll of 435 state voters conducted the first week of October, Trump leads President Joe Biden in a potential ’24 matchup by 33 percentage points. Fifty-seven percent of poll respondents plan to vote for Trump, compared to 24 percent for Biden. Ten percent indicated they would vote for another candidate and 9 percent were undecided. The poll has a margin of error of 4.7 percentage points.

Trump’s polling, at 57 percent, is down slightly from the 62 percent of the vote with which he won the state’s six electoral votes in 2020. Biden, meanwhile, remains vastly unpopular in

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Arkansas. In 2020, he won just 35 percent of the vote, a historically bad showing for a Democrat running for president in Arkansas. Only former Sen. George McGovern, in 1972, lost the Arkansas vote by a wider margin.

In head-to-head presidential matchups, the nation seems as divided as it was four years ago. As of Nov. 2, RealClearPolitics, which averages the results of major national polls to come up with a composite view, had Trump on top in a rematch with Biden but by less than a percentage point — 45.4 percent to 44.9 percent.

In a hypothetical matchup with Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Biden loses another close one. Haley garners 44.3 percent in the RCP averages, with Biden at 42.7 percent. Biden wins a potential matchup with another GOP candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 45.3 percent to 44.2 percent.

The Republican nomination is Trump’s to lose. With a RCP poll average of 59.1 percent, he led second-place DeSantis by 45.9 percentage points as of Nov. 2. No other Republican is

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above 10 percent. Former vice president Mike Pence dropped out of the race in late October; biotech entrepreneur and Trump supporter Vivek Ramaswamy never capitalized on momentum he built coming out of the GOP primary debates, polling at just 4.6 percent, per RCP, and the DeSantis campaign seems stuck in the low- to mid-teens. The latest RCP snapshot has him at 13.4 percent.

Meanwhile, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who didn’t qualify for the second GOP debate, hangs in there as the January Iowa caucuses draw closer with most polls showing him hovering around 1 percent. On Nov. 10, Hutchinson took a break from the campaign trail to return to Little Rock, where he officially filed for president in Arkansas.

For better or worse, Trump has a stranglehold on the GOP, and his support in Arkansas remains strong. Emerson’s Arkansas poll also found that three in five Trump voters (60 percent) plan to vote for the former president regardless of anything he might say or do in the next few months.

Eighteen percent of Trump voters said there were things the former president could say or do that could cause a change of heart.

Of Biden supporters, 35 percent said it would vote to reelect the president no matter what, while 30 percent could be moved to not vote for him depending on what he said or did. Biden does have primary challengers.

Marianne Williamson, the author and self-help guru who briefly ran in 2020, has thrown her hat in the ring, as has Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., however, who flirted with entering the Democratic primary has announced he’ll run as an independent. The son of former U.S. attorney general and senator Robert Kennedy and nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, he is polling at 10 percent in RCP’s snapshot of the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

Like 1992 independent candidate Ross Perot before him, political analysts consider him a threat to siphon muchneeded votes from the incumbent next fall. Another potential threat to Biden is controversial Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who has teased a potential candidacy.

The Emerson poll also asked about presumptive nominee Trump selecting Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, Trump’s former press secretary, as his running mate. Twenty percent indicated support for a Trump-Sanders ticket, while 33 percent said Trump should choose someone else. Twenty-nine percent of respondents said support for Sanders as running mate would depend on who else was considered. Of selfidentified Republicans participating in the poll, 34 percent

said Trump should choose Sanders if he wins the nomination and 26 percent said he should choose someone else.

Sanders holds an approval rating of 40 percent among Arkansas residents included in the poll, with a disapproval rating of 31 percent and 29 percent indicating neither support nor opposition. The latest Arkansas Poll from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville reported better, if still not great, news for Sanders. Her approval rate came in 48 percent, the lowest for an Arkansas governor in the poll in 20 years.

The Arkansas Poll also reported still-low approval numbers for Biden among Arkansas voters. Thirty-three percent approved of his job performance, while 63 percent disapproved.

Among state Republicans in the RCP averages, Sanders holds an approval rating of 66 percent while self-identified independents were split evenly on the firstterm governor — 33 percent approved of her job performance, and 33 percent disapproved.

Meanwhile, Biden’s job approval rating per RCP was just 18 percent, and the percentage of respondents who disapprove of the job he’s doing in office was at 62 percent.

The Emerson poll produced one especially juicy nugget. It asked respondents if the 2020 election was stolen. Forty-nine percent said it was, while 36 percent indicated Biden won “fair and square.” Regarding the 2016 election, 64 percent of Arkansas respondents to the Emerson poll said Trump won fairly, while 17 percent believe that election was stolen.

A lot can happen in a year, and the world stage is ripe for explosions, but it looks like another round of Biden-Trump in 2024, and most Arkansans remain committed to the former.

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Biden

DeSantis

A lot can happen in a year, and the world stage is ripe for explosions.

Haley

Hutchinson

Trump

N OVE M B E R 2023

SPORTS

HOGS firmly back on BIG STAGE But can Muss lead a return to Final Four?

By Mark Carter

D

ennis Dodd focuses more on football for CBS Sports, but his is one of the more prominent names in journalism when it comes to college sports. On Oct. 9, he posted to X the results of research commissioned by Gonzaga related to its campaign to join the Big 12 Conference.

(Yes, the tentacles of realignment reach beyond football.)

First, though, a little backstory. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has been aggressive in his response to the departure of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. He poached four schools from the Pac 12, essentially sounding

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that league’s death knell; he openly considered UConn as an expansion target (and may still be working angles there); and he’s been in serious talks with Gonzaga about Big 12 membership. Over the past two decades, as Razorback basketball languished in an extended lost weekend of mediocrity, the little Catholic school from Spokane, Wash., has grown from just another mid-major into one of college basketball’s biggest brands. Yormark is eyeing the Zags to further solidify the Big 12 as the best basketball league in the land. It would be a weird fit, for sure — Gonzaga doesn’t sponsor football, and its location in the PaARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

The Hogs’ Red-White intrasquad game, held in Fayetteville’s Barnhill Arena in October, drew a large and enthusiastic crowd. (Photos courtesy of Arkansas Athletics)

cific Northwest would be a stretch even for the geographically challenged Big 12, but these are strange days in college sports.

Enough Big 12 presidents to matter reportedly are balking at the idea, but as SMU to the ACC has proven, where there’s a will (and enough cash), there’s a way.

Bringing Gonzaga aboard, Yormark reasons, would enable him to renegotiate the Big 12’s TV deals into separate football and basketball packages, meaning the Zags wouldn’t be dipping into the league’s sacred football pie.

Helping Yormark’s case are the results of that $15 million brand evaluation commissioned by Gonzaga this summer from Chicago-based consulting firm, Navigate. As reported by Sports Illustrated and shared by Dodd, the report ranked college basketball brands in a metric it called “TV power.” Gonzaga came in fifth behind giants of the sport Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas. The ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

rest of the top 10, and this is where we finally get locally relevant, is rounded out

by Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Yep, that’s little ol’ Arkansas, apparently pulling more TV bang for the buck than bluebloods like UConn, Arizona, UCLA and Villanova. It’s due to the program’s resurgence under Eric Musselman, of course, but Muss didn’t come to Fayetteville to start a program from scratch; he came to rouse a slumbering giant and pour some Red Bull down its gullet. (Too soon?) Despite that 20-year lost weekend, Razorback basketball’s pedigree remained Eric Musselman formidable even if its brand largely was shed of relevancy.

Take, for example, that Arkansas basketball remains a top 25 program by winning percentage; among the top 20 in NCAA tournament games played; in the top 15 for Final Four appearances; and is top 30 in all-time wins despite playing significantly fewer seasons than most due to the program’s relatively late launch in 1922. All this, despite just six NCAA tournaments and only three wins among them between 2002 and 2018.

When Musselman’s second Razorback team defeated an under-seeded Texas Tech squad in the 2021 round of 32 to make the program’s first Sweet 16 since 1996, the entire state of Arkansas let out a collective sigh of relief. A psychological hump had been cleared, an achievement teased but never delivered under former coach and Nolan Richardson disciple Mike Anderson.

(Fans rightfully hold up last season’s upset of Kansas or the Sweet 16 win over top-seeded Gonzaga in 2021 as the program’s latest big moments, but Razorback historians will one day look back on that blood-sweat-and-tears win over Chris Beard and Tech — the intensity of which felt like nothing short of a Final Four 147

matchup — as one of the most important wins in program history.)

Musselman indeed has reawakened the giant birthed by Eddie Sutton and raised into adolescence by Richardson. In four years, Muss led the Hogs to three straight Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights. Even in his COVID-shortened first season, Arkansas was a solid bubble team at 20-12 before the pandemic shut down March Madness.

The Razorbacks once again playing into late March is delivering the annual spring dopamine rush that Hog fans of a certain age grew up expecting, and there’s also the branding that comes with casual March-Madness viewers in Boise, Idaho, or Brooklyn, N.Y., seeing that Razorback logo on the tournament’s second weekend and beyond, hence that TV-power rating of No. 9 in the land. Musselman has returned Hawgball to the days of Sutton and Richardson, when relevance on a national scale was taken for granted, the Hogs regularly competed for conference championships, and March runs were the expectation. ************ Arkansas fans have come to expect Musselman’s teams to follow a certain trajectory. The matchup-focused, master tinkerer experiments early with lineups once the Hogs are invariably hit with devastating early-season injuries, but the team slowly builds cohesiveness and toughness culminating in an inexplicable March run.

Championships of any variety, be they national, conference or preseason tournament, are sacred to the hyper-competitive Musselman. But if this formula puts the Hogs in better position to benefit in March, when the ultimate prize is at stake, so be it. Most Arkansas fans agree and likely wouldn’t trade places with fans of programs like media-darling Alabama, which has won two of the past three SEC titles but done little postseason damage.

So far, Razorback Nation seems content with trading the honor of being the last team standing in the SEC with that of being the last SEC team standing, period.

Though the notion of Muss intentionally downplaying conference championships is ludicrous, many Hog fans seem OK with an approach that prioritizes March, one N OVE M B E R 2023

SPORTS that might deliver a second natty before another conference crown.

Hog fans may not have to wait long before more SEC banners join those touting the program’s March success in the rafters of Bud Walton Arena. Following the Hogs’ preseason exhibition run that included a grueling OT win over preseason No. 3 Purdue in front of a packed Bud Walton, fans’ expectations for this season shot from “Final Four potential” to “national championship potential.”

Muss has elevated the program by reeling in both ESPN Top 100 blue chippers and transfer portal prizes. It was through the latter that the Hogs were able to hold off a veteran Purdue squad. Experienced transfers Traman Mark (Houston), El Ellis (Louisville), Khalif Battle (Temple), Jeremiah Davenport (Cincinnati) and Chandler Lawson (Memphis) displayed the clutch genes and gamesmanship that coaches crave.

Early results indicate the Hogs traded the raw talent and potential of their Fab 3 freshman of a season ago for the experienced grit, court IQ and “professional

scorer” approach (per former Hog Manny Watkins) of the Mark-Ellis-Battle trio.

Musselman seems content now to lean more heavily on the portal while leaving room for two or three prep blue-chippers per cycle.

Either way, top 10 recruiting classes are the expectation now. Though Richardson’s coaching tenure predated the modern recruiting rankings as we know them today, the man whose name adorns the court at BWA never pulled in recruiting classes, NIL notwithstanding, like Musselman’s.

Last year’s haul featured that Fab 3, Arkansas’ version of the famed Michigan Fab Five — top 100 prep phenoms Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh. All three are in the NBA now (Black was a lottery pick to Orlando), but the 2021-22 team’s potential was never realized after injuries sidelined Smith and high-impact portal prize and SportsCenter Top Ten-regular Trevon Brazile. Without them, Muss was forced to drastically alter not just the rotation but his entire approach to the season.

What resulted was a rough-and-tumble season that ended with an 8-10 mark in league play and 22-14 overall. Those Hogs, however, clawed their way through topseeded Kansas to make a third-straight Sweet 16 run. This year’s bunch will look to build off that momentum, buoyed by rising fan expectations and engagement.

Whether football’s tough start had anything to do with it or not, Hog fans were salivating for hoops by the time Arkansas welcomed D-2 Texas-Tyler for the first of two exhibition games in late October.

With 6-4 clutch shot maker and defensive stopper Davonte “Devo” Davis back and now officially minted as Arkansas cult hero, the Hogs should play with the same toughness they exhibited in outlasting San Diego State last December in Maui. The same Aztec team that would advance to the national championship game the following April.

The Hogs lose three of the top five scorers from a season ago, not counting Brazile. Ricky Council IV, who took over the floor general role early in the season after Smith went down, finished the year with

2023-24 Arkansas Razorbacks

MEN’S BASKETBALL No.* Name

Pos

Year

Ht

Wt

Hometown

HS/Previous School

0

Khalif Battle

G

Grad Sr. (2)

6-5

185

Hillside, N.J.

Trenton Catholic / Temple

1

Keyon Menifield Jr.**

G

So. (3)

6-1

150

Flint, Mich.

Phoenix Prep / Washington

2

Trevon Brazile

F

R-So. (3)

6-10

220

Springfield, Mo.

Kickapoo HS / Missouri

3

El Ellis

G

Grad Sr. (1)

6-3

180

Durham, N.C.

Quality Education Academy / Louisville

4

Davonte Davis

G

Sr. (2)

6-4

185

Jacksonville

Jacksonville HS

5

Joseph Pinion

G

So. (3)

6-5

195

Morrilton

Morrilton HS

6

Layden Blocker

G

Fr. (4)

6-2

175

Little Rock

Sunrise (Kan.) Christian Academy

7

Denijay Harris

F

Grad. Sr. (1)

6-7

200

Columbus, Miss.

Columbus HS / Southern Miss

* — The NCAA has made the numbers 6, 7, 8 and 9 eligible to be worn by players ** — Redshirting the 2023-24 season N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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a team-high 16 points per game and opted for the NBA draft. He was followed in scoring by Black (13) and Smith, who still managed 12.5 per game in his limited run.

In just a handful of games before tearing up his knee, Brazile averaged 12 points and six rebounds a game while shooting a team-leading 37.9 percent from long range, and his spot on the preseason All-SEC first team reflects Hog fans’ eagerness to see him back on the court in a uniform as opposed to warm-ups.

Davis returns his 11 points a game (plus 4.4 boards and 2.5 assists), and assuming he can stay on the floor, Muss has a bigtime potential scoring threat back in Jalen Graham, the silky smooth 6-10 Arizona State transfer. Also back are sharp-shooting sophomore Joseph Pinion, 6-10 fifthyear senior Makhi Mitchell (whose twin brother, Makhel, transferred to Little Rock in search of minutes) and reserves Lawson Blake and Cade Arbogast.

Two other members of last year’s roster transferred out — little used guards Derrian Ford (Arkansas State) and Barry Dunning Jr. (UAB).

In keeping with his emphasis on transfers, Muss brought in seven new players from the portal. Khalif Battle, a 6-5 senior

guard from Temple with two years of eligibility, led the Owls and was fourth in the American Athletic Conference in scoring at 18 per game. Significantly for Hog fans, he also led the league in free-throw shooting (89 percent) and was second in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.85).

Replacing Black at the point will be 6-3 Louisville senior transfer El Ellis, who averaged 18 points and four assists last season and has one year of eligibility on the Hill. In just two seasons for Louisville following a juco run in Florida, Ellis put up a whopping 843 points including 565 last season. Alongside Darrell Griffith, he is one of two players in Louisville’s storied history to record multiple 30-point, five-assist games, and he did it in the ACC, no longer te land’s top league, perhaps, but neither is it chicken liver.

Other portal additions include 6-6 junior guard Tramon Mark, a key component to the Cougars’ recent run of success and the star of the game against Purdue. Last season, he averaged 10 points and five boards. Expect him to take up the Council role.

Davenport, a 6-6 graduate senior guard from Cincinnati, averaged nine points and four rebounds for the Bearcats last season; Lawson, a 6-7 grad-senior transfer from Memphis with a 7-7 wingspan, averaged five and five a year

ROSTER

Davonte Davis

Trevon Brazile

Joseph Pinion

Jalen Graham

Makhi Mitchell

Khalif Battle

No.* Name

Pos

Year

Ht

Wt

Hometown

HS/Previous School

8

Chandler Lawson

F

Grad. Sr. (1)

6-8

210

Memphis, Tenn.

Woodside HS / Memphis

10

Baye Fall

F

Fr. (4)

6-11

200

Dakar, Senegal

Accelerated Schools (Denver)

11

Jalen Graham

F

5th yr Sr. (1)

6-10

220

Phoenix

Mountain Pointe HS / Arizona State

12

Tramon Mark

G

Jr. (3)

6-6

185

Dickinson, Texas

Dickinson HS / Houston

15

Makhi Mitchell

F

5th yr Sr. (1)

6-10

240

Washington, D.C.

Woodrow Wilson HS / Rhode Island

21

Cade Arbogast

G

Grad. Sr. (1)

6-3

175

Concord, Calif.

De La Salle HS / Lane (Ore.) CC

24

Jeremiah Davenport

G

Grad Sr. (1)

6-6

215

Cincinnati

Hargrave (Va.) Military Acad. / Cincinnati

45

Lawson Blake

F

Jr. (2)

6-10

240

Fayetteville

Link Year (Mo.) Prep

( ) — Numbers in parentheses represent years of eligibility remaining including this season ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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SPORTS

El Ellis

Tramon Mark

Jeremiah Davenport

Chandler Lawson

The Hogs were picked by media to finish third in the SEC. Denijay Harris

ago and contributed 10 points and three blocks in the Purdue exhibition.

Lawson’s blue-collar approach brings to mind the graduated Kamani Johnson, the ultimate hustle player whose stat line rarely mirrored the intangible contributions he provided. The portal delivered another 6-7 gradsenior, Denijay Harris from Southern Miss, who could also help fill the Kamani role, and former Washington point guard Keyon Menifield, a 6-1 spark plug who averaged 10 points and three assists for the Huskies with a 1.87 assist-to-turnover ratio while making the Pac 12 all-freshman team.

The ultimate team player, he’ll redshirt this season as a walk-on (the heir apparent behind Ellis), a move which opened up an extra scholarship for Musselman.

The Hogs’ 2023 high-school class is small but potent — a couple of freshmen blue-chippers in Baye Fall, the 6-11 McDonald’s All-American from Senegal who played prep ball in DenN OV E M B E R 2 02 3

Tramon Mark (right) is guarded by Devo Davis in the Red-White game.

ver, and Little Rock native Layden Blocker, the versatile 6-2 guard who played at Little Rock Christian through his sophomore year before transferring to Sunrise Christian in Kansas. Blocker chose his home-state Hogs over Kansas, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor and virtually every SEC program, and in the early going has flashed signs of future stardom. Fall, meanwhile, talented but raw, picked Fayetteville over the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, Auburn and Texas. As anyone who even casually followed Arkansas basketball last year could attest, shooting from distance was a problem a year ago.

Musselman believes it won’t be one again. Battle, Mark and Ellis can deliver from range, plus Brazile is back, and a bigger and stronger Pinion is expected to see more minutes. Field goal percentages from range in the exhibition games portend good things. The Hogs shot only 8-of-23 from distance against a disciplined Purdue defense but managed to shoot 50 percent from the field for the game. Conversely, the Hogs held Purdue to 8-of-27 from three and 39 percent overall for the game.

Expect another solid defensive team.

The Hogs have had a top 20 defense in

Trevon Brazile, back as Arkansas’ top all-star prospect, was a SportsCenter Top Ten regular before being injured early in the 2022-23 season.

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each of the last three seasons, according to the KenPom metrics. Davis quite simply is one of the nation’s toughest lockdown defenders on the perimeter, and he’s complemented this year by Mark, Battle and Ellis. Inside, what the Hogs lack in overall girth they make up for in length. Zach Edey, Purdue’s 7-4 Player of the Year, did some damage but the Hogs kept it manageable at 15 points and nine boards. Purdue dominated the offensive glass, however, outscoring Arkansas in second chance points 17-0. The Hogs may be vulnerable again to inside muscle, and their extreme length will have to compensate.

Assuming no injuries, this year’s squad has a chance to be elite on the defensive end. In Fayetteville these days, in any sport, staying healthy has been easier said than done. Surely, an Arkansas team is due to avoid the injury bug. Why not this one? ************ The schedule is filled with typical December “cupcake games,” those matchups that afford coaches the chance to experiment with lineups, though a few of the mid-majors visiting Fayetteville — Greensboro, Wilmington, Abilene — are overlooked at a program’s peril.

The Hogs will take part this month in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, opening with Stanford. We know they’ll play either Memphis or Michigan next, and North Carolina is on the other side of the bracket.

The Hogs were picked by media to finish third in the SEC, now as good as it’s ever been, and were ranked 14th in the preseason AP poll. Is Hawgball truly back and settled onto the big stage? Sure feels like it. Plus, 16 regular seasons game will be televised on one of the big ESPN networks or CBS. With so many primetime games scheduled for the one of the big boy networks, it would appear the TV suits are expecting a good year, anyway.

Brazile and Davis must stay healthy, of course.

Razorback sports has been cursed in that regard over the past decade and in multiple sports. Of Brazile, a SportsCenter Top Ten regular before his injury and poised for true stardom, Razorback basketball insider Curtis Wilkinson of Hawgsports.com, a reliable realist, said the hype is warranted.

One sign the Hogs may be getting closer to the program’s ultimate goal of another national championship, as voiced by Davis at SEC Media Days, comes out of left field.

The Hogs’ annual December Little Rock game will be streamed on SECN+ after years of radio broadcasts only. The reasons behind it are about as Arkansas as it gets, but the Hog high brass finally decided it was time to foot the bill on the equipment necessary to stream the annual Little Rock game.

That’s got to count for something, right?

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2023-24 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Oct. 20

6:30 p.m.

Texas-Tyler (exhibition)

Oct. 28

3 p.m.

Purdue (charity exhibition)

SECN+, ESPN+

Nov. 6

7 p.m.

Alcorn State

SECN+, ESPN+

Nov. 10

7 p.m.

Gardner-Webb

SECN+, ESPN+

Nov. 13

7 p.m.

Old Dominion

SECN+, ESPN+

Nov. 17

7 p.m.

UNC-Greensboro

SECN+, ESPN+

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS TOURNAMENT IN PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS Nov. 22

6:30 p.m.

Stanford

ESPNU

Nov. 23

TBA

Memphis/Michigan

ESPN/ESPNU

Nov. 24

TBA

TBA

TBA

Nov. 29

8:15 p.m.

Duke (SEC-ACC Challenge)

ESPN

Dec. 4

7 p.m.

Furman

SECN+, ESPN+

Dec. 9

3 p.m.

vs. Oklahoma (Cardinal & Crimson Classic in Tulsa)

ESPN2/ESPNU

Dec. 16

5 p.m.

vs. Lipscomb (North Little Rock)

SECN+, ESPN+

Dec. 21

6 p.m.

Abilene Christian

SECN

Dec. 30

6 p.m.

UNC-Wilmington

SECN

Jan. 6

TBA

Auburn

ESPN2

Jan. 10

8 p.m.

at Georgia

ESPN2/ESPNU

Jan. 13

4 p.m.

at Florida

ESPN

Jan. 16

8 p.m.

Texas A&M

SECN

Jan. 20

12 p.m.

South Carolina

SECN

Jan. 24

8 p.m.

at Ole Miss

ESPN2/ESPNU

Jan. 27

5 p.m.

Kentucky

ESPN

Jan. 31

7:30 p.m.

at Missouri

SECN

Feb. 3

11 a.m.

at LSU

ESPN/ESPN2

Feb. 10

5 p.m.

Georgia

SECN

Feb. 14

8 p.m.

Tennessee

ESPN2

Feb. 17

1 p.m.

at Mississippi State

ESPN/ESPN2

Feb. 20

6 p.m.

at Texas A&M

ESPN

Feb. 24

11 a.m.

Missouri

ESPN/ESPN2

Feb. 27

8 p.m.

Vanderbilt

SECN

March 2

12:30 p.m.

at Kentucky

CBS

March 6

6 p.m.

LSU

SECN

March 9

11 a.m.

at Alabama

ESPN

March 13-17

TBA

SEC Tournament in Nashville

TBA

SEC PLAY BEGINS

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N OVE M B E R 2023

SPORTS/CONSTRUCTION

STAYING THE COURSE Lexicon’s Heritage Links leaves footprint on professional golf

By Todd Traub

Liberty National, Jersey City, N.J. (Photos courtesy of Lexicon Inc.) N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

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R

enowned golf course builder Heritage Links can trace its history from an encounter in southeast Asia to a state-of-theart new facility in east Texas.

However, the company has roots in Arkansas.

Heritage Links is a division of Little Rock-based steel fabrication and construction management firm Lexicon. It came into being when golf course builder Jon O’Donnell, now Heritage president, was working in Singapore and joined forces with the late Tom Schueck, Lexicon’s founder, in the late 1990s.

“Nearly 25 years and 500 projects later, Heritage Links has become the premier golf course builder in the U.S., highly respected by its clients, architects and peers, and it is an integral part of the interconnected Lexicon family,” said Lexicon president and CEO Patrick Schueck, Tom’s son.

“In fact, Prospect Steel — another division of Lexicon — recently supplied the steel for some bridges Heritage Links needed for a course it was building near Nashville.”

With two championship golf courses built for the relocated PGA headquarters in Frisco, Texas, and Heritage-built Liberty National Golf Club hosting a key LPGA tournament in New Jersey this year, Heritage Links continues to showcase its skills within the industry.

“Everybody knows who we are, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to work for different architects and clients,” O’Donnell said.

Heritage operates with three basic divisions: golf course renovation and construction, irrigation, and sports field construction.

“The construction and irrigation divisions work well together because clients, architects and irrigation consultants like to work with one company,” O’Donnell said. “Heritage Links can do the golf construction or renovation and install the new irrigation system with maximum coordination and efficiency.”

(Clockwise from top) Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash.; Panther National, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla,; Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz.

The sports field work is a growing share of the Heritage Links portfolio, constructing pro soccer fields, football fields, event lawns and baseball fields.

“Heritage Links has been involved in all of these types of projects and continues to get requests for this type of work,” O’Donnell said.

Heritage has built or reworked some of the world’s best-known golf courses, including Chambers Bay in Washington state, Desert Mountain Renegade Course in Arizona, Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey, Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma and, most recently, the Omni PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East Course at the new home of the PGA in Frisco.

The Fields Ranch East Course was designed for PGA tournament play and was one of the only courses to be named host to a tournament before its construction. In late May, the 7,177-yard, par-72 course was the site of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, held before it was opened to the public.

In early June, Liberty National, designed by Bob Cupp and Tom Kite and built by Heritage Links in 2005, hosted the LPGA’s new Mizuho Americas Open, where the challenging, 6,656-yard, par-72 layout sits in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty and offers a view of the Manhattan skyline across the Hudson River.

“Each project is unique, so our approach to each project is different,” O’Donnell said. “For instance, for Florida courses, we typically have the summer to complete the work so the course is ready for winter play.

Summertime in Florida can be very wet at times, so there are challenges with weather and hurricane season.

“Some parts of Texas have a lot of rock, and these rocky conditions affect not only the price but the timeline of the project and hitting the grassing window milestones.”

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SPORTS/CONSTRUCTION GROWTH O’Donnell had already embarked on a career constructing golf courses before he joined forces with Tom Schueck to form the partnership that has birthed numerous courses around the world.

“Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work for Tom for a number of years,” O’Donnell said. “Tom was always looking for an opportunity for more growth, diversification in his businesses and in terms of expanding in different ways. When I came to him about it, golf was very busy. Golf was very hot in the U.S. Tiger Woods was winning every other tournament.”

As a 16-year-old, O’Donnell worked an after-school job at a golf course while trying to figure out his post-graduation path. His boss was a Penn State graduate and O’Donnell learned the school had a highly regarded agronomics program, so he enrolled there.

Before graduating in 1987, O’Donnell landed a choice internship at Augusta National. A big Jack Nicklaus fan, O’Donnell got to see his hero win his sixth Masters in 1986, and he even made the cover of the Augusta Herald, where he was seen in a photo raking the Augusta bunkers.

“I got to see one of the best places in the world to maintain a golf course,” said O’Donnell, whose office walls are adorned with photos of his sons meeting Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

From Penn State, O’Donnell moved to California and maintained golf courses in the Palm Springs area. Then he became a course superintendent at Indian Wells’ Vintage Club.

“I was fairly young and full of energy. Someone approached me about building a golf course, and that’s when I started building golf courses out in the Palm Springs area, and here I am 35 years later, building golf courses,” O’Donnell said.

With his own company, O’Donnell spent about 10 years building courses throughout Asia and was working on a course in Singapore when he encountered one of Tom Schueck’s sales representatives at Lexicon. O’Donnell described his work and the sales rep said, “Well, we want to do that.”

Discussions with Scheuck led to the formation of Heritage

Southern Hills, Tulsa

N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

I got to see one of the best places in the world to maintain a golf course.

Links and a partnership between O’Donnell and Scheuck in 1999.

Two years later, Heritage, which began as a limited liability company, was rolled into a division of Lexicon.

“I became an employee then,” O’Donnell said.

“Heritage Links has completed more than 500 projects and usually has around 10 working projects a year,” Patrick Schueck said.

“My dad’s hunger to expand led to what I refer to as undisciplined growth, which in typical Tom fashion, turned out to be a huge blessing.”

FROM THE GROUND UP When building a course, O’Donnell said, there are predictable things like local terrain and climate to consider. O’Donnell pointed out that Chambers Bay, which Heritage built at University Place in Tacoma, was created from a former sand pit.

While terrain and weather can be accounted for in the design and construction schedule, there are also unforeseen challenges and setbacks.

O’Donnell noted an ongoing job in Puerto Rico that requires having an evacuation plan in place in case of tropical storms.

The changing technology of the game — the alloys used in clubs that drive the ball farther, for instance — also affects the design of new courses, which all seem to be seeking more distance, O’Donnell said. High tech also continues to find its way into the science of course construction.

“Not only is the game changing, but the technology to maintain golf courses is changing too,” O’Donnell said. “The game has gotten longer, so lengthening the golf course is something everyone is looking for in their renovation. Grasses have gotten better to play from, becoming more drought tolerant, so they don’t require as much water. Irrigation systems have improved, as well, so the water distribution has gotten much better and more efficient, with almost all the areas of watering being isolated to the turf on the golf course.”

Sometimes there is a bidding process, and sometimes the building of a new course is negotiated, O’Donnell said, but at some point, the builder will submit a proposed budget.

“It’s not necessarily the lowest priced; it’s who’s got the best plan,” O’Donnell said. “We always think we’re still the best.

We hate to lose.”

Eventually, the builder puts a schedule together that takes into account everything from the length of time it takes to grow grass to variances in the local weather to the availability of heavy equipment.

“With the industry being very busy right now, sometimes we’re looking at a year out when we put together the sched154

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

ule,” O’Donnell said. “Sometimes we’re looking at a year and a half out.”

A renovation project can take on many forms, including adding new cart paths, moving tee boxes and adding or moving bunkers. Club and golf course owners are always looking to make improvements for their customers and members, which leads to long-lasting relationships between Heritage and some of its notable courses, like Liberty National.

“Almost 20 years ago, we broke ground on that golf course, and the owner continues to strive to make the course better,” O’Donnell said. “There are various events held at the course, and as mentioned, their newest tournament is the Mizuho Americas Open. We consider each other partners. They are always tinkering with the course, and we are always making the tinkering come true for them.

“Whether it is upgrading grasses, moving tee boxes or building the short game, we are always there for them. This is a true client/contractor relationship in which we are both comfortable to work together for many years, even after the course has been opened for play.”

EAST TO WEST AND BACK AGAIN Heritage can’t take credit for the PGA’s relocation from Florida to Texas; that was already in the works, but when tasked to build a showcase course, Heritage rose to the occasion.

“The PGA of America had big plans prior to their move and prior to the course being built. They came to us wanting to build something special,” O’Donnell said.

Fields Ranch features two, 18-hole championship courses designed by Gil Hanse and Beau Welling and surrounded by a resort and spa and numerous dining and shopping destinations.

The East Course was designed by the Hanse firm to be the predominant tournament course, while the West Course was designed to facilitate early rounds of future competition as well as accommodate golfers of all ages and levels. O’Donnell said this is the design and intent of several venues on the PGA Tour.

“At PGA Frisco, they have two wonderful courses, as well as a short course, a massive putting green and a practice facility that is out of his world,” O’Donnell said. “They have the infrastructure in place with PGA of America’s facilities, along with the newly opened Omni Hotel, to host some really unique and exciting events.”

People who might think of the east central Texas topography as fairly flat will be surprised at the course’s up-and-down layout.

The East Course, ranging between 5,012 yards and 7,863 yards, features rolling greens that transition to more demanding slopes.

“There was true natural elevation there to work with,” O’Donnell said.

Fields Ranch East will host 26 major events over the next 12 years.

“Heritage Links is driven by excellence in golf course construction and renovation. When tournaments are played on our courses, the world gets to see the high-caliber work that we achieve,” O’Donnell said.

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

Jon O’Donnell

Patrick Schueck

PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas

Heritage Links is a certified builder with the Golf Course Builders Association of America. With its corporate office in Houston and branch offices in Lincoln, Neb., and Temecula, Calif., Heritage has the reach and profile to support its reputation as a premier golf course builder.

“It’s an incredible honor and a point of pride to build beautiful, inspiring courses that numerous people can enjoy,” Patrick Schueck said. “If you look at our list of courses that have hosted major golf tournaments, along with the television audience that has watched these tournaments, you’ll see that Arkansas-based Lexicon Inc. has touched hundreds of millions of people around the world over the years.”

Now, with the emergence of the PGA Frisco project, Heritage can deliver something for fans in Arkansas — proximity to great golf.

“Golfers like new golf courses, and they don’t mind driving several hours to play good courses,” O’Donnell said. “We are sure many golfers from Arkansas will drive to PGA Frisco to experience this incredible golf destination built by a company with deep Arkansas roots. We are incredibly proud of this work, and we hope Arkansans will be proud to see it.”

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Respect, Reverence, Responsibility

Episcopal Collegiate School Celebrates 25 Years

A

s part of its 25th anniversary celebrations this fall, Little Rock’s Episcopal Collegiate School announced a $25 million gift from the Harriet and Warren Stephens Family Foundation. While that donation will certainly make a sizable positive impact, it has taken more than financial support to maintain the school’s successful track record over the past quarter-century — a fact that Head of School Dr. Jamie Griffin knows well.

“Episcopal schools are known nationally for academic excellence and for their holistic approach to educating students in mind, body and spirit,” Griffin said. “We emphasize both academic and personal excellence in order to better lead and serve others. This sentiment is captured in our school prayer, to ‘turn our eyes inward to focus on the spirit and outwards to see our obligations in the world.’”

In addition to being the only accredited Episcopal school in Arkansas, Episcopal Collegiate School is a fully independent non-profit organization. Since its inception in 1998, the school has changed in many ways, but its ethos of acceptance, academic excellence and spiritual formation provides the bedrock on which Episcopal has become an integral part of the wider Little Rock community.

“By adding a lower school in 2009, Episcopal Collegiate was able to provide a complete educational program and align its curriculum and programs accordingly,” Griffin said. “In 2023, we graduated students who had attended Episcopal since pre-kindergarten.”

From preschool through high school, Episcopal Collegiate’s curriculum emphasizes not only academic excellence, but participation in physical education and athletics, as well as fine and performing arts.

Religious and spiritual development are key components of the program at all levels, but the Episcopalian commitment to inclusion means that families of all faith traditions have found a place at the school.

“Episcopalians and non-Episcopalians, Christians and non-Christians and people of no faith

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tradition are all encouraged to honor those traditions more fully and to understand the role faith plays in their lives,” Griffin explained.

Episcopal’s students come from far and wide, representing 37 different zip codes throughout central Arkansas.

As a collegiate preparatory school, a major measure of success for that diverse student Episcopal Collegiate body lies in college acceptance Head of School, rates and achievements in Dr. Jamie Griffin higher education.

“Even with our very first class in 2004, our students have been extraordinarily successful,” Griffin said. “They have consistently gained acceptances to highly-selective colleges, often with large scholarships. In fact, the 933 students that have graduated from Episcopal Collegiate have earned over $100 million in merit-based financial aid, with the class of 2023 (total of 56 students) earning more than $8.8 million in merit-based aid.”

Outside of the classroom, Episcopal students are encouraged and required to engage with the local community. Social responsibility and civic engagement are vital pieces of the Episcopal Collegiate program, and all middle and upper school students are expected to complete annual service hours both on and off campus. The school also enjoys strategic partnerships with several non-profits such as Vine and Village, Our House, Rock City Rowing and Junior Deputy Baseball, in addition to adopting nearby Allsopp Park for cleanup.

As Episcopal Collegiate looks toward the next 25 years, Griffin outlined a few ways in which the school aims to deepen its traditional core curriculum.

“Our goal is to add new and relevant educational opportunities in areas like business and social entrepreneurial leadership, data science, internships in the fine and performing arts and experiential learning,” he said.

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SPORTS

SIX DAYS IN

the Valley

Pleasant Valley Country Club lands prestigious PGA senior event

By Todd Traub

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I

t will be cutting it a little close, but Pleasant Valley Country Club has made the cut.

In just under a year, the venerable classic golf course in Little Rock will play host to the Simmons Bank Championship, the semifinal round of the PGA’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The senior Schwab Cup tournament is the final event of the season in the U.S.-based PGA Tour Champions, the world’s top tour for men over 50.

At this point, no one knows which players will comprise the tournament field, but the PVCC staff and the local and state golf communities are already buzzing about the possibility of welcoming some of game’s household names, including players with Arkansas ties, when the Simmons Cup Championship tees off next Oct. 21.

“Bear in mind that these are the seniors — this is not the regular PGA players — which in some instances might even be more interesting,” said PVCC General Manager Michael Auerbach.

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The renovation of the clubhouse at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock is expected to be completed just in time for the Simmons Bank Championship.

(Photos and images provided)

“Because you’ve got guys like Freddie Couples and Bernhard Langer and our own, hopefully if he makes the cut, John Daly.”

The six-day event will include the three days of the tournament, which will set the field for the Nov. 10 final round at Phoenix Country Club in Arizona, as well as a pro-am and related events, before concluding on Oct. 27.

“This is a playoff event. This is the second round of a threeround Schwab playoff event,” Auerbach said. “We will have 54 teams, and then the next week, that drops down to 36, I believe. The following week will be the championship. We’re the semifinals.”

With a purse of $3 million, this year’s Schwab Cup Championship final round is scheduled for Nov. 9-12 at Phoenix Country Club.

The 2024 PGA Tour Champions consists of 28 events, counting the three tournaments in the Schwab Cup Championship, sending players to 19 states plus Morocco, Scotland and Canada and offering a record $67 million in total prize money. In announcing the schedule, PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady noted the Simmons Bank Championship’s unique status as the circuit’s first event held in Arkansas and Simmons Bank’s role as title sponsor for the developmental Korn Ferry Tour.

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“Bringing a tournament to their home in Little Rock shows Simmons Bank’s commitment to supporting their local community using the platform of professional golf to highlight the state of Arkansas and all that it has to offer,” Brady said.

When PVCC was announced as the site for the Simmons Bank Championship on Aug. 31, it launched a flurry of preparatory activities and drew a line under the extensive $16.8 million clubhouse renovation from Clark Contractors that was already underway.

“We did also take into consideration that we are doing a massive clubhouse renovation at this time. It’s ongoing right now,” Auerbach said. “The thought came up — we’re supposed to be done in September, and the tournament is in October. We’d just be letting our members have their club back, and then, boom, we go into this.”

However, the excitement and rampant enthusiasm for the PGA is such that the club membership at large has been more than willing to accept the inconvenience, Auerbach said.

“Excited. I mean that’s the best word I’ve used is excited,” Auerbach said. “There’s not a day that goes by that somebody doesn’t stop me and ask me how everything’s going regarding the tournament, so, it’s a very positive experience so far.”

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TO-DOS AND DON’TS PVCC did not actively seek out the PGA event for itself or voluntarily enter a bidding process. The idea to hold the Simmons Bank Championship at the club came from George Makris Jr., executive chairman of Simmons First National Corporation and Simmons Bank.

“He took the bull by the horns. He said, ‘If we do it in Little Rock, it has to be at Pleasant Valley Country Club,’” Auerbach said.

Auerbach said Makris approached PVCC to ask if the club would be interested, which led to a series of meetings and negotiations.

“And then once we decided that, yeah, that is something that would interest us greatly, then we started having meetings with Pro Links that actually runs the actual tournament and also with the PGA,” Auerbach said.

Pro Links is the sports-marketing firm that specializes in fullservice golf programs, event management, corporate hospitality and consulting. Auerbach said Makris wanted to ensure a charity element for the Simmons Bank Championship by establishing a 501(c)(3) to benefit a yet-unnamed beneficiary.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics of that,” Auerbach said. “I will say this though — that both Simmons Bank, the tour, Gov. [Sarah] Sanders, they’ve been throwing the number of $15 million in positive income to the state. I’m not going to venture how much that’s going to benefit the charities. It’s substantial though.

“The biggest thing and the reason that this tournament is taking place is for charity. That needs to be at the forefront of anything that’s talked about. We’re doing this in conjunction with Simmons Bank and Mr. Makris, who is very, very philanthropic. And he is adamant about doing things as a charitable contribution.”

Auerbach described the five-month negotiation process between PVCC, the PGA, Simmons, Pro Links and other entities that culminated in the Aug. 31 announcement.

“Probably one of the hardest things was keeping it under wraps while the negotiations were going on,” Auerbach said.

“Once we were allowed to put it out there, not just to our members but to our staff and different departments, again, everybody has been extremely excited. They think it’s a great thing to be a part of.”

PVCC holds about a dozen member-oriented tournaments a year, plus a handful of charitable tournaments, while members of the club’s golf staff have been involved in six FedEx St. Jude Classics, a Players Championship, a U.S. Open and a U.S. Senior Open. Thus, there has been no lack of confidence in the PVCC’s ability to put on an event like the Simmons Bank Championship, especially with Pro Links’ involvement.

“There’s several of my staff that have experience with similar-type tournaments,” Auerbach said. “It’s not like it’s all on us anyway. We’ll be work— Pleasant Valley Country Club General Manager ing in conjunction with Pro Links. We’ve done events.

We’ve done big events, and we know it’s just a matter of Michael Auerbach tweaking what we need to have ready for this one.”

“The biggest thing and the reason that this tournament is taking place is for charity. That needs to be at the forefront of anything that’s talked about. We’re doing this in conjunction with Simmons Bank and Mr. Makris, who is very, very philanthropic. And he is adamant about doing things as a charitable contribution.”

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Michael Auerbach, general manager at Pleasant Valley Country Club, said members are excited about the clubhouse renovations and the Simmons Bank Championship.

Part of the preparatory process involved taking stock of the PVCC course and its preparedness. The club has finished putting in new cart paths on the first 18 holes, where the Simmons Bank Championship will be played, with the paths on the third nine scheduled for replacement next year.

Other than completing the clubhouse renovation, there was not much the PGA or Pro Links felt needed to be done, Auerbach said.

“Whenever there is a tour event like this, the PGA sends out their agronomists,” Auerbach said. “We took tours with them around the golf course. We were extremely pleased that they felt there was hardly anything they would suggest doing to our golf course. For sure, no major modifications — just some smaller things we were planning to take care of in the first place.”

ON COURSE No doubt there will be some last-minute hassles and stressful moments in the runup to the Simmons Bank Championship, but the primary thing that might raise pulse rates is the race to finish the clubhouse.

While the renovation was already in the works before PVCC landed the tournament, the idea of a freshly redone clubhouse facility was no doubt helpful to getting the event.

“It didn’t [hurt] whatsoever, but on the other hand, it put a level of stress out there,” Auerbach said. “The contractors are really pushed to make this finish on time so we can utilize it 100 percent for their tournament. There’s pros and cons to that whole deal about it being under renovation.”

Auerbach stressed there was no doubt the clubhouse would be finished on schedule, as there is little choice. The multi-million dollar renovation involved basically gutting the entire interior, moving some features and creating new spaces, as well as moving the fitness center from its clubhouse location to a spot near the tennis courts.

“There will be some additional space, but not a whole lot,” Auerbach said. “The outside structure of the building was sound. It wasn’t one of those deals where we have to level it and start all over.”

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Opened in 1968 and tracing its origins to 1947 and the old Riverdale Country Club, PVCC features a Joe Finger-designed, 7,100yard, 27-hole championship course wrapped around its lakes, including holes 16, 17 and 18, the closing holes, which bring competitors back to the clubhouse and which should see significant spectator demand.

“That’s probably where most of the boxed seats will be,” Auerbach said, taking note of the clubhouse windows that open on an eye-pleasing view to the south.

“I think we have an overall very challenging golf course, but it’s been made quite apparent to us that on the Senior Tour, this is not the grind that you see on the regular PGA tour,” Auerbach said. “[When] these guys are out, they don’t want greens that are like concrete. They want to have a good time.

“I’m told there’s a lot of interaction between the players and the spectators. Obviously, they compete. They compete for the money and everything else, but they want to have a good time doing this.”

The influx of golfers, their families, support personnel and spectators will play a role in the Simmons Bank Championship’s projected economic impact, while the event itself, televised on the Golf Channel, will provide visibility for PVCC and the local and state golf scene.

“That will carry over into the future, too, because we’re going to have people that maybe don’t even live in Arkansas that go, ‘Man, I saw that course in Arkansas on TV, and I want to play it.’ It becomes a destination course, as well,” Auberbach said.

Additionally, when PVCC gets its Simmons Bank Championship closeup, there will not be many other golf events competing for national attention.

“This is the best way to put it,” Auerbach said. “Our tournament and the one following it, there is no other golf going on. Period. So, anyone who is a golf junkie or wants to watch golf will be watching this tournament. It will be on the Golf Channel. It will be worldwide. It will be tremendously prestigious for us. The whole world is going to know who Pleasant Valley is.”

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SPORTS

Girl Power!

Recognizing Arkansas’ female athletes

By AMP Staff

M

en have always received top billing when it comes to sports, and that may be because men’s sports draw the most attendees and the most TV viewers. Over the past decade, however, more women’s sports have found their way to the spotlight. In Arkansas, the Razorback soccer, softball and gymnastics teams annually compete for SEC and national championships while drawing record crowds.

Arkansas Money & Politics wants to recognize female athletes in the state and important figures who are involved in promoting women’s sports. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list, but it represents 21 of the most prominent female athletes, coaches, sports journalists and advocates from Arkansas or with Arkansas ties.

Let us know who we missed, and we look forward to shining a spotlight on more of these elite athletes in the future.

Taliyah Brooks

Kayle Browning

Courtney Deifel

Taliyah Brooks was the 2018 NCAA track pentathlon champion for Arkansas and a stalwart on a string of teams that cemented Arkansas as the top women’s track program in the country. Based in Fayetteville, she currently competes on the pro tour and participated in the world championships this past summer.

Brooks also serves as a contributor to Hogs+ and helps emcee announcements and promotions on football game days inside Razorback Stadium.

A graduate of Greenbrier High and UCA, Kayle Browning is a world-class sport shooter. She won a silver medal for the U.S. in trap shooting at the 2020 Olympics and a gold medal in trap team at the 2019 World Championships after medaling the year before. She also has won gold medals at the Championships of the Americas and twice medaled at the Pan American Games. Browning currently holds a world record in mixed trap shooting.

Courtney Deifel is entering her ninth year as head softball coach at Arkansas.

During her tenure, she has rebuilt the program into an SEC title contender.

Under her guidance, the Razorbacks have won two SEC regular season championships, one SEC tourney title and have made the NCAA tournament for six consecutive seasons including three super regional appearances. A former collegiate (Cal) and pro player, Deifel was the head coach at Maryland before coming to Arkansas.

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Rosey Effiong

Maria Fassi

Hannah Gammill

Arkansas Razorback Rosey Effiong ran the second leg of the mixed 4x400 meter relay for the United States at the World Athletics Championships in August, helping set a new world record of 3 minutes, 8.80 seconds. Earlier this year, the Dallas native was part of the Arkansas 4x400 meter relay squad that won the NCAA Indoor title with a time of 3:21.57, setting a new outdoor collegiate record.

She finished third in the final of the 400 meters at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Maria Fassi, a native of Pachuca, Mexico, is a member of the LPGA Tour. She played collegiately at Arkansas and was the 2019 NCAA individual golf champion. Also as a Razorback, she was named WGCA first-team All-American, SEC Golfer of the Year, was a two-time winner of the prestigious ANNIKA Award and received the Honda Sports Award.

She had five amateur tournament wins before joining the tour in 2019. As a pro, Fassi won the 2020 Cooper Communities NWA Charity Classic.

Beebe’s Hannah Gammill is an all-star utility player for the Razorback softball team. An incoming senior, she was twice named All-American by Softball America. She has been named to the All-SEC team, the SEC all-defensive team and NFCA’s All-America first team. In her breakout season of 2022, during which she started all 59 games at third base, she hit .374, had a slugging percentage of .781 and an on-base percentage of .513. She compiled a .964 fielding percentage.

Jill Gillen

Carolina Gomez Alonso

Stacy Lewis

Jill Gillen, a 5-7 graduate-senior outside hitter for the Arkansas volleyball team, is one of the most decorated players in program history. She currently is leading the top 10 Hogs to one of their most successful seasons. An ambassador for the ONEArkansas NIL collective, Gillen holds the school record for kills and aces. Last season, her match-clinching kill against Utah State earned the program’s first NCAA tournament win in 17 years.

Carolina Gomez Alonso is the top returning player on the Arkansas Razorback women’s tennis team. The sophomore, a native of Madrid was the ITA Central Region champion, made the round of 16 at the ITA Fall National Championships in 2022 and qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships.

Named the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year, to the SEC all-freshman team and to the All-SEC second team, Gomez Alonso aspires to become a pro after college.

Former Razorback golfing legend Stacy Lewis is a member of the LPGA Tour and has two major championships under her belt — the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women’s British Open in 2013. Lewis also won the Women’s Western Amateur in 2006.

She was ranked No. 1 in the world for four weeks in 2013 and for 21 weeks in 2014. Playing for Arkansas, she was the 2007 NCAA individual golf champion, a four-time All-American and a two-time winner of the SEC tournament.

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SPORTS Gaby López

Katie Lund

Kristi Mann

Gaby López is another LPGA Tour member from Mexico (Mexico City) who was an All-American golfer for Arkansas. She was the 2005 NCAA individual runner-up. She won three events as a Razorback and has won three titles on the LPGA Tour (2018 Blue Bay, 2020 Diamond Resorts and 2022 Dana Open) and finished in the top 10 on two other occasions. She represented her home country in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic games.

Katie Lund is a former goalie for the Arkansas Razorbacks women’s soccer team who currently is an all-star player for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League. Lund had a breakout season in 2022, setting the NWSL record for saves in a single season and being named to the NWSL Best XI for September/October. In her lone season at Arkansas in 2019, the TCU transfer secured 11 shutouts, which ranked ninth nationally, and allowed only 11 goals in 23 matches.

Kristi Mann is the Arkansas state chair for USA Wrestling, the only woman in the country to lead a state chapter for the organization. She has had the role for close to 20 years and is one of a handful of individuals responsible for the rise of club, high school and collegiate wrestling in the state. Mann herself was a decorated gymnast in high school before participating in cheerleading at the University of Arkansas. She also volunteers with the Little Rock Touchdown Club and Broyles Award.

Taylor McGregor

Sandi Morris

Danyelle Sargent Musselman

Taylor McGregor, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, is a sideline reporter for college football and the XFL on ESPN. She is also a host for the Marquee Network in Chicago and the lead reporter on the network’s coverage of the Chicago Cubs. She previously interned for the SEC Network, RazorVision, MLB Network, Fox Sports Kansas City, ROOT Sports and KNWA. Before landing at ESPN and Marquee, McGregor’s stops included AT&T SportsNet in Denver and THV 11 in Little Rock.

Sandi Morris is a former All-American Razorback pole vaulter, an Olympic medalist and one of the world’s top professional track and field athletes. While at Arkansas, she won two SEC outdoor titles and one indoor title (setting an NCAA record). She was a silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics and competes on the pro circuit, where she has won two world indoor pro championships and eight USATF indoor titles. She holds the world record for women’s outdoor pole vault (16 feet, 5 inches).

As the wife of Eric Musselman, Danyelle Sargent Musselman serves as the First Lady of Arkansas Razorbacks basketball. Serving as an advocate and face of the program, she can be seen sitting behind the team bench at home games and in the stands for many away games.

Musselman also is active with local charitable organizations. She is a former national broadcaster, sideline reporter and anchor for Fox Sports, ESPN and the NFL Network.

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Saylor Poffenbarger

Tera Talmadge

Isabel Van Camp

A 6-2 redshirt sophomore guard on the Razorback women’s basketball team, Saylor Poffenbarger is looking to improve on an SEC All-Freshman team season in which she averaged nine points, seven rebounds and two-and-ahalf assists a game. The Maryland native, who signed originally with UConn out of high school, set single-season Arkansas program records in defensive rebounds (225), games played (37) and games started (37). She was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week five times.

Houston native Tera Talmadge was introduced to Arkansas sports when she accepted a job as a sports reporter/ anchor for KNWA and FOX 24 (the NBC and FOX affiliates) in northwest Arkansas. She was a member of the stations’ Pig Trail Nation team. Now, still based in northwest Arkansas, she is a popular college-football sideline reporter for ESPN and the SEC Network. She also serves as a contributor to the Hogs+ streaming service as a reporter, producer and podcaster.

Isabel Van Camp is an NCAA champion distance runner for the Razorback women’s track and cross-country programs.

She has been named an All-American in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. She was a member of the collegiate-record 4x1500 meter relay team, a 2022 NCAA indoor champion in the distance medley relay and she also won bronze medals at the ’22 SEC outdoor 10,000-meter run, the ’22 SEC indoor 3,000 meters and the ’21 SEC indoor distance medley relay.

Jordyn Wieber

Britton Wilson

Tara Davis Woodhall

Arkansas gymnastics coach Jordyn Wieber was a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team, dubbed the Fierce Five, at the 2012 Olympics. She also was a member of the gold-medal American team at the 2011 World Championships, where she won the individual all-around title and took home bronze on the balance beam.

Since her arrival in 2019, the UA team has set program and attendance records and made the NCAA Regionals every year.

In her first season for the Arkansas women’s track team, sophomore Britton Wilson was a part of 10 school records including a collegiate record in the 4x400 indoor relays, was named SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year and was a relay gold medalist for the U.S. team at the World Championships. At this spring’s SEC outdoor meet, Wilson posted UA records in the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles, events held just an hour apart, to become the first women to win both events in the history of the SEC.

World-renowned track-and-field athlete Tara Davis Woodhall trains in Fayetteville, where she lives with her husband, former Razorback track athlete and Paralympian Hunter Woodall. The two operate a YouTube channel together. As a freshman at Georgia, she set a world under-20 record in the 60-meter hurdles.

After transferring to Texas, Woodall set a collegiate record in the long jump. She participated in the 2020 Olympics and is expected to make the 2024 U.S. team.

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DIGS OF THE DEAL

FROM EMBERS, A

FIRE

Reborn Palace Theatre helping to revitalize downtown Benton

By John Callahan

T

he Palace Theatre in Benton has changed hands many times and played many roles since its construction more than a century ago in 1919. Brought low by years of abandonment and nearly destroyed in the late 2010s, the building has since reached new heights as the beating heart of Benton’s reinvigorated downtown.

The Palace was constructed at about the same time as two other silent movie theaters, the Independent Motion Pictures Theatre and the Victory Theater. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the Palace opened on March 5, 1920, with the silent film, In Walked Mary. A newspaper ad from the time called the film a “charming picture of Dixie” and mentioned the admission cost of “25 cents and 55 cents, including war tax.” A two-story brick building, the theater had 1,000 seats, a large marquee that extended out over the sidewalk and an intricately decorated stage. It was reportedly sold out on opening night.

The Palace’s time as a theater was not to be long lived, however.

Two months after the Palace opened, the neighboring IMP caught fire. The local fire department concluded that the fire had been set intentionally, and rumors abounded at the time that the culprit was none other than C.H. Womack, the owner of the Palace, trying to take out the competition, though this was never proven.

In June 1920, just three months after the Palace opened, Womack sold it to a company in Oklahoma, which then leased the building to Alice Wooten, the owner of the IMP and Womack’s rival. She intended to hold live theater shows at the Palace when N OV E M B E R 2 02 3

the IMP showed movies and vice versa but had no more luck than the building’s original owner. Both theaters were temporarily closed due to financial troubles in 1921, and the Palace changed hands several more times over the course of the decade.

Though all three of Benton’s original theater buildings are still in use, only the IMP, which has since been renamed the Royal Theatre, is still used more or less for its original purpose and is the home of the Royal Players theater troupe. The Victory Theater, meanwhile, is now a barbershop.

The Palace was purchased by the city and designated as a municipal auditorium in 1929, but during the Great Depression, the building once again fell upon hard times and was abandoned.

In 1944, it was converted into the Play Palace, a youth recreation center with pingpong and pool tables, a snack bar, a large court for basketball or volleyball, shuffleboard, and a dance floor. This lasted longer than the Palace’s previous incarnations, until 1953, when the Play Palace closed due to lack of interest.

Six years later, the building reopened as the Panther Den, another teen hangout spot. The city later installed a new archway entrance, bricked up the building’s windows and covered it with a vinyl slipcover facade. In 1967, the Palace changed hands once again, this time to the Saline County Library. The Palace served as Benton’s public library until 2003, by far the structure’s longest continual occupancy.

When the library moved into two newly created facilities, the Palace fell into its longest period of neglect. It was occasionally used by the Royal Players as a storage space or by the city government to hold food drives, and in 2005 the vinyl slipcover was removed to reveal the building’s historic facade, but by this time the structure was aged and in serious need of repair.

The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, now known as Preserve Arkansas, listed the Palace as one of Arkansas’s most endangered places in 2012. The entry noted that “a leaking roof has caused damage to the interior and has recently caused the city of Benton to consider demolishing the Palace,” and the building was ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places because it had already undergone too many renovations. This made the prospect of obtaining sufficient grants to restore the building unlikely, though eventually it was added to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places in 2014.

The Benton City Council declared the building a safety hazard in 2015, stating that the town would need $200,000 in the next 90 days to renovate the building, or the building would be torn down. This prompted local citizens to form a group called Friends of the Palace Theatre to advocate for the protection of the building, with the idea of turning it into a museum of the city’s history. The group managed to prevent its demolition, but the museum never came to be, and the building’s condition continued to deteriorate.

It was in this state that builder, developer and farmer Shawn Hipskind found the Palace Theatre.

“I grew up in construction my entire life,” Hipskind said. “I bought my first house when I was 18 years old, and it was just a real piece of trash. The Realtor kept showing me around and asking me if any of these houses were good enough, and I said, 166

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‘These houses all have their windows and doors, I need something that’s all busted out.’ She told me, ‘I’ve got one, but you’re not going to want it,’ and I said, ‘That’s what I need to be looking at: the things you think I don’t want.’ We went there and half of it had fallen in, and that was the house I bought.”

He tore down the fallen half of the house, built a new section, and sold the house for a profit, kickstarting his business and gaining experience that would prove valuable in restoring the Palace.

“Five or six years ago, my wife and I were interested in moving to Bentonville,” Hipskind said. “We liked the downtown square and everything it had going for it — the restaurants, the businesses — so we looked into purchasing an old property, but even an old junk house that needed to be fixed up was $350,000, and I bought an entire block of houses for about the same price in downtown Benton.

“We looked at the bones of Bentonville, and, really, downtown Benton has it. We have that downtown courthouse square; we just had to get businesses to move down there because when I bought that block of houses, it was just desolate. There was nothing. You’d come to downtown Benton on a Friday night, and there would be no cars here. Now you come down on a Tuesday, and you can’t find a parking spot, so it didn’t take much. There was brush there; you just had to add some embers and get a fire going.”

He tore down the block of homes that he had purchased and built 13 new ones, then began looking for a nearby commercial space. After talking with the mayor, the city decided to sell Hipskind the Palace Theatre on the cheap rather than take on the much greater expense of having it torn down. He bought the building for just $20,000. It was originally constructed in 1919 for $60,000, more than $1 million today, accounting for inflation. Of course, there was quite a bit of investment needed to turn the palace into what it is today. “[The renovation] took about a year,” Hipskind said. “I did most of it with me and my one worker. We tore everything out. When I purchased the building, it had a 10-to-12-foot hole in the roof that had been getting rained in for three years. It was horrible, moldy, and it stank. I would go home smelling terrible at the end of the day for months.

“I was scared that the building was never going to lose that stench, and I was thinking, ‘What am I going to do? I’m trying to put restaurants in here,’ but then I broke open the windows, which had been bricked up, and two days later, the entire stench was gone out of the building.”

The Palace was fully renovated, with new plumbing, heating and air, a sprinkler system, and a new roof with a skylight — everything needed to bring the building up to code and more besides. Unfortunately, Hipskind’s timing was less than ideal, and the building opened just a week after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown began, meaning he was unable to receive PPP loans. The Palace was home to a new restaurant that Hipskind ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

The Palace Theater, circa 1930

and a friend had started, a pizza joint complete with ax throwing called Valhalla. Yet for the first few months, the restaurant was take-out only. Hipskind was forced to take money out of his savings to pay his employees and keep the doors open. Nevertheless, he made it through.

The Palace is now home to Baja Grill, which began as a food truck but has seen massive success and expanded to brick-and-mortar restaurants in Benton and Little Rock. Hipskind and his business partner sold Valhalla to the owners of Baja Grill, Heather Baber-Roe and Craig Roe, who kept the ax-throwing lanes but transitioned the restaurant to a new concept, Revival Restaurant + Beer Garden. Next door to the Palace, the pair also opened a higher-end restaurant called RŌBER Cocktails + Culinary.

The revitalization of downtown Benton was by no means an individual effort. Without the passionate response of citizens seeking to preserve the Palace, there would have been nothing for Hipskind to renovate, and numerous other restaurants and attractions, such as Rock N Roll Sushi, Loblolly Creamery and Italy in Town have come to the area before and after the Palace reopened. Together, these businesses promise a new heyday, with the Palace Theatre set to be a shining jewel in the crown of downtown Benton for many years to come.

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N OVE M B E R 2023

THE LAST WORD

OF DROPPED CALLS AND HONKING GEESE

By Kenneth Heard

A typical cell phone conversation in our home: Me: Hello.

The other person on the call: Blxtr … rrbppt… melepxxt.

Me: I have a bad cell. Let me call you back.

By then, however, the cell signal has already dropped and the recipient of the call does not hear my plan. When I try to call back, I get a message on my phone’s screen that cell service is not available; if the other person tries to call me, it either goes directly to voicemail or he or she just hears a blank void, the chasm of really bad cell service.

It is a common occurrence at our home in Jonesboro, east of the Arkansas State University campus and smack dab between the city’s airport and the Northeast Arkansas Baptist Memorial Hospital.

The same thing happens with internet connections on my wife’s phone and mine. We do not have internet hookup at home and instead rely on the phones’ mobile data to bring us news, sports and whatever memes are trending on Facebook and the platform formerly known as Twitter.

While the rest of the world thrives in the 21st century, we live about 200 years in the past when it comes to high-tech communications. I could understand this better if we lived in some rural Ozark town where the signal is blocked by mountains and the only cell tower is down yonder, but this is Jonesboro, a city of 80,000 or so.

I thought the problem might lie with the phone carrier itself.

I do not want to name names other than to say there are times when I would like to, um, boost the phone out of the window.

I checked with those living around our neighborhood about their phone connections. A woman who lives near us said her mother has to go outside to make calls. A bail bondsman nearby also has trouble making calls. Both have different carriers than we do.

There are days I have to stand outside in a certain spot in the backyard where the internet seems to work and I can check sports scores. When my wife visited her aunt in Chicago and we checked in by phone each evening during her absence, I had to drive to the hospital’s parking lot to ensure the calls would go through.

Once, when doing an interview for a story in Arkansas Money & Politics, I sat in the fair-reception area of my backyard. My questions were interrupted by a flock of honking Canada geese flying over-

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head. I am sure it sounded very professional.

Lately, we have discovered that, at times, we can get a decent signal in the garage.

The good news is that I do not have to drive off to make calls anymore. The bad news is that the garage is not air conditioned and this summer, when temperature hit the 90s and above, it was like making calls in some Turkish bathhouse while an overaggressive attendant constantly poured water on the steaming rocks.

There are many theories on why the phone does not fare well at home. When the service increased to 5G, it seemed the problems intensified. Maybe the nearby airport was blocking the phone signals because they interfered with airport communications.

Maybe the same thing was going on at the hospital, especially in the midst of the COVID epidemic when telemedicine grew and medical care was done more by phone.

Maybe it was a lack of the right cell towers. Who knows?

A study of cell phone providers shows that nearly 99 percent of Arkansas is covered by one carrier or another. I guess my home makes up part of that 1 percent.

I called the city’s communications director and asked him if he had any ideas. He said the city has “no radio zones,” areas where cell signals cannot work for whatever reason. It is not as intense as the famous “quiet zone” in West Virginia, where all phone and internet services are nonexistent due to a large scientific observation facility, but there are void spots in Jonesboro, he said.

All I know is we would get better phone reception if we used a string and two tin cans.

We thought about buying a signal booster to mount on the roof. The phone carrier suggested it during a recent call to them for help. At least, I think that is what they said. The call dropped during the conversation.

With my luck, I would fall off the roof and break a leg while trying to install the booster. My wife would try to call the ambulance but not be able to get through. I would end up having to hop to the hospital for treatment.

We may end up trying the phone booster. We may change phone carriers. I may get a long string and more tin cans for better reception. At least fall is approaching, and it will be cooler in the garage, where I can make calls that are not interrupted by honking geese.

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DESIGN AWARDS | 2023 A SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS MONEY & POLITICS • NOVEMBER 2023

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3 7 DESIGN AWARD CHAIR

17 TABLE OF CONTENTS | 2023 AIA AWARDS 1 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 2 HONOR AWARDS 4 MERIT AWARDS 8 CITATION AWARDS 10 2022 MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARD ON THE COVER

15 AWARD RECIPIENTS 17 REMAINING PROJECTS 21 JUDGES

TOM FENNELL, AIA Tom is a founding partner of Fennell Purifoy Architects formed in 1985 in Little Rock. With a liberal arts degree from Sewanee in Philosophy and Fine Arts, Fennell turned his occupation as a draftsman into a vocation as one of the last architects in Arkansas licensed by examination. The focus of Fennell Purifoy has always been building community through architecture with a diverse portfolio of libraries, schools, churches, affordable housing, and historic preservation projects. Among the projects the firm has designed are the Veteran’s Cemetery at Birdeye, the Dee Brown Library, The Ozark Highlands Nature Center, Petit Jean State Park Visitor’s Center, Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center, and many single family homes throughout Arkansas.

His experience working for Robinson and Wassell and Polk Stanley gave him a commitment to train and mentor young architects to have a positive impact on their clients and community. The emphasis on programming and context as well as rigorous design and detail work serves as a guiding principal for producing effective professionals.

Tom and his wife Ellen live in the Governor’s Mansion District in the Orange King Judd House designed

by Max Mayer. Together they created Forgotten Little Rock as a way to bring important but forgotten architecture and neighborhoods to the public’s attention.

Fennell is currently a Little Rock Historic District Commissioner and serves on the board of Tree Streets.

2023 | FROM THE PRESIDENT

This year 30 entries were submitted to an independent panel of judges from Birmingham, AL. The individual jury members were selected for their diverse design backgrounds and sensibilities. The judges were Joel Blackstock AIA of Williams Blackstock Architects, Nolanda Hatcher AIA of Studio 2H Design and Cheryl Morgan FAIA, Emerita Professor of Architecture of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture of Auburn University. Of the 30 entries, 3 were selected as finalists, while 8 were selected as Award winners. The submissions can be found throughout this publication. We thank all our entrants for their work and look forward to seeing next year’s submissions.

H. CRAIG BOONE, AIA PRESIDENT, AIA ARKANSAS

In addition to the jury selected recipients, our Chapter honors two other recipients through the Members’ Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award is an award that allows the public to view all entries and choose their favorite project. Both awards are chosen by popular vote.

The cover of this year’s publication highlights the 2022 Member’s Choice Award winner, Pine Bluff Main Library in Pine Bluff, designed

by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects. This project was selected for this honor by AIA Arkansas attendees during the 2022 state convention.

This Year’s Chapter Awards are as follows: The Fay Jones Gold Medal Award is the highest award AIA Arkansas can bestow on one of our members. The Fay Jones Gold Medal recognizes an individual architect who has demonstrated touchstones of excellence through artistic vision and design, leadership and service to the state of Arkansas and the AIA Arkansas Chapter. Excellence is measured not only by the mark of architectural and individual achievement, but through the esteem and regard held for the architect by professional practitioners and the community as a whole. This year’s recipient, posthumously awarded, Michael Lejong, AIA. Michael served as a role model for others, demonstrating a high level of professionalism, leadership and mentorship. Michael leaves a legacy, not just through his design, but his ability to inspire the future of architectural practice through purpose, vision and passion for design.

Introduced in 2022, the Michael Lejong Leadership Award was established to recognize a member of AIA Arkansas who illustrates outstanding efforts to contribute to the success of AIA Arkansas through their leadership and mentoring. This year’s recipient is Jonathan Opitz, AIA. Jonathan has served on the AIA board, actively participating in numerous committees over the years, actively showing his commitment, passion, and dedication to advancing the architectural profession in our state. His efforts have helped shape the vision and direction of AIA Arkansas, contributing to the organization’s growth and success.

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 Nathaniel Deason, AIA. Nate is an ardent volunteer and advocate for the architectural profession in his community, and the state of Arkansas. Having served the Arkansas AIA in a wide variety of roles, Nate firmly believes in the betterment of the profession, and the use of architecture and design as a powerful tool in the transformation of our locales.

The Dick Savage Memorial Award is AIA Arkansas’s recognition of a member who has made notable significant contributions to the chapter and the profession. This year’s award goes to Patricia Opitz, AIA. Patty has represented AIA Arkansas at all levels of leadership and served the organization on many committees. Patty exemplifies that servant leadership that is at the heart of the Dick Savage Award.

Her contributions have been notable and significant to our Chapter in ways that leave indelible marks that inspire and motivate future generations of leaders of our organization.

AIA Arkansas’ Diversity Award recognizes an individual, public agency, organization or company for exemplary commitment and contributions to inclusiveness within the architectural profession and education in the state of Arkansas. This year’s recipient is Alison Turner, AIA, UA Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design. In addition to teaching and practice, Turner leads community outreach programs through the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design summer design camp as the Director of Community Education, to teach young students about design and the profession of architecture. Her commitment to providing equitable access to education and design exposure to the youth of the Arkansas community and beyond, for her outreach and advocacy for underserved communities and for organizing and directing the camp to give each attendee a fair and equitable opportunity for success.

We hope you enjoy this publication and its celebration of architecture in Arkansas.

Congratulations to all our winners!

1 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

It is an honor as the 2023 President of AIA Arkansas to present to you this year’s AIA Arkansas Design Awards Publication, highlighting our Chapter’s achievements through our Design Awards Program and our Chapter Awards. These individuals and projects represent the accomplishments of our state’s architects, consultants, contractors, building owners and clients.

HONOR AWARD | ARTS ON MAIN

2 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER ARCHITECTURAL IMAGEWORKS, LLC

FIRM: MAHG ARCHITECTURE, INC. CONTRACTOR: BESHEARS CONSTRUCTION, INC. LOCATION: VAN BUREN, AR OWNER/CLIENT: ARTS ON MAIN PROJECT TEAM: GALEN HUNTER, AIA TIMOTHY VARNER, AIA TRAVIS BARTLETT, AIA BEKAH ESTUS ALLIED, ASID, ASSOC. AIA CONSULTANTS: HAWKINS-WEIR ENGINEERS, INC., MYERS ENGINEERING, PLLC, HSA CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES, INC., WALLACE DESIGN COLLECTIVE

The relocation of the Center for Art and Education to downtown Van Buren is designed to showcase the arts while contributing to the revitalization of historic Main Street. The organization, which provides art education classes to both school children and adults, had been limited by their lack of space to teach classes and display the work of local and regional artists.

The purchase of the circa 1893 Farmers House Hotel and adjacent circa 1900 Post Office Building #3 offered significant challenges as the buildings had fallen victim to failed roofs, water damage, and fire. The original buildings had been modified with additions and renovations before being abandoned for many years.

Because the buildings are located within the Main Street Historic District the renovations were subject to historic preservation program requirements. The owner also wished to utilize Historic Preservation Tax Credits to help pay for the renovations. The design response melded the program requirements for art education and gallery space with the requirements for restoring the buildings to their original historic appearance.

The removal of a 1960’s era metal sidewalk canopy allowed the storefront of both buildings to be restored to their original design. This opened the gallery spaces located on the first floor to Main Street creating an enticement for pedestrians to enter the building and explore the gallery exhibits.

Teaching studios are located on the second floor and in the newly constructed Pottery Building located behind the historic structures. A Culinary Arts Studio is located at the rear of the first floor.

This allows the Galleries to be secured after business hours while allowing access to the teaching spaces for night classes via a secondary entry at the rear of the historic structures.

Upon the move to the new facility located on Main Street, The Center for Art and Education was renamed Arts On Main.

HONOR AWARD | THADEN SCHOOL WHEELS BUILDING

3 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: MILESTONE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: THADEN SCHOOL PROJECT TEAM: MARLON BLACKWELL, FAIA MERYATI BLACKWELL, AIA, ASID JOSH MATTHEWS, AIA SPENCER CURTIS, AIA BRADFORD PAYNE STEPHEN REYENGA, ASSOC. AIA CONSULTANTS: ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP CMTA CONSULTING ENGINEERS ANDROPOGON, ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP TM LIGHT AQUEOUS

“A private school with a public purpose,” Thaden School is a new independent middle and high school in Bentonville, Arkansas. The school’s unique curriculum combines academic excellence with learning by doing and features three signature programs: Wheels (where the fields of physics and mechanics come alive through the construction and use of bicycles and other wheeled machines), Meals (where biology, chemistry, and community come alive through the growing and preparation of food), and Reels (where narrative and visual communication come alive through the production of film and video).

Through its partnerships with nearby community organizations in the visual and culinary arts, bicycling, and community service, the school will provide students with opportunities to learn both on and off campus. The school’s “whole student/whole body” pedagogy will feature learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors.

The campus plan unifies two separate plots by creating a “shared street” on which automobiles, pedestrians, and cyclists can coexist. On either side, campus buildings use a strategy familiar in Arkansas, with long narrow buildings oriented to control the exposure to the intense southern sun and to allow natural ventilation at the eave. These long forms are strategically bent to prevent long internal corridors and to frame gathering spaces outside. The campus itself is a teaching tool as a productive landscape for agriculture and a restorative landscape that addresses flooding and restores native ecosystems.

Home to the signature Wheels program, the Wheels Building creates a public presence for the school by linking the Campus to the Bentonville Square. Situated west of the Student Commons and south of the Performance building, the building opens to the east to create a sense of entrance and arrival. A canopy along Main Street acts as a billboard for the Campus and creates an outdoor workspace for the Wheels lab. Similar to the Arts & Administration Building, the Wheels building roof is a performative response as much as it is a figural expression.

The linear plan of the Wheels building allows for a simple distribution of program along its spine, while signature programs anchor the east and west ends. Covered areas extend student workspaces out of the building, connecting with the outdoors and displaying activity to the Campus and the community. The maker space is located on the student commons where the students and their work are always on display.

A large central corridor widens to accommodate student collaboration and study spaces lit from above with a consistent level of daylighting throughout the year.

MERIT AWARD | ENGLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

4 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO CONTRACTOR: KINCO CONSTRUCTORS LOCATION: ENGLAND, AR OWNER/CLIENT: ENGLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT PROJECT TEAM: CHRIS BARIBEAU, AIA JOSH SIEBERT, ASSOC. AIA MATT POE, AIA JULIE CHAMBERS, AIA LAURA RAMIREZ, ASSOC. AIA DYLAN SYLVESTER, ASSOC. AIA ELISHA TALDO CANTRELL CONSULTANTS: ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP TATUM-SMITH-WELCHER ENGINEERS CORE STATES GROUP

England Elementary School, nestled in the small farming community of England, Arkansas, a town boasting a population of 2,445 residents, is a design intended for student inspiration that seamlessly integrates its surroundings and addresses the needs of the community. This new elementary school facility embodies the essence of its location, represents the spirit of an agricultural-based community, and overcomes various challenges, thereby setting new benchmarks in educational infrastructure. With a focus on sustainability, functionality, and student encouragement, England Elementary School emerges as a testament to the symbiotic relationship between educational architecture and contextual environments. It not only fulfills its educational purpose but also serves as a focal point of the community.

Situated on a 5.9-acre site in this serene bedroom community, the design capitalizes on the unique juxtaposition of a skewed city grid and the rigid agricultural farmland grid, integrating the school’s layout harmoniously within this dynamic framework. The design also offers a creative solution to the perennial issue of flooding on the campus. The innovative landscape approach incorporates sustainable water management techniques, such as strategically positioned bioswales, cypress groves, and irrigation canal-inspired meandering flood control channels, effectively mitigating the impact of heavy rainfall and reducing runoff. The design embraces the concept of a sustainable ecosystem, promoting the conservation of natural resources while nurturing the educational development of young minds. Drawing inspiration from the region’s prominent geographical features, the site is influenced by oxbow lakes and embraces fluidity and organic forms within the flood-control-focused design. By replacing an outdated elementary building, the school takes advantage of the opportunity to start fresh in these other, often forgotten, aspects of campus design. The educational experience for the students is still enhanced while other everyday problems faced by schools, such as the logistical challenge of a lengthy drop-off and pick-up line, are thoughtfully rectified.

The interior architectural design of England Elementary School embodies a harmonious blend of local aesthetics, dynamic lighting, and invigorating spatial configurations, resulting in an inspiring environment that fosters student engagement and community interaction. Throughout the building, design elements incorporating local cypress lend a sense of warmth and authenticity to the spaces. At the entrance, the use of cypress creates an inviting ambiance, symbolizing a connection to nature and embracing the architectural heritage of the region. Moreover, the architect’s fabrication shop has contributed exquisite art pieces that intricately weave together the contextual story of the project. These artistic creations, inspired by cypress groves in the region, evoke a sense of pride and ownership among the students, faculty, and the wider community.

Dynamic lighting plays a pivotal role in enhancing the overall learning environment of the school. The interplay of light not only creates a visually stimulating environment but also supports the students’ focus and well-being, promoting a conducive atmosphere for learning. Energizing geometries of the spaces encourage creativity and exploration, with thoughtfully designed areas of unique angles and forms that transcend traditional classroom layouts.

One of the most notable features of the school’s design is the purposeful engagement between the first and second floors that not only creates a visually captivating spatial dynamic but also promotes student interactions. The open and interconnected layout encourages students from different grade levels to interact and learn from one another, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collaboration. The overlapping design also provides unique vantage points, allowing students to observe activities and events on different levels, further inspiring their curiosity and engagement.

MERIT AWARD | PINE BLUFF MAIN LIBRARY

5 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS ADDITIONAL FIRM: REED ARCHITECTURAL FIRM CONTRACTOR: EAST HARDING CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: PINE BLUFF, AR OWNER/CLIENT: PINE BLUFF / JEFFERSON COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM PROJECT TEAM: REESE ROWLAND, FAIA LAURA STANLEY, AIA ALEXANDRA WARD, ASID DAVID ROGERS, AIA JOE STANLEY CONSULTANTS: ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, INC. PETTIT & PETTIT CONSULTING ENGINEERS MCCLELLAND CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, INC

Pine Bluff, Arkansas was once a jewel of the Mississippi Delta, positioned where southern pines meet vast farmlands along the Arkansas River. Like many delta cities, Pine Bluff was in a steady decline as industries relocated and river traffic waned. The city that once boasted 70,000 people fell to 40,000 in population, gaining a negative national reputation for crime, hurting its ability to draw industry and retain homegrown talent. A once thriving Main Street that boasted the State’s largest theater and a delta destination, now stood lined with empty dilapidated storefronts…downtown felt abandoned. When several buildings collapsed onto Main Street and others on the verge of collapse, city leaders and citizens bonded together to save Main Street and create economic incentives through a series of tax initiatives; the citizens wanted to reverse the course of their city. One initiative was to set knowledge to the forefront with a new Main Library positioned on a prominent Main Street corner where buildings had burned/collapsed as a symbol of rebirth for not only downtown, but Pine Bluff as a whole.

Public meetings revealed the desire to create a “living room for the community” that focuses heavily on children and youth to give hope, encouragement, and the desire for knowledge to spark the desire to stay, reinvest, and rebuild their city. Citizens also wanted a place that was uplifting, inspirational, and full of natural light, while feeling safe and secure. They wanted a place that pointed to a future that “lifted expectations.” What emerged was a community-embedded supportive learning center, offering not only books, but also a performance space, a teaching kitchen, recording studios, café (coming soon) and computer training for adults and youth.

A building program that equally divided books with more dedicated education/specialized spaces generated a diagram of two distinct parallel forms, shifted to open views and accept light, and articulated by function and the site’s odd shape. Public stacks are in storefronts along Main Street with the children’s library framed above: knowledge is on display. A dynamic cantilevered open auditorium floats completely free above the main entrance, lifting to the north as a bold progressive language of hope. Auditorium steps connect the children’s library up to a Teen Loft that overlooks the entire library and downtown, a dynamic space symbolizing the importance of young people to the city. Surprisingly, the open steps have drawn the local university’s students as well, choosing to study and hang out at the public library over their own campus.

The library has two primary entrances connecting Main Street’s intersection through the building to parking on the west. The plan parti creates a pedestrian intersection at the circulation desk as an internal street lit from above. A continuous clerestory allows the cloud-like roof to cleanly float free, flooding both floors with light. The west façade bends with the odd shape of the site due to a private property interrupting the block, connecting to existing parking through an activity lawn. A bold oval shaped cylinder housing utilitarian functions becomes the hinge point for the bending form, and a visual marker of entrance from the surrounding parking and streets. The western façade is reminiscent of books on a shelf, utilizing slender windows of varying widths and vertical fins to mitigate heat gain.

MERIT AWARD | THADEN SCHOOL PERFORMANCE BUILDING

6 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: THADEN SCHOOL PROJECT TEAM: MARLON BLACKWELL, FAIA MERYATI BLACKWELL, AIA, ASID JOSH MATTHEWS, AIA SPENCER CURTIS, AIA BRADFORD PAYNE, AIA STEPHEN REYENGA, ASSOC. AIA COLBY RITTER, ASSOC. AIA PAUL MOSLEY, ASSOC. AIA CALLIE KESEL, AIA ANNA MORRISON, AIA LEONARDO LEIVA, ASSOC. AIA CONSULTANTS: ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP ECI CMTA CONSULTING ENGINEERS ANDROPOGON, ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP TM LIGHT IDIBRI CHARCOALBLUE AQUEOUS

“A private school with a public purpose,” Thaden School is a new independent middle and high school in Bentonville, Arkansas. The school’s unique curriculum combines academic excellence with learning by doing and features three signature programs: Wheels (where the fields of physics and mechanics come alive through the construction and use of bicycles and other wheeled machines), Meals (where biology, chemistry, and community come alive through the growing and preparation of food), and Reels (where narrative and visual communication come alive through the production of film and video).

Through its partnerships with nearby community organizations in the visual and culinary arts, bicycling, and community service, the school will provide students with opportunities to learn both on and off campus. The school’s “whole student/whole body” pedagogy will feature learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors.

The campus plan unifies two separate plots by creating a “shared street” on which automobiles, pedestrians, and cyclists can coexist. On either side, campus buildings use a strategy familiar in Arkansas, with long narrow buildings oriented to control the exposure to the intense southern sun and to allow natural ventilation at the eave. These long forms are strategically bent to prevent long internal corridors and to frame gathering spaces outside. The campus itself is a teaching tool as a productive landscape for agriculture and a restorative landscape that addresses flooding and restores native ecosystems.

A generous loggia and expressive canopy create a strong and welcoming street edge. They extend well beyond the main body of the building and lead to a skylit entryway. Other than the glazing on each side revealed when the multicolored metal shell lifts, only one large window in the performance hall punctuates the exterior shell. Looking out to the campus and the original Thaden House, this monumental window is even larger on the interior, which brings soft, indirect light into an otherwise sealed performance hall. With direct connections from the stage to the back of house, the performance hall is a versatile and professional venue for creative performance. The versatile and efficient allocation of space advances the school’s mission and identity as a stage for improvisation, experimentation, and imagination.

MERIT AWARD | UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS WINDGATE STUDIO AND DESIGN CENTER

7 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER DERO SANFORD

FIRM: MAHG ARCHITECTURE, INC. ADDITIONAL FIRM: HGA (HAMMEL, GREEN & ABRAHAMSON) CONTRACTOR: CLARK CONTRACTORS, LLC LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PROJECT TEAM: GALEN HUNTER, AIA TIMOTHY VARNER, AIA TRAVIS BARTLETT, ASID NATE DEASON, AIA BEKAH ESTUS ALLIED, ASID, ASSOC. AIA CONSULTANTS: MYERS ENGINEERING, PLLC WALLACE DESIGN COLLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS, INC. (DCI) HGA (HAMMEL, GREEN AND ABRAHAMSON, INC.) ENTEGRITY

Perched along an active commercial corridor, the Windgate Studio + Design Center forms a distinct urban condition and a modern campus presence within a conventional suburban context.

The new building anchors the corner of the district, shaping a new communal quad, and facilitating a meaningful partnership with the School of Architecture, a future district neighbor. The internal landscape, sheltered from the commotion of vehicular traffic, provides an environment of respite and a revitalization for students. As a community asset, the landscape links to a network of regional trails, bolsters ongoing redevelopment, and fosters ambitious regional arts initiatives.

The Windgate Studio + Design Center seeks to remove limitations through the creation of an open, flexible, and spatially rich environment. Studio spaces are tailored to provide the resources and characteristics necessary for students and faculty to fully realize their ambitions. Working environments are oriented to maximize access to daylight and capture views to the surrounding neighborhood and distant hills. The corrugated metal exterior evolves to veil openings with a precisely tuned grille, controlling glare while showcasing glimpses of the creative activity within.

Individual disciplines are intermixed to encourage cross-disciplinary engagement and collaboration. A variety of embedded connective spaces create porous floor plates and a web of visual connections between disciplines and levels. These flexible hubs serve social and academic needs, provide space to study, to gather around food and drink, serve as gallery and critique space, support all school gatherings, and shape the facility as a home for students and faculty where all feel welcome.

The building cantilevers dramatically at the corner of MLK Boulevard and Hill Avenue, forming a gateway to the district with an expression of invitation to students, faculty, and the Northwest Arkansas community. The exterior of the building is sculpted to interact with light and to create intriguing moments of transition, blurring the distinction between community, campus, and the School of Art. The entry plaza is carved from the corner, creating a dialogue between the city streetscape and the commons, the School’s social heart. In both building and landscape, stairways animate the experience and encourage connection. An amphitheater flows from the central quad, descending into lower-level ceramics studios. Open, internal stairs wind upward toward workspaces, and arrive at unexpected terraces — valued social spaces overlooking the district, the city, and the dramatic surrounding landscape.

CITATION AWARD | BENTONVILLE EAST CENTRAL HOTEL

8 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

FIRM: BRR ARCHITECTURE ADDITIONAL FIRM: MARVEL ARCHITECTURE CREME DESIGN + DESIGN WORKSHOP LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: BLUE CRANE PROJECT TEAM: BRANDON LEWIS, AIA KELSEY SUNDET, AIA JON GRIPKA, AIA CONSULTANTS: THE WORKING GROUP LLC

Nestled in a prime location, the East Central Hotel serves as a perfect gathering spot and basecamp for embarking on local adventures across the Northwest Arkansas Region. With its inviting atmosphere and strategic positioning, the property becomes the perfect setting for unforgettable experiences, making it the go-to destination for out-of-town guests, an evening aperitif, fine dining and social gatherings.

Inspired by the nearby national forest and scenic riverway, the hotel embraces a biophilic design that seamlessly connects the outdoors with the interior spaces. The integration of natural elements takes center stage, featuring native wood species, abundant native plants, and subtle water features. From the two-story megalithic stone wall, to the insistence on real wood storefronts at the ground level exterior, every detail was carefully considered and echoes the beauty of the local natural environment.

Every detail underwent meticulous discussion and exploration throughout the design process. Striking examples of this commitment are evident throughout the design, where innovative solutions were implemented to fulfill the original concept while conserving materials. One such solution can be seen in the guest room windows, cleverly recessed by 18 inches from the exterior brick, creating a visually captivating effect. Additionally, thin brick sections are thoughtfully applied in limited instances, eliminating the need for double-stud walls and additional labor and material. These thoughtful design choices showcase the dedication to achieving a harmonious and efficient result.

Positioned adjacent to Dave Peel Park, the hotel effortlessly integrates on the East with the park and on the West with the upcoming promenade envisioned along A Street. This strategic connection encourages guests to immerse themselves in the multitude of outdoor adventures awaiting them in the city and throughout the scenic landscape of Northwest Arkansas.

CITATION AWARD | NW ARKANSAS ARTIST HOUSING AND RESIDENCY PROGRAM

9 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

FIRM: KEVIN DALY ARCHITECTS LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: CONFIDENTIAL PROJECT TEAM: KEVIN DALY, FAIA JARED WARD JULIAN FUNK CASEY WORRELL VANESSA DE LA HOZ CONNOR VERTERAMO CONSULTANTS: HIGHT JACKSON CEI ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS HP ENGINEERING WALLACE DESIGN COLLECTIVE HIRSCHMANN STUDIO VENEKLASEN ASSOCIATES

In a setting of unlikely hybrids and mashups, Artspace Housing is yet another: it wraps a large parking structure built to serve the Momentary, providing a finished façade in the manner of a Texas Donut. It also acts as a performative acoustical “rear wall” to the outdoor music venue; like the box seats in an opera hall, its faceted façade serves to reflect sound back to the open audience area without creating acoustic hot spots.

Urban design guidelines from the city limited material selection and mandated the use of masonry.

This is implemented as a brick pedestal at the base, with light frame construction above clad in rectangular painted metal siding. The apartments are spacious one-bedroom units, large enough to allow for open workspace for the artist residents. The proximity to the garage introduced code complications: in addition to required fire separation, the housing is engineered as a freestanding building with no structural connection to the pre cast garage.

The east-facing and north-facing wings of the housing join at an exterior stair and landing clad in perforated metal. This central circulation element serves to orient visitors to the housing and reconciles the floor height variation between the parking structure and the housing.

The twelve separate live-work units are raised over a double-height work flexible space, which provides workspace, galleries, and maker spaces serving the public and augmenting the facilities of the nearby contemporary art center.

2022 MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARD | PINE BLUFF MAIN LIBRARY FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: EAST HARDING CONSTRUCTION 10 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT TEAM: REESE ROWLAND, FAIA LAURA STANLEY, AIA ALEXANDRA WARD, ASID DAVID ROGERS, AIA JOE STANLEY

A new Main Library for a Delta city focused on renewal positions itself as a beacon of hope through bold geometric forms and a clear expression of use that puts knowledge clearly on display.

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AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

ON THE COVER

FINALIST | CENTENNIAL PARK PAVILION

12 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE PROJECT TEAM: CHRIS BARIBEAU, AIA MICHAEL POPE, AIA CONSULTANTS: CEI ENGINEERING TATUM-SMITH-WELCHER ENGINEERS ENGINEERING ELEMENTS

Centennial Park Pavilion, located atop Millsap Mountain in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is an inspirational and energetic sculptural structure that serves as a central gathering point within a cycling-focused city park. Designed with careful consideration of the park’s needs, the pavilion not only provides essential amenities such as restrooms but also offers a versatile space for park and event patrons to come together. The pavilion is specifically designed to address the requirements of international bike race events, offering dedicated spaces for awards podiums, race registration, and vendor tent area.

The design is influenced by the rich history of this Northwest Arkansas site as former agricultural land once occupied by chicken houses. The design of the pavilion incorporates elements that pay homage to this past.

Sunlight is allowed to filter through open joint cladding, reminiscent of an old barn and adding a sense of agrarian allure to the structure. The pavilion’s formal articulation is further enhanced by vertical light wells, which serve as orientation landmarks within the park. These light wells act as monuments for orientation and add a unique visual element to the design. The overall form of the pavilion draws inspiration from the iconic seven hills of Fayetteville, while also proposing Millsap Mountain as part of a new secondary ring of significant hills within the expanded city. This design approach not only reflects the natural topography of the area but also contributes to the park’s visual identity and sense of place.

Centennial Park itself is a cycling-activated park that offers exceptional cyclo-cross and mountain biking trails. Situated within a preserved greenspace, the park provides residents with access to trail infrastructure that is unparalleled in the region. With over 50 miles of shared-use paved trails and 40 miles of natural-surface trails, Fayetteville’s existing trail network meets well with the exceptional race-quality trails of the park.

Centennial’s reputation as a world-class venue is further solidified by its hosting of prestigious events such as the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships, the 2021 Cyclocross World Cup, the USA Cycling Pro Cup Mountain Bike Series, and other renowned races. This demonstrates the park’s ability to attract and accommodate high-profile events, making it a focal point for both local and international cycling enthusiasts. Despite its impressive amenities, the park remains open and accessible to the public, free of charge.

The architectural design of the Centennial Park Pavilion provides a recognizable branding element and overall identity to the park when in the international spotlight. It embodies the park’s commitment to fostering an active and engaged community, providing a functional and aesthetically pleasing support space that meets the needs of the park and event patrons while still maintaining a harmonious relationship between the architecture and its context. With its thoughtful design, essential amenities, and integration with the park’s history and natural features, the pavilion contributes to the overall success of the park as a premier destination for both casual recreational activities and world-class cycling events.

FINALIST | NABHOLZ OFFICE ADDITION

13 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CORPORATION LOCATION: ROGERS, AR OWNER/CLIENT: NABHOLZ CORPORATION PROJECT TEAM: CHRIS BARIBEAU, AIA JOSH SIEBERT, ASSOC. AIA MATT POE, AIA CHRIS LANKFORD CONSULTANTS: CRAFTON TULL ROBBINS ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS CORE STATES GROUP

The architectural design of the Nabholz Office Addition showcases a thoughtful response to the client’s needs as a growing construction firm, aiming to create a collaborative and open work environment while highlighting their expertise in cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction. The owner’s previous additive process resulted in department segmentation and a decline in collaborative spaces, prompting the desire for a new addition that would bring employees together and showcase their thriving work culture. The architect, selected for their expertise in CLT design and creating collaborative workspaces, engaged a modular interior wall system provider and a CLT company early in the design/build process to ensure budget efficiency and timely project delivery.

The exposed wood structure of the addition exudes warmth and creates inviting spaces, while also reducing the need for excessive paint and enhancing the building’s air quality. The use of mass timber also helps to lower carbon footprint, decreases greenhouse gas emissions, promotes the use of sustainably managed forests supporting the local economy and showcasing Arkansas’s budding mass timber industry.

The integration of glass office partitions around the perimeter strikes a balance between an open-plan layout and the familiarity of private offices, offering a flexible and adaptable workspace. This accommodates different work styles and preferences, promoting both collaboration and concentration and leading to increased employee satisfaction and overall productivity.

The exterior design of the Nabholz Office Addition features a vertical box-ribbed metal panel system and poured-in-place concrete walls constructed using innovative formwork techniques that reflect the concrete work on the existing facility. This combination of materials and textures contributes to a minimalist aesthetic that pays homage to classic modernism. The sleek and clean lines of the exterior also reflect the professionalism and forward-thinking nature of the client, while the use of concrete and metal imparts a sense of durability, strength, and integrity.

The resulting 7,000-square-foot addition is a testament to the successful collaboration between the architect and their construction partner, resulting in a space that not only addresses the client’s needs but also sets a precedent for sustainable and innovative office design. With its focus on cross-laminated timber construction, flexible interior spaces, and minimalist aesthetic, the addition stands as a model for creating dynamic work environments that inspire and promote collaboration.

FINALIST | VERVE ST. LOUIS

14 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER JAD RYHERD

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO CONTRACTOR: BRINKMANN CONSTRUCTORS LOCATION: ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI OWNER/CLIENT: SUBTEXT PROJECT TEAM: CHRIS BARIBEAU, AIA JASON WRIGHT, ASSOC. AIA AARON SPEAKS, AIA BLAIR BEGNAUD, ASSOC. AIA AMANDA BURCHAM LEANNE BARIBEAU, AIA JODY VERSER, AIA CHRIS LANKFORD CONSULTANTS: CIVIL DESIGN, INC. VIEWTECH INC. SOLUTIONS AEC

Verve is a new 8-story housing community located in the heart of Midtown on the edge of the St. Louis University campus. Designed with modern students in mind, energized social spaces ground the building within a varied historical architectural context. The dense architecture deftly weaves multiple materials together to create an appropriately scaled urban building within a simple, timeless aesthetic.

With students now spending more time in their living spaces than ever, it was crucial that an interior design team was deployed and tasked with creating warm and inviting spaces that maintain the project’s overall design intent. The result is a Scandinavian-influenced aesthetic, with wood features complementing a muted color palette, and black and white elements seamlessly carrying the design language from the public to private areas. The neutral palette of the apartment units provides an opportunity for residents to personalize their environment and bring their own style to the spaces.

At the heart of the Midtown neighborhood, Verve St. Louis is a quick walk or bike ride away from St. Louis University and other local amenities. Because of this, interior and exterior bike storage was included to support an active lifestyle for residents. The club area allows residents to find community with their neighbors by grabbing a cup of coffee or enjoying the lounge to watch a big game. The use of materiality such as the wood slat ceiling emphasizes the interior/exterior connection from the club area to the courtyard. The courtyard is where residents are offered a place to play and relax while socializing with peers, encouraging the community to spend time outdoors. The club booths provide small group or individual meeting areas to connect with others or study in a more active environment, while the library provides an alternative space to study, gather, reflect, and enjoy views of Midtown St. Louis by use of expansive openings along the main facade. The design concept promotes community by putting the club amenity areas on full display.

2023 | CHAPTER AWARDS PATTY OPITZ, AIA | DICK SAVAGE AWARD

As the 2023 recipient of the AIA Arkansas Dick Savage Award, one would be hard-pressed to find an individual who has given more to AIA Arkansas than Patty Opitz, AIA. Patty has served on the AIA State Board and Executive Board for 6 continuous years serving in roles as Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Director, and Section Chair. During her short time, she helped create new committees, including being a founding member and chair of the Diversity Committee. She also helped establish the Preservation Committee, the Allied Membership Committee, the Outreach Committee, and the Fellowship Committee. She was also responsible for bringing back the Sustainability Committee after a four-year hiatus. She was instrumental in updating our organization’s Mission, Vision & Values statements, and the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan. On top of these achievements, she has sat on all the committees that currently exist for AIA Arkansas. In doing so, she was able to streamline the committee report process and update the policies and procedure manuals to allow our organization to run more efficiently and in line with our National Organization. Along with AIA involvement, Patty also sat on the Architecture and Design Network Board, serving as its Director for several years leading the lecture series for Central Arkansas Beyond architecture, Patty has always had a love for being involved in her community and also served for numerous years for Junior League of Little Rock

A graduate from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2004, Patty Opitz is an Associate Principal at Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects. In 2018, Patty was honored with the Young Architect Award from the American Institute of Architects, just one of 22 architects selected from across the country for this prestigious recognition. The annual program recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers. Since the program’s inception, there have only been three other architects from the state of Arkansas who have been honored with this recognition, making Patty the fourth and first female architect from Arkansas to receive this award. Patty is also a recipient of the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame 2018 Emerging

ALISON TURNER, AIA | DIVERSITY AWARD

Alison Turner is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Architecture and Director of Community Education for the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design. As the Director of Community Education, she leads all K-12 design outreach for the School, the largest of which is the summer Design Camp program, but also includes workshops and collaborations with other organizations to promote design education throughout the state of Arkansas. Alison has been focused on educating K-12 students about design since very early in her career and has been teaching summer design camps since 2009. She has also participated in The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas Girls of Promise, Razorback Reveal, Scouting University, and EAST Conventions.

As a Teaching Assistant Professor of Architecture, Alison currently teaches the Integrated Design Studio (IDS), Design Studio VI, Environmental Technology I and seminar courses in the themes of regional architecture, environmentally responsive design and site design. Alison is also a practicing architect and is the Principle/Owner of sitio architecture + design whose work includes residential and commercial projects with an emphasis on regional, environmentally responsive, and sustainable architecture.

Alison received her Master of Architecture degree from Parsons School of Design, where she was awarded the Alpha Rho Chi Medal given to the top graduating student, and her Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Kansas State University, where she was the graduation speaker representing Interior Architecture. After graduating from Parsons, Alison spent several years practicing in New York City before moving to Fayetteville, where she continues to practice in addition to teaching and outreach. She is a licensed architect and LEED Accredited Professional.

AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

As a founding member of the Diversity Committee, Patty championed equity and inclusion before they were national buzzwords. She was responsible for putting together local and statewide annual events, including a retreat during the convention, and establishing a Diversity Award as a part of our chapter awards. AIA Policies and Procedures was modified with Patty’s help to include a dedicated Diversity & Inclusion focused speaker held at each yearly AIA AR convention. She has led by example, reaching out to all the minorities represented in our chapter, to allow them to feel represented and heard. When most people just want to talk or pontificate, Patty would rather let her actions speak. She doesn’t seek the spotlight but usually shies away from it. She would rather work behind the scenes instead of speaking at a podium, which speaks to her servant’s heart and dedication to others.

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Professional Award and the AIA Arkansas 2016 Emerging Professional Award.

Patty exemplifies the servant leadership that is at the heart of the Dick Savage Award. Her contributions have been notable and significant to our Chapter in ways that leave indelible marks that inspire and motivate future generations of leaders of our organization. In 2022, Patty’s daughter, Malin, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor, DIPG, and Patty put a pause on AIA and her role on the Executive Board. All of Patty’s efforts were not done for herself, but to set an example for her daughter of how valuable community service is and impactful it can be in the lives of others.

NATE DEASON, AIA | EMERGING PROFESSIONALS Nate is an Associate Principal at Fort Smith-based MAHG Architecture and is an ardent advocate for the architectural profession in his community, and the state of Arkansas. After graduating from the Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, in 2012, Nate settled in Arkansas and quickly landed at MAHG. With encouragement from professional and personal mentors, he soon got involved in AIA Arkansas, starting with developing convention graphics, and eventually grew into various leadership roles at both local and state levels.

AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

He has served AIA Arkansas on the Public Relations Committee, on the Emerging Professionals/Young Architects Committee, as the Program Chair and Section Chair for the Fort Smith Section, as the Assis16 tant Associates Director and Associates Director, as the Featured Speaker Co-Chair in the Membership Engagement Program for both COVID-19 pandemic years, and now serves on the Executive Committee.

A few of the significant AIA Arkansas projects Nate has led or helped create include the Year-In-Review, the MERGE Mentorship Program, the foundation of ARE Study Material Caches at each Section, and the upcoming Emerging Professional/YYoung Architect Friendly Firm Initiative.

In addition to his involvement in AIA Arkansas, Nate has also served on numerous commissions and committees in Fort Smith, was included in the Leadership Fort Smith 2022 Class, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 40 under 40 2023 Class, and volunteers in various ministries at Life.Church Fort Smith.

JONATHAN OPTIZ, AIA | MICHAEL LEJONG LEADERSHIP AWARD This year’s recipient of the AIA Arkansas Michael Lejong Leadership Award is Jonathan Opitz, AIA. This was an easy selection for the AIA Arkansas Board because Jonathan shares many of the attributes that made Michael such an outstanding leader and mentor. Like Michael, Jonathan has been involved with AIA on the state, regional, and national levels. Opitz led the AIA Arkansas chapter through their most recent strategic plan update in 2021 as the AIA Arkansas chapter president. Even during his daughter’s fight with brain cancer, he still lobbied and fought to make sure other members of AIA Arkansas were recognized for their contributions to the chapter. During the past twelve years, Jonathan has served on the AIA Arkansas board as a section chair, director, and officer. He’s also been an active member of various standing committees including public outreach, legislative, financial, sustainability, and emerging professionals. Jonathan has held numerous AIA convention committee positions, including speaker chair, speaker co-chair, architect as artist, design awards chair, and graphics chair. During the last decade, Opitz has held leadership positions in other allied organizations too. He has served as the Architecture and Design Network interim director for three years, president for two years, vice president for one year, speaker chair for four years, and the reception committee for one year. He’s also a founding member of studioMain, a board member for seven years, and has been vice president once. When asked why he’s been so involved, he said, “I just wanted to make the world a better place for my daughter, to set a good example. I wanted to show her “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48).

I’m so grateful for the life I have, both my amazing wife and incredible daughter. Patty and Malin are the reasons I work diligently at philanthropy, I want them to be proud of me, the man that I am.” Jonathan is also a generous mentor, always willing to engage in conversations with other architects. He’s happy to talk about budgets, design, details, or operations whether it be with an intern or a seasoned architect from another firm. There are several young architects in our chapter that Opitz has sat down with to talk about their business plans, buy-in agreements, or next steps in their career path. Jonathan has created Intern Development and LEED AP study programs. He’s hosted high school career days and job shadowing programs. He was a member of the Little Rock Regional Chamber Committee that helped bring the Ford NGL program to Central Arkansas. He’s served as a guest critic and juror for several different UofA Fay Jones design studios and helped with several UofA design summer camps. He also participated as a mentor as part of the AIA Arkansas Merge program while he was chapter president in 2021. When asked why he feels the need to do this he responded “I’ve been very fortunate to have many

mentors in my career, wonderful people who were willing to share information and experiences with me even when they had nothing to gain. Michael Lejong was one of these mentors in AIA. I always appreciated our conversations and how he gently pushed others to do more and strive to make our communities better. I am truly honored to receive this award named after my friend who was an incredible leader.

I only wish that my daughter, Malin, was still here to see it. I move forward every day in a way that I hope will make her proud of me.”

MICHAEL L. LEJONG, AIA | FAY JONES GOLD MEDAL Michael represented the American Institute of Architects and the architectural profession on many levels throughout his career. From his early involvement in the student chapter to serving in various capacities at local, state, regional and national levels, he took 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.

2023 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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PROJECT: ARKANSAS PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION

FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS

FIRM: ROARK PERKINS PERRY YELVINGTON

CONTRACTOR: CDI CONTRACTORS

CONTRACTOR: CBM

LOCATION: PINE BLUFF, AR

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

PROJECT: CENTERTON CITY HALL

PROJECT: GRIST MILL CABIN

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CORPORATION

CONTRACTOR: MASWORKS CONSULTING

LOCATION: CENTERTON, AR

LOCATION: ROGERS, AR

PROJECT: SHERWOOD RESIDENCE

PROJECT: J.B. AND JOHNELLE HUNT RAZORBACK BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT CENTER

FIRM: FENNELL PURIFOY ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: JON CALLAHAN CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

FIRM: WER ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: KINCO CONSTRUCTORS LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE,, AR

AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT: ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL PINE BLUFF CLINIC

2023 | REMAINING PROJECTS

18 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT: JIM D. ROLLINS SCHOOL OF INNOVATION

PROJECT: KESSLER MOUNTAIN RESIDENCE

FIRM: WDD ARCHITECTS

FIRM: JENNINGS + SANTA-RITA ARCHITECTS, PLLC

CONTRACTOR: FLINTCO CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: STRONGHOLD LLC + STRONGHOLD WOODWORKS LLC

LOCATION: SPRINGDALE,, AR

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

PROJECT: LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT HQ

PROJECT: NEXT STEP HOMELESS SERVICES

FIRM: WDD ARCHITECTS

FIRM: MAHG ARCHITECTURE, INC.

CONTRACTOR: BALDWIN & SHELL CONSTRUCTION CO.

CONTRACTOR: N/A

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

LOCATION: FORT SMITH, AR

PROJECT: OSAGE HOUSE

PROJECT: POCAHONTAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FIRM: JOHN STARNES, ARCHITECT

FIRM: BRACKETT-KRENNERICH ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: N/A

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CONSTRUCTION

LOCATION: CAVE SPRINGS, AR

LOCATION: POCAHONTAS, AR

2023 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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PROJECT: SKULL CREEK

FIRM: WDD ARCHITECTS

FIRM: JOHN STARNES, ARCHITECT

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: GB GROUP

LOCATION: DEQUEEN, AR

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

PROJECT: SRYGLEY RESIDENCE

PROJECT: SUCCESS CREDIT UNION

FIRM: MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS

FIRM: BRACKETT-KRENNERICH ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: NEAL HEFNER CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: BAILEY CONTRACTORS, INC.

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

LOCATION: PARAGOULD, AR

PROJECT: THE HOWARD

PROJECT: VAUGHN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FIRM: HUFFT

FIRM: HIGHT JACKSON ASSOCIATES

CONTRACTOR: DAVE GRUNDFEST COMPANY

CONTRACTOR: FLINTCO, LLC

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT: SEVIER COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER

2023 | REMAINING PROJECTS

20 AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT: WINDGATE CENTER FOR THREE DIMENSIONAL ARTS FIRM: WER ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: CLARK CONTRACTORS LOCATION: JONESBORO, AR

AIA ARKANSAS

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HOT SPRINGS OCTOBER 18-20 o

2023 | AIA AWARD JUDGES

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NOLANDA HATCHER, AIA, NCARB, NOMA

CHERYL MORGAN, FAIA

FOUNDING PARTNER WILLIAMS BLACKSTOCK ARCHITECTS

PRINCIPAL STUDIO 2H DESIGN, LLC

EMERITA PROFESSOR AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Joel Blackstock serves as the CEO and founding partner of Williams Blackstock Architects, a 45-person architectural firm located in Birmingham, Alabama. Graduating from Auburn University with an architectural degree in 1980, he has spent the last 40 years practicing architecture in Birmingham and across the southeast region. He has led the firm’s growth and its continual recognition as a forward thinking design firm, acknowledged by the firm’s many AIA award-winning projects. Williams Blackstock Architects’ services include architecture, interior design, planning, environmental graphics, and historic preservation. The firm’s work includes a wide variety of project types including corporate office, multi-family, mixed use, higher education, municipal, healthcare, historic preservation, and adaptive re-use projects.

Nolanda has worked in the construction industry since 1990. After serving as a Project Architect for ten years, she organized NHB Group, LLC in 2002. In 2015, NHB Group and Hoskins Architecture merged to form Studio 2H Design, LLC (S2HD). Nolanda demonstrates the ability to conceptualize projects, reduce complexity, and remain consistent in realizing S2HD’s vision to “Provide the Client and Community with Design Excellence Beyond Expectation.”

S2HD’s office is located in the historic 4th Avenue District downtown Birmingham, AL.

Cheryl is a licensed architect and Emerita Professor of Architecture in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture of Auburn University. In thirty years of teaching, she worked with architectural programs at Georgia Institute of Technology, Oklahoma State and California College of Arts and Crafts.

For the last 12 years of her teaching career, she was the Director of Auburn’s Urban Studio in Birmingham, Alabama. Under Cheryl’s leadership, the Urban Studio’s Small-Town Design Initiative Program worked with over 100 small towns and neighborhoods in Alabama.

Joel has a sincere passion and a vested interest in projects that advance and build community, which is reflected in design that is sensitive to the site context and has transformational impact on the surroundings. He also recognizes the ability to build community in the interior design of each project, bringing people together in inspiring spaces that enriches the lives of everyone who experiences the space.

Through his years of practice, he has become known as a visionary, an excellent listener to his client’s needs, and a dynamic creator of space through design. Due to his creative, flexible, and innovative approach to project management, Joel has earned a reputation for being a relentless problem solver. He tirelessly pursues the optimal design solution that will create lasting value, making communities and the world a better place. Joel has served as past President of the Alabama Center for Architecture, is active in the AIA and serves on other not-for-profit organization boards in the region.

Nolanda has extensive experience designing churches, educational facilities, healthcare facilities, commercial and municipal buildings, banks, apartments and private residences. She also serves clients by offering construction management and master planning scopes of service. Nolanda possesses the necessary skills to coordinate multiple tasks and manage complex project programming and design. Her expertise in graphics and design helps her team in their efforts to resolve and effectively present design solutions to clients. Nolanda’s attention to detail and strong organizational skills play a very important role in S2HD’s ability to provide quality design services to an impressive list of clients.

Ms. Hatcher selflessly encourages and mentors others to dream big, set goals and achieve. She strongly believes that her employees are team members that work “with her” and not “for her.”

She views each employee as their own business entity. Entrepreneurship is very important to Nolanda, not only for herself, but for all who desire to be entrepreneurs.

Nolanda Hatcher is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. She attended the Birmingham and Fairfield Public Schools. After graduating from Fairfield High School, she received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Cumberland School of Law Samford University. After completing law school and returning to practice architecture in 1997.

Nolanda’s most proud accomplishment is her role as mother to daughter Jamese Bearden (31) and son Nickolas Bearden (16). She enjoys golfing, cycling, traveling, good food and outings with friends and family.

Morgan practiced architecture and urban design in the San Francisco Bay Area. She worked with a number of firms including Environmental Planning and Research, Gensler, and the Gruzen Partnership. Before coming to Auburn in 1992 she was an associate with the Berkeley firm of ELS/Elbasani and Logan. Morgan’s professional practice now focuses on urban design, community revitalization and graphic design.

She is also an experienced facilitator.

In 2011 she was presented with the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Distinguished Leadership Award recognizing her as a “Friend of Planning.” In 2012 she received one of Auburn University’s highest awards for Achievement in Outreach and in 2017 the Alabama State Council on the Arts named Cheryl one of the recipients of their biannual Governor’s Award.

Cheryl is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham and was honored in 2016 with their Spain Hickman Service Award. In 2018 she gave a TEDx talk at TEDx Birmingham titled “Place Matters.” She is also active in the AIA’s Communities by Design program and has participated in a dozen R/UDATs including DATs in Dublin, Ireland, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Freetown, Sierra Leone.

She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

AIA 2023 DESIGN AWARDS

JOEL BLACKSTOCK, AIA

1000 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201 www.baldwinshell.com info@baldwinshell.com 501.374.8677

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