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The Conductor: Trailblazing the Entrepreneurial Frontier Story on Page 6
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Educational exhibits to have temporary home in downtown Conway
Two educational exhibits from the Discovery Network, a statewide program of the Museum of Discovery, will have a temporary home in downtown Conway. “Science & Art” and “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion” have been featured in some of the top children’s museums around the country. This spring, the exhibits will occupy 5,000 square feet at 1101 Oak Street – located on the southwest corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets – from Monday, Feb. 18, until Sunday, May 5. Admission to the exhibits is free, thanks to a partnership between Nabholz Construction, the Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau, Conway Downtown Partnership, Conway Area Chamber
of Commerce, Toad Suck Daze and its presenting sponsors Cherokee Nation Entertainment and First Arkansas Bank & Trust, and the Museum of Discovery. The museum space will also be available for field trips, by appointment, Monday through Friday from Feb. 19 until May 1. The exhibits are tailored to students in upper elementary and middle school and should offer 45-60 minutes of engagement for approximately 25 students. Educators who are interested in scheduling a private field trip to “Science & Art” and “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion” can email fieldtrips@conwayarkansas.org. Additional exhibit-related curriculum and support materials are available. Several Conway
restaurants are also offering specials for box lunches or group dining.
The Exhibits New Exhibit Explores the Relationship Between “Science & Art” What does Origami have to do with geometry? Why is a worm considered art to some? How is music created from a microchip? And how can a nanometer of water become a fun, interactive experience? All these questions and more will be answered in the new “Science & Art” exhibit on display in downtown Conway. “Science & Art” is organized into five areas featuring projects created by artists who
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have specific masteries in scientific studies. The displays are designed to show that art and science have a lot in common. Visitors will also experience how art can be used to convey scientific ideas and phenomena and will experience science from a fresh point of view. The first stop in the gallery features Origami sculpture work by Robert Lang, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading origami masters with more than 500 designs catalogued and diagrammed. Lang’s work shows how following simple folding rules and some basic mathematical principles allow for the creation of a complex and beautiful 3D world of art made from paper. Visitors may fold their own works of art to take home or leave for display in the gallery’s “visitor art” section. Next, visitors will be directed to the “Beautiful Worm,” which combines biology and photography, offering a unique window into the world of scientific research as interpreted through art. This part of the exhibit showcases research of the C. elegans worm by Ahna Skop, Ph.D., assistant professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin. A real microscope with a video head allows visitors to look at live specimens and illustrates what researchers such as Skop have learned from this creature. Visitors will also enjoy the creations of 1-Bit Music inventor Tristan Perich. The 1-Bit is part art, part physics, and part mathematics. 1-Bit compositions are delivered to listeners via an on/off switch, micro-chip, battery, earphone jack, and volume control all squeezed into a plastic CD case. Wearable computers can also be found on display in “Science & Art.” Leah Buechley, assistant professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), uses electronics and textiles to build soft wearable computers. A display of Buechley’s
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work allows visitors to select and see the different LED display patterns designed and programmed into the fabric. Rounding out the exhibit is electronic artist and computer scientist Scott Snibbe who introduces visitors to the concept of the nano-scale. “Three Drops” is a multimedia experience that requires participants to move in front of a large screen to interact with projections of water at the macro, micro, and then nano-scale and allows them to experience how the physical properties of water change at these three different scales. “Science & Art” will remain on display at 1101 Oak Street in downtown Conway through May 5, 2019. Embark on an Archeological Adventure at the Mystery of the Mayan Medallion The secrets of an ancient world await in “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion” which opens in downtown Conway on Feb. 18. In this immersive exhibit, visitors are transported to Palenque, Mexico, where an archaeological team has mysteriously disappeared from a dig site while investigating rumors of a priceless jade
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medallion. They will follow the clues the team left behind to locate the precious medallion while avoiding the dangers lurking in the ruins. In the exhibit, visitors will be able to perform the following hands-on activities: • Translate glyphs • Discover which rainforest animals are poisonous • Learn how the Mayans recorded dates • Take rubbings from a sarcophagus • Interpret a “battle” mural Exhibit components include archeology, biology, and astro-mathematic field stations; an observatory; and a tomb area that yield clues to the medallion’s whereabouts. “’Mystery of the Mayan Medallion’ has been popular everywhere it’s been experienced, and we know museum visitors young and old alike will enjoy engaging with the many components of the exhibit,” said Kelley Bass, CEO of the Museum of Discovery. “It is a fun mix of science, history and intrigue.” “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion” is an exhibit by the Discovery Network, a statewide program of the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock. It will remain on display in downtown Conway through May 5, 2019.
The Discovery Network, a statewide program of the Museum of Discovery, provides high-quality professional development and training opportunities to its members’ educational staff. The Discovery Network allows the Museum of Discovery to support outside educational entities in providing quality science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education to their learners. Learn more at thediscoverynetwork.org.
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Home BancShares co-founder, board chairman to headline Annual Meeting
Conway to serve as Leadercast host site for eighth consecutive year
John W. Allison, co-founder of Home BancShares Inc. and chairman of the bank holding company’s board of directors, will be the featured guest at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting. The underwriter for the 2019 event is Centennial Bank, the whollyowned subsidiary of Home BancShares. Allison was CEO of Home BancShares from 1998 to 2009. He has more than 34 years of banking experience, including serving as chairman of the board of First National Bank of Conway from 1983 until 1998 and as a director of First Commercial Corporation from 1985 – when First Commercial acquired First National Bank of Conway – until 1998. Prior to its sale to Regions Financial Corporation in 1998, First Commercial was a publicly traded company and the largest bank holding company headquartered in Arkansas, with approximately $7.3 billion in assets. A successful business owner with extensive experience in the management of banks and bank holding companies, Allison has been a guiding figure in the development of Home BancShares and its growth strategy. Centennial Bank celebrates 20 years in business this year and has since completed 23 acquisitions reaching $15 billion in assets. An Arkansas native, Allison is a graduate of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He served on the university’s board of trustees from 1979-1984, becoming chairman of this board in 1983. He was named a distinguished alumnus in 1998. About Annual Meeting With more than 1,000 business and community leaders in attendance each year, Annual Meeting is the largest business event in Conway. The 2019 event, presented by the University of Central Arkansas Foundation and Crafton Tull, is scheduled for March 14 at UCA’s HPER Center. In addition to the speaker, Annual Meeting recognizes individuals and businesses that have made a difference in Conway over the past year. The Annual Meeting Awards are sponsored by Northwestern Mutual and the Log Cabin Democrat. Other top sponsors are Virco Corporation, First Security Bank/Crews & Associates, Acxiom, and Baptist Health Medical Center – Conway. Annual Meeting is a sellout event each year, so those who wish to attend are encouraged to reserve their space in advance. Individual tickets are $75, and tables and sponsorships begin at $1,000, both of which can be purchased online at conwaychamber.org. For additional details about Annual Meeting, contact Mary Margaret Satterfield, director of events and Toad Suck Daze, at Mary@ConwayArkansas.org or 501-932-5412.
Business leaders in the Conway area can access the knowledge and experience of world-renowned leaders by attending Leadercast at the University of Central Arkansas on Friday, May 10. The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce has organized a broadcast in Conway since 2012. Billed as the largest one-day leadership event in the world, Leadercast is broadcast live from Atlanta to hundreds of sites around the world. The simulcast allows participants to hone their leadership skills, partake in team building, and invest in their own professional development while earning CEUs. At the 2019 event, experts in organizational health will take the Leadercast Live stage to speak on the theme “Leading Healthy Teams,” helping attendees master the art and science of developing and leading healthy teams. Hosted by comedian and filmmaker Tripp Crosby, Leadercast Live will feature the following speakers: • Andy Stanley, leadership author and communicator; • Patrick Lencioni, founder of The Table Group; • Gayle King, co-host of CBS This Morning and editor-atlarge of O, the Oprah Magazine; • Marcus Samuelsson, award-winning chef, restaurateur, author, and TV personality; • Dr. Caroline Leaf, communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist; • Carla Harris, vice chairman and managing director at Morgan Stanley; • Ginger Hardage, former senior vice president of culture and communications for Southwest Airlines; • Juliet Funt, CEO of WhiteSpace at Work; and • Craig Springer, executive director of Alpha USA. Leadercast is presented locally by Pediatrics Plus. The Conway simulcast will take place in UCA’s McCastlain Ballroom from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The Division of Outreach and Community Engagement at UCA is the host sponsor. Individual tickets are $85 and groups of 10 or more have access to the $75 ticket rate. The cost includes leadership materials, breakfast, and lunch from Newk’s Eatery. For registration assistance or group package information, contact director of events Therese Williams at therese@ conwayarkansas.org or 501-932-5411.
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Trailblazing the Entrepreneurial Frontier Nearly two-and-a-half years after its launch, the Conductor is thriving and moving faster than ever. The Conductor, a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie, is catalyzing Conway’s next frontier of business development: an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Just over two years since its launch, the Conductor has seen a groundswell of burgeoning entrepreneurs, makers and innovators in the region, with big plans for the future. The Conductor held its first event, a pitch competition, at UCA Downtown in November 2016. At the time, the initiative had two employees: Kim Lane, now-CEO of the Conductor, and Jeff Standridge, Chief Catalyst. At its inception, the Conductor didn’t have a physical location, and Lane and Standridge held most one-on-one consultation meetings at local coffee shops, and educational and networking events at various venues. In March 2017, Conway Corporation board chair, Johnny Adams, announced a significant pledge toward the city’s Arnold Innovation Center, named in honor of Conway Corporation’s former CEO, Richie Arnold. The space will be in Conway’s City Hall at 1201 West Oak Street, which will be repurposed and is set to open in 2020. It will be run by the Conductor, and will offer free co-working space to the community. Later that year, in September 2017, the Conductor’s purview expanded to include UCA’s Makerspace, in which the Conductor team teaches Maker Trainings, prototyping consultations, and hands-on events for students and community members. The
Conductor team has now grown to seven employees. It has employed many UCA students and assisted a multitude of students in securing jobs and internships prior to and following graduation. “The Conductor has been an incredible and exciting journey since Day One,” said Kim Lane, CEO. “Our rapid growth has been made possible by an amazing, collaborative community and our outstanding team at the Conductor. I’m so proud of the impact we’ve had and the lives we’ve changed in less than three years, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to wake up and do this work every day.” Today, the Conductor has reached nearly 7,500 entrepreneurs and community members through one-on-one consulting meetings and its lineup of cutting-edge events and programs that cover every topic from a “Creating Chain Reaction Machine” and “Making a Balloon-Powered Race Car” in the Makerspace to educational fireside chats with community leaders such as Rhea Lana Riner and Bunny Adcock. The Conductor has a charge to reduce “barriers to entry” for entrepreneurs and innovators and has created programs and events to cater to different audiences. It has reached over 2,100 students in the Makerspace alone, with hundreds of K-12 students taking field trips to the space each year. Through partnerships and strategic programming, it has made significant strides to reducing barriers for historically underserved groups like women and minorities. Attendees at consulting and prototyping meetings and events are 47% female on average, and 30% of consulting clients are minority-owned businesses.
“The Conductor has changed the face of the community in Conway,” said Jeff Standridge, Chief Catalyst of the Conductor. “This was the exact outcome we had in mind when we first conceived the Conductor in late 2014.” The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees and former UCA President, Tom Courtway were trailblazers in establishing the Conductor; the partnership would not have been formed without their foresight. “The UCA board and leadership are to be tremendously commended for the incredible vision they had in establishing the Conductor, and it’s been an honor to work with the entire UCA community,” Lane said. “President Houston Davis embraced and expanded the vision, making the Conductor what it is today.” “The Conductor is revolutionizing the community through its high-impact programs and events. Its work continually creates significant opportunities for new and prospective students,” said University of Central Arkansas President Houston Davis. “UCA is proud to be partnered with the Conductor, and is excited about the future of this partnership.” The Conductor consults with hundreds of entrepreneurs a year, and is frequently lauded for the transformational impact of its work. “The Conductor has changed my life forever! They have helped me grow in both business and in my personal life,” said Jessica Jones, founder of Zipper Genie. “They provided me with support, taught me new skills, and provided me with resources to advance, so that now I can soar.”
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Community Support Collaborations are the backbone of the Conductor, and it has amassed dozens of local partners and sponsors to spur innovation in the region. One of the Conductor’s leading programs, the 10X Growth Accelerator, is presented in partnership with Metova and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. The Accelerator has enabled dozens of Arkansas’ high-growth ventures to scale, drive revenues and create new jobs in the state. The five-month program meets on a weekly basis at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and is funded through a grant from the State of Arkansas. Companies in the program must have annual revenues between $100,000 and $10 million. To date, the program has served two cohorts of high-potential, Arkansas-based companies, and alumni companies have reported unprecedented, exponential growth. One company grew over 900% within the first year of graduating the program, one noted growing 3X in the first month, and one reported the addition of 20 new jobs to their company. “The Conductor’s 10X Growth Accelerator is the best program in the state for business leaders to go through, no matter your size of business, if you are truly interested in growing your business!” said Keith Jetton, 10X graduate. One hundred percent of alumni companies said that the 10X Growth Accelerator is a valuable program for scalable companies within the state. The Conductor will kick off the third cohort of the program in April. Another one of the Conductor’s flagship programs, the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, is presented in partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, BioVentures, Arkansas INBRE and Conway Regional Health System. The Boot Camp is a weeklong program held on the UCA campus that teaches college students how to start their own health sciences venture. It is all-expenses-
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paid for accepted students. The Camp received national attention when it won an Innovations in Research and Research Education Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. “The Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp was one of the turning points in my college career,” said Boot Camp graduate Katherine Bowman. “It’s what got me interested in entrepreneurship and it opened the doors to a lot of wonderful opportunities and people that I would not have had otherwise. I truly consider it one of the best experiences I’ve had in college.” The Conductor is currently accepting applications for the 2019 Boot Camp. Conductor Milestones The Conductor is dedicated to bringing national and international attention to Conway, Arkansas and the work of local entrepreneurs. In 2018, the Conductor hosted U.S. Congressman French Hill in Conway, and facilitated events to connect him with startup and scaleup companies in the region. Congressman Hill led a roundtable discussion with a number of the area’s emerging businesses, and enjoyed a site visit of the newly expanded Edafio Technology Partners’ space. Additionally, the Congressman toured the Makerspace and received hands-on training making “squishy circuits” with Master Maker Jason Huselton. Following his visit, the Congressman noted that learning about the Conductor was the highlight of his visit to the District. “It was an honor to visit the Conductor and learn about the programs and entrepreneurial activity in the community” said U.S. Congressman French Hill in a press release after his visit. “It’s exciting to see this entrepreneurial growth in central Arkansas, and I’m proud to support organizations like the Conductor that create mentorship opportunities and access to capital, which are vital to the success of emerging small businesses.” Conductor CEO Kim Lane has
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been an invited speaker at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2017, and Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. At the events, she spoke to an international audience about the work of the Conductor, and the impact of the innovative public-private partnerships in the community. In 2019, the Kauffman Foundation selected Lane as one of three invited speakers to its 10th Annual State of Entrepreneurship Address, where she will highlight the Conductor and its thriving impact. “It’s extremely important to me to share the Conductor’s story on a national and international stage,” Lane said. “I’m so thrilled that the work we’re doing is being recognized by so many people around the world. This type of exposure is a true testament to the power of our collaborations and the impact we’ve had together.” The Future In 2019, the Conductor received a federal contract that will enable it to significantly increase its operating capacity. Through the funding, it will serve rural entrepreneurs in the central Arkansas region, with a focused mission on bolstering small businesses and positioning Conway as an entrepreneurial epicenter to surrounding communities. It has also established a partnership with Facebook, which enables it to connect local college students with high-paid internships at area businesses through the Career Connections program. Facebook is piloting the program in central Arkansas, with hopes to scale it nationwide in coming years. “The Conductor is excited to continue its efforts to catalyze a prosperous entrepreneurial ecosystem in central Arkansas,” Lane said. “Conway’s low cost of living, booming young population, notable internet speeds and unrivaled quality of place make it the ideal location for an entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the Conductor is proud to call it home.”
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Acxiom Awards $5,000 Scholarships to Nine College Students Students are from diverse backgrounds and enrolled in post-secondary degree IT programs CONWAY, Ark.–(January 24, 2019)– Acxiom®, the data and technology foundation for the world’s best marketers, today announced the nine winners in the company’s Diversity Scholarship Program. This initiative offers $5,000 scholarships to U.S.-based students from diverse backgrounds who are enrolled in a full-time post-secondary degree program such as Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Information Quality, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics or related areas of study. This is the Acxiom Diversity Scholarship Program’s seventh year. “We congratulate our scholarship recipients on this exciting achievement,” said Dennis Self, Acxiom CEO. “Acxiom is passionate about helping the next generation of leaders pursue their dreams through computer science and information technology careers. Our support positions them for future success and helps foster a more diverse pool of qualified talent, which will benefit the marketing and technology industries for years to come.” Diversity Scholarship recipients are selected based on their ability to demonstrate a combination of academic achievement, field of study aimed at Information Technology, and professional interest as it relates to Acxiom’s business needs. This year’s Acxiom Diversity Scholarship recipients are: • Timothy Itodo – Computer Science and Mathematics at Philander Smith College; Little Rock, Arkansas • Alexys Lamkin – Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Central Arkansas; Conway, Arkansas • Qi Li – Information Science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Little Rock, Arkansas
• Hengchang Liao – Computer Science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Little Rock, Arkansas • Sarah Malik – Business and Business Analytics at Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Phiwinhlanhla Ndedele-Ngwenya – Mathematics at Philander Smith College; Little Rock, Arkansas • Stella Osunkwo – Business Information Systems at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Little Rock, Arkansas • Akhila Thirumalareddy – Information Quality at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Little Rock, Arkansas • Rafael Toche – Computer Science and German at the University of Arkansas; Fayetteville, Arkansas “We are proud of Acxiom’s inclusive and supportive workplace environment where employees feel empowered and encouraged to share their unique perspective and values,” said Mary Ward, Chief People Officer at Acxiom. “Our Diversity Scholarship Program was started in 2012 and takes Acxiom’s values into the community by supporting the goals of bright future leaders. We look forward to the contributions these students will make to our industry.” About Acxiom Acxiom provides
the data and technology foundation for the world’s best marketers. We enable peoplebased marketing everywhere through a simple, open approach to connecting systems and data that drives seamless customer experiences and higher ROI. A leader in identity and ethical data use for nearly 50 years, Acxiom helps thousands of clients and partners around the globe work together to create a world where all marketing is relevant. Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom LLC. For more information, visit Acxiom.com. Contact Sherry Hamilton, Communications Director 501-342-6029 sherry.hamilton@acxiom.com
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North Metro Economy at a Glance Population US ..........................325,719,178 Arkansas .....................3,004,279 Conway ...........................65,782 Cleburne County...............25,048 Conway County................20,916 Faulkner County.............123,654 Perry County....................10,348 Van Buren County.............16,506 Unemployment Rate December-2018 Seasonally Adjusted US ..................................... 3.9% Arkansas ............................ 3.6% Not Seasonally Adjusted US ..................................... 3.7% Arkansas............................ 3.7% Conway.............................. 3.1% Cleburne County ................ 4.5% Conway County ................. 4.3% Faulkner County ................ 3.2% Perry County ...................... 4.5% Van Buren County .............. 5.4% Bank Deposits June Conway County 2018...........................$1,827,728 2017...........................$1,686,727 Percent Change ............... 8.36% Cleburne County 2018..............................$554,248 2017..............................$524,244 Percent Change ............... 5.72%
Conway County 2018..............................$358,473 2017..............................$382,665 Percent Change ..............-6.32% Faulkner County 2018...........................$2,192,595 2017...........................$2,052,122 Percent Change ............... 6.85% Perry County 2018................................$72,986 2017................................$71,596 Percent Change ............... 1.94% Van Buren County 2018..............................$276,171 2017..............................$277,646 Percent Change ..............-0.53%
Faulkner County 2019.............................$783,852 2018.............................$803,190 Percent Change...............-2.41% Tax Rate ........................... 0.50% Perry County 2019.............................$136,494 2018.............................$131,958 Percent Change................ 3.44% Tax Rate ........................... 2.50% Van Buren County 2019.............................$333,049 2018.............................$330,302 Percent Change................ 0.83% Tax Rate ........................... 2.00%
Restaurant Sales* Year to Date (November) Sales & Use Tax Collections Conway January 2018......................$198,154,317 Conway 2017......................$184,557,360 2019..........................$2,597,001 Percent Change................ 7.37% 2018..........................$2,198,709 *Includes mixed drink sales Percent Change.............. 18.11% Tax Rate ......................... 2.125% Hotel Sales Year to Date (November) Cleburne County Conway 2019.............................$503,747 2018........................$18,196,718 2018.............................$447,384 2017........................$20,683,603 Percent Change.............. 12.60% Percent Change.............-12.02% Tax Rate ........................... 1.63% Residential Building Conway County Permits 2019.............................$467,351 Year to Date (January) 2018.............................$457,975 Conway Percent Change................ 2.05% 2019..........................................5 Tax Rate ........................... 1.75% 2018..........................................9 Percent Change.............-44.44%
Residential Units Sold (New and Existing) Year to Date (December) Conway 2018........................................38 2017........................................89 Percent Change ............-57.30% Year to Date (October) Cleburne County 2018......................................391 2017......................................337 Percent Change ............. 16.02% Conway County 2018......................................105 2017........................................88 Percent Change ............. 19.32% Faulkner County 2018....................................1324 2017....................................1418 Percent Change ..............-6.63% Perry County 2018........................................50 2017........................................43 Percent Change ............. 16.28% Van Buren County 2018......................................198 2017......................................188 Percent Change ............... 5.32% Values of Residential Units Sold Year to Date (December) Conway 2018......................$146,672,315 2017......................$196,484,097
Percent Change ............-25.35%
2017.............................$172,151 Percent Change ............... 9.20%
Year to Date (October) Cleburne County 2018........................$77,156,762 2017........................$62,288,486 Percent Change ............. 23.87%
Conway County 2018.............................$112,917 2017...............................$95,441 Percent Change ............. 18.31%
Conway County 2018........................$12,185,487 2017..........................$9,628,108 Percent Change ............. 26.56%
Faulkner County 2018.............................$176,417 2017.............................$171,268 Percent Change................ 3.01%
Faulkner County 2018......................$249,284,518 2017......................$259,010,718 Percent Change ..............-3.76%
Perry County 2018.............................$117,486 2017.............................$128,040 Percent Change ..............-8.24%
Perry County 2018..........................$6,456,580 2017..........................$4,817,991 Percent Change ............. 34.01%
Van Buren County 2018.............................$102,740 2017...............................$97,099 Percent Change ............... 5.81%
Van Buren County 2018........................$21,909,718 2017........................$19,732,539 Percent Change ............. 11.03% Average Price of Residential Units Sold (New and Existing) Year to Date (December) Conway 2018.............................$181,077 2017.............................$180,095 Percent Change .................0.55% Year to Date (October) Cleburne County 2018.............................$187,985
Proud sponsor of Pulse of Conway Sources: 2012-2016 ACS 5-Year Data Profiles, Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, C2ER, Sperling’s Best Places, Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Cooperative Arkansas Realtors’ Multiple Listing Services, Arkansas Realtors Association, and City of Conway.
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Honorees named for third annual healthcare awards
Administrator of the Year James Reed Conway Regional Health System
Healthcare Professional of the Year Christina Hall Community Service Inc.
Nurse of the Year Greta Morgan Baptist Health Medical Center
Doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and other medical professionals will be front and center at an awards luncheon focused on the healthcare industry. Organized by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and underwritten by the University of Central Arkansas, the North Metro Healthcare Awards will take place Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The third annual event honors individuals who are making an impact on the overall health of the community they serve and companies that are dedicated to the health and wellness of their employees. The Chamber accepted nominations for each of the five award categories in late 2018. From the nominees, a panel of healthcare executives from across the country selected the following award recipients: • Administrator of the Year: James Reed, Conway Regional Health System; • Healthcare Professional of the Year: Christina Hall, Community Service Inc.; • Nurse of the Year: Greta Morgan, Baptist Health Medical Center – Conway; • Physician of the Year: Dr. Michael Wood, Renaissance Women’s Center; and • Workplace Place Wellness Award: Baptist Health Medical Center – Conway.
Physician of the Year Dr. Michael Wood Renaissance Women’s Center
Workplace Place Wellness Award Tim Bowen Baptist Health Medical Center
Keynote Speaker Dr. Chad Rodgers Little Rock Pediatric Clinic
Conway Regional Physician Hospital Organization and Sam’s Club are this year’s award sponsors. Edafio Technology Partners is a corporate sponsor, and the media sponsor is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s River Valley & Ozark Edition. In addition to the awards ceremony, the North Metro Healthcare Awards will feature Dr. Chad Rodgers of the Little Rock Pediatric Clinic as this year’s keynote speaker. A Little Rock native, Dr. Rodgers has been at Little Rock Pediatric Clinic since 2002. He attended Baylor University and then returned to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for medical school. He completed his pediatric residency training at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Rodgers has a strong interest in preventive care, health literacy, and child advocacy. He serves as president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and secretary to the board of directors of the Arkansas Medical Society. Dr. Rodgers is the co-founder of Reach Out and Read Arkansas and serves on its board, as well as on the board of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. He also serves as chief medical officer for the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care. He is the 2015 recipient of Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Dr. Tom Ed Townsend Award. To reserve a table of eight at the North Metro Healthcare Awards, visit the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s website at conwaychamber.org. For additional details or questions about the event, contact director of events Therese Williams at therese@ conwayarkansas.org or 501-932-5411.
