NORTH METRO
APRIL 2018
BUSINESS JOURNAL
Kangabloo Creative specializes in working with medium-sized businesses that have a marketing budget but may lack the expertise or staff to get their message out effectively. Owner Drew Spurgers assists Kangabloo client Travis Hester with branding for his Eat My Catfish restaurants. Story on Page 6
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Conway to serve as Leadercast host site for seventh consecutive year 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 4. The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce has hosted 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.
Program Time: 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Register by April 13 with the Conway Chamber
Meet the Speakers
At the 2018 event, experts will take the Leadercast Live stage to speak on the theme “Lead Yourself,” highlighting the importance of leading oneself first in order to be the best leader for others. Hosted by comedian Tripp Crosby, Leadercast Live will feature the following speakers:
Andy Stanley Leadership Communicator & Bestselling Author
Ian Cron Bestselling Author, Psychotherapist, Enneagram Teacher & Speaker
Mae Jemison NASA Astronaut, Engineer & Physician
Jen Bricker Acrobat, Aerialist, Author & Speaker
Michael Hyatt Author, Speaker and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company
Carey Lohrenz First Female F-14 Pilot, Speaker & Trainer
Jim Loehr, Ed. D. Bestselling Author and World-Renowned Performance Psychologist
Kat Cole COO and President, North America, of FOCUS Brands
Joe Torre Hall of Fame Baseball Manager
Tripp Crosby Comedian, Director & Host of Leadercast 2018
Come to Leadercast. You’ll leave a better leader. conwaychamber.org/leadercast
• Andy Stanley, leadership communicator and best-selling author; • Joe Torre, Hall of Fame baseball manager; Editorial
May 4, 2018 UCA Campus
To be the best leader of others, you first must learn to lead yourself well. Attend Leadercast Live to learn from world-renowned experts about the qualities and characteristics of global leaders who exemplify what it means to lead yourself.
psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, and speaker; • Kat Cole, COO and president, North America, of FOCUS Brands; • Jim Loehr, Ed. D., bestselling author and performance psychologist; • Jen Bricker, acrobat, aerialist, author, and speaker; • Michael Hyatt, author, speaker, and CEO of Michael Hyatt & Company; and • Carey Lohrenz, first female F-14 pilot, speaker, and trainer. Leadercast is presented locally by Pediatrics Plus and KimberlyClark Corporation. The Conway simulcast will take place in UCA’s McCastlain Ballroom from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $80 and groups of 10 or more have access to the $70 ticket rate. The cost includes leadership materials, breakfast from PattiCakes Bakery, and lunch from Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe.
For additional information or to reserve a seat, contact Therese Williams, director of events, at therese@conwayarkansas.org or 501-9325411.
Therese@ConwayArkansas.org
• Dr. Mae Jemison, NASA astronaut, engineer, and physician; • Ian Cron, best-selling author,
B.Y.O.C. (Build Your Own City)
In 2018, if cities want to grow or improve they must act. Waiting for a federal or state program or grant is not a plan. For smaller cities needing to invest in infrastructure, inflation rules out slowly setting aside savings. Projects that have the potential to change your city require bold strokes—and in transportation that means capital. That’s why we were pleased to see Maumelle recently join the ranks of those
cities taking control of their own future. The recent special election victory means that Maumelle will take bids on its long awaited interchange later this year. They will also be replacing an antiquated “community service fee” with sales tax revenue dedicated to public safety. In November, Conway passed temporary sales tax to repair local streets. Other cities in the North Metro also have special
elections in the pipeline. Taxes will always have their critics. And taxes always deserve intense scrutiny. But we challenge you to look around Arkansas (particularly northwest Arkansas) and compare the cities that are willing to invest in themselves versus those that aren’t. No one will build your city for you. Congratulations and good luck to those taking the initiative to do it themselves.
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UCA to host conference for small-scale developers
The University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) will host a Small Developer Conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 31, at McCastlain Hall on the UCA campus. Current or aspiring real estate developers, financial institutions, city officials and others involved in the development process are encouraged to attend this daylong workshop. The cost to attend is $100 and includes breakfast, lunch and workshop materials. To introduce participants to what they will learn at the conference, a guest lecture by Matthew Petty will be held from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, April 5, at UCA Downtown, 1105 W. Oak St. Petty is principal at the Infill Group and faculty member at the Incremental Development Alliance and will cover the small-scale development movement and the basics of how to become a small-scale real estate developer. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. To learn more about the Small Developer Conference and guest lecture, visit uca.edu/ go/develop. The Small Developer Conference will expose participants to the “big picture view” of small-scale real estate development. Faculty members of the Incremental Development Alliance, a nonprofit focused on creating small-scale developers and strengthening communities, will provide training. Topics will include picking a development project, making development a reality, discovering areas for improvement and achieving development goals. “Small-scale development is important because it promotes infill development within communities, eliminating sprawl that puts a strain on city services,” said Shelley Mehl, associate vice president for Outreach and Community Engagement at UCA. “By hosting this conference, UCA can play a role in training small-scale developers and
emerging market are trying desperately to revitalize or recreate. At the UCA small-scale development conference, you can get your start in learning the how to become such a creator of great places.” For more information on the Small Developer Conference, visit uca.edu/go/ develop or call Shelby Fiegel at 501-4505269.
community advocates, which will improve the development process.” This event is provided in partnership with the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, Conway Development Corporation, Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau, First Security Bank, Metroplan and the UCA Division of Outreach and Community Engagement. “When a small development fails, it hurts more than just the bank and the owner; it hurts the entire community,” said Jamie Gates, executive vice president of Conway Development Corporation. “This conference will give property owners and developers the tools they need to be financially successful and grow their community.” “The urban places that people love the most are organic, fine-grained places that were originally developed by small entrepreneurs making small investments that together made great and timeless places,” said Tab Townsell, executive director of Metroplan. “These places are what cities and towns and a large part of an
About the Center for Community and Economic Development The University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development’s mission is to have a positive impact on communities by equipping leaders with economic tools and resources, building consensus to achieve community goals, and bringing UCA resources and communities together. CCED envisions communities across Arkansas and the country having robust economies, a flourishing quality of life, and diverse and engaged citizen leaders. CCED provides customized training and technical assistance to communities and their leaders. Learn more at uca.edu/cced. About the Incremental Development Alliance The Incremental Development Alliance is a not-for-profit alliance of practitioners who train small developers, help citizens strengthen their own neighborhoods and help city champions get the kind of development their community wants. For aspiring developers, the Alliance offers training classes to help people take the first steps toward their small-scale real estate development projects. For city champions, the Alliance helps identify where policies and practices are becoming unnecessary barriers, and partner with local organizations to pilot projects that support small development in a targeted area. Learn more about the Alliance at incrementaldevelopment.org.
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Kangabloo Creative offers a one-stop shop for business marketing In today’s crowded landscape, getting and keeping customers’ attention is a challenge for any business. Conway-based marketing agency Kangabloo Creative makes it easy and affordable for local businesses of all sizes to tell their stories and reach key audiences. From local retailers and restaurants to large state agencies, Kangabloo provides video production, web development, design, promotional products customization, and digital marketing services to clients representing a variety of industries, including health care, education, hospitality, retail, finance, nonprofits, technology, and animal welfare. Owner Drew Spurgers founded the company in 2011 at the ripe age of 20. Since then, Kangabloo has grown from a
few contractors and a staff of one to eight full- and part-time employees housed in a permanent location at 740 South Salem Road in Conway. “Our goal is to help business owners make progress in their brand and the story they’re telling,” Spurgers said. “Whether you’ve been in business 20 years or are just getting started, we help people move forward bit by bit, making progress in inches instead of miles.” With two web developers, two video producers, a graphic designer, a project manager, and a digital strategist on staff, Kangabloo Creative is able to provide bespoke marketing solutions in-house. “With the size of our team and the spectrum of services we offer, we do not have to outsource jobs and can handle
projects from concept to delivery,” Spurgers said. “For example, we just completed a rebrand for a local nonprofit. We produced a video announcing their new brand and launched a store for employees filled with items we had imprinted, such as T-shirts, pens, and coffee mugs. The promotional products side of our business allows us to take care of a company’s branding needs from start to finish.” The team at Kangabloo Creative specializes in working with medium-sized businesses that have a marketing budget but may lack the expertise or staff to get their message out effectively. “We can serve as the creative department, or we can supplement the internal creative department,” Spurgers explained. “For some of our clients, we manage all of their
Design work for the City of Conway’s bike-share program and brand development for Elkins School District are two turnkey projects completed by Kangabloo Creative.
marketing; for others, we assist on a projectby-project basis.” Two recent examples of Kangabloo’s branding and creative work come from the public sector. In 2017, the City of Conway launched the state’s first public bike-share program through Zagster Inc., the leading provider of private and public-private bikesharing systems in the United States. The team at Kangabloo Creative designed the logo for the program, which can be seen at the five bicycle stations located throughout the city. Kangabloo’s creative team also helped an Arkansas school district with a logo redesign. Elkins School District was lacking a consistent brand in its academic and athletic departments and wanted a look that conveyed strength as well as a mark to promote their athletics. After researching collegiate and professional logo types, Kanagabloo Creative designed a logo consisting of a powerful Elk and a wordmark that met both needs. Video production has been another indemand service for Kangabloo Creative. To stay on top of technology trends,
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NORTH METRO BUSINESS JOURNAL
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more companies are opting to showcase their products and services using visually stunning graphics and video. In addition to having two video producers on its team, Kangabloo has invested in renovating a suite adjacent to its office into a video production studio. “We brought down walls and added lighting in the suite next to us to create our new video studio, which has enabled us to shoot high-quality video in a fraction of the time,” Spurgers said. “It is a quick process and makes video production more affordable and accessible for almost any business or organization.” Video plays a major role in the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting, billed as the largest business event in Conway with more than 1,100 people attending each year. Spurgers said it was surreal knowing that the team at Kangabloo produced each video shown that evening – from the opening video inspired by the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman,” to the presenting sponsor’s promotional video, to the interviews with the Annual Meeting award winners.
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In addition to having all eyes on his team’s work, all eyes were also on Spurgers himself. He was one of the 2018 Annual Meeting award honorees, receiving the Young Business Leader of the Year award. According to the Chamber’s website, this award “recognizes a community business leader, age 40 or younger, who has helped created a more vibrant business and social environment for all of Conway’s residents.” “I was honored to win an award and was equally proud of the work the Kangabloo team did to produce every video shown that night. Telling the story of the individuals and businesses that make up our community is something we don’t take lightly.” Whether a business owner tells their company’s story through a video, a new website, a digital marketing campaign, branding and design, promotional items, or a combination of these, Kangabloo Creative is equipped to help. Call 501-499-6703 or visit kangabloo.com to learn more about working with the agency.
North Metro Population Estimates Population Estimate (as of July 1) Geography
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Net Pop. Change
Pop. Change % Annual Growth Rate
Faulkner County, Arkansas
114,028
116,223
118,421
119,096
120,463
121,113
122,083
123,654
9,626
8.44%
1.16%
Conway County, Arkansas
21,217
21,115
21,127
21,071
20,977
20,912
20,895
20,916
-301
-1.42%
-0.20%
Van Buren County, Arkansas
17,298
17,198
17,147
16,972
16,887
16,769
16,622
16,506
-792
-4.58%
-0.67%
Cleburne County, Arkansas
26,003
25,890
25,773
25,638
25,603
25,358
25,159
25,048
-955
-3.67%
-0.53%
Pope County, Arkansas
62,105
62,654
62,576
62,542
63,073
63,559
63,852
63,835
1,730
2.79%
0.39%
Perry County, Arkansas
10,441
10,377
10,321
10,329
10,352
10,299
10,273
10,348
-93
-0.89%
-0.13%
White County, Arkansas
77,336
78,005
78,545
78,471
78,368
78,835
78,838
79,016
1,680
2.17%
0.31%
328,428 339,323 10,895 3.32% 0.38%
Maumelle city, Arkansas
15,918
16,438
16,965
17,343
17,565
17,695
17,795
1,877
11.79%
1.88%
Pulaski County, Arkansas
383,536
386,679
388,738
391,068
392,434
393,107
393,677
10,420
2.72%
0.38%
393,956
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Annual Meeting Awards honor Conway-area businesses, individuals In mid-March, more than 1,100 people were “under the big top” in the University of Central Arkansas’s HPER Center for the 127th Annual Meeting of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce. Inspired by the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman,” a musical drama about American showman P.T. Barnum, the theme of the evening was “The Greatest City.” The night opened with a dramatic video and live entertainment featuring performers from Arkansas Circus
Guy W. Murphy Distinguished Service Award Ronnie Williams Vice President for Student Services and Institutional Diversity, University of Central Arkansas
Lloyd Westbrook Good Neighbor Award Crystal Kemp Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Conway Corporation
Business of the Year: Outstanding Nonprofit Haven House
Business of the Year: Outstanding Large Employer Centennial Bank/Home BancShares Inc.
Business of the Year: Outstanding Hospitality Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom
Arts, Stage Door Dance Arts, and Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre. Several businesses and individuals were recognized as Annual Meeting award recipients throughout the evening. The Annual Meeting awards were sponsored by Log Cabin Democrat and Northwestern Mutual. Annual Meeting 2018 was underwritten by TriTechne and presented by the University of Central Arkansas, Crafton Tull, and Conway Regional Health System.
Business Executive of the Year Matt Troup President and CEO, Conway Regional Health System
Business of the Year: Outstanding Retailer The Ride
Business of the Year: Outstanding Small Business Conway Manufacturing Group
Young Business Leader of the Year Drew Spurgers Owner, Kangabloo Creative
Business of the Year: Outstanding Retailer Haynes ACE Hardware
Business of the Year: Outstanding Small Business Pro Auto
Conway Tennis Complex grand opening set for April 17 Local business, community leaders to face off at new tennis courts To celebrate the opening of the City of Conway’s new tennis center at Laurel Park, the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an after-hours networking event at the eight-court facility. Off The Clock: Game. Set. Match! – presented by Centennial Bank, Conway Regional Health System, Sowell Architects, TriTechne, and the City of Conway – will take place Tuesday, April 17, from 5-7 p.m. at the Conway Tennis Complex. Admission is free, and attendees are asked to dress in their workout clothes to test out the new courts. Tennis rackets will be available at the event, and professional tennis instructors will be on hand for those who want to learn how to play. The family-friendly event features a kids court for children 10 years old and younger. Several business and community leaders have agreed to participate in “local celebrity matches” for friendly competition at the event. Participants include the following: • Dr. Houston Davis, UCA vs. Dr. Bill Tsutsui, Hendrix • Matt Troup, Conway Regional vs. Tim Bowen, Baptist Heath • Lori Ross, Conway Regional vs. Lori Case Melton, First
North Metro Economy at a Glance pulseofconway.com
Unemployment Rate January-2018 Seasonally Adjusted US .......................................4.1% Arkansas ..............................3.7% Not Seasonally Adjusted US .......................................4.5% Arkansas..............................4.4% Cleburne County ..................6.0% Conway County ...................5.2% Faulkner County ..................3.8% Perry County ........................5.1% Van Buren County ................6.3%
Service Bank • Rik Sowell, Sowell Architects vs. Jon Virden, Corco Construction • Mayor Bart Castleberry vs. County Judge Jim Baker • Police Chief Jody Spradlin vs. Fire Chief Mike Winter • Shelly Mehl, City Council vs. Shelia Isby, City Council • Jamie Gates, Conway Chamber vs. Tab Townsell, Metroplan • Andy Hawkins, Arkansas House of Representatives candidate vs. Spencer Hawks, Arkansas House of Representatives candidate • Mary Smith, City Council vs. Felicia Rogers, City of Conway • Greg Sanson, Centennial Bank vs. Johnny Adams, First Security Bank • David Grimes, City Council vs. Mark Ledbetter, City Council Palmer Music Company will provide live music, and Stoby’s, PattiCakes Bakery, Chickfil-A, Smoothie King, Moe’s Southwestern Grill, and Whole Hog Café will serve food. The event is underwritten by Corco Construction, Crain Buick GMC, and Crain Kia.
Sales Tax Collections March Cleburne County 2018......................... $436,714.08 2017......................... $426,167.19 Percent Change .................2.47% Tax Rate ...........................1.625% Conway County 2018......................... $390,112.77 2017......................... $409,902.11 Percent Change ............... -4.83% Tax Rate .............................1.75% Faulkner County 2018......................... $743,972.49 2017......................... $695,423.05 Percent Change .................6.98% Tax Rate .............................0.50% Perry County 2018......................... $132,622.41 2017......................... $123,172.98 Percent Change .................7.67% Tax Rate .............................2.50% Van Buren County 2018......................... $293,696.72 2017......................... $333,806.79 Percent Change ............. -12.02% Tax Rate .............................2.00% Bank Deposits June-30 Cleburne County 2018......................... $524,244.00 2017......................... $513,251.00 Percent Change .................2.14%
Conway County 2018......................... $382,665.00 2017......................... $387,785.00 Percent Change ............... -1.32% Faulkner County 2018...................... $2,052,122.00 2017...................... $1,855,340.00 Percent Change ...............10.61% Perry County 2018........................... $71,596.00 2017........................... $72,391.00 Percent Change ............... -1.10% Van Buren County 2018......................... $277,646.00 2017......................... $285,875.00 Percent Change ............... -2.88% Residential Units Sold (New and Existing) Year to Date (January) Cleburne County 2018.........................................21 2017.........................................21 Percent Change .................0.00% Conway County 2018...........................................4 2017.........................................15 Percent Change ............. -73.33% Faulkner County 2018.........................................88 2017.........................................90 Percent Change ............... -2.22% Perry County 2018...........................................3 2017...........................................2 Percent Change ...............50.00% Van Buren County 2018.........................................13 2017.........................................20 Percent Change ............. -35.00% Values of Residential Units Sold Year to Date (January) Cleburne County 2018........................... $4,577,160
2017........................... $3,439,674 Percent Change ...............33.07% Conway County 2018.............................. $533,400 2017........................... $1,274,295 Percent Change ............. -58.14% Faulkner County 2018......................... $14,654,112 2017......................... $15,324,300 Percent Change ............... -4.37% Perry County 2018.............................. $250,998 2017.............................. $203,130 Percent Change ...............23.57% Van Buren County 2018........................... $1,230,294 2017........................... $2,154,620 Percent Change ............. -42.90% Average Price of Residential Units Sold Year to Date (January) Cleburne County 2018.............................. $217,960 2017.............................. $163,794 Percent Change ...............33.07% Conway County 2018.............................. $133,350 2017................................ $84,953 Percent Change ...............56.97% Faulkner County 2018.............................. $166,524 2017.............................. $170,270 Percent Change ............... -2.20% Perry County 2018................................ $83,666 2017.............................. $101,565 Percent Change ............. -17.62% Van Buren County 2018................................ $94,638 2017.............................. $107,731 Percent Change ............. -12.15%
Sources: Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Arkansas Realtors Association.
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NORTH METRO BUSINESS JOURNAL
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Event recognizes north metro administrative professionals, paraprofessionals The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Administrative Professionals Awards will take place Thursday, April 26, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. For the first time, the awards breakfast will also recognize paraprofessionals. Presented by PattiCakes Bakery and Stoby’s, the event will recognize three Outstanding Administrative Professionals and two Outstanding Paraprofessionals. Administrative professionals include, but are not limited to, administrative support staff, executive assistants, office and facility managers, office clerks, and receptionists. Paraprofessionals include paralegals, instruction assistants, direct-care workers,
and other paraprofessionals in fields such as education, accounting, and engineering. Award nominees exceed work expectations, collaborate successfully with colleagues and community members, and manage resources efficiently. Over 25 nominations were submitted for the 2018 awards, and a panel of Chamber executives from outside the state of Arkansas selected the following as this year’s winners: Outstanding Administrative Professional: Colleen Brock, Milestones Services, Inc. Myrna Eldridge, Green Bay Packaging, Arkansas Kraft Division Carol Harrison, First Security Bank
TOAD SUCK DAZE IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER The 37th annual Toad Suck Daze festival is May 4-6, 2018. Visit ToadSuck.org or Facebook.com/ToadSuck Daze for the latest information about the three-day festival.
Outstanding Paraprofessional: Nakia Jackson, Counseling Associates Bridget Fuller, Nabholz Construction Therese Williams, director of events at the Conway Area Chamber, said space remains for the awards breakfast. Individual tickets are available for $50 and tables of eight can be reserved for $400. “In addition to joining us in celebration of these individuals, consider treating your support staff to a special morning in appreciation of all they do for your office,” Williams said. “Attendees will enjoy a hot breakfast, a dynamic keynote speaker, and are sure to love this year’s gift bags.” Seating is limited, so contact Williams at therese@conwayarkansas.org or 501-9325411 to reserve a place at the event.