2023 WOMEN IN BUSINESS profiles SPECIAL FEATURE

PRESENTED BY

WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity

Do South® is proud to recognize the achievements of accomplished women in our community. We celebrate these passionate leaders who set the bar for excellence in their professions. Join us as we salute the incredible women who continue to propel our region forward!

Formed with the mission to “educate, equip and encourage the Christian community to provide a future and a hope for children in foster care in Arkansas,” The CALL has grown rapidly statewide.

Families recruited by The CALL make up over half of all foster families in Arkansas, families that have cared for over 22,750 children and created forever families for over 1,900 children since 2007.

The CALL provides services to families and churches at no cost; the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is funded by contributions from individual donors, churches, foundations and corporations. Active in sixty-two Arkansas counties, The CALL is at work daily in western Arkansas.

The CALL in Crawford & Sebastian Counties was established in 2009 and has quickly spread its ministry throughout its territory, making up seventy percent of the traditional foster homes in its service area. In 2018 the group expanded services to include visitation space to DHS-involved families.

In Northwest Arkansas, The CALL in NWA was established in 2011 and since its founding has opened more than 820 foster and adoptive homes to serve the foster children in the area.

The CALL in the River Valley, serving Franklin, Johnson, Logan, and Scott counties, strives to help grow the number of foster homes available to the 163 children in foster care on average. The CALL office is inside Annie's House of Hope in Paris.

One of the River Valley's most unique and engaging salons, Salon Elements provides a range of services to help anyone look and feel their best. The talented team of technicians offers exceptional services from extensive medical-grade pedicures to being “The Salon Certified Hair Extension Specialists,” offering the finest in hair, from wigs to dimensional color to eyelash extensions. Salon Elements operates on the look-good, feel-good principle, and in the case of its advanced restorative pedicure, they mean it literally.

“I can actually take nails that are deformed and thick and painful and restore the health of the nail through my services,” said Stephanie Ebert MMT, a certified advanced medical nail technician.

“As far as I know I am the only person providing these advanced services in Fort Smith.”

The corrective services performed in Stephanie’s private suite restore natural nail growth, reverse chronic nail issues such as hammertoe, provide anti-fungal protocols and even include specialized diabetic foot care and reflexology sessions.

This unique service is just one of many offered by Salon Elements. Their beauty specialists can also be on-site for your wedding or special event, catering to you and your bridal party, ensuring a picture-perfect look with exquisite makeup and hair.

“We offer service and expertise you’d expect to find in a much larger city, right here in Fort Smith,” said Marcie Comstock, owner. “My team and I work hard with each client to provide the very best products, expertise and customer service, ensuring everyone leaves looking and feeling their very best.”