Forty Under 40: Tim Stanley

Although Tim Stanley, 35, studied journalism in college, he never planned to work in the field. Rather, he hoped to benefit from the writing skills he learned.

“I thought if I could learn how to write, I could learn how to do everything else,” Stanley says. And that’s paid off because Stanley says he uses those skills daily in his business as a Xerox-authorized sales agent.

Stanley, who grew up in southern Illinois, attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship. As a center for the Fighting Illini, Stanley played in the Rose Bowl, the Liberty Bowl and the Peach Bowl.

But again, it’s those skills he learned being part of a team that benefit him today. That’s what he tries to convey to young athletes through his work with Arkansas Athletes Outreach: If they don’t become professional athletes, they’re still gaining skills that can help them be successful. “You’ve got to prepare yourself for the future.”

Stanley first came to Northwest Arkansas as an employee of Eastman Kodak Co. By the time he left two years later, he’d met his future wife. Several years later, the couple “jumped through hoops” to move back.

Stanley attributes his success to perseverance and experience. “I come from a farming climate. You don’t plant a seed and expect a crop the next day. You till it, plant it. … My family believes in learning something and sticking with it and becoming an expert at it.”