Agriculture, Food Still Bring Bacon Home to Arkansas

Simmons, O.K. Industries top list of local food producers; Harps and Superior get in private mix

Food companies lead the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s list of largest private companies, bringing home again the importance of food and agriculture to the region.

Six of the 10 largest privately held companies in the region are involved with the production or sale of food – and four of those six are poultry companies.

Two of those companies are based in Siloam Springs while a third, Peterson Forms Inc., is in nearby Decatur, an indication of the importance of the food industry to Benton County.

Simmons Foods Inc., the family owned poultry company based in Siloam Springs, is the top-ranked company in the two-county region of Benton and Washington counties. Simmons, founded more than 50 years ago, does about $420 million annually in sales.

But Simmons trails the state’s largest private food producing company, Fort Smith-based O.K. Industries Inc., which has an estimated annual sales of $800 million.

Allen Canning Co., the other Siloam Springs company listed, does some $250 million annually in sales. Perhaps the world’s largest private manufacturer of canned vegetables, Allen’s brands include the following familiar names: Allen’s, Butterfield, Royal Prince, Popeye’s and Trappey’s. The company is known especially for its Southern canned vegetable products, such as various varieties of beans, sweet potatoes and okra.

Allen had been operated by two brothers, but Roderick “Rick” Allen recently bought out his brother Delbert “Pete” Allen’s interest in the company.

Twin Rivers Group Inc. makes its first appearance on the Journal’s list of private companies this year. Twin Rivers is a poultry processing and poultry trading business that had estimated revenue of $165 million last year. Douglas Tyler is president of Twin Rivers.

But not all the food companies are producers. Harps Food Stores Inc. is third among the region’s largest private companies. Based in Springdale, Harps owns retail supermarkets in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The company’s stores operate under the name Harps and Price Cutter.

Automobile dealerships and hospitals also figure prominently among the largest private companies.

Superior Automotive Group, with sales of $200 million, holds franchises in the region for a slew of automotive manufacturers: Pontiac, Cadillac, Isuzu, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Ford, Chevrolet, Geo, Oldsmobile, Mercury, Subaru and Kia.

Lewis Ford Sales sells both automobiles – Chrysler and Ford – as well as boats (Lakeland Marine). In addition, the Fay-etteville company has the local Budget Rent-a-Car franchise. Annual sales are estimated at $90 million.

Nelms Auto Stores, also based in Fayetteville, has Chevrolet, Lincoln Mercury, Acura and Honda franchises and annual sales of $70 million.

For the trucking industry, there’s Northwest Arkansas Truck & Equipment Inc. of Springdale, which sells trucks, tractors and trailers. The company, which has estimated annual sales of $75 million, also holds exclusive franchises for Freightliner and Thermo-King in Northwest Arkansas.

Washington County’s two hospital systems – Washington Regional Medical Systems Inc. of Fayetteville and Northwest Medical Center in Springdale – are listed with annual revenue of $156.7 million and $86.7 million, respectively.

But this is Northwest’s last year on the list since it was purchased in 1998 by Quorum Health Group Inc., a publicly traded company.

Two developers also made the Business Journal’s list of largest private companies for the region. Cooper Communities Inc., known for its master planned communities that include Bella Vista and Hot Springs Village, ranks ninth for the region and 35th for the state. Annual revenue of $138 million is reported by that company.

And The Lindsey Co., founded 27 years ago by Jim Lindsey, ranks 44th for the state, 13th for the region, with estimated annual revenue of $105 million. Lindsey builds apartments and also owns Lindsey & Associates, the real estate agency.

Latco Inc. of Lincoln, which builds chicken houses and supplies poultry equipment, moved into the top 75 largest privately held companies in the state this year. Latco, had revenue of $80 million in 1998.