Forty Under 40: Rod Sanders

Rod Sanders, 39, spent his early years in Orange, Calif., until his family relocated to Bentonville when he was 8 years old. Sanders graduated from John Brown University in 1986 with a degree in theology and studied education for two years at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 1988, he joined Sanders Properties and has been with the company ever since. The family business consists of Rod, his brother Russ Sanders and their father, Lavelle Sanders. The company owns and manages residential properties in and around downtown Bentonville.

I work on the day-to-day needs of the company, making sure the properties are maintained, Sanders said.

He said he learned the business from his father and also credits Tom Rice of Rice & Co. Appraisals for influencing his career.

Sanders served on the Bentonville Planning Commission from 1990-1995, serving as chairman in 1993 and 1994. From 1995-2000, he was a member of the Bentonville Downtown Planning Group and received the Sam Walton Business Leader Award in 1998.

Sanders has served on the Bentonville Board of Adjustments since 1997 and has been chairman since 2002. He is also on the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.