Best and Worst of 2003: Bambi, Broyles and Bentonville

While U.S. troops hunted for Saddam Hussein, Brass Eagle was more worried about people “hunting for Bambi” with its paintball guns.

It was a wacky year in many ways.

But we tried to sum it up here in our annual compilation of “Best and Worst” for 2003.

Best Quote

Bill Hardgrave, executive director of the Information Technology Research Center in the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business, said the following to explain the type of consumer patterns that can be identified through “data mining.”

“What we find is that when guys run into a store to buy diapers — when their wives send them to the store — they also pick up a six-pack of beer.”

If that quote wasn’t good enough, then he said, “If we torture the data long enough, it will confess to something.”

Best Office

Ronny Hissom, owner of Circle H Farms in Goshen, wins the testosterone award for the manliest office. His collection of big game kills from African safaris, antique furniture, sports memorabilia and his fascinating photos from around the world make a nest Ernest Hemingway would love.

By far the most luxurious serious work environment is the penthouse of the J.B. Hunt Pinnacle Parkway Tower in Rogers, home of The Pinnacle Group. Hunt, Bill Schywhart and Tim Graham did everything first class.

Worst Traffic

Bentonville’s rush hour parking lot that’s known as 14th Street (Arkansas Highway 102) is a nightmare.

Worst Departure

David Malone left Fayetteville to become executive director of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System in Little Rock on Jan. 1.

Malone had served Fayetteville well as state senator from 1985-2002, representative from 1981-84 and mayor from 1979-80.

He was executive director of the University of Arkansas Foundation from 1991-2002.

We hope Malone can turn things around for the state’s largest pension fund, which had a tumultuous 2002 including the exodus of its top two executives, criminal referrals, civil litigation and the hiring of a new leader.

Worst Loss

The death of Bernice Jones this year wasn’t a surprise, but what a loss for Springdale and all of Northwest Arkansas. Jones poured money into the construction and operation of the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families where a skating rink, pool, gymnasiums, meeting space and more is offered at no cost.

Best Legislation

Arkansas’ new tort reform law is a big benefit to hospitals and nursing homes which don’t have to worry as much about huge jury awards and frivolous claims of malpractice. The law requires an affidavit from an expert in the specialty of the doctor accused of malpractice and limits payouts for punitive damages to $250,000.

Lawyers argue it leaves the door open for doctor negligence, but as insurance premiums continue to beat up the populous here’s hoping for some relief.

Worst “Come” Bet

No one really believes fewer lawsuits will results in lower health care costs, do they?

Best Training Opportunity

The Center for Management and Executive Development at the Sam M. Walton College of Business started a multi-part program for career and ethical development of executives in January. Tim W. Kizer, director of the center, said the program provides a “very solid bedrock of competencies, perceptions and ideas.”

Worst Phone CallSpringdale developer Gary Brandon had just settled in to watch “CSI: Miami” on television when he received a call informing him that his 88-room Marriott Residence Inn in Rogers was on fire. The total loss was $2.8 million, but the building was insured.

Best Pay Raise

Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, saw his total compensation jump by 33 percent to $28.96 million in the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31, 2003. That figure includes $13.1 million in stock options, which sometimes aren’t counted as current compensation because the options will be exercised, presumably, at a later date.

Best Renovation

The Inn at Carnall Hall was finally completed and wowed pretty much everyone who visited it.

Credit has to be given to the investors, Richard Alexander, Rob Merry-Ship, Joyce Lambeth, Miles James and Ted and Leslie Belden.

The Inn at Carnall Hall is now a focal point on the University of Arkansas campus. And we thoroughly enjoy dining in James’ restaurant there.

Worst Artificial Inflation

The Audit Bureau of Circulations docked The Morning News of Springdale by 1,082 daily and 555 Sunday in its circulation tally for the period ending March 31. Apparently, a delivery person for The Morning News was leaving those papers at hospitals and nursing homes and not collecting 12.5 cents per copy for the daily papers and 25 cents for the Sunday editions. Tom Stallbaumer, The Morning News’ publisher, said those papers will continue to be distributed as a public service but not counted as subscription. The Morning News had published full-page ads trumpeting the circulation increase.

Best Bootstrapper

Doyle Z. Williams, dean of the University of Arkansas’ Walton College of Business, has kicked the college up the rankings ladder, with help of course from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, which gave the college $50 million in 1998 and $300 million in 2002. We were happy to see the UA’s undergraduate business school ranked 28th in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report, and we know that will continue to improve with Williams in charge. A few years ago, the business college didn’t rank in the top 50 at all.

Best Hoax

In July, Brass Eagle Inc. sent out a panicky press release warning consumers not to play with its paintball products in the nude.

The release was in response to a television segment aired July 10 on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, in Las Vegas, which featured “Hunting for Bambi.” In the game, rich businessmen would allegedly pay thousands of dollars to hunt nude or scantily clad women with paintball guns in the deserts of Nevada.

Turns out, the game was a hoax to sell video tapes.

Worst Case of Neglect

The historic Mountain Inn in Fayetteville has been empty for years. Apparently, the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, railroaded a project to renovate the seven-story building. Since then, it has been slowly deteriorating. According to a story in The Morning News, the building has been occupied by vagrants and even served as a meth lab.

It’s about time for Stella Moga of Westlake, Ohio, the owner, to do something about it.

Best News for College Kids

Fayetteville’s 1998 regulation banning the sale of beer and wine and grocery and convenience stores will likely be thrown out by the end of 2003, said Kit Williams, the city attorney. The law was preempted by the state.

Most Accessible Execs

Scott Van Laningham, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, always calls us right back. A former newspaperman with the Arkansas Gazette and Springdale News, Van Laningham has all the info we need either in his head or at his fingertips.

Paul Justus at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission in Springdale makes our job easier. He consistently provides data when we need it, and he does it patiently, quickly and without complaint or reservation. The man loves data and we love him for loving data.

From the corporate world, Tyson Foods Inc. Chairman and CEO John Tyson and his senior officers run the world’s largest poultry and beef producer but they still make time to visit with local media. Todd Simmons, president of Simmons Foods Inc., is another corporate good guy.

Least Accessible Execs

Trucking companies in general are a tight-lipped bunch, and the shyness of a few local CEOs in that segment even makes us wonder if they’re in the Federal Witness Protection Program. The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. brass, we’re told, only grants a handful of interviews per year. We think they should be more accessible to the media where Mr. Sam made his billions and the firm employs tens of thousands of citizens, but we understand their hands are full.

The winner by a landslide, however, was Brass Eagle CEO Lynn Scott in Bentonville. We assume he was simply “gun” shy, since his company insisted upon calling its paintball firing weapons “markers.”

Best Travel Scenario

After Bill Schwyhart missed beating the highest bid ($60,300 on eBay) for the last Concorde flight from New York to London, Sahara Hoskins at Design Travel in Rogers was able to book he and wife Carolyn on the last commercial flight prior to the celebrity voyage.

Best Saturation of Wal-Mart Stores

Arkansas, of course, which has one Wal-Mart store for every 32,048 residents and 619 square miles. That compares to one Wal-Mart for every 259,406 residents and 1,172 square miles in California, a state the company plans to invade with the roll out of new stores.

Best Restaurants and Bars

Best Burger

Brewski’s on Dickson Street and Brenda’s Bigger Burger on Sixth Street, both in Fayetteville, make the best down and dirty cheeseburgers. For the gourmet variety, we prefer The Market at Pinnacle Point in Rogers.

Best Pizza/Coldest Beer

U.S. Pizza’s Dickson Street location has reclaimed the title of “best pies in town.” The Little Rock chain’s pizza is a little pricier than the competition, but its ingredients are first class and its crust is consistently the correct thickness. Anything thicker than 1/4 of an inch isn’t pizza, it’s bread.

U.S. Pizza also has the coldest beer in the four-county area, and that ain’t even close.

Best Bar/Wine List

Brewski’s 70 taps on Fayetteville’s Dickson Street offers the best beer selection. Nobody beats the prices or service at nearby Grub’s. The River Grille in Bentonville and James at the Mill in Johnson have the most diverse and eclectic wine selections, along with Sassafras and Ella’s Restaurant, both in Fayetteville.

Most Romantic Setting

Joe Fennel’s Bordino’s italian restaurant is still the place to woo a date or impress a client in Fayetteville.

Best Sandwich

The Reuben at the Bentonville Butcher & Deli is as close to perfection as humans ought to be allowed to get. We’re talking messy, mouth-watering, delicious to the last morsel fantastic “fahghetaboutit” deli. In Washington County, Fayetteville’s Common Grounds has the best lineup.

Best Steak/Postgame

Benny Spears’ Fayetteville landmark, Herman’s, has reigned over red meat longer than we can remember. Name a cut — it’s all good at Herman’s. We also fell back in love with Herman’s ribs during 2003.

This year, Ella’s Restaurant in Fayetteville introduced its “Razor Steak” and made a serious run at the steak title. Herman’s gets the edge overall for its savory steaks, sense of humor (we loved the “Moo, Oink Cluck” t-shirts) and for being the runaway best venue for Razorbacks post-game revelry.

Best Barbecue

Lucky Luke’s in Fayetteville has edged its way into first place for barbecue pork. Penguin Ed’s of Fayetteville has the best chicken barbecue. Barbecue beef is for people who don’t like beef.

Best Weekend Brunch

Fayetteville’s 1936 Club knocks its lox and bagels out of the park.

Best Caterer

The Market at Pinnacle Point catered the September open house party for Bank of America’s new Private Bank operation in Rogers. The shrimp fillets were beyond words.n Best New Restaurant

Ella’s Restaurant in the University of Arkansas’ Inn at Carnall Hall has excellent food and a refined, historic ambiance. After a meal, the Lambeth Lounge in Carnall Hall is a great place to relax and have a drink.

Best Restaurant Overall

We thought about this for quite a while, and we’ve decided it’s Copeland’s Famous New Orleans Restaurant & Bar in Rogers. Of course, we’re a business publication, so we’re wowed by their sales numbers — $5.3 million, a state record, this year. Obviously, they’re doing something right.

Best Executive Lunch

James at the Mill in Johnson hasn’t missed a beat.

Most Family Friendly

The Marketplace Grill in Springdale’s no-smoking policy, no alcoholic beverages and kid-friendly wait staff make it the best place for family outings.

Top 10 Northwest Arkansas Business Stories of 2003

• 1 — In June, the Milken Institute announced that the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area was the “best performing city” in the country based on economic growth.

“While this may seem surprising to most of America, it isn’t for the metro area’s retail/distribution anchor firm, Wal-Mart,” the Milken report stated.

• 2 — The area’s public companies had some highs and lows. J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell saw operating income jump by 82 percent to $127.9 million for the first nine months of 2003. J.B. Hunt’s stock price more than doubled from a low of $11.61 in March to $26.25 in mid-December.

Cannon Express Inc. of Springdale voluntarily delisted from the American Stock Exchange in November after its shares, which last traded at $1.36 per share, failed to meet listing standards. On Dec. 2, Cannon said it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In October, sporting goods company K2 Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif., said it’s buying Brass Eagle Inc. of Bentonville in a stock swap worth $77.8 million.

Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale saw its stock price almost double from $7.25 per share in March to $14.25 per share in mid-December.

• 3 — The $45 million Embassy Suites hotel opened in Rogers in May. The John Q. Hammons hotel has 250 rooms and 20,000 SF of meeting space. It’s near solid bookings virtually guarantee the luxury giant, already a catalyst for Pinnacle Hills (See story, p. 1), will become the market’s revenue leader in 2004.

• 4 — Bank chain consolidations also made the news. Arvest Holdings Inc. of Bentonville bought publicly traded Superior Financial Corp. of Little Rock for $211 million in cash, a buyout it started in May. That grew Arvest Bank’s assets to $6.65 billion and its deposits to $5.55 billion.

First Security Corp. of Conway announced in October its plans to buy First National Bank of Springdale. The deal, estimated at $45 million-$50 million, hasn’t closed but it would grow First Security’s deposits 42 percent from $697.56 million to $992 million.

• 5 — The Arkansas Supreme Court, in its November 2002 Lake View decision, gave the Arkansas General Assembly until Jan. 1, 2004, to come up with a constitutional plan for providing an equitable and adequate education to all of the state’s children. The Legislature declined to tackle the subject during its regular session in early 2003 and was still working on it in a special session called in December.

• 6 — University of Arkansas Chancellor John White lost what appeared to be a power play to oust legendary Razorbacks Athletic Director J. Frank Broyles in early June. Broyles wound up with a five-year contract extension, and White went on vacation. But the falling out, which ensued when White called Broyles out publicly to step up the program’s “institutional control,” made headlines for weeks.

• 7 — After years of fruitless efforts, business and medical interests finally succeeded in getting substantive tort reform legislation through both houses of the state Legislature and to Gov. Mike Huckabee’s desk. The Civil Justice Reform Act of 2003 changed the state’s joint and several liability, caps punitive damages, prevents “venue shopping” and places new eligibility requirements on expert witnesses.

• 8 — Copeland’s Famous New Orleans Restaurant and Bar in Rogers was on track in December to bring in $5.3 million in sales, which would make it the No. 1 restaurant in Arkansas in terms of gross sales.

• 9 — Hospitals also made the news this year. With the culmination of four acquisitions since 1996 and the opening of its $65 million Bentonville hospital in May, Northwest Health System Inc. became the area’s largest heath care provider serving about 308,000 patients annually.

A month later, Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville announced that it had laid off 43 workers and would eliminate another 40 positions through attrition to trim $2.3 million out of its budget.

• 10 — Developers had ups and downs. The 65,513-SF, 88-room Marriott Residence Inn under construction in Rogers was destroyed by fire on Feb. 3. Developer Gary Brandon pegged the total loss at about $2.8 million. Fire officials said arson could have been the cause, and police were still investigating the case in December.

The much anticipated Bentonville Brownstone mixed-use development, a $450 million project that was expected to have a $1.5 billion impact, got put on hold after its visionary, Perry L. Butcher, suffered a serious health condition.