Northwest Arkansas Business Journal 2005 40 Under 40

Dear Readers,

A thread seemed to run through the profiles we wrote for this year’s 40 Under 40 class — family.

Sure there are some workaholics in there, but many of them mentioned that balancing work and family is what makes life rewarding. With noses to the grindstone, some of these folks are changing diapers at the same time.

This year’s bunch includes creative types like Eric Huber and athletes like Matt Shanklin. There’s a former Walt Disney World intern (Michael Clark) and a prosecutor (Robin Green) whose most rewarding work day was sending a murderer to prison.

We interviewed people who grew up fascinated by numbers or technology.

“I had an affinity for numbers,” Kim Moore said. “I never thought about doing anything else.”

But, after being kicked up the ladder, Moore has had to broaden her horizons. She is now general manager of A.G. Russell Knives in Rogers, a job that encompasses much more than numerical skills.

It’s a similar story at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., where working in different jobs is essential training for executives.

Jo Person LaFayette worked in operations, training and development, recruitment and human resources before landing her current job as director of the People Division at Sam’s Club.

“It’s going to be something new and different every day when I go to work,” she said.

This year’s group includes three Tyson Foods employees, two lawyers, two bankers, two Wal-Mart executives and a variety of other business people — all of whom are successful in their fields and well deserving of the honor.

So here’s our list of 40 rising stars under the age of 40. We hope you enjoy learning more about them, and we welcome you to send us nominations for next year. They can be sent to Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, 2790 S. Thompson, Suite 101, Springdale, AR 72764.

Sincerely,
Bill Bowden

(Click here to read profiles of all 40 of this year’s honorees.)