Forty Under 40: Donny Hubbard

A Los Angeles native who grew up fascinated by the city’s fashion and the glamorous lifestyles often associated with it, Hubbard moved to Fort Smith at age 13.

He later met Paul Rainwater of Rainwater’s Clothing, and began working there at 19.

“Literally, the day I started working at Rainwater’s, I thought I would own that store eventually,” Hubbard said.

Though his career path led him away from Fort Smith, Hubbard has been a part-owner of Baumans Northwest Arkansas since 2008. That will end Sept. 1, when Hubbard and another investor open their own store, The Independent.

“It’s super-exciting to finally get the chance to put your own stamp on something,” Hubbard said.

The change comes after a 10-year association with Baumans that began with Hubbard operating as a salesman “building a client base out of the trunk of my car.”

Hubbard, who lives with his wife and two children in Springdale, depended largely on cold calls before former University of Arkansas golf coach Mike Ketcham introduced him to a pipeline of upwardly mobile clients.

“Referrals, referrals, referrals,” Hubbard said, explaining one of the keys to his succes. “I’m a relationship guy, and that’s what’s been most important for me — the ability to provide a service people here were not expecting or couldn’t get anywhere else.”