2013 Business Hall of Fame inductees named

The 2013 class of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame has been announced, with one of the four inductees being a Fort Smith native who played basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Joining 58 other members of the Hall are Thomas Boyer, W.C. “Buddy” Coleman, William Cravens and Frank Fletcher Jr.

• Thomas E. Boyer, of Amarillo, Texas, owner and founder of Micro Images and a  graduate of the business college at the University of Arkansas, where he was an All-American basketball player. Boyer was raised in Fort Smith.

• W.C. “Buddy” Coleman Jr., of Little Rock, former chairman of the board and CEO of Coleman Dairy. Coleman passed away in 2011.

• William L. Cravens, of Little Rock, a certified public accountant and professional engineer who retired after a long career in banking and telecommunications management. He continues to serve as a director of the Oaklawn Jockey Club.

• Frank Fletcher Jr., of North Little Rock, chairman of the board and CEO of the Frank Fletcher Companies, a holding company that owns or controls 20 separate corporations.

Established in 1999 by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame recognizes the exceptional business success its honorees have achieved in Arkansas and beyond. Selections are made by the Hall of Fame’s board of directors based on nominations it receives each year.

The induction ceremony, always held in Little Rock, is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2013. Tickets to the ceremony, a black-tie optional event, are $150 per person. (For event and ticket details, contact the office of external relations at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at (479) 575-6146, or by email: [email protected])

“This year’s inductees represent the breadth of accomplishment by business leaders from Arkansas,” Walton College Dean Eli Jones said in a statement. “These individuals join the distinguished list of members of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame who continue to inspire the future leaders of our state and of the nation with their outstanding achievements in a wide variety of business endeavors.”

The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is housed in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at the Walton College on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

The selection process was chaired by Walton College alumnus Larry Wilson, chairman and CEO of Jacksonville, Ark.-based First Arkansas Bank & Trust. A nominating committee of 20 business leaders sought  nominations, and a selection committee of 12 business and community leaders reviewed the nominations and chose the inductees.

Criteria for selection included: the significance of the impact made as a business leader, the concern demonstrated for improving the community and the display of ethics in all business dealings. In addition, living inductees must be over the age of 60.

Link here for the full statement on the 2013 inductees.