Al Bell, Stephen LaFrance, Millie Ward & Buddy Wray Selected For State Business Hall Of Fame

The UA Walton College of Business announced its four newest inductees into the 2015 Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. Inductees will be honored at a banquet and program on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015.

The four new members include record mogul Al Bell, pharmacist and retailer Stephen LaFrance, advertising executive Millie Ward, and former Tyson Foods executive Donald E. “Buddy” Wray.

“We are pleased to welcome another distinguished group of business leaders to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame,” Walton College Dean Eli Jones said. “They join an exceptional list of inductees who have been recognized among the best in Arkansas business. The outstanding achievements of these four, just as all of the hall of fame’s current members, will have an impact on the future business leaders in Arkansas and around the world.”

The hall of fame induction ceremony will be held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. There is a permanent exhibit 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 honoring the previous 66 inductees, which include iconic business leaders such as Sam Walton, Don Tyson, and Charles Morgan.

Here is more background on the newest inductees:

• Al Bell an executive and owner of Stax records made the Memphis Sound a major part of pop music in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Stephen L. LaFrance Sr. built USA Drug from one store into the largest privately owned chain of drugstores in the United States.
• Millie Ward is co-founder and president of Stone Ward, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Little Rock and Chicago.
• Donald E. “Buddy” Wray served in several executive positions over decades with Tyson Foods, including chief operating officer and executive vice president and special assistant to the president and chief executive officer.

Read more on these business legends at this link.