Millie Ward: Business Hall of Fame Inductee On ‘Building Good’

Editor’s note: Millie Ward is one of the 2015 inductees into the UA Walton College of Business Hall of Fame, which will be held February 13, 2015. Her profile appears in the latest magazine edition of Talk Business & Politics, which you can read here.

Ask Millie Ward how to run a company, and she may respond in 20 words … or 2.

“Find people whose values you share, and help them succeed. We call that ‘building good,’” says Ward, referring to the business philosophy of Stone Ward, the full-service advertising agency she cofounded in 1984 with partner and husband Larry Stone. “Along the same lines, we have 20 principles that we refer to as our ‘Rules of Engagement.’”

Ward and her team draw daily from principles like “Remember that business should be profitable, ethical, and fun” and “Don’t confuse effort with results.”

This sense of personal integrity – along with a stellar record of business achievements and community service – recently led to Ward’s becoming an incoming Walton College of Business (U of A in Fayetteville) Hall of Fame honoree.

Friend and colleague Larry Wilson nominated Ward, one of four inductees chosen for recognition in 2015. “Because of Millie’s leadership, Stone Ward is recognized in the South and Midwest for its creativity and diverse client list,” says Wilson, who serves as president and CEO of First Arkansas Bank & Trust in Jacksonville. “She infuses every client and personal encounter with her distinctive energy and insight.”

IMPACTING FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS
With husband and partner, Larry Stone, Ward has served as an employer, mentor and teacher to many young business leaders, some of whom have worked directly under her command. “Because we work with clients at different levels and stages of their business, our agency is a great training ground for business leadership,” she says. “It’s actually a point of pride for me that some of our people learned from us, and used that experience to start new successful businesses.”

Among those who have moved out on their own with a nod to Stone Ward are Shawn Solloway, Exit Marketing; Martin Thoma, Thoma and Thoma; Martin Wilford, Red Deluxe; and Chris Allison, Allison Marketing.

Allison, an entrepreneur and marketing consultant, credits Ward’s significant influence in his career path. “Being fortunate enough to meet Millie Ward at the beginning of my career was one of the best professional events in my life,” he says. “She is one of the most talented and effective business leaders I have met.”

Colleague and former Stone Ward employee Mimi San Pedro, chief operating and marketing officer for P. Allen Smith Companies, calls Ward a personal inspiration. “My gratitude to Millie,” she says, “for challenging the status quo, for pushing me to think that ‘good enough is not good enough,’ for giving me the courage to see myself as ‘an equal’ and to celebrate successes each and every day.”

Ward is active in central Arkansas’ booming startup movement – something she believes is beneficial to our state. “There’s so much going on,” she explains, mentioning organizations like Arkansas Venture Center, Innovation Hub (North Little Rock), Innovate Arkansas, Noble Impact and other groups. “Helping young entrepreneurs understand challenges and opportunities is a worthwhile place to spend time. This country, this state, was built on the energy of entrepreneurs,” she says, citing J.B. Hunt, Don Tyson, Bill Dillard and Sam Walton – Arkansas entrepreneurs who built their “small” businesses into global players.

As for her part, Ward speaks to entrepreneurs and maintains membership in related organizations. She is a charter board member of the aforementioned Arkansas Venture Center, a newly formed group working to help startups through related targeted activities, coaching and classes.

As a past president of the Downtown Partnership, Ward helped bring the Technology Park to the downtown area. “The Technology Park locating downtown makes sense,” says Ward. “Everything that young entrepreneurs need to live, work and play is in downtown Little Rock – from legal and financial support for their businesses – to dining, entertainment and green spaces to compliment their life styles. All of this makes our downtown a great breeding ground for young companies.”

“Millie has a special way of doing everything,” says Sharon Priest, outgoing executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. “Her wisdom and guidance has taken the Partnership to new heights.”

SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Hall of Fame recipients demonstrate concern for their community. Again, Ward fits the bill. “She has always had a passion for giving back,” says Wilson, in reference to Ward’s long list of community and professional affiliations.

Ward is involved in a handful of organizations aimed at helping Arkansas women. “As a woman and a business owner, I have an opportunity to help other women do the same thing,” says Ward. She holds memberships in Women & Children First, a group supporting women and children victims of domestic abuse, and Arkansas Women’s Foundation, a group focused on raising women in a positive way by providing resources (money, time and mentoring) to help them succeed.

Giving back is instinctual for Ward, who watched her parents do the same. “Growing up, money was tight; however, every Christmas, from the time I was a tiny girl, we would gather things that we had and take them to a family that had less than we did. My parents’ principles of giving shaped me. They are faithful to God, and active community volunteers.”

Giving brings both responsibility and reward, Ward has learned. “I’m blessed and it is rewarding to me to support organizations who bless others.” Citing the pro bono work that Stone Ward does annually for one of its clients, The United Way, Ward explains, “One out of every three Arkansans benefit from a United Way agency. That’s an incredible impact and a blessing to so many… I don’t think anybody is ever sorry about anything they give away.”

With gratitude, Ward recalls those who paid things forward in her direction. Among them was early Stone Ward client, Don Munro, of Munro & Company Shoes. “Don was a businessman who cared equally about the difference he could make in the quality of the lives of his employees and the quality of the shoes his factories turned out.”

Ward’s father worked for Don Munro for 37 years. She recalls, “We were still a young business when Don gave us an opportunity to pitch for his business – an opportunity he gave me, in part, because of my dad.”

In branding a line of children’s shoes for Munro, the young agency made a bold move. “We named the shoes Nickelodeon,” explains Ward. There was a channel by that name (in its very early days), but the channel had not trademarked its name for any products. “We didn’t want to use their brand, but we did use the word Nickelodeon. If people were to associate the shoes with the channel, we thought that would be an advantage.”

People – namely, Nickelodeon – did indeed make the association. However, after some discussion, the larger company put the smaller one to work. Munro’s children shoe line became the first Nickelodeon-licensed product, and Stone Ward did some of its first work in a national market. “The experience stretched us,” Ward says, recalling how her company became the agency of record when Nickelodeon opened its studios in Universal Studios, Orlando.

WORD OF MOUTH
Since serving Munro Shoes, the Little Rock agency (with its Chicago, Illinois office) has worked with a multitude of local and national clients. Last year, the company recorded more than $47 million in capitalized billings for clients that include Terminix, Snap-On Tools, Sport Clips, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Baptist Health, the U.S. Soccer Federation, and many more.

As for what has advanced the agency’s client roster, Ward credits a few key traits. “We get hired for our track record of creative work,” Ward says, adding that the company is also known for niceness. “It’s funny, but I think it’s true,” grins Ward. “When clients complain about agencies, they cite arrogance and bad listening skills. We try hard to listen to our clients, and realize their brilliance.”

Finally, the agency stays relevant. “We have continued to morph our agency business model,” says Ward. “We’ve refined the skill sets that we’re hiring and moved aggressively into the digital age. The essence of our business hasn’t changed in that we are still telling our clients’ brand stories, but we are doing it in all of the latest greatest channels and with the latest, greatest tools.”

NOT HERS ALONE
Ward stressed that her Hall of Fame recognition should not be hers alone. “Stone Ward is a partnership in the truest sense of the word. There is no way I could have accomplished anything they credit me for without my partner, Larry Stone. Every experience that has molded or shaped me, I’ve shared with him.”

Where Ward brings optimism to the table – friends and coworkers call her Pollyanna – Stone brings thoughtful wisdom. “The creative soul of our agency, Larry’s leadership as our executive creative director and his wise approach to the business of advertising and life is Hall of Fame quality,” says Ward. “Larry is relied on as a strategic advisor to our people and to our clients. He was my first mentor in this business and has continued in that role throughout our partnership.”

Stone, who worked with Ward for many years before becoming partners with her in both work and life, weighs in on the partnership. “In addition to trust and compatibility, a good partnership is made by two people with differing talents and strengths, making the two together greater than each on their own,” he says. “Those who know us would tell you there is very little redundancy between Millie and me. It didn’t take long before I contracted the Millie virus. Millie’s character, energy, and optimism are quite contagious.”