Ben Noble joins Riceland Foods as VP of marketing and strategy

Riceland Foods Inc. of Stuttgart has added to its executive team with the hiring of Ben Noble as vice president of marketing and strategy. His start date is Sept. 1.

“We are thrilled to have Ben join our team,” Riceland Foods CEO Danny Kennedy said in a company news release. “Riceland continues to lead the U.S. rice industry as the world’s largest miller and marketer of rice, and Ben possesses skills and experience that will help us add value for our members.”

A native of Ethel, Ark., in Arkansas County, Noble, 44, previously served as president of Noble Strategies and partner/owner of Aarch Communications, both of Little Rock, where he led teams focused on public affairs, marketing and public relations. Noble Strategies is a bipartisan, state and federal government affairs and issue management firm with offices in Little Rock and Washington, D.C.

Aarch Communications is a strategic communications firm formed in 2016 through a partnership of Noble, Matt DeCample and Grant Tennille. The firm assists clients in a broad range of services in the communications arena, including media relations and strategic communications services, but also works in new media and Web design, crisis response, government policy analysis, polling and soft skills training.

Noble said current employees Becky Barnes Campbell and Lauren Waldrip Ward are forming an entity called Campbell Ward and would absorb a lot of the work associated with Aarch Communications.

The next steps for Noble Strategies “are a work in progress, and we’re working that out as we speak,” Noble said.

During his tenure, Noble provided services to a broad list of clients including Tyson Foods, Anheuser-Busch, Nucor Steel, Centurylink, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Arkansas Rice Federation, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and Cargill.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to join Riceland Foods’ leadership team” Noble said. “Having been raised on a rice farm in Arkansas County, this is a bit of a homecoming for me. I understand the challenges facing our family farm membership and I’m looking forward to the pursuit of new market opportunities that enhance Riceland’s bottom line.”

Riceland provides marketing services for rice and soybeans grown by its 6,000 farmer-members in Arkansas and Missouri. Each year, its 1,500 employees receive, store, transport process and market more than 125 million bushels (2.5 million metric tons) of grain.