Forty Under 40: Matt Spence

Matt Spence leads a team of 140 employees across 17 stores throughout the region, overseeing AT&T sales and operations. In 2007, he started as a sales representative in Russellville and was promoted to assistant store manager before leaving to open a store in Poplar Bluff, Mo., near his hometown of Piggott.

“When I was at Poplar Bluff, we had the No. 1 store in the nation,” Spence said. He transferred to a struggling Little Rock store before progressing to area manager for southern Arkansas.

Since moving to Northwest Arkansas in 2015, he’s worked to improve customer service and sales. He’s hosted pool parties and barbecues at area subdivisions and apartment complexes to get the word out about the services the company offers.

He’s also worked to make sure that customers get the services they want when they expect them. “We’re extremely competitive in this industry,” he said. “What’s going to separate yourself is going to be customer experience.”

His area leads in customer service for the AT&T submarket, which includes Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.

In 2015, he was selected to develop a program to improve customer service in stores across the nation. He opened the area’s first Store of the Future in Rogers, and he’s also working to redesign the area stores with Razorback branding.

Spence has promoted more than 50 employees, and his sales team has received the AT&T Summit Award four times. He won the first employee engagement award in Arkansas and was selected to take the Retail Management Development Program.

He is a volunteer for Junior Achievement for Northwest Arkansas, United Way, Girl Scouts and Susan G. Komen. He enjoys golf, deer hunting and is a Razorback fan.