ArcBest donates to the U.S. Marshals Museum, Fort Kids museum
by February 24, 2026 3:27 pm 874 views
Fort Smith-based ArcBest announced Tuesday (Feb. 24) it is donating $500,000 to the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith and $250,000 to the Fort Kids Children’s Museum that is planned to be built near the Arkansas River in downtown Fort Smith.
ArcBest said the Marshals Museum donation is to honor ArcBest Chair Judy McReynolds, who recently stepped down as company CEO after 28 years with the logistics and shipping company.
“In addition to serving ArcBest for over 28 years, Judy McReynolds and her husband, Lance, are pillars in our local community,” Seth Runser, ArcBest president and CEO, said in a statement. “We’re proud to honor her remarkable career by making this investment in the U.S. Marshals Museum.”
The museum opened on July 1, 2023. In January 2007, the U.S. Marshals Service selected Fort Smith as the site for the national museum. The Robbie Westphal family, led by Bennie Westphal and Robin Westphal Clegg, donated the riverfront land for the museum. The museum is a nonprofit that does not receive operating funds from the city, state or federal government.
FORT KIDS
The Fort Kids donation is to “support the building fund for the museum, a regional resource for all children and adults to learn through play and hands-on exhibits,” ArcBest noted in the press release. “Children’s museums support the development of critical thinking, problem-solving and STEM skills as well as resilience and confidence building.”
Sarah Strom, Fort Kids founder and president, said the organization is proud to have the support of “a foundational business” like ArcBest that “leads with vision and heart.”
“The gift is a powerful statement by ArcBest about the growth and vitality of this region and what it means to invest in the children and families and, really, in the future of Fort Smith,” Strom told Talk Business & Politics. “We are grateful for their leadership and belief in what Fort Kids can be for this region.”
Strom said the ArcBest gift helps the museum get closer to closing on a $1 million matching gift. She said cash and pledges, including the donation of land from the Westphal family, is now more than $4 million. The fundraising goal is $16.3 million. Strom said they plan to begin construction when the tally gets to $7.4 million.
The initial size of the museum was 20,000 square feet, but that is an initial estimate and could change, Strom said.
“It’s hard to say when we will be shovel ready, because we are very aware, very sensitive, of the changing cost of construction,” Strom said.
PREVIOUS DONATIONS
ArcBest has a history of donations to Fort Smith area organizations. Following are three recent donations.
The company was cited in 2024 by the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce as a leader in the effort to raise more than $1.2 million for an economic development fund.
ArcBest in 2023 partnered with Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority and Arkansas Colleges of Health Education to build new trails in Chaffee Crossing. ArcBest contributed $125,000 for the trail work.
In May 2021, the company announced a $1 million donation to the Fort Smith Public School District’s Peak Innovation Center.
Founded in 1923, ArcBest has about 14,000 employees at 250 locations. Adjusted net income for 2025 was $84.8 million, down 51.2% compared with $173.961 million in 2024. Revenue in 2025 was $4.01 billion, down 4% compared with $4.179 billion in 2024. ArcBest shares (NASDAQ: ARCB) closed Tuesday at $100.04, up $1.02. During the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged between $55.19 and $112.92.