Former CEO and owner Brad Smith transitioning out of Kimbel Mechanical Systems

Northwest Arkansas

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) July 1, 2019 4:11 pm 2,950 views 

Included in the current issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal is the annual list of the region’s largest private companies. It is ranked by each company’s revenue in 2018.

For a PDF of this year’s list, click here.

Siloam Springs-based Simmons Foods Inc. and Affiliates topped the list once again with revenue last year of $1.75 billion, a year-over-year increase of about 11.5%. The family-owned poultry and pet food producer employs about 7,000 across all offices.

Also on the list is Fayetteville-based Kimbel Mechanical Systems Inc., a national provider of plumbing, electrical and HVAC services in the commercial construction industry. Kimbel has been a mainstay on the annual rankings, but is not ranked this year because company officials declined to provide revenue figures. These are privately-held companies after all.

Though declining to provide financial information, company officials did reveal other changes in leadership — and ownership. Former CEO Brad Smith, one of the company’s earliest employees dating back to 2000, is transitioning out of the company this year. Smith and Dustin Hughes began a transition roughly 18 months ago, and Hughes officially took over as CEO in January.

Hughes also is a longtime company man who has worked in nearly every major area of the business and served in a number of critical positions including chief operations officer, field superintendent and director of market housing.

His business acumen also has had the attention of the Business Journal for several years. He was chosen as a member of our Fast 15 class in 2012 and was a Forty Under 40 honoree in 2017.

While Hughes is fully leading the company’s day-to-day operations, Smith will continue to assist in the leadership transition throughout the remainder of 2019.

Along with the CEO changeover was an ownership shift. Hughes had been an owner with Smith for several years. Hughes and Rob Kimbel, the company founder and a previous owner, are now the majority owners.