Beebe appoints Burkhalter, Schueck to Highway Commission

Gov. Mike Beebe filled two open positions on the powerful Arkansas Highway Commission on Friday (Jan. 14).

Little Rock businessman Tom Schueck and John Burkhalter will serve extended terms. Schueck will represent a Second Congressional District seat on the highway panel, while Burkhalter is an at-large appointment.

"Tom and John are pragmatic men with backgrounds in both business and engineering," Beebe said in a statement. "While they have distinctly different personalities, they both care about our state and are well-suited to confront the challenges our highway system faces in the future."

Schueck’s appointment expires Jan. 14, 2011, and Burkhalter will serve out the remainder of former commissioner Cliff Hoofman’s term, which expires Jan. 14, 2017.

Hoofman was recently appointed to the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Schueck replaces Carl Rosenbaum, who was appointed to the commission by former Gov. Mike Huckabee.

At a press conference announcing the appointments, Beebe’s appointees offered their thoughts on potential highway funding issues — a major topic of debate in the legislative session.

“I don’t come in here with any opinions,” said Burkhalter. “I’m a reader and I have a lot to learn.”

“I believe the money should follow the cares and I’m a believer in user-pay," Schueck said in reference to his philosophy on highway spending.

Schueck, 69, will leave his post on the State Parks and Tourism Commission. Prior to that, he served 12 years on the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission. Schueck is also chairman and CEO of Lexicon Inc.

Also, Schueck recently was listed as a trustee on the Tyson Partnership Interest following the Jan. 6 death of Don Tyson, the former CEO, chairman and majority owner of Springdale-based Tyson Foods. The TPI Trust terminates Dec. 31, 2016. Upon termination of the TPI Trust, the general partnership interest held by the TPI Trust will transfer to the Donald J. Tyson Revocable Trust whose trustees are Schueck, Harry C. Erwin III and John Tyson.

Burkhalter, 54, served most recently as chairman of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. A civil-engineering graduate of the University of Arkansas, Burkhalter is president of Burkhalter Technologies. He has also been on the board of directors of Pathfinder Inc. in Jacksonville for 10 years.