Business Hall of Fame: The Class of 2016

Recognized for their leadership in business and community service, four Arkansas icons – William T. Dillard II, George K. Mitchell, Patricia P. Upton and the late Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller – make up the 2016 class of the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.

Established by the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, the Hall of Fame recognizes successful business leaders who have brought lasting fame to Arkansas. The 2016 induction event is set for Feb. 12 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock and was the subject of our most recent cover story in the magazine edition of Talk Business & Politics.

WILLIAM T. DILLARD II
The chair and chief executive officer of Dillard’s Inc., William T. (“Bill”) Dillard II is the son of the late William T. Dillard, the founder of Dillard’s Department Stores. While still in high school, the younger Dillard began working part-time in Dillard’s retail division. As a Hall of Fame recipient, Dillard is in the good company of his father, who was among the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 1999.

After earning an accounting degree from the Sam M. Walton College of Business (1966) and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University, Dillard stepped full-time into the family business. In addition to his role on the board of directors, he served as president and chief operating officer (1977-1998), chief executive officer (1998-2002) and, since 2002, company chair.

Dillard also serves on the board of directors of Acxiom Corporation and Barnes & Noble. A philanthropist, too, he contributes to community service projects statewide. A strong supporter of the University of Arkansas, Dillard was honored in April 2015 with the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Medal. He is a former member of the Dean’s Circle and Dean’s Executive Advisory Board of the Walton College, and he has been a member of the Razorback Foundation for more than five decades.

First Security Bancorp Chairman and friend Reynie Rutledge commended Dillard on his achievement.
“We are proud to congratulate William T. Dillard II for his induction into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in recognition of his efforts in leading Dillard’s to become one of the nation’s largest fashion retailers,” Rutledge said. “He is also the first second-generation inductee into our Hall of Fame, which further exemplifies the Dillard family legacy in Arkansas.”

GEORGE K. MITCHELL, M.D.
George K. Mitchell, M.D., is the former president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He was invited onto the insurance company’s board of directors in 1964 and, in 1968, became one of the first physicians to lead a Blue Cross organization.

An original founder of the Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic, Mitchell ran a thriving endocrinology practice prior to his first position at Arkansas Blue Cross. His medical knowledge made him instrumental in each capacity of his job and, by 1975, he was named the company’s president and chief executive officer.

A native Arkansan, Mitchell earned a degree from Hendrix College (Bachelor of Arts, 1952) before successfully pursuing medicine at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine (Bachelor of Science, 1953; Doctor of Medicine, 1956). In 1963, he became board certified in internal medicine. Mitchell served his country as a major and company commander, respectively, in the Arkansas National Guard.

During his tenure of almost 20 years, Arkansas Blue Cross grew into the state’s largest health insurer, a leading proponent of health-care reform and a model for Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans across the nation.

Mitchell has served on the boards of many deserving organizations, including the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Hendrix College Board of Trustees. He remained a vice chair of the board of Arkansas Blue Cross from 1993-2012.

Mitchell’s generosity has benefited many local organizations – among them the Arkansas Easter Seals Society, the United Way of Pulaski County, the Boy Scouts of America, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Verizon Arena and many, many others.

A notable achievement of late is the newly established George K. Mitchell, M.D. Endowed Chair in Primary Care in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Made possible by a $1 million grant from Arkansas Blue Cross, the chair allows its holder to focus on innovations in primary care through the incorporation of team-based care, health promotion, health literacy and population health strategies into primary care settings.

Robert Shoptaw, current chairman of the board of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, credited Mitchell with leading the insurance company successfully into the managed-care era of health care.

“During his tenure, Dr. Mitchell was instrumental in guiding the company to become a patient-focused, managed-care insurance company that has remained focused on the best care for the end consumer,” Shoptaw said. “As chief executive officer of Arkansas Blue Cross, he put in place a participative management style and built a strong team that remains responsive to the purpose for which it was formed.”

WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER
Being recognized posthumously is the late Winthrop Rockefeller (1912-1973), former governor (1967-1971), economic development leader and sweeping philanthropist. The first Republican governor of Arkansas since post-Civil War reconstruction, Gov. Rockefeller served two terms in office while running his own business and contributing to the ongoing economic development of our state. As governor, Rockefeller supported public policy and government reforms that helped to create a vibrant economic and business environment.

Even before serving as governor, Rockefeller was influential in an active business environment. His life showed his pattern of hands-on work. In his early 40s, after military service, college and a short stint as a roughneck in the Texas oil fields, the business mogul pulled up stakes in New York City to relocate permanently to Arkansas. He spent the rest of his life in the Natural State, working to make a difference.

In 1953, Rockefeller founded Winrock Farms, a standard-setting, still-thriving purebred cattle business that has consistently raised the bar in its industry. As founding chair of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, he attracted business and industry to the state. His efforts brought about millions in capital investment and thousands of jobs for Arkansans.

Winthrop Rockefeller’s influence continues in Arkansas. His Rockefeller Foundation provides funding for projects related to education, economic development, and racial and social justice. During and after his life, Rockefeller effectively gave millions of dollars to state education for facility improvements. In addition, he is a co-founder of the Arkansas Arts Center and the creator of numerous charities, scholarships and activities of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust.

John C. Reap, a retired commercial banker based in Dallas, Texas, recalls the great influence Rockefeller had on his father, Alvin Reap, who instilled in Reap a great respect for Rockefeller.

“My father retired from Worthen Bank [at that time, the largest bank in Arkansas] in 1979 after 44 years of service,” Reap said. “He was in the heart of his banking career in Little Rock when Gov. Rockefeller moved to Arkansas and performed many acts of service for our state. My dad was a student of Arkansas business, and he said many times that Winthrop Rockefeller did more for business in Arkansas – and the credibility of the state – than anyone [else did]. Rockefeller was a man of integrity, professionalism and generosity. The entities that bear his name are a fitting legacy to his spirit of giving.”

PATRICIA (“PATTI”) P. UPTON
When you enjoy decorative fragrance in your own home – particularly during the holiday season – it’s likely that the light bulb behind your idea is Patricia (“Patti”) P. Upton, founder and former president and chief executive officer of Heber Springs’ Aromatique Inc.

Upton is the mind behind Aromatique’s signature product that still tops many Christmas lists around the country. The Smell of Christmas, a hit she created from Arkansas native botanicals fragranced with spices and oils, eventually led to a multi-million-dollar international company with products that remain innovative to the decorative fragrance industry. Aromatique and Upton have been featured in Working Woman magazine, the International Women’s Forum, the Society of Entrepreneurs, the Easter Seal Society, People magazine, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” Southern Living and the list goes on.

Upton received a Distinguished Citizen Award from Little Rock’s KARK-TV and the Office of the Governor of the State of Arkansas for her philanthropic work done for UAMS and the Nature Conservancy.

Frances and Wayne Cranford shared excitement regarding their friend’s recognition.

“If anyone ever deserved to be inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, it’s Patti Upton,” Wayne Cranford said. “She combined her love of fashion and art with her talent for business to create an innovative industry, now known as decorative fragrance. Aromatique has been a far-reaching boost to the economy of Arkansas.”

Frances Cranford adds, “Since founding Aromatique in 1982, the success of the company has enabled Patti and Aromatique to make significant contributions to many charitable organizations – generous gifts that would not have been possible were it not for her talent, innovation, dedication and leadership.”

‘TREMENDOUS IMPACT’
Calling it a “privilege” to celebrate their achievements, Walton College Interim Dean Matt Waller said of the four business leaders, “Their lives and careers have had a tremendous impact on business inside and outside the state, and have inspired others to do the same. They and those inductees who have preceded them represent the best in business in Arkansas.”

Dillard, Mitchell, Rockefeller and Upton will join the 70 other members of the Hall of Fame during an Arkansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Feb. 12.

The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is housed in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at the Walton College on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.