Area?s History is Rich in Innovators
by November 27, 2000 12:00 am 57 views
Many local innovators have come before the dozen we’ve highlighted this year. Here are a few of the most prominent:
Retail
Sam Walton
Opening the first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Rogers, Sam M. Walton started on the road to creating the largest retailer in the world with $165 billion in sales last year. Offering a wide variety of merchandise at discount prices, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville is positioned to become the largest company in the United States in 2001.
Education
J. William Fulbright
During his 30-year career as a U.S. senator and head of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, J. William Fulbright helped transform foreign policy by sponsoring U.S. involvement in the United Nations. The Fayetteville native and former University of Arkansas president created the Fulbright Scholarship Program, a global exchange of university teachers and students. The UA named the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences for him in 1982.
Transportation
J.B. Hunt
J.B. Hunt introduced J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. in 1969 with five trucks and seven refrigerated trailers. In 30 years of transporting goods all over the nation, the Lowell-based company grew to include more than 6,500 tractors and 35,000 trailers, grossing more than $2 billion in 1999. Hunt’s hauling service also stands out with progressive efforts to slow labor turnover.
Architecture
E. Fay Jones
E. Fay Jones brought the national spotlight to Northwest Arkansas with his original architecture designs, including Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs and the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista. Jones apprenticed with the revered Frank Lloyd Wright before establishing his own practice.
Food
John Tyson
John Tyson started hauling chickens to markets in Chicago and St. Louis as a trucker in 1935, sparking the future Tyson Foods Inc. To foster a steady supply of chickens to sell, Tyson bought a hatchery. He soon purchased a feed mill to maintain the success of his hatchery, bringing into Northwest Arkansas the concept of vertical integration.