Forty Under 40: Marty Shell, 38

Fourteen years ago Marty Shell’s dad, Buck, did something impressive. He used his severance package to start the company that would evolve into Five Rivers Distribution. The company now operates over 250,000 SF of warehouse space.
The firm is based out of the Port of Fort Smith and the Port of Van Buren — the latter of which Five Rivers owns.
Five Rivers unloads barges and railcars, operates a small trucking company that delivers within a 400-mile radius, and handles containers shipped from China, Russia and Brazil.
“We are a true global trading facility,” Shell said. “We’re the biggest terminal operation in the Northwest Arkansas region. We’re a strong company with a strong future.”
Five Rivers may have taken a hit in the last 24-36 months, but Shell sees 2010 as being a rebound year.
Shell, who grew up in Fort Smith, is proud of what Five Rivers means to Northwest Arkansas.
“Every employee we have and dollar we generate goes back into this economy,” he said.
Shell is active in the community. Among much else, he’s president of the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce.
He’s also full of great quotes, like, “A hard work ethic will get you further than anything else in life,” and “Your reputation is worth more than anything else you will ever have.”