The 2006 Northwest Arkansas Business Journal 40 Under 40

Our 10th class of Forty Under 40 honorees is on the move — in more ways than one.

Besides climbing ladders and bettering their businesses, some of them have revved up more than the economic engine.

Mel Collier, for instance, drag races Ford Mustangs. Greg Langham is a pilot. Rod Wallis spends his spare time four wheeling. And Dustie Jenkins cruises around Northwest Arkansas on his Harley Davidson.

This year’s class includes a soon-to-be state representative and a former swimsuit model.

It’s a diverse group with diverse talents, and more than a few career changes along the way. Bob Balfe started in radio and is now the U.S. Attorney for western Arkansas. Mark Bethell went to college to play basketball but became an EMT instead and is now administrator of Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville.

Some of our honorees stuck with the same careers for a lifetime. Hector Cueva delivered his hometown newspaper in Oxnard, Calif. A summer job as a telemarketer there got him hooked at the age of 19. He’s now circulation manager for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Northwest Arkansas.

Scott Elliott started out loading trucks for Wal-Mart 15 years ago. He’s now director of associate processes at Sam’s Club (with a stint as mayor of Highfill along the way).

The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal is proud to honor this year’s class. And we’d like to say thank you for the things you’ve done to help make this one of the best places to live in America.

Bill Bowden

Editor

Clickhere to begin reading profiles of all 40 honorees.

The annual 40 under 40 list, created by nominations from readers, features a who’s who of political and business leaders in Benton and Washington counties. (Arkansas Business, the Business Journal’s sister newspaper, creates a statewide list, which you can see here.)