Mizzou Man Gives to Arkansas

Like pouring salt on an open wound, Ross Cully says he’s thankful for the excellent basketball program former Arkansas coach Mike Anderson is building at the University of Missouri. In reality, Hogs fans should be equally appreciative for everything Cully, seven years removed from being a Mizzou grad himself, brings to Northwest Arkansas.

For instance, Cully is board chairman of Lightbearers Ministries International, a non-profit, Fayetteville-based Christian ministry that uses real estate near college campuses to generate revenue for strategic initiatives. He describes a trip to an orphanage in Bangladesh as having changed his worldview.

Also, Cully and his wife are board members of 99 Balloons, also based in Fayetteville, which serves special-needs children and their families.

After graduation, Cully migrated to Northwest Arkansas to join Procter & Gamble’s Walmart Global Customer Team. Two years later he shifted into a director’s role at the NorthStar Partnering Group.

In October 2006, Cully and two partners founded The Harvest Group. Cully describes Day One as buying computers at Best Buy. Day Two was spent buying cell phones at AT&T. Today Harvest, which works with manufacturers in the consumer packaged goods industry to grow their retail, employs 25 people.

As a senior partner, Cully is charged with delivering the company’s vision, managing employees and new client acquisition. He is also responsible for managing Harvest’s portfolio and strategic direction.

“Yes, we are growing,” he said. “We’ve grown double digits every year we’ve been in existence. Our model works and our clients have seen results. Times are good for our business.”

Long-term Cully wants to “take what we do here for our clients domestically to international markets within retail and CPG that’s going to be a growth engine for the next decade. We want to be part of the solution.”

Cully said his faith is fuel for success.

“For me my faith is an important part of my life. For me having a perspective that what I do at work is a reflection of my faith – there’s no greater motivation for me than that.”