Fast 15 Taking Shape

The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s sixth annual Fast 15 edition is beginning to take shape.

From the dozens of young and upwardly mobile Northwest Arkansas professionals who were nominated by the March 28 deadline, this year’s class has been chosen by our editorial staff and the notification process is underway. It’s an exciting time.

The honorees will be unveiled in our May 12 issue, and — at a networking event known for its loose and fun atmosphere — we’ll honor them the following evening at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House on the University of Arkansas campus.

We’re also excited to announce our keynote speaker for that event, Adam Arroyos.

Arroyos is the founder, president and CEO of Grandslam Performance Associates LLC of Fayetteville, a firm that specializes in diversity and inclusion, strategic relationship management and talent management.

He’s held leadership positions in several private, public and nonprofit organizations including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., JCPenney Co., Northwest Arkansas Community College and the ALPFA Institute.

In 2011, Arroyos was pegged by HispanicBusiness magazine as one of the top 100 influential corporate executives in the country.

We’re also proud to mention he’s one of ours. Arroyos was included in the Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2012.

For the most part, the Fast 15 honorees are people who are just starting their careers. To be eligible, individuals had to be within 10 years of completing their formal education and have proven to their employers and peers they are on the fast track to success.

We don’t claim they are “the most” impressive or “the most” promising young leaders in Northwest Arkansas, but we think their accomplishments are worth pointing out and their futures are bright.

We look forward to introducing them to you next month.