Author: Talk Business & Politics

Fast 15: John Whitman

John Whitman’s path to a successful technology career was fostered as a child, and kicked into high-gear when he was just 16 years old. While most teens were still in…

Fast 15: Jamie Claire Kiser

Jamie Claire Kiser knew at age 18 what she wanted to do professionally. While some students wander unmethodically into their undergraduate studies, Kiser had already created a road map for…

Fast 15: James Michael Smith

James Smith talks fast, but his company is growing even faster. Smith’s speech pattern quickens when he talks about furniture, a subject he knew practically nothing about less than three…

Fast 15: Krista Cupp

Krista Cupp once helped shape the conversation for one of the oldest and most powerful lobbies in the country. She’s still focused on crafting the right dialogue, only now it…

Fast 15: Maggie Owens

Maggie Owens hooked a U-Haul to her Volvo and drove 27 hours from the mountains of Utah to Northwest Arkansas — and didn’t even know if she’d gotten the job….

Fast 15: William Pannell

As a commodity buyer for Tyson Foods Inc., it’s beneficial if William Pannell keeps track of at least one little thing — the planet. His job is to buy cooking…

Fast 15: Ben Hundley

Sometimes, the key to achievement is knowing when to quit. Ben Hundley tried several career paths before he went on to design software that is making a splash on the…

Fast 15: Ashlie Junot Hilbun

It’s all about making connections that count. It’s about matching passion and purpose and making all of it work for the greater good. In a nutshell, that’s what Ashlie Junot…

Fast 15: Matt Seubert

Startups require employees who take initiative, show flexibility and own responsibility for their role in the company. Duties are often not as clearly defined as in corporate jobs, and team…

Fast 15: Jordan Garcia

Jordan Garcia was bitten by the hospitality bug early in life. Starting out on the setup crew at the Embassy Suites in Rogers when he was 16, Garcia knew even…

Fast 15: Stacy Shuk-Ei Tan

Stacy Tan came to the retail world accidentally. After scoring 2,200 on her SATs and 33 on the ACT, Tan — who moved from Little Rock and lived in Malaysia…

Fast 15: Sam Duncan

When Sam Duncan graduated with a finance degree from the University of Arkansas on May 10, he had already accomplished a feat toward which many of his fellow grads will…

Brett Amerine likes to get things done. A former U.S. Air Force captain, the military-man-turned-startup-advocate was taught the value of hard work early. His father is Northwest Arkansas startup guru…

Fast 15: Ellen Brune

Catching a big break in the pharmaceutical industry isn’t easy, even if you have a doctorate in chemical engineering and you’ve created a patent-worthy protein purification system. Just ask Ellen…

Fast 15: Kennon Largent

After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Arkansas in 2010 with a finance degree, Kennon Largent sought a job in the financial services industry. Not only did he…

Forty Under 40: Carlos Amargos

Carlos Amargòs first whetted his passion for helping young people by volunteering at a drug addiction facility in his home city of Carolina, Puerto Rico. Then, it was an interest…

Forty Under 40: Chad L. Atwell

Chad Atwell doesn’t have an “a-ha” moment of knowing he wanted to be an attorney. “Maybe being from a family of outlaws in Crawford County had something to do with…

Forty Under 40: Stuart Baber

When Stuart Baber was 16, his father made a career change — from minister to insurance executive. “That was about the time I started paying attention to how you make…

Forty Under 40: Chris Baribeau

Chris Baribeau says he doesn’t just design buildings. He makes places. The principal architect and co-founder of Modus Studio sure isn’t kidding. His firm is at the vanguard of the…

Forty Under 40: Xochitl M. Baxter

Xochitl (pronounced “sa-chi”) Baxter has been with Arvest Bank for more than half her life. Starting out as a teller in 1992, Baxter has worked her way up the ladder,…