Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

Forty Under 40: Alexandria Gladden

Alexandria Gladden joined Signature Bank of Arkansas in 2005 as a part-time teller after growing up watching her family work in banking. Her father, Gary Head, is president and CEO…

Forty Under 40: Ashley Gerhardson

Growing up in Heavener, Okla., the daughter of a homemaker and a mechanic, Ashley Gerhardson’s mother encouraged her to consider education as a profession because she enjoyed serving people. She…

Forty Under 40: Alex Font

Growing up, Alex Font was interested in building things and had various builders’ sets, including Lego and Lincoln Logs. Initially, he thought he would be an architect but was better…

Forty Under 40: Kaitlyn Fondano

Beaver Lake is a big reason Kaitlyn Fondano is in Northwest Arkansas. She was born and raised in the Phoenix area but spent summer vacations near the lake where her…

Forty Under 40: Chris Fink

The corporate world and college weren’t for him, so Chris Fink decided to follow the passion he found in a hobby to create what is now a drone business —…

Forty Under 40: Marie Findlay

Marie Findlay’s passion is helping people find careers that allow them to develop, grow and thrive and helping companies find the right talent to help their business grow. Leading a…

Forty Under 40: Brahm Driver

Growing up in rural Arkansas, Brahm Driver often helped his father build things. The Oark (Johnson County) native thought he’d be an architect until learning about civil engineering while in…

Forty Under 40: Shayan Dehbozorgi

Shayan Dehbozorgi grew up living in multiple cities and experiencing different cultures, including Austin, Texas, and Shiraz, Iran. The buildings and spaces he saw sparked an interest, and he wanted…

Baseball took Kyle Cupp to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., his hometown. He graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from William Woods University in Fulton, Mo.,…

Forty Under 40: Keith Bowles

Keith Bowles was attending college when he joined Arvest Bank in Fayetteville as a teller in 2009. He’s remained with the bank because of the culture and mentorship. “When I…

Forty Under 40: Lauren Oswalt Baber

If she’d followed the prominent career choice within her family, you would be reading about Lauren Baber, the successful doctor. “I did think about that [career], but I have an…

Forty Under 40: Christopher Adkins

ArcBest’s vision, “We’ll find a way,” resonates with Christopher Adkins. “I like to think that any problem is solvable. If I’m given a mission impossible, I’ll find a way to…

Connections: NewRoad Capital Partners promotes 2 to partner

Rogers firm NewRoad Capital Partners, Arkansas’ largest private equity fund, has promoted Tracy Black and Stefan Sterns to partner. Black joined the firm in May 2018 and leads the operating partner team…

Governor signs accelerated tax cuts, school safety funding into law

Calling it an “historic moment,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday (Aug. 11) signed into law a $400 million tax reform package as state legislators concluded their three-day special session without…

Aerojet notes milestone delivery of missile system partially made in Arkansas

Aerojet Rocketdyne has delivered the 800th solid rocket boost motor and the 800th Divert and Attitude Control System for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system, one of…

Marriott, school district deals top the Craighead County transactions list

McCain Lodging Jonesboro LLC made the most significant residential and commercial property transfer in Craighead County, from June 15 through July 15, according to the Craighead County Assessor’s Office. The…

Bill Gossage to leave governor’s office, named new VP for governmental affairs at Electric Coops

Former State Rep. Bill Gossage, who served on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s staff since 2016, was named Monday (Aug. 8) as vice president of governmental affairs for the Electric Cooperatives of…

Arkansas continues to rank low in child wellbeing

Arkansas ranks 43rd in child well-being, with low birth weight babies and teen obesity rates being worse than the national average, according to a report from the Annie E. Casey…

Nominations sought for C-Suite Awards

The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal is actively seeking nominations of qualified honorees for its final recognition program in 2022, the C-Suite Awards. In its eighth year, the program is designed…

Gov. Hutchinson appoints 3 to fill vacancies at cabinet level, state posts

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has selected three men to fill state-level positions. Boyce Hamlet will assume the drug director’s role on Aug. 29. He replaces Kirk Lane, drug director since July…