Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

Fast 15: Buster Dean Vanhooser

Buster Vanhooser has always felt a need for speed. At 24, Vanhooser is among the youngest franchise owners in K1 Speed history. He led the launch and growth of K1…

Fast 15: Alec Steele

Alec Steele joined Sage Partners because he knew it was a top commercial real estate firm in the state, and if he started there, he could learn and grow in…

At Experience Fayetteville, José Romero plays a vital role in driving significant economic impact and positioning Fayetteville as a premier sports destination in the region and nation. Romero directly contributed…

Fast 15: Kayla Reynolds

For Kayla Reynolds, the impact she has through her work for Walmart commercial real estate motivates her to be successful. “Ninety percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles…

Fast 15: Tyler Mlakar

Tyler Mlakar takes ownership of sophisticated, challenging legal problems with high expectations and delivers results for Rose Law Firm. According to Bourgon Reynolds, managing member at Rose Law Firm, Mlakar…

Fast 15: Jenna McEvoy

Jenna McEvoy initially wanted to go to law school but found a love for public health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Chickamauga, Ga., native moved from…

Fast 15: Justin Macedo

Justin Macedo was 23 when he purchased the outdoor retail business he had joined the day after graduating from Farmington High School. He started at Uncle Sam’s Safari Outfitters in…

Fast 15: Michelle Long

Michelle Long was unsure whether to take an accounting role after graduation and considered studying abroad. A University of Arkansas professor and mentor to Long suggested an internship that led…

Fast 15: Christina Grace Long

Christina Long did not set out to become one of Arkansas’ most recognized sports journalists. She set off for college intent on a future in photography. By her mid-20s, she…

Fast 15: Javier Hernandez

Javier Hernandez, a Rogers native, is building a career centered on connecting people and strengthening communities in the rapidly growing region he loves. Hernandez works with businesses, nonprofits and local…

Fast 15: Sarah Henderson

Sarah Henderson has moved quickly into a leadership role at one of Northwest Arkansas’ most visible business organizations, where she oversees operations and public affairs. Henderson, a Bentonville native, stepped…

Fast 15: Maddie Hardwick

Maddie Hardwick’s path into higher education was not carefully mapped, but her impact on students and colleagues at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith has been anything but accidental….

Fast 15: Angela Gaucin

Arvest’s mission of “people helping people” resonates with Angela Gaucin. And she feels “a moral debt, a moral sense of responsibility, to pour back into” the community that gave her…

Fast 15: Camron “Noah” Collins

Noah Collins is pursuing a career in medicine because he knows that will give him the ability to impact his community, help his family and support his mom. That’s also…

Fast 15: Sam Chesshir

Sam Chesshir was an intern at Little Rock-based Stephens Inc. when a mentor there suggested looking into AcreTrader. “AcreTrader was still in the high-growth startup phase,” Chesshir said. “It was…

Ritter Communications

Earnest Herman Ritter Jr. started E. Ritter and Company in Marked Tree in 1889, as a mercantile shop. Soon he began to dabble in road and bridge building, timber and…

Peco Foods

Peco Foods was founded in 1937 by John Herman Hickman, in Gordo, Ala., By the 1980s, Peco had grown into a fully integrated operation with processing plants, feed mills, and…

E.C. Barton & Company

In 1885 the town of Jonesboro had just incorporated two years earlier and it was experiencing strong growth. P.C. Barton owned and operated a grocery store in the bustling new…

Best Manufacturing

Best Manufacturing has been in business since 1983 and is a one-stop source for sheet metal fabrication. Best Manufacturing serves many industries including agriculture, automotive, chemical, construction, aerospace, medical, military…

Allen Engineering Corporation

Dewayne and Mary Ann Allen wanted to own their own business. In 1964 they started Allen Engineering Corporation, a small ready-mix concrete business. In 1968 they bought the Allen-Hixson ready…

Arkansas metro job growth moderates in April, NWA beats the trend

Sam’s Club names new chief operating officer

Benton County wages up almost 11%, Arkansas average weekly wages up 5%

Developer completes home at $60 million Rogers community