Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

Coldwell Banker Village Communities

It was 1966 and Carroll Caldwell needed a job. Developer John Cooper was building the first retirement community in the United States, a town called Cherokee Village that spanned into…

Sue’s Kitchen

Sue Williams had a problem. She operated the kitchen and dining room for Citizens Bank in downtown Jonesboro, and did catering jobs on the side. When her boss asked her…

Here We Crumb

Belinda Hensley had a number of career options in mind when she was growing up. At one point she wanted to be a lawyer, and then she worked as a…

Gen 4 Jets

Garrett Lassiter’s great-grandfather was a pilot who helped to ferry aircraft to Europe during World War II. When he returned home he became one of the first crop dusting pilots…

ARPets Hospital

Dr. Kristin Sullivan always knew what she wanted to do as a career. Sullivan loved animals and, starting in high school, she worked toward her goal of becoming a veterinarian….

Verb Bookstore

Sari and Arthur Harlow knew they had to seize on a unique opportunity to grow their independent bookstore, Verb Bookstore. A building in downtown Jonesboro became available and they decided…

On Pointe

Jason and Kerri Cowgill’s daughters, Katie and Emily danced for 12 years. There was only one problem. If they needed replacement shoes or dance gear there was no place in…

Little Lattes

Katherine and Joseph Myer were married when they were young and he was in the U.S. Army. The couple moved to Europe and soon welcomed a daughter. Near the military…

Lemonade House Grille

Chad Campbell worked for a railroad company for more than 20 years, and his wife, Monica, worked in the public school system. The couple wanted to work together and possibly…

Wings of Honor Museum

The U.S. military thought they’d found the perfect spot in Tennessee to build a pilot school. It was 1942 and the world was at war. There was only one problem….

Randolph County Heritage Museum

Arkansas was in the midst of its first legislative session, and a deadly fight between legislators was about to begin. Lawmakers had been arguing about payouts for timber wolf pelts…

CASA of the 2nd Judicial District of Arkansas

During the mid-1990s, a judge and a group of community people believed an organization was needed in Northeast Arkansas to provide advocacy services for abused and neglected children. Court Appointed…

BRS Cares

When the economy crashed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it hurt many communities in the Arkansas Delta that were already struggling with poverty. Mississippi County is the largest steel…

Riceland Foods COO on the urgency for a Farm Bill

It’s no secret that farmers across the nation face a number of challenges heading into the new planting season. From rising input costs, low commodity prices, inflation, tariffs, severe weather…

NWA C-Suite: Russell Tooley

What is the best business advice someone has ever given you? Make sure you have a great work/life balance. It is so important to clearly know how you will achieve…

NWA C-Suite: Tammy Sun

What’s the top challenge you have faced as a leader, and how did you overcome it? When Carrot was first founded, there were very few employers offering fertility benefits, and…

NWA C-Suite: Sean O’Keane

Do you use artificial intelligence (AI) software in your work, and if so, how so? Every job site is technology-driven, starting with the initial CAD models, equipment driven by 3D…

NWA C-Suite: Amy Morbeck

How significant to you is developing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) culture within your organization? I have an incredibly diverse family, having children from all over the world, mostly…

NWA C-Suite: Kurtis John

What’s the top challenge you have faced as a leader, and how did you overcome it? The one that keeps me up at night is staying abreast of an ever-changing…

NWA C-Suite: Rebecca Hurst

What is the best business advice someone has ever given you? One of the best pieces of business advice I’ve received is to prioritize relationships over transactions. In a law…