Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

Forty Under 40: Andrea Ritchie

When Andrea Ritchie was growing up, she voraciously consumed the news. Ritchie served as the sports editor for her high school newspaper. She liked media so much that she planned…

Forty Under 40: Alli Thurmond Quinlan

Dedicated to sustainable growth, urbanism and historic preservation, Alli Thurmond Quinlan started her multidisciplinary design consulting firm to focus on architecture, master planning, landscape and infrastructure investment analysis. Quinlan, who…

Forty Under 40: David Proffitt

David Proffitt’s knowledge of large business transactions, the insurance industry and interest in financial markets led him to become a financial advisor in 2020. In 2023, he joined Wilson Coker…

Forty Under 40: Diana Frieberg Plattner

Diana Frieberg Plattner was about to graduate from the University of Arkansas with a degree in journalism. As a youth, she had dreamed of being an architect, but the allure…

Forty Under 40: Kristifier Paxton

Kristifier Paxton’s mantra is, “If you give me six hours to chop down a tree, I’ll spend the first three sharpening my axe.” Paxton’s axe is sharp with a degree…

Forty Under 40: Luke Parsons

Growing up as the fifth generation on his family’s farm in Springdale, working with cows and on row crops for $1 an hour taught Luke Parsons not to quit. “It…

Forty Under 40: Aaron Nicholson

Aaron Nicholson initially thought he would sell agricultural chemicals for a living after earning an agricultural business degree from the University of Arkansas in 2009. He did that for more…

Forty Under 40: Zachary McGee

Zachary McGee followed his father and grandfather, who both worked for Hudson Foods, into the poultry business. A Rogers native, McGee graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock…

Forty Under 40: Mitchell Mawby

Mitchell Mawby never intended to work for the family business, planning instead to go into commercial real estate. His agreement with his dad was that he’d find success elsewhere and…

Forty Under 40: Calvin Mastin

Calvin Mastin is using his natural competitiveness to find ways to make ArcBest the very best at what it does. “I want to see us be the best,” Mastin said….

Forty Under 40: Garrett Levey

Throughout his career, Garrett Levey has always worked with software companies. The Boston native started in software investment banking and software growth equity investing before pivoting into a hybrid role…

Forty Under 40: Derek Lee

When Derek Lee was a child, he wanted to either be a veterinarian or an architect. As his schooling progressed, he veered toward an interest in the human body. He…

Forty Under 40: Nic Keneipp

A weekend sleepover at his best friend’s house led Nic Keneipp into the retail industry. He awoke to find his friend’s father deciding how many shoes to purchase for the…

Forty Under 40: Kevin Jensen

Kevin Jensen is proud to have started his engineering firm in 2015, when he was in his 20s, just five years after graduating from Harding University with a degree in…

Forty Under 40: Meredith Frieberg Henson

There was a wide range of career options Meredith Frieberg Henson considered while she was growing up. Her parents engaged in several entrepreneurial endeavors, and the possibilities for her and…

Forty Under 40: Evan Gaetano

Evan Gaetano was a hospitality management major at Florida International University in Miami when Walmart recruited him to intern for its grocery division. “My dream was always to work for…

Forty Under 40: Sara Deuster

Sara Deuster is committed to public service. Having a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees in fields that will help that public service, Deuster is now a doctoral student of…

Forty Under 40: Bethany Davis

Bethany Davis didn’t like babysitting, so when she was 14, she found a different way to make money. She made origami cranes for 25 cents apiece. She wanted to make…

Forty Under 40: Cass Crews

Growing up the son of a car dealer in Green Hill, Ala., during a very complicated time to be a car dealer spurred an interest in economics for Cass Crews…

Forty Under 40: Matthew Cramblett

Matthew “Matt” Cramblett graduated with a degree in finance from Harding University in 2012 and almost immediately began a career in banking that has led to being one of the…