Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

Forty Under 40: Mindy Craig

When Mindy Craig joined Arvest Bank in 2006, she didn’t know it would become her career. She’d started as a teller to gain work experience. “Arvest gave me the opportunity…

Forty Under 40: Leslie Copeland

Before Leslie Copeland founded Leslie Copeland Law & Mediation, she had to find her voice. That came in the theater. Growing up in Little Rock, she sang in the choir…

Thomas Cole believes that while the business of Walker Brothers and Bauman’s is technically providing quality men’s clothing, what they really do is relationships. “This business is about building relationships,…

Forty Under 40: Morgan Chandler

In 2007, newly graduated from the University of Arkansas in finance, Morgan Chandler and her husband Chris took out a loan and bought his grandparent’s company, Chandler Equipment. The firm…

Forty Under 40: Tripp Cashion

Tripp Cashion loved math and liked to build things as a child. When he went to the University of Arkansas, he majored in engineering. After graduating in 2010, he took…

Forty Under 40: Katie Campbell

Named One to Watch by Best Lawyers in America, Katie Campbell practices commercial and employment defense litigation and employment law. She argued and won a case before the Arkansas Supreme…

Forty Under 40: Roxana Buck

Roxana Buck has 21 years of mortgage banking experience, starting in the industry after graduating from Rogers High School. She began in 2003 at Simmons Bank. After five months as…

Forty Under 40: Dr. Gary Berner

Dr. Gary Berner comes from a family with a long history in healthcare. His grandfather was a pediatrician, his father was a physician and his mother was a nurse practitioner….

Forty Under 40: Maggie Benson

Maggie Benson has been a standout performer as a lawyer, from her days in private practice in Arkansas to her career as an in-house lawyer at Tyson Foods. While in…

Forty Under 40: Rick Barry

Rick Barry recently took on a new role at NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), giving him a chance to put his education and work experience to use making NWACC run…

Forty Under 40: Juan Bahena

Juan Bahena believes that every day he wakes in the morning is a day to celebrate, and he wants people throughout the region to get to celebrate, too. That’s part…

Forty Under 40: Jeff Allison

Jeff Allison’s greatest success was buying Bordinos Restaurant in 2020, 45 days before the COVID-19 pandemic, and surviving. He made it through with government assistance programs, pivoting to try new…

Forty Under 40: Abel Albarran

Abel Albarran is making his mark on the legal community in Northwest Arkansas with honesty, directness and empathy. As a partner with Albarran & Joyce, Albarran, who is bilingual and…

Forty Under 40: Brooke Allen

Brooke Allen’s nonprofit career started at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas after working as a pre-K teacher for three years. “I felt like I wasn’t making a difference,”…

Women in Business: Debbie Creek

Residence: Springdale Education: B.S.B.A., accounting, University of Arkansas; MBA, John Brown University Professional background: Creek joined Harps in 2006 as controller and helped oversee day-to-day financial operations during the company’s…

Women in Business: Ashley Pifer

Residence: Fayetteville Education: B.S., civil engineering, Ph.D., civil engineering, University of Arkansas Professional background: After completing her doctoral work at the University of Arkansas, Pifer joined engineering firm Garver in…

Women in Business: Jaclyn House

Residence: Rogers Education: University of Arkansas (attended) Professional background: After more than a decade working in merchandise support in the corporate sector, House pursued a media career. She joined KNWA/KFTA…

Women in Business: Amanda Ragar

Residence: Rogers Education: B.S.B.A., finance and marketing, University of Arkansas Professional background: Ragar co-founded her first company in 2005 with the launch of a Scotts LawnService franchise. In 2016, the…

Women in Business: Tamara Phillips

Residence: Fayetteville Education: NA Professional Background: Phillips has over four decades of experience in the banking industry and played a pivotal role in establishing two banks from their inception. In…

Women in Business: Jennifer Welch

Residence: Gentry Education: NA Professional background: With nearly 20 years of experience in Northwest Arkansas, Welch closed over 200 residential sales worth nearly $60 million in the past five years….