A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards
by - May 4, 2026 8:40 am
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…
by - May 4, 2026 8:30 am
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….
by - May 4, 2026 8:20 am
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…
by - May 4, 2026 8:10 am
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…
by - May 4, 2026 8:00 am
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…
by - March 27, 2026 8:40 am
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…
by - March 27, 2026 8:30 am
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…
by - March 27, 2026 8:20 am
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…
by - March 27, 2026 8:10 am
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…
by - March 27, 2026 8:00 am
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…
by - March 26, 2026 8:40 am
Ignatio Patino visited Northeast Arkansas once with his uncle. He was living in Georgia and decided to make the move to the region and work in the restaurant business. He…
by - March 26, 2026 8:30 am
Jeffrey Higgins majored in agriculture studies at Arkansas State University and the plan after college was for him to return to work on his family farm in Marianna. One thing…
by - March 26, 2026 8:20 am
Jetton began in 1972 when founder Kendall Jetton established Kendall Jetton Electric in his hometown, focusing primarily on residential electrical wiring and serving the local community. In 1984, the company…
by - March 26, 2026 8:10 am
Heather Walker Clark and her husband had a vision. They wanted to build a boutique hotel in Downtown Jonesboro. In 2016, they opened The Hotel at Huntington in the Huntington…
by - March 26, 2026 8:00 am
Kevin Bailey started working in the construction business when he was in high school. Eventually, he moved onto different companies and became a project manager. By 2008 he decided to…
by - March 25, 2026 8:40 am
Katie Spencer’s best friend, Lindsey Bowman, decided to rebrand her consulting business and with Spencer’s help she opened The Polish Agency in Jonesboro. Although they did work together, the friends…
by - March 25, 2026 8:30 am
Cameron Campbell always enjoyed playing sports. His two favorite sports were basketball and baseball. When he got out of school, he wanted to do something where he was still involved…
by - March 25, 2026 8:20 am
Shane Nichols’ wife, Melissa, worked in sales for a large medical waste disposal company, Stericycle. When the company wanted to transfer her to Memphis, she got out of the business…
by - March 25, 2026 8:10 am
George Gotcher had been a master jeweler all of his life, taking after his father and grandfather. He worked for several jewelry stores in Texas and Arkansas. He and his…
by - March 25, 2026 8:00 am
Chris West’s father was a plumber, and it was natural for him to join that trade. In 1999, he founded Chris West Plumbing in Jonesboro. The company specializes in residential…
