Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

Forty Under 40: Sara Staley

Spend any amount of time with Sara Staley and it will be clear — she is a people person. The Fort Smith native has tapped into that talent to build…

Forty Under 40: Josh Thompson

When Josh Thompson was promoted last year to president of Lew Thompson & Son Inc., he took the reins of a company he’d worked for more than half his life….

Forty Under 40: Tracy Triplett

The hardworking single mother of two always knew she wanted to be a “difference maker.” Tracy Triplett started working full-time jobs when she was 13. In college, she worked overnight…

Forty Under 40: Charlie Van Ness

Charlie Van Ness oversees the Northwest Arkansas paw print of Bear State Bank N.A. as regional president, at the age of 31. “What sets Bear State Bank apart is that…

Forty Under 40: Tom Hauge

Tom Hauge (rhymes with “howdy”) is from the Seattle suburb of Kent, and growing up he worked for local retail giants Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer. After graduating from the University of…

Forty Under 40: Corey Williamson

In sweltering south Arkansas, a teenage Corey Williamson knelt to repair a large tire outside his stepdad’s shop — a shop he aspired to run someday. Suddenly a boot kicked…

Forty Under 40: Ben Woodruff

Ben Woodruff seeks out the most difficult challenge available. As an Army linebacker, his team faced Navy and won in his senior year. In a previous game, he scored against…

Forty Under 40: Ramon Ylanan

Ramon Ylanan developed an interest in medicine and the human body when he was 9 or 10 years old. “Growing up, I was a baseball player,” he said. By the…

Forty Under 40: M. Scott Hall

Rogers native M. Scott Hall was raised by a single mother who instilled in him the importance of education. “It’s something no one can take away from you,” Hall…

Forty Under 40: Eric Howerton

Eric Howerton has no interest in the norm. He and Alex Ahmad created WhyteSpyder to help Walmart suppliers flourish by enhancing, expanding and optimizing the data used to promote…

Forty Under 40: Alex Ahmad

Alex Ahmad had planned to return to Jordan after graduating from the University of Arkansas, but he fell in love with Fayetteville. In 2005, the Amman, Jordan, native moved here…

Forty Under 40: Scott Andrews

Scott Andrews considers himself “an engineer lost in the business and finance world.” In charge of operations and finance at Hayseed Ventures in Fayetteville, Andrews has helped create more than…

Forty Under 40: Toni Barger Bahn

As a lifelong fan, Razorback special events director Toni Barger Bahn has a special appreciation for the sports figures she’s met in her 16-year career, including the former All-American Corliss…

Forty Under 40: Kristin Baldwin

Kristin Baldwin had worked for almost a decade in the Northwest Arkansas legal community when she took a job as a paralegal at Fayetteville law firm Smith Hurst in October…

Forty Under 40: Jeremy Barclay

Jeremy Barclay’s efforts helped NMC-Bentonville raise its employee satisfaction scores from the seventh to the 94th percentile in the country from 2014 to 2015. The 1,242 percent improvement was the…

Forty Under 40: Shannon Bedore

As a big-box retail merchandiser, Shannon Bedore never realized the advantages large consumer packaged goods suppliers held over the others. “After 20 years — my whole career — working within…

Forty Under 40: Patrick Byrd

Patrick Byrd attributes his success to the people with whom he surrounds himself. “I’m successful surrounding myself with really great people,” he said. “You have to have great employees and…

Forty Under 40: Mindy Campbell

Mindy Campbell knew during her senior year in high school at Fayetteville Christian School that she wanted to be an accountant. She has always enjoyed math and was good at…

Forty Under 40: Lori Chalmers

Lori Chalmers was a customer before she joined Soderquist Leadership about three years ago. She was inspired and impacted by the organization’s work and “really bought into the mission.” She…

Forty Under 40: Luke Colley

Luke Colley’s career in banking started at age 25, when he answered an ad in the paper for an open teller position. Colley had no experience in the industry. But…