Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

NEA Women in Business: Pamella Niell

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Attended East Central University What is Tiger Commissary Services Inc.? All of Tiger Commissary’s customers are inmates and the county sheriffs or administration who run the jail….

NEA Women in Business: Melissa Parker Taverner

Residence: Batesville Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology, Randolph-Macon Woman’s College; master’s degree in science virology, University of Reading, England; doctorate in environmental science, University of Virginia What was your dream…

NEA Women in Business: Lindsey Spencer

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Bachelor’s degree, Arkansas State University What was your dream job and why? I’ve always loved stories, so in high school and college I dreamed of making movies….

NEA Women in Business: Reba Shipley

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Enrolled agent/certified tax resolution specialist What has been the most fulfilling moment of your career so far? Being able to help people solve IRS and state tax…

NEA Women in Business: D Terrell Patterson

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Attended Arkansas State University; licensed cosmetologist, certified natural hair specialist and a certified trichologist What was your dream job and why? My dream job was to become…

NEA Women in Business: Kerri Parnell

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration, Arkansas State University; certified administrator of surgery center (CASC) certification What has been the most fulfilling moment…

NEA Women in Business: Andrea Andrews

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in advertising, Arkansas State University What has been the most fulfilling moment of your career so far? The most fulfilling moment…

NEA Women in Business: Shunqetta N. Cunningham

Residence: Jonesboro Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, master’s degree in public administration, Arkansas State University What was your dream job and why? My dream job was to be president…

Forty Under 40: Lindsay Wilmott

When Lindsay Wilmott was a child, she was fascinated and intrigued with numbers. Both of her parents were educators, and she thought it would be natural for her to become a…

Forty Under 40: Chris Thompson

Five years ago, Chris Thompson was homeless in Los Angeles due to addiction. On Thanksgiving Day 2018, he started his sobriety journey. While living at a halfway house, he started…

Forty Under 40: Aayush Thakur

Aayush Thakur never intended to live and work in the United States. In 2010, he attended the University of South Florida seeking a master’s degree in civil engineering with an…

Forty Under 40: Joshua Sykes

Joshua Sykes understands that sometimes you have to walk away from a goal. He also understands that temporarily doing so does not keep you from reaching it. Sykes graduated from…

Forty Under 40: Lindsey Steiger-Muck

Lindsey Steiger-Muck found a love for teaching after a former college professor suggested it. The Fort Smith native started teaching after earning an MBA from the University of Arkansas in…

Forty Under 40: Hannah Stanley

Hannah Stanley knew she was going to become a doctor. Her father was a doctor, and when she was young, he battled cancer. The two spent a lot of time…

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…