Profiles

A directory of Profiles for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Awards

Forty Under 40: Grady Mathews

Grady Mathews has worked in commercial real estate for 20 years in Northwest Arkansas. He started working in the industry with his mother, Gayla Byrd, and uncle, Bill McClard, at…

Forty Under 40: Audrey Zavaleta

Audrey Zavaleta didn’t initially see herself as an executive. Her deep love of offering supportive services to disadvantaged families developed in layers, first in Mexican villages as an Americorps Vista…

Forty Under 40: Christina Williams

From a childhood in Hong Kong, an entrepreneurial father, and parents who exposed her to service and varied people and experiences, Christina Williams developed a life mission to help people…

Forty Under 40: Joshua Wheatley

It’s been the “less traveled” path for Joshua Wheatley. He joined the military at 17 and was part of the Army National Guard communications unit in Hot Springs. He just…

Forty Under 40: Jose Valdez

Former Razorbacks head coach Houston Nutt recruited Jose Valdez as an offensive lineman. The left tackle blocked for running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones before joining the NFL. A…

Forty Under 40: Justin Teague

Justin Teague is successful because he doesn’t take no for an answer. He’s risen to the challenges that come from having a highly neurodivergent mindset and believes his most significant…

Forty Under 40: Bethany Taylor

Bethany Taylor started Gratsy in 2019 with no investors or financing. “Building the company based on our profit,” she’s led the company to three consecutive years of triple-digit revenue growth…

Forty Under 40: Rusty Tate

Rusty Tate’s defining moment was on a church mission trip providing water filters to people in Haiti to give them clean water. “It gave me a new appreciation for what…

Forty Under 40: Irlna Tantchou

Irlna Tantchou’s father had a dream that his three daughters would grow up and become doctors. And they did. “I can’t ever remember not wanting to be a doctor,” she…

Forty Under 40: Stacy Tan

Stacy Tan worked in retail for 12 years before joining supply chain software company SupplyPike. She was interested in the international logistics of how products make it to the shelf…

Forty Under 40: Anna Keogh Stamps

Anna Keogh Stamps grew up in a family of engineers but didn’t want to be one. She wanted to help people. Then she realized she could use her natural math,…

Forty Under 40: Susannah “Susie” Shinn

Each day, Susie Shinn tells the story of 19,000 children in the Bentonville Public Schools, raises funds and supports innovative classroom projects for their futures. Shinn completed her first year…

Forty Under 40: Rachel Putman

It was a tragic event in college that showed Rachel Putman the power of communication. She was a staffer with the Daily Tar Heel, the University of North Carolina student…

Forty Under 40: Dequeshia Prude-Wheeler

In May 2020, due to the pandemic, Dequeshia Prude-Wheeler was furloughed from Mercy Hospital, where she was in-house counsel. During the break, she pondered why she became an attorney. As…

Forty Under 40: Lindy O’Neal

A small animal veterinarian and co-owner of two veterinary hospitals in Rogers, Lindy O’Neal enjoys surgery and emergency medicine and is devoted to the health of her profession through legislative…

Forty Under 40: Megan Murdock

Megan Murdock relocated to Northwest Arkansas from her native North Carolina a decade ago. One year later, she joined the state’s largest commercial real estate firm and has maintained an…

Forty Under 40: Benjamin Mills

Ben Mills balances risk and sustained growth running a craft brewery, focusing on atmosphere and ensuring customers feel comfortable and have fun. Fossil Cove Brewing was an early player in…

Forty Under 40: Omar A. Mejia

Omar Mejia believes everyone deserves a chance to own a home. At Arvest, he is helping as many people as he can realize that American Dream. “When I say home…

Forty Under 40: James McMillan

James McMillan worked 80-hour weeks in retail management before beginning a different career in the insurance industry. Before the move, he could not see much of his family because of…

Forty Under 40: Kerri Boling McGee

Kerri Boling McGee learned hard work, passion and dedication while growing up on a beef cattle and poultry farm in Gravette. “I found a passion for understanding the laws and…