Arkansas Money & Politics August 2022

AUGUST 2022/armoneyandpolitics.com

INSIDE: Health Care | Business of Burgers | Razorback Football Preview $5 USD

Let us take care of the legal, so you can take care of the patients.

We've been serving the legal needs of the Arkansas healthcare industry for more than 120 years.

• Medical Malpractice Defense • Medical Device & Pharmaceutical Products Defense • Healthcare Contracts & Business Transactions • State & Federal Pandemic-Related Immunity Laws • Telehealth Expansion • Regulatory & Licensing Issues • Employment Issues & OSHA • Privileging & Peer Review • Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Systems • HIPAA Privacy & Security • Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement • Stark I and II & Anti-Kickback Compliance • CARES Act Your Arkansas Healthcare Law Team

Healthcare Law LITTLE ROCK

ROGERS

wlj.com

SINCE 1900

Baptist Health is proud to have champions caring for our community.

Amazing is all around us. We see it all the time in the communities and families we help keep well. With over 250 access points all across Arkansas, Baptist Health provides comprehensive care that’s close to home. We’re happy to be with you on your amazing journey every step of the way.

For the care that keeps you amazing, visit

baptist-health.com

ELIMINATE COLON CANCER GET SCREENED

Colon Cancer is the #2 Cancer Killer in the U.S. And Also One of the Most Preventable!

Brian L. McGee, M.D., Alonzo D. Williams, Sr., M.D., (Medical Director)

and Stephen Ziller, M.D.

501-227-7688

A HANDSHAKE As a firm built on relationships, our handshake matters. It means a warm greeting, the privilege of doing business together and knowing you can count on us. A handshake between two brothers, Witt and Jack Stephens, provided the foundation for a family-owned legacy that Jack’s son Warren upholds today. Under Warren’s leadership, Stephens continues to grow as one of America’s largest privately held independent financial services firms, with offices throughout the United States and in Europe. Our performance builds relationships with our clients, many of whom have become old friends. It’s why shaking hands with us means just a little bit more.

111 Center Street Little Rock, AR 72201 (800) 643-9691

@Stephens_Inc • Stephens.com

STEPHENS INC. • MEMBER NYSE, SIPC

“MY GOAL IS TO MAKE PEOPLE PROUD OF THE CITY THEY LIVE IN, THE CITY THEY CALL HOME.” George McGill was elected as the first African American mayor of Fort Smith in August 2018. McGill is a trailblazer who has used his dedication to public service to advance the common good at the federal, state and local levels. Prior to his election as mayor, McGill represented his hometown of Fort Smith in the Arkansas House of Representatives for three terms. As a state representative for District 78, he earned the respect of his legislative peers on both sides of the political aisle.

623 Garrison Avenue Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.784.2201 800.637.1477

FEATURES AUGUST 2022

16 FULL COVERAGE Our health care workers are always there when we need help; now, who will be there for them?

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THE REAL HEROES

THINK BIG

Renowned oncologist Dr. Omar Atiq, future leader of the largest medical specialty organization in the United States, proves that not all heroes wear capes – some wear white coats.

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Rhonna-Rose Akama-Makia, director of engagement for public affairs firm Think Rubix, is leading a social movement and making a big impact along the way.

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AUG UST 2022

August 2022 PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

8 | Plugged In 10 | Viewpoint 11 | Discovery Economics 66 | Exec Q&A 120| The Last Word HEALTH CARE

24 Carefully Constructed

We are taking a look at some of the biggest hospital construction projects across the state.

28 The New Frontier

Heather Baker | hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com

80 Fun On A Bun

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Lindsey Castrellon | lindsey@armoneyandpolitics.com MANAGING DIGITAL EDITOR Kellie McAnulty | kmcanulty@armoneyandpolitics.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sarah Coleman | scoleman@armoneyandpolitics.com

The business of beef and burgers is booming.

PRODUCTION MANAGER Mike Bedgood | mbedgood@armoneyandpolitics.com

SPORTS

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STAFF WRITERS John Callahan | jcallahan@armoneyandpolitics.com Mak Millard | mmillard@armoneyandpolitics.com Katie Zakrzewski | katie@armoneyandpolitics.com

Razorback Football Preview

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lora Puls | lpuls@armoneyandpolitics.com STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER David Yerby | dyerby@armoneyandpolitics.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Greg Churan | gchuran@armoneyandpolitics.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Tonya Higginbotham | thigginbotham@armoneyandpolitics.com Mary Funderburg | mary@armoneyandpolitics.com Tonya Mead | tmead@armoneyandpolitics.com Amanda Moore | amoore@armoneyandpolitics.com Colleen Gillespie | colleen@armoneyandpolitics.com

Under COVID, medicine changed forever – but now what?

36 Health Insurance Seeking Assurance: Behavioral health is one of the biggest concerns for health insurance companies right now.

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Champions of Health Care

AMP’s 2022 Champions of Health Care are revealed.

The Hogs are rolling under Pittman, but their next step could be the hardest.

104 Little Rock Rangers A local semi-pro soccer team is developing a loyal following.

HISTORY & POLITICS

96 If Walls Could Talk

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Jessica Everson | jeverson@armoneyandpolitics.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Rachel Mercer | ads@armoneyandpolitics.com CIRCULATION Ginger Roell | groell@armoneyandpolitics.com ADMINISTRATION Casandra Moore | admin@armoneyandpolitics.com

CEO | Vicki Vowell ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Joyce Elliott, Gretchen Hall, Stacy Hurst, Heather Larkin, Elizabeth Pulley, Gina Radke, Steve Straessle, Kathy Webb

CONTRIBUTORS

SMALL BUSINESS

Mark Carter, Angela Forsyth, Becky Gillette, Jeremy Harper, Kenneth Heard, Dwain Hebda

72 T&S Sawmill

TO ADVERTISE

call 501-244-9700 email hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com TO SUBSCRIBE | 501-244-9700

A look inside Flag and Banner/Old Taborian Hall.

116 Too Many Chiefs A family-owned and operated sawmill in Clarendon is here for the long haul.

AUGUST 2 02 2

Tumult within the Little Rock Police Department is spilling over into the city’s upcoming mayoral election.

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AMP magazine is published monthly, Volume V, Issue 4 AMP magazine (ISSN 2162-7754) is published monthly by AY Media Group, 910 W. Second St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Periodicals postage paid at Little Rock, AR, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to AMP, 910 W. Second St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Subscription Inquiries: Subscription rate is $28 for one year (12 issues). Single issues are available upon request for $5. For subscriptions, inquiries or address changes, call 501-244- 9700. The contents of AMP are copyrighted, and material contained herein may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Articles in AMP should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised in the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AMP. Please recycle this magazine.

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• Timber and wildlife management integration • Utilization of sustainable forestry principles • Ecologically sound logging practices • Pay as cut or lump sum up front payments • Property maps and timber management plans For us it’s about more than just harvesting your timber, we want to help manage the resource for future generations. Call us for a free assessment and to discuss options on your current timber stand.

Ricky Caldwell • 662.609.0631 • rec271@yahoo.com John Taylor • 870.319.9029 • johnjacksontaylor@mac.com

Estd. 1978

PLUGGED IN AUGUST 2022/armoneyandpolitics.com

ON THE COV E R Gastroenterologist Dr. Alonzo Williams was photographed by David Yerby at Arkansas Diagnostic Center in Little Rock. Williams – who is affiliated with Baptist Health, CHI St. Vincent, UAMS, Arkansas Diagnostic Center and Kanis Endoscopy Center – is one of AMP’s 2022 Champions of Health Care.

INSTAGRAM

Page 44 INSIDE: Health Care | Business of Burgers | Razorback Football Preview $5 USD

FEEDBACK BANK OF AMERICA TO MOVE CENTRAL ARKANSAS OFFICE OUT OF DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCKY “That’s great. But what is Arkansas doing to promote new tenants to move in from out of state? Maybe that’s what the governor and the legislature should be working on instead of their restrictive lifestyle agendas. Every state around Arkansas is attracting manufacturing, massive capex investments – while Arkansas just doubles down on restrictions” Alex Johnson THE WOMAN IN CHARGE: JENNAH DENNEY “This is awesome! We’re very proud of you, Jennah Rose Denney!”

Jimmy Bobo Hobbs SPOTLIGHT ON SMALL BUSINESS: NICK’S IN CARLISLE HAS THE BEST BBQ FOR MILES “Definitely worth the drive from LR, and a must-stop coming home from Memphis.”

Julie Baldridge

The Peacock Group (TPG) announced that Emmy award-winning news producer Katelyn Deckelbaum has joined the agency as senior public relations executive.

CHARTER SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO GROW AND EXPAND ACROSS ARKANSAS “Have any studies been done to show whether charter schools have resulted in a net increase or decrease in 1) standardized college entrance exam scores and 2) admissions to universities/colleges for the state overall?”

Paul Rebsamen SHELLEY SIMPSON NAMED PRESIDENT OF J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT “Oh that’s awesome! Great job, Shelley!”

Sharon Emma Stanley

TOP ONLINE ARTICLES June 23 - July 23 1. The Construction Project That Never Ends: An Update on Highway 10 2. Baptist Health Announces Changes to Hospital Leadership 3. Sissy’s Log Cabin CEO Bill Jones Appointed to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission 4. Chris Ho Named Vice President of Marketing at Oaklawn 5. Crumbl Cookies Makes Central Arkansas Sweeter with 3 New Locations 6. New Plans Unveiled for Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville 7. Arlington Resort Hotel is Getting a Facelift in the Spa City 8. Bank of America to Move Central Arkansas Office Out of Downtown Little Rock 9. Executive Director Announced for The Blake at Chenal Valley 10. CARTI Foundation Announces New Board Members

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Little Rock-based marketing agency MHP/Team SI has launched its new Content Studio, a hub that invites brands to think like online creators by innovating #socialmedia strategies with engaging content and trending videos. The agency has hired local influencer Chris Bell-Davis as the Content Studio manager to oversee social content and strategy development.

@AMPPOB 8

ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

By Lindsey Castrellon

EDITOR’S LETTER

YOU SHOULD PROBABLY MEET YOUR HEROES

T

here’s an old saying, “You should never meet your heroes,” which means the people you most admire but don’t know personally – your favorite singer, actor, politician, author, etc.

– will most likely not live up to your expectations should you encounter them in real life. And while I understand the meaning behind it, I must point out that it doesn’t always hold true.

I should preface this by saying that I’m not into the traditional model of the “superhero.” I don’t watch Marvel movies.

I know the title of each one by heart, thanks to my eight-year-old son, but I don’t watch them. I get the appeal, but those heroes don’t quite fit my definition of what it means to be a superhero.

Not too long ago, I came across an article about a local oncologist who, upon closing one of his practices, forgave over half a million dollars of his patients’ cancer treatment debt.

The following Christmas, his former

patients received a holiday greeting that read: “I hope this note finds you well. The Arkansas Cancer Clinic was proud to serve you as a patient. Although various health insurances pay most of the bills for the majority of patients, even the deductibles and co-pays can be burdensome. Unfortunately, that is the way our health care system currently works. Arkansas Cancer Clinic is closing its practice after over 29 years of dedicated service to the community. The clinic has decided to forego all balances owed to the clinic by its patients. Happy

Holidays.”

The doctor’s name is Omar Atiq, M.D., a professor of medicine and otolaryngology-head and neck in the UAMS College of Medicine and president-elect of the American College of Physicians.

This month in AMP, we are celebrating health care professionals. And while I didn’t get to meet Dr. Atiq in person, I did get to listen to the interview one of our writers, John Callahan, had with Atiq and read the story that showed up in my inbox soon after. And I can honestly say it is one of the best stories I have ever read. Partially due to John being a fantastic writer, but mostly because after listening to Dr. Atiq answer the questions John asked him with such sincerity and reading about all of the wonderful things he has done for his patients over the years, I was anything but disappointed.

Sometimes, people live up to the image society creates for them, and that’s a beautiful thing.

By Heather Baker

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

T

TURN AND FACE THE STRAIN

hey say the only sure thing in this life is change. While some changes are welcome, such as an unexpected bonus or a marriage proposal (wink, wink), others can come out of the blue and knock us for a loop.

Change is a theme in this August issue of AMP — mainly, how health care has changed since the pandemic first locked us down and knocked us all for quite the loop. Where are health care trends headed, now that we’ve mostly put COVID behind us and face a period of continued inflation? We’ll talk to health care leaders across the state to find out how the industry in Arkansas continues adapting to change.

We’ll also recognize our annual Champions of Health Care, those heroes who place themselves on the front lines to protect us all. We’ll visit with Drs. Alonzo Williams of Baptist Health and Arkansas Diagnostics and Omar Atiq of UAMS. And this month’s Exec Q&A features Drs. Ali Krisht of CHI St. Vincent

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and Lei Li of UA Little Rock.

The incomparable Dwain Hebda explores the Business of Burgers in Arkansas — hungry yet? — and we’ll preview the Razorbacks’ 2022 fall football campaign.

(Burgers and Hog football…does it get any better?) Plus, we’ll look at that “other” brand of football with the Little Rock Rangers.

August also will deliver us to Clarendon, where Ken Heard tells the story of John Taylor and his impressive T&S Sawmill; we’ll talk some Think Rubix and the one-and-only Katie Z. looks at the upcoming Little Rock mayoral election; while Carl Kozlowski delves into the history at Arkansas Flag and Banner.

Once again, AMP is a loaded burger of good stuff. And we don’t skimp on the mayo. We appreciate you reading, as always, and hope our coverage of Arkansas business leaders and the businesses they run has something for you to enjoy.

Hit me up with your comments or suggestions, and share your story ideas with me, at HBaker@ARMoneyandPolitics.com.

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VIEWPOINT

SECURING THE HOME FRONT

By Tom Hanlon, Cromwell Architects Engineers

Resilience is at the forefront for energy planners and facility managers across the nation. And none more intense than our Army National Guard units, due to a 2016 directive from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment to prepare installation energy plans. Arkansas’ Army National Guard (AANG) unit is no exception, having just finished an extensive twoyear planning project that includes “islanding” selected critical facilities in times of energy and water outages.

Among the Arkansas facilities targeted for this critical treatment is a large helicopter support facility on Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock. This facility operates continuously, supporting equipment and systems critical to the Guard’s ability to quickly respond to emergencies and a myriad of natural events such as flooding, tornadoes, forest fires and occasional civil disturbances.

As with most areas, Arkansas’ electrical utility distribution infrastructure is primarily placed overhead, thus an easy target for weather events. On many military installations this overhead distribution is being upgraded to underground, but the process is slow and expensive. To account for this, a microgrid is being implemented at the AANG critical facility. The microgrid is a group of interconnected energy resources that is normally attached to the centralized grid but designed to disconnect from the grid in case of emergency. The current on-site electric service is underground, with a recently installed solar array feeding the underground service. Onsite is diesel powered back up to the facilities fire pumps.

Also included in the upgrades is an increase to the solar array, battery storage and an additional diesel generator set. These additions, along with an automatic switch, will give the facility the ability to transition to the microgrid with virtually no loss of vital electric power. This seamless transition would allow the support and flight operations mission of the facility to always be at the ready.

Another important, though less urgent, measure is activation of a large propane-air system to supplement a potential loss of natural gas service for facility heating, domestic water heating and cooking.

Water resiliency is enhanced by the addition of a large domestic storage tank. Additionally, potable water reduction measures would include deployment of portable sanitation trailers and portable potable water tankers connected to the building’s domestic water booster pumping system-storage tanks system.

In summary, our state National Guard units are the first call for a myriad of natural and man-made disasters. We all assume and expect our civilian soldiers to be right behind our first responders, bringing great resources and manpower to the issue. Resiliency of the Guard’s facilities increases and adds consistency to this level of readiness.

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Tom Hanlon NEBB CX, LEED AP, HFDP, CEM, handles energy services at Cromwell Architects and Engineers in Little Rock.

Cromwell is a building services firm offering design, engineering and energy services to a broad range of clients. In addition to serving Arkansas with its Little Rock and Springdale locations, Cromwell has an office in Germany, serving clients and communities worldwide.

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DISCOVERY ECONOMICS

MAKE ‘THE STORY OF ARKANSAS RESEARCH’ A CHAPTER OF YOUR OWN

By Jeremy Harper, Communications Director, Arkansas Research Alliance

ence and Khodakovaskaya, both members of the ARA Academy of Scholars and Fellows, work to improve not just our state’s rice industry, but the world’s food security as well. It’s an important story to tell, if only so that more people appreciate Arkansas’ vital role in feeding a hungry planet and Jeremy Harper improving the world’s quality of life.

Before I joined the ARA team, these stories were largely unknown to me. After all, my perception is that Arkansas is a state known for rolling up its sleeves – not lighting a Bunsen burner (or plant phenotyping and nanochemistry). However, as Arkansas expands its footprint in what is known as the innovation economy, our work in the lab will become just as prevalent as our work in the field or on the production line.

The pieces are already in place. Within several research facilities located in every corner of the state, Arkansas has made inroads in artificial intelligence, drug discovery, medical engineering, brain imaging, agricultural science, quantum computing, data science and more. In my role as communications director for ARA, I tell these stories every day.

My audience nearly always raises an eyebrow when it learns just how deeply Arkansas is invested in innovation. Arkansas is home to researchers creating infection-resistant, artificial bone and physicists unlocking the power of quantum computing, among other extraordinary advancements. This is jaw-dropping stuff!

I have a challenge for all of us: Make research part of Arkansas’ story. Become our innovation ambassador. When talking about our state, mention our natural beauty and our can-do spirit, but also speak of our contributions to science and discovery. Many examples can be found at arkansasvoices4research.com/discovery-economics.

Until then, I remain your friend in revealing Arkansas’ potential.

Americans enjoy rice. We consumed around 4.6 million metric tons of the popular dish last year, which may disappoint carb-free dieters, but is great news for Arkansas. After all, rice is Arkansas’ top agricultural export.

When observed on your dinner plate, rice seems simple enough. The science of rice, however, is fascinatingly complex and requires more than a green thumb to maintain profitable yields. Arkansas has long turned to the research community to develop science-based solutions to challenges facing the rice industry. In 1923, the Arkansas General Assembly authorized the creation of the Rice Branch Experiment Station in the “center of rice production” with a general mandate to investigate “problems of rice farmers.” That center continues to serve our state today as the Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center, a center within the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture with a mission to investigate, validate and disseminate the best practices for sustainable rice production for Arkansas farmers.

Many of today’s challenges to Arkansas’ rice production are global concerns. For example, it may surprise you to learn that nighttime temperatures significantly impact yields. As nighttime temperatures have increased worldwide, rice yields have taken a hit, a condition that could result in a significant economic loss for Arkansas.

One solution is to develop heartier genetic strains of rice that resist higher nighttime temperatures. Dr. Argelia Lorence, professor of Metabolic Engineering at Arkansas State University, leads a team at the Arkansas Bioscience Institute that has optimized protocols to characterize the responses of plants growing under normal and stressful conditions.

Meanwhile, at UA Little Rock, Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya uses carbon nano materials to enhance plant growth. Incorporating these nano structures enhances the ability of the plants to intake and utilize nutrients. The research conducted by Drs. Lorence and Khodakovaskaya – in addition to science conducted by the Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center – will help protect Arkansas’ $6 billion rice industry.

The “Science of Rice” is only one chapter in the Arkansas Research story I’ve had the privilege to tell during my five years working with Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA). Drs. Lor-

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AUG UST 2022

Your family is our

family.

When you really care about someone, you want what’s best for them. At White River Health, formerly White River Health System, we want that and more for you — making better lives possible through the big-city medicine that keeps you well and close to home. Around here, we treat people well — with lifelong care that builds better habits, healthier communities, and brighter futures.

Visit our website or social media pages to learn more about your hometown partner in health.

MCDANIEL WOLFF

ARKANSAS LAW FIRM WITH NATIONAL REACH McDaniel Wolff, PLLC combines diverse experience and decades of success into premium legal services in

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13

AUG UST 2022

A Growing Health System for a Growing Community

Maria Javaid, MD, with the Conway Regional Endocrinology and Diabetes Center

Expanded Access

More Specialists

Innovative Services

Endocrinology at Conway Regional Maria Javaid, MD, delivers targeted and comprehensive consultation, treatment, and care to patients with endocrinological disorders such as diabetes, thyroid diseases, infertility, hormonal issues, and metabolic disorders.

Conway Regional is proud to offer more specialists and expanded access to care through the Conway Regional Endocrinology and Diabetes Center.

Navigating healthcare can be challenging. Let us help you find the healthcare services you need. Call our Patient Navigation Center at 501-506-CRHS (2747).

We’re not just growing—we’re growing together.

New Medical Offices

HEALTH CARE 2022 T

he medical industry in Arkansas, and everywhere, has been waging a defensive war against COVID for nearly three years. And just when it seems as though a light is visible at the end of the tunnel, a new variant hits, sending numbers back up.

Ask anyone who’s endured the past two and half years, inside the industry or not, and they will tell you that health care carries more weight now than it has in the past.

It’s always been about saving lives, of course, but before the pandemic, there were health care providers, and there were regular people. And it was sometimes easy to forget that doctors and nurses are regular people, too, who juggle their careers with family, friends, hobbies – and as of late, simply surviving – the same as you and me.

Now, health care has come full circle. We, the “regular people” of society, have a responsibility to take care of the ones who have been there for us over the years and to give them credit where it is long overdue.

This month’s issue of Arkansas Money & Politics pays tribute to our health care heroes by taking a look at health care in Arkansas – the trials and the triumphs – and recognizes our 2022 Champions of Health Care, as nominated by our readers.

I’m

not sleeping well always feeling anxious not leaving the house much unable to concentrate on work stressing about little things not eating much

Fine

How are you really feeling? Don’t be afraid to talk about it. It’s time we eliminated the stigma of discussing mental health and let everyone know these feelings are normal. For more information visit normalizetheconversation.com. For immediate help, call AR ConnectNow at 1-800-482-9921, or visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at NAMIArkansas.org.

00651.02.01.0722

COM F ORT C A R E

WHAT WE DO

At Powers, we understand the important role HVAC plays in providing a clean, safe, and comfortable environment in hospitals and health care facilities.

As the state’s premier HVAC, controls, and service company, we deliver systems for controlling infection and air movement, as well as maintaining ideal temperature, humidity, and indoor air quality for patients, visitors, and staff.

Great people, great service, and great products from companies like Siemens. This is how we create customers for life. One customer at a time.

Service • Mechanical • Controls • Boilers • Chillers

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W W W . P O W E R S - H VA C . C O M AUG UST 2022

HEALTH CARE

CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED A Brief Overview of Major Hospital Construction Projects Across the State

By Sarah Coleman

H

ealth care in Arkansas has been ever evolving with ongoing and soon to come developments in hospitals statewide. There is a lot to look forward to in the coming years as far as accessible and innovative patient care, especially with the current and recently completed projects at some of the largest medical institutions across the state, including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (a sister organization of the Whole Health Institute), CARTI, Mercy Health, Arkansas Surgical Hospital, NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, ARORA and Arkansas Heart Hospital.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES Things such as access to health care providers, education and expansion of services is steadily improving across the state. UAMS in Little Rock, Arkansas’ only comprehensive academic health center, recently announced its latest projects for expansion. Christina Clark, chief operating officer and vice chancellor for institutional support services, explained that in 2019, UAMS completed a master facilities plan that encompasses the hospital’s plan for continued development

AUGUST 2 02 2

through the next 20 to 25 years.

UAMS is currently finishing up a $150 million energy project that is expected to be completed by December, according to Clark. The $50 million electrical power plant on the east side of campus, a project aiming to help UAMS become more sustainable and efficient, is actually being completed six months ahead of schedule.

“Our greatest asset is the energy: UAMS has become the lowest energyrate academic medical center in the country, and has already reduced its carbon footprint by 33%,” Clark said.

“UAMS is working to become as sustainable and energy-efficient as possible, and this is something that we strive to achieve at all of our campuses.”

Clark added that within its efforts to reach maximum efficiency and sustainability, UAMS has completed several improvements in order to function as smoothly as possible. “We took 18 generators out and replaced them with eight.

All of our lighting has been changed to LED. We’ve worked on updating the mechanical and electrical systems on campus,” Clark said.

The UAMS Child Development Center plans to break ground in September of this year, and upon completion, will provide childcare “based on the develop-

24

ment of the child.”

“The greatest benefit of the Child Development Center is for our employees: Moms and dads will be able to have their children close to campus and they’ll be able to visit their kids throughout the day,” Clark explained. “This model allows for children to be placed in a class based upon their development.”

Northwest Arkansas will soon welcome its first UAMS ambulatory and surgery center, with the schematic design phase of the Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Clinic currently underway. The $85 million project will bring more sports medicine care to the area. And, as Clark explains, the University of Arkansas Razorback athletic teams are officially cared for by UAMS physicians.

“Right now, UAMS currently has a mobile MRI to scan Razorback athletes, and the athletes are treated at our outpatient treatment center in Fayetteville,” Clark said.

The Orthopedic Spine Center is also in progress on the southwest side of the campus. “The Orthopedic Spine Center has been the grandchild of one of our physicians, Dr. Lowry Barnes, for several years,” Clark said. “This project will be a great benefit to patients as it will greatly grow the orthopedic department. It plans to add 12 operating rooms, additional

ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

UAMS’ New Radiation Oncology center will house the state’s only proton center.

Photo by David Yerby.

beds, an orthopedic therapy and physical therapy area and more.”

Back in Little Rock, UAMS is also working on the 52,249 square-foot expansion of its Radiation Oncology Center, located within the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. With an expected completion date in 2023, the center will be home to the state’s only proton center, which will be in partnership with Baptist Health, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Proton International.

In joining with Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Children’s Tumor Foundation announced its collaborative plans of creating and piloting the first dedicated neurofibromatosis (NF) adult clinic in the region in 2021. In an earlier announcement, Natalie Rockefeller – UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute board member and Arkansas Advisory Board for the Children’s Tumor Foundation member – explained the impact of the NF adult clinic.

“Three-quarters of NF patients in Arkansas are adults without proper clinical attention,” she explained. “When I hear this, I think of Myleigh Marshall, a young

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girl I met when I competed in the Dancing with Our Stars gala fundraiser a few years ago. Myleigh will soon be a young woman, facing new and particular needs in her NF care, and it’s important that we make sure she has access to the care and

guidance she and all other young adults and adults in Arkansas living with NF need,” Rockefeller said.

UAMS drew attention to the fact that most NF clinics in the country serve children, but adult NF care has long been The new Radiation Oncology building is connected to the existing campus via an enclosed sky bridge.

Photo by David Yerby.

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HEALTH CARE

Mercy is investing $500 million in the second phase of its health care expansion.

a significant unmet health need in the United States.

MERCY HEALTH Mercy Health, formerly known as Catholic Health Partners, has recently announced several initiatives that will lead to expansion in the state. Mercy will be investing $500 million in the second phase of its health care expansion which will include a cancer center, emergency department and isolation room expansion, additional clinic locations, more outpatient care facilities and the ability to nearly double the current number of primary care physicians and specialists.

The $500 million investment will bring Mercy’s total monetary commitment to Northwest Arkansas to almost $1 billion in less than a decade.

Eric Pianalto, chief strategic growth officer for Mercy Arkansas, explained that all of Mercy’s initiatives are about the people it serves. “This investment is about people on the front end, whether it’s the recruitment of doctors or other investments, this is about meeting communities’ needs for primary and specialty care so we can serve in the best way possible,” he said.

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Scotty Cooper, M.D., president of Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas, noted that this expansion and investment is driven by what Mercy has always done – meet the needs of the community. The U.S. Census Bureau ranked NWA as the sixth fastest-growing, mid-size metro area in the nation, and because of this, Cooper said health care is of the essence.

“The fastest-growing demographic in the area is 65-years-old and up, who happen to need more health care access,” Cooper explained. “We intend to make NWA a destination for health care and grow the depth and breadth of neuroscience, orthopedics, cardiology, gastroenterology and behavioral health.”

The future cancer center will be stateof-the-art, and designed in a way that keeps patients needs in mind. “A key element to this investment is the cancer center, which will be a multi-story facility and will take into account convenience for patients,” said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Hospitals Arkansas.

According to Pianalto, the expansion process is a five year plan and will include hospital floors, additional floor space and more recruitment. “This work began with a $300 million investment in 2016 in the first phase, which was com-

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pleted in Nov. 2019. All of this work will make for a five year project,” he said.

During phase one, Mercy completed the following projects in Arkansas: A $141 million, seven-story hospital tower in Rogers for expanded neonatal care, the McMillion Family Heart Unit, additional pediatric care and more; a multispeciality clinic in Springdale with a 24-hour emergency room; six additional clinics in NWA; a 22-bed dedicated orthopedic and spine unit; a new inpatient rehabilitation unit; expanded neurology care in NWA and Fort Smith; a rehabilitation hospital in Fort Smith; and a $42 million orthopedic hospital in Fort Smith, which features 24 beds and 24-hour patient care. Currently, there is a $162.5 million emergency room and intensive care unit expansion underway in Fort Smith as well, with an expected completion date in late 2024.

“Mercy Hospital is a low-cost provider and has 15% lower cost on high-quality care,” said Cooper. “We are focused on improving access and getting patients to the right care facility in an efficient manner. We will continue to work with what has been accomplished and build on that.

“This expansion will help in the transformation of health care. Moving forward in areas such as virtual care, population health and precision medicine, we take our patient’s lived experiences into consideration, helping them to maintain their health and keep them out of acute settings.”

ALICE L. WALTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Elsewhere in Northwest Arkansas, development of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is in progress. The nonprofit, four-year medical degree-granting program will integrate conventional medicine with holistic principles and was

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founded in 2021. According to Beth Bobbitt, communications director for health initiatives at Art and Wellness Enterprises (AWE) – which serves as support for Alice Walton-founded nonprofits – the 154,000 square-foot medical facility will break ground in spring 2023.

“The School of Medicine is currently seeking national and institutional accreditation and is in the design and development phase of the building project,” Bobbitt said. “Architects, Polk Stanley Wilcox and landscape architect, OSD, have been selected for this project.”

According to Bobbitt, the goal for completion of this project is summer 2025, in order to welcome the inaugural class in fall 2025.

“The School of Medicine will be located east of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville and connected through the trails to the Whole Health Institute,” Bobbitt explained.

“The proximity to arts and wellness organizations and building design embrace the principles of whole health, which are also supported by the healing properties of the landscape, trails, gardens and green space.”

The School of Medicine is focused on the whole person, and graduates of the school will help physicians of the future to redesign health care and contribute to improved health and wellbeing of residents.

“A report by the NWA Council Health Care Transformation Division shows we lose nearly $1 billion each year on outmigration of health care,” Bobbitt said.

“In conjunction with expanding services through the new partnership between Alice L. Walton Foundation and Washington Regional Medical System, as well as the Cleveland Clinic, the School of Medicine is poised to integrate whole health principles into practice, creating a new pipeline for physicians and work to retain them in our region.”

As Arkansas-based Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects integrates the building into both the site and community, by design, it will engage the land as

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an abstraction of Ozark geology that will embrace the principles of integrated medicine and the link between mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. The building will feature four levels, including learning halls and small group rooms, a library, clinical teaching spaces, administrative offices, a student lounge, theater, recreation and wellness areas and more. The landscape of the school will be conceived as an extension of Crystal Bridges’ forest, allowing for seamless extension from the school’s campus to the trails.

“Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is excited to build upon the founder’s deep commitment to enhancing quality of life in NWA with a medical education that will focus on mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health,” Bobbitt said. “Pending accreditation approvals, the curriculum will include rigorous training in whole health and may also include subjects like humanities, integrative health, research, technology, interprofessional collaboration, mental health, social determinants of health and nutrition.”

CENTRAL ARKANSAS In addition to other projects that span the state, Clark Contractors recently completed Arkansas Heart Hospital - Encore

Medical Center in Bryant, which is Arkansas Heart Hospital’s second location.

CARTI announced in 2021 its plans to expand its Little Rock campus to include an on-site surgery center, and in Feb., CARTI opened its cancer center in Pine Bluff.

Arkansas Surgical Hospital recently expanded its North Little Rock center to include more operating rooms and anesthesia recovery rooms as well. And according to Kinco Constructors, the ARORA headquarters is currently under construction in West Little Rock. The ARORA headquarters will have 19,500 square-feet of space and 13,000 squarefeet of office space with 11 private offices, 30 cubicle workstations, 3 conference rooms, 2 huddle rooms and one tornado safe room. There will also be 6,500 square-feet of clean room and clinical space for organ donation work.

NEA In the northeastern corner of the state, NEA Baptist broke ground on a new state-of-the-art medical facility in Jonesboro. The newest clinic consists of three parts: the Red Wolf Clinic, Urgent Care Plus and Outpatient Imaging Services.

As of June 2022, there was no opening date set for the facility’s opening.

Clark Contractors recently completed Arkansas Heart Hospital - Encore Medical Center in Bryant.

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HEALTH CARE

Under COVID,

Medicine Changed Forever –

BUT NOW WHAT? The New Frontier

I

Dr. Cam Patterson

AUGUST 2 02 2

By Dwain Hebda

t’s hard to imagine an industry that has been as singularly transformed by the events of the past two and a half years than medicine. From debates over efficacies and safety of fast-tracked vaccines, to the physical and mental toll the pandemic took on doctors and nurses, to the manner in which health care is administered over long distances, there’s almost nothing across the industry that’s emerged unscathed.

And yet, for all of the challenges and misery the coronavirus wrought – and still does today with the rise of variants that have spiked numbers – history may regard 2020 and the years that followed as one of the most important periods in the history of medicine. If that sounds unusual or even vulgar, consider that from the darkest circumstances throughout history – war, famine and yes, even plague – some of humanity’s greatest innovations have emerged.

Dr. Cam Patterson, chancellor of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said that curious axiom is already at work in how physicians treat patients, thanks to onrushing technology, seemingly on every front.

“There’s so much going on that I don’t think that there’s any one next big

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HEALTH CARE

“Hopefully, they’ll go back to the communities where they came from and serve in those underserved communities across the state.”

Left to right, Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, Brian Jones, D.H.Sc., CEO/president of SHARE Foundation; Steve Cousins, board of directors chairman for SHARE Foundation during a $1.5 million grant presentation.

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thing; it’s an ‘all of the above’ scenario,” he said. “[Technology] will allow us to hone our ability to make diagnoses earlier in the course of disease. We saw it with our global testing that we did during COVID, but also mobile mammography. I think you’ll see more mobile diagnostic platforms here in Arkansas going forward.

“And, COVID-19 allowed us to push the digital edge of health care forward more quickly. In large part, not just because of excellent technologies, but in breaking down barriers – barriers to payment and barriers to patient acceptance.”

Patterson said technology is having another ancillary effect on the medical industry - a change in the art-science balance that has ruled medicine throughout time. It’s a phenomenon, he notes, that has changed dramatically just during the course of his own career.

“I trained in the last pandemic, which was HIV,” he said.

“An interesting comparison between when I trained and what’s going on now is, both my cohort and the current cohort of students that are being educated have felt that the system was being overwhelmed.

“The big difference is more of a focus on quality and the personal touch. We have better data to address those issues now than we did when I was training. Also, the physical space; our students are much more comfortable managing patients within the digital realm now than we had the opportunity to when I was training.”

Kevin Phelan, Ph.D., demonstrates ultrasound scanning for high school students learning about health care careers during the virtual Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program.

Veronica Ussery (on screen) is joined with (front right) Karen J. Dickinson, M.D.; (second row, left to right) Patti Griffey, a simulated patient, and Sherry Johnson; and (third row, left to right) Jerry Halpain, Andrew Warr, simulated patient, Margaret Glasgow, Matthew Spond, M.D., and another simulated patient.

All photos courtesy of UAMS.

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HEALTH CARE

“When you look at the numbers, whether it’s physician assistants, medical doctors, practicing nurses or nurse practitioners, there’s just simply not enough bodies out there yet, and that’s why we formed ACHE in the first place.”

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Given the manner in which medical schools, hospitals and other health care entities have had to pivot in recent years – including digital classrooms and hospital wards bustling with medical devices so advanced as to boggle the imagination – it’s little wonder that each succeeding generation of physicians and nurses is one step farther away from the bedside.

“One question is, what is this going to do to telemedicine? Is it going to speed it up? And the answer is well, yeah,” said Dr. Kyle Parker, CEO of Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education. “Once we get enough of the dark fiber that’s all over the state of Arkansas running down these highways turned on, I think it’s going to grow a lot.

“A more important question is, the tools that are out there, the equipment that’s out there, is it conducive to telemedicine? In certain situations, yes, absolutely. It can take blood pressure, it can take temperature, but it’s not going to supplant people to treat acute appendicitis. We can do some simple procedures for people who typically go into clinics, and we’ll be able to do that remotely, but who’s going to be looking at them?”

Parker said ACHE has already devised ways to draw students back into the personal elements of medicine during their medical training.

“Part of our plan here with our rotations is, we send our students into the rural areas, and we do that very intentionally,” he said. “One reason is so they will get accustomed to providing expert care without all the equipment you would find in the larger cities. They learn more by having less. And secondly, we move them into these remote areas because we hope they’re going to fall in love with it and therefore wish to stay.”

Parker said the issues surrounding personnel and medical access are much thornier than keeping up with medical technology, and also more essential. It’s no secret that states that suffer from a comparative lack of medical access and options have far lower health scores, or that those states are usually poorer, smaller and more rural. In a word, Arkansas.

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“When you look at Members of ACHE’s senior staff, Board of Trustees and others shovel dirt at an official the numbers, whether groundbreaking for a new ACHE facility. it’s physician assistants, medical doctors, practicPhoto courtesy of Les Smith, ACHE. ing nurses or nurse practitioners, there’s just simply not enough bodies out there yet, and that’s why we formed ACHE in the first place,” Parker said.

“We’re trying to get more bodies out there who can begin to relieve all of these underserved communities. And underserved doesn’t mean indigent; I’m talking about access to health care.

“This year, I think we were 49th in the country on the list of states with the most underserved areas, and Oklahoma is 48th. When you have 48th and 49th together, and start to draw circles, we’re in one of the most underserved areas, if not the most underserved area, of the country.”

Patterson said headcount isn’t the only variable in the complicated equation for providing quality medical care for all, regardless of zip code. He said institutions in Arkansas, including medical schools, are often hamstrung by systemic deficiencies in students’ readiness for the rigors of post-secondary education.

“We definitely can do better,” Patterson said of primary and secondary education. “There are plenty of Arkansans who graduate from high school or college and are ready to take on the challenges that are presented at UAMS. But there are also a lot of really smart kids who have the inner talents and resources to go into health care, but don’t have the educational background.

“That’s a challenge, especially in students who have received their education in rural parts of the state, where secondary education is less uniform, and the impact that has on students.”

Patterson said the situation presents itself so often that UAMS has created programs to help these students overcome the educational deficiencies they may have experienced thus far. He said this investment is particularly important, as these students are often from the most severely underserved areas, places most in need of a hometown boy or girl to come back with a medical degree to serve the population.

“Our diversity, equity and inclusion division has a pathways program for K-12 students to get them interested and engaged in STEM curriculum,” he said. “Then, we have a post-baccalaureate program for students who want to go to medical school, but don’t have the test scores they need to get in.

“We bring them to campus and give them a curriculum, including testtaking skills so that they can get into medical school. Then, hopefully, they’ll go back to the communities where they came from and serve in those underDr. Kyle Parker served communities across the state.”

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MENS HEALTH

The Arkansas Urology Foundation is improving the lives of men every day by providing free health screenings across Arkansas. These screenings provide valuable insights for prostate cancer detection and other health concerns from diabetes and heart disease to kidney issues.

Every man deserves access to comprehensive health care and state-of-the-art treatment, regardless of his proximity to care or financial resources. These screenings are bringing urological care to underserved communities throughout the state and saving lives.

Learn more at ArkansasUrology.com/Foundation.

CARTI IS A PROUD CHAMPION OF HEALTHCARE. Congratulations to CARTI CEO Adam Head and our entire team on providing patient-focused cancer care in 18 locations throughout Arkansas.

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HEALTH CARE

Behavioral Health The biggest health crisis both before and coming out of the pandemic

By Becky Gillette

B

ehavioral health was the biggest health care crisis Americans faced going into the pandemic, and it will easily be the biggest one faced coming out of it, according to Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield President and CEO Curtis Barnett.

Barnett uses the term behavioral health to describe both mental health conditions – such as depression, anxiety and trauma – and substance use disorders caused by overuse of drugs or alcohol.

“More than 20% of U.S. adults experience some type of behavioral health disorder, yet 60% of them don’t receive care for their condition in a given year,” Barnett said. “For millennials, who now make up our largest generation, the rate is even higher. More than one third report having a behavioral health condition, and we’re seeing rapid increases in major depression and alcohol and substance use.”

The increases in anxiety and depression reported in U.S. adults soared from 11% in January 2019 to 41% in January 2021. The highest rates, by far, were experienced by young adults between the ages of 18-24.

“More than half of parents express concern over their children’s mental well-being,” Barnett said. “One in three high school students and half of all female students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Emergency room visits for attempted suicide have risen 51% for girls. If we’re going to help people live healthier lives – the kind of lives they deserve – and impact the rate at which health care costs are growing, we must make progress on the behavioral health front.”

To help accomplish this, Arkansas Blue Cross is making significant community and business investments.

“We started with our communities,” Barnett said. “Through our Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, under Rebecca Pittillo’s leadership, we spent months researching different approaches and initiatives.

HEALTH CARE

Curtis Barnett

Bo Ryall

AUGUST 2 02 2

“We knew that we wanted to support behavioral health in all stages of life, from early childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. In July 2021, we committed $5.29 million to expand behavioral health resources across our state. This is the largest investment in the 20year history of our foundation.”

Barnett said recently they’ve turned their attention to business investments and how they can better help their customers and members meet their behavioral health needs. Some of the features of this new approach include: • Improving access by expanding their telehealth services.

• Making sure customers have the option to choose benefit plans that provide 100% coverage for a certain number or behavioral health therapy services.

• Rolling out a new digital platform that will make it easier for members to navigate the behavioral health care system.

• Continuing to support programs and processes that better integrate behavioral health and primary care, which is the best way for providing “whole person health.”

Arkansas Blue Cross, the largest health insurer in the state covering 635,425 people, took several significant actions in the early days of the pandemic, especially in offering greater flexibility and support for members, employees, communities and the state’s health care providers. Barnett said he believes those factors have allowed them to weather this public health crisis very effectively and continue to be there for members and communities in need.

“This approach also gave the provider community more flexibility in their business decisions during this difficult time,” Barnett said.

“Still, like most employers, we’re still dealing with some of the longer-term effects of the pandemic, especially as they relate to a challenging labor market, rising costs due to infla38

tion and adapting to a larger remote work environment.”

The new COVID variants are a reminder that the pandemic isn’t over. Barnett said that means they will continue to operate in a very uncertain environment, especially as it relates to future waves of COVID-19 infections and the timing of the end of the federal Public Health Emergency.

“Even in the midst of all of the uncertainty, the pandemic has rejuvenated our desire to address some of health care’s biggest issues,” he said. “Whether it was with physical health conditions – like obesity and chronic health conditions – unmet social needs, or health disparities due to geography, race or ethnicity, COVID-19 exposed parts of our population, our society and our health care system, which were already vulnerable, and made them worse.

“In response, we’re emphasizing the importance of a ‘whole person’ approach to care, which addresses a patient’s physical, behavioral and social needs together. We’ve also ramped up our efforts to impact health disparities in Arkansas through a new health equity program and strategy.”

Arkansas Blue Cross and health care providers are very concerned about the longterm health effects COVID-19 has on certain patients. Symptoms from “long COVID” often include fatigue, shortness of breath and cognitive problems (thinking and memory) that impact the person’s quality of life, health status and health care costs.

While the rate of telehealth visits has declined since the height of the pandemic in 2020, Barnett said it continues to be much higher than what was observed pre-pandemic and remains a bright spot, especially for gaining access to behavioral health services, particularly in rural areas of the state.

“Our next challenge is to continue to work to ensure telehealth is integrated within the broader health care system to ensure patients are receiving the right type of care at the right ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

time,” he said. “We’re also seeing greater interest among health care systems to move more provider reimbursement to valuebased payments rather than just traditional fee-for-service payments. Value-based payments incent improvements in quality and outcomes.”

Arkansas Blue Cross continues to be concerned about the deferral of preventive care services that have occurred over the past couple of years, as well. They have been reaching out to their members, reminding them of preventive screenings, routine examinations and immunizations.

Arkansas is one of the worst five states for oral health in the nation. The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement reported June 2 that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, most Arkansans were not making regular visits to the dentist, even if they

Concern surrounds end of ACA subsidies Temporary Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies provided through the American Rescue Plan are set to expire at the end of 2022 if they are not extended by Congress. Arkansas Hospital Association President and CEO Bo Ryall says any increase in the number of people who are uninsured would have a tremendous impact on the ability of Arkansans to afford health care and on the financial stability of hospitals.

“If Congress does not take action to protect ACA subsidies, monthly premiums are projected to increase by 50% or more,” Ryall said. “This cost would be unbearable for some families, leading to a loss of insurance coverage, difficulty accessing care and eventually, worse health outcomes.”

Ryall says Arkansas hospitals are already facing unprecedented financial stress, with health care labor and supply costs outpacing inflation as a whole, and many are operating on negative margins.

“Increases in uncompensated care would put many of our most important safety net hospitals in untenable situations,” Ryall said. “Protecting the ACA subsidies is vital for Arkansas’s health care system.”

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield President and CEO Curtis Barnett says they are concerned that large increases in the member’s share of the premium may cause many of these individuals to either drop coverage or opt for coverage that requires them to pay more out-of-pocket for their care.

“We believe this would add tremendous financial stress to our members,” Barnett said.

In 2021, 87% of Arkansas Blue Cross Health Insurance Marketplace members received financial assistance. The average amount of that assistance was $699 a month. According to Barnett, nearly 21% of their members use the Marketplace in one way or another.

The increases in anxiety and depression reported in U.S. adults soared from 11% in January 2019 to 41% in January 2021. The highest rates, by far, were experienced by young adults between the ages of 18-24. had dental insurance. The use of dental services dropped even more during the first year of the pandemic.

Arkansas Blue Cross offers a variety of dental plans to fit different individual and family needs. Barnett said a significant focus is on preventive oral health, but plans cover restorative dental care as well. There is extra preventive coverage for special needs as well, such as oral cancer, heart conditions, pregnancy and more.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, was founded in 1948. Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates have more than 3,200 employees. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is composed of 36 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans that collectively provide health care coverage for 100 million people, nearly one in three Americans.

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AUG UST 2022

CHAMPIONING QUALITY CARE

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Dr. Alonzo Williams

A Gentleman and A Doctor

By Lindsey Castrellon

D

r. Alonzo Williams has served as the medical director for Arkansas Diagnostic Center in Little Rock for more than 25 years. Throughout that time, he has been diligent in pursuing the latest gastroenterology research and techniques in order to ensure excellent care for every patient.

Williams serves as a gastroenterology consultant for hospitals throughout Little Rock. Since 1984, he has been affiliated with major health care systems such as Baptist Health, CHI St. Vincent, UAMS, and of course, Arkansas Diagnostic Center and Kanis Endoscopy Center. He is also an active member of a number of prominent professional organizations including the Arkansas State Medical Board, where he was appointed by three governors for a total of 24 consecutive years.

“I believe that my empathetic personality and willingness to work with many physicians presenting to that board helped save medical licenses,” he said.

And while all of this certainly merits praise, it is Williams’ story of how he came to be successful in his field that is most impressive.

A native of West Helena, Arkansas, Williams grew up during a time when it was rare to see an African American physician around town.

“My hometown of West Helena was fortunate enough to have Dr. Robert Miller,” Williams said. “He was my first role model in the realm of professionals and my desire to become a doctor.”

Photo by David Yerby

CHAMPIONS OF HEALTH CARE

Photos courtesy of the Williams family.

“In spite of a lot of opposition, Dr. Texter went to bat for me, and I was accepted into the program.

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Although Dr. Miller was his first role model, it is Williams’ father who holds the title of the person he admires most.

“The person I admire most is the person who raised me, loved me and taught me to be a man. That is my father, John Henry Williams.

He dropped out of elementary school to help his parents make a living. He couldn’t read and became blind when I was a young man. In spite of these deficiencies, he built his own home, ran many businesses, drove a bus to the cotton fields near Helena, owned a grocery store and insisted all of his children attend and graduate from college. All of us did graduate, with bachelor’s, master’s, PhD’s – and I graduated with an M.D. I truly admire this man.”

As a young adult, Williams earned medical degrees from Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he is now a clinical instructor. While attending UAMS, he developed a mentee/mentor relationship with one of his professors, a gastroenterologist named Dr. Clinton Texter.

“Being selected into the GI program was a coveted spot,” Williams explained. “In spite of a lot of opposition, Dr. Texter went to bat for me, and I was accepted into the program.

He has since passed away, but I have always kept a framed picture of him placed prominently on my office desk.”

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Photo by David Yerby

Empowered by Texter’s support, and with a kit packed with GI knowledge, Williams built and opened the first surgery center specializing in gastroenterology in the state of Arkansas in 1989. The center allowed Williams to provide a place where his community felt comfortable visiting and where he could freely educate patients on the importance of things like colorectal cancer screening.

“I want people to know how much I care for and give back to my community.”

“Awareness, education and early detection has saved countless lives,” he said.

Owning his own business also opened the door for Williams to develop an outreach campaign through radio, television, health fairs and frequent guest speaking in churches throughout Arkansas.

And fortunately for Dr. Williams, and his patients, it’s a door that he leaves open.

In the future, he plans to continue to save lives through educating, screening for early detection and resection and promoting good health, he says, and continue to encourage and mentor students and physicians in the field of medicine, particularly gastroenterology.

“I want people to know how much I care for and give back to my community. How I set goals and worked diligently to achieve them. How I made a difference in the lives of my family, the youth and people in need. And how I turned to God when met with adversity.”

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UAMS Proudly Celebrates our Champions of Health Care We congratulate the outstanding UAMS health care team members recognized as Champions of Health Care. They are everyday heroes who are making a difference.

Our Champions of Health Care include: Large Hospital UAMS Health To find a doctor, visit UAMS.Health/Champs or call 501-686-8000.

Health Care Administrator Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA UAMS Chancellor CEO, UAMS Health

Surgeon C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. Orthopaedic Surgeon Doctor Omar T. Atiq, M.D. Medical Oncologist

Nurse Practitioner Ebonye Green, MNSc, APRN Advanced Practice Provider, Neurosurgery

At UAMS Health, we’re here to ensure you have access to the best care, right here close to home. With a staff of the best and brightest, personalized medicine and convenient access to clinics, you can feel confident knowing the state of your health is in exceptional hands.

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Dr. Omar Atiq

A Hero Comes Along O

By John Callahan Photos by David Yerby

mar Atiq, MD, FACP, is a gentle giant of Arkansas’s health care industry. His calm demeanor and unhurried, deliberate way of speaking belie his imposing list of titles and achievements. Atiq is a professor of medicine at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in Little Rock, specializing in head and neck oncology. He splits his time between working with patients and training the next generation of doctors, but that’s only his day job. Atiq is also a major figure in the American College of Physicians (ACP) the second largest organization of physicians in the country. Furthermore, he sits on the Arkansas State Medical Board and is the president and director at the Arkansas Cancer Institute. He also holds a slew of former titles like president, speaker of the house and chairman of the board of the Arkansas Medical Society.

The beginning of Dr. Atiq’s story is not exactly what you might expect. Raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Atiq did not start out with a great passion for medical care, nor did he dream of becoming a doctor since he was a child. Rather, he saw it as one of a number of routes he might take. “Where I grew up,” Atiq explained, “there were relatively few ways that you could ‘be your own boss.’ In other words, [careers where] you didn’t have to depend on others to do what you wanted to do at the level you wanted to do it, without being hindered by extraneous circumstances. I came down to two: law and medicine.”

Those were the two options that suited him best and would grant

CHAMPIONS OF HEALTH CARE him the most freedom. But how to choose? Atiq’s father was a lawyer, and his mother said to him, “We have a lawyer in the house; one is enough. How about you do medicine?” Medicine also offered a greater chance to travel and to practice in different places. Every country has its own laws, not to mention states, provinces, cities, etc. But human biology changes very little from place to place, so medicine is as universal as it gets. There was no single moment of epiphany, according to Atiq, just a simple buildup of factors that made the answer clear.

After graduating at the top of his class from Khyber Medical College at the University of Peshawar, Atiq was offered a scholarship to go to the United Kingdom to finish his education. To the dismay of many around him, he turned it down in favor of coming to the United States. “In fact,” he said, “my dean picked up the phone, called my dad and told him how wrong I was to leave a scholarship and a guaranteed job when I returned to my alma mater.” When asked why he would turn down what must have seemed like the obvious choice, Atiq answered: “When I was in medical school, it was clear to me that the training in the United States was the best, most comprehensive training in medicine.”

He explained that the unique structure – combined with a culture both in medicine and in general that was highly conducive to personal responsibility and growth – made the U.S. a more appealing option, despite those who tried to convince him otherwise. Nevertheless, Atiq is glad to say that he has no regrets and would encourage others to do the same.

With the support of his father, Atiq began his residency in internal medicine in 1985 at Loyola University of Chicago, followed by a medical oncology fellowship at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His decision to go into oncology was driven not by epiphany, but by the fact that it, along with neurology, was a term that did not exist in his mother tongue at that time. That was enough to gain his interest, so the path was laid for a long and incredibly prestigious medical career. When he completed his training in 1991, Atiq thought that he would return home to Pakistan to start an oncology program at his alma mater. Sloan-Kettering had some of the world’s most advanced resources for cancer treatment, but he knew that such resources were not available in most of the United States, much less a developing country. To prepare for conditions back home, Atiq looked for a smaller place to work for about a year and found the Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff. He did not end up returning to Pakistan, at least not in any long-term sense.

Jefferson Regional did not have an oncology program when Atiq arrived – only an oncologist from Little Rock who came two days a week to see the cancer patients. And when he left, there was no one to take care of them. As a result, the hospital was willing to give Atiq whatever resources he needed to start a full oncology program. The program went extremely well, and after about five years, Atiq approached the board of the hospital to pitch the idea of a dedicated cancer center. This bore fruit in 1991, in the form of the Arkansas Cancer Institute, which was the first place in the state where a cancer patient could get all of the treatment they needed under one roof. Eventually, other hospitals across the state began to follow suit, greatly expanding the AUGUST 2 02 2

options and availability of cancer treatment in Arkansas. While working in Pine Bluff, Atiq began also working as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UAMS in Little Rock, which was attracting more and more of his interest. UAMS’ Myeloma Center, for example, was and is a global leader in myeloma research, and for a time, was performing the most advanced and innovative treatments for multiple myeloma in the world.

In 2014, UAMS asked Atiq to become a part-time paid faculty member at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. He then spent about half of his time at UAMS and half in Pine Bluff. The next year, he became the director of the Cancer Service Line.

In 2019, two of Atiq’s colleagues at Pine Bluff had left for other places. As a result, he had to make the call to stop splitting his time and work full-time at either UAMS or Pine Bluff. “It was difficult to recruit people when you weren’t present,” he explained, which led him to close his Pine Bluff practice. He and some of his colleagues had decided previously that, “because of the absolute explosion in the knowledge base for cancer, it became clear that we would have to sub-specialize. There wouldn’t be anyone who was extremely competent in all areas of cancer medicine.” They divided oncology into sections, and Atiq took over the head and neck subspeciality, though he also does work on skin cancer. “We have, in my opinion, one of the best head-and-neck cancer services in the country,” Atiq said with pride. “Our head-and-neck surgeons are second to none.” But Atiq gives all the credit to his colleagues, like Dr. John Dornhoffer, who is the current chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

In his day-to-day work, Atiq spends the majority of his time dealing directly with head-and-neck or skin cancer patients. “Sometimes there are other patients who have either known me or I’ve taken care of their families who request that I take care of them,” he said. And he does so, as long as he can do it efficiently, while his remaining time is primarily spent teaching medical students.

After 2019, Atiq stepped down as the director of the Cancer Service Line, meaning he no longer has any administrative duties and can dedicate his time to education and care. In 2020, Atiq made national news by forgiving the medical debts of 200 cancer patients for Christmas, clearing out roughly $650,000 of debt. Everything so far, however, has only been the story of his medical practice, and Atiq has been plenty busy outside of work hours.

For decades, Atiq has been a member of a variety of organizations for physicians, such as the Arkansas Medical Society, the Arkansas State Medical Board and the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America. In many of these, he has served in important leadership positions at the highest levels. He has also taken part in organizations that have nothing to do with medicine, like the American Muslim Peace Initiative (of which he is the founding chairman), the Pulaski Academy Board of Trustees and the Fifty for the Future (of Pine Bluff). But the one that stands above all, and promises to stand higher still, is his participation in the American College of Physicians.

Until recently, Atiq served as the chair of the board of governors for the organization, a tenure that ended because he was elected by his peers to take over as president of the College in 2023, the first to be from Arkansas. As an organization specifical52

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ly for internal physicians, the ACP is the largest specialist society in America and one of the largest in the world. It has chapters in all 50 states, with over 160,000 members focused mainly in the U.S., but with many others scattered across the globe. The ACP is heavily involved in health care policies. “I chaired the health and public policy committee for the past two years,” Atiq explained, “and we published six major policy papers, which inform our advocacy. So, we had policies on health care disparities, how to identify them, how to address them and that’s a huge subject.” So large, in fact, that they had to divide it into subsections, such as veteran’s health care or the corporatization of health care. As president, Atiq will be the foremost representative of the College’s stance on these issues, and he takes that seriously.

Dealing with corporatization is especially critical to Atiq. “There are actually public equity firms that are buying physician practices, and the college wants to make sure that the sacred patient-physician relationship remains paramount,” he explained. The ACP believes that doctors should be sufficiently compensated for their work, but caring for patients takes priority over everything else. All of the College’s policies are bent towards making sure that all patients receive the care they need – regardless of color, creed or economic status – as well as the freedom of patients to choose their physicians. “The physician-patient relationship is sacred and transformational, ill-represented by the term ‘provider,’ which is transactional in nature, and does a disservice to the relationship – a relationship that said ‘I will shepherd you through hard life decisions, and I will be your expert companion along your health journey,’” he said. “The word provider flips the dynamic from the valued physician-patient relationship to a consumer buying goods from a knowledgeable salesperson. A physician is not a ‘provider,’ and a patient is not a ‘consumer,’ he continued.

“Being someone’s physician is the highest honor and privilege bestowed by a patient. It is a trust to be revered, which informs the physician’s immutable dedication to patient interest above all else.” There is also, as Atiq explained, a darker connection to the past that makes the term “provider” still more uncomfortable: There is evidence that in Nazi Germany, Jewish physicians were striped of the title “arzt,” meaning doctor, and instead called “behandler,” roughly translating to provider, as a way to diminish their work.

Between the role he will soon play in medical policy and advances in medical science, Atiq is excited for the future. “I’m an optimist,” he remarked, “and I’m also a realist, or so I think. I truly believe that our best times are yet to come.” And he just might be right.

In the span of his career, for example, the Human Genome ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

Project took billions of dollars and over a decade to develop. Now, an individual can have their genome sequenced in a few weeks for a few thousand dollars. But what is even more important than technological advances, in Atiq’s mind, is that “As a society, as a country, we are going toward making sure that everybody has the same opportunity for efficient care that someone with resources has.” Atiq said he looks forward to a time when health care is universally accessible and totally patient-focused.

“[Medicine] is really a societal matter,” he said. “No one wants to get sick. But when we get sick, I think it becomes our combined duty to that fellow citizen to take care of them in a way that we would like to be taken care of. I think we are moving toward that.

“I think it is still a long way to go, but I’m excited about the younger generations finding this [way] to be so much more efficient and inclusive, and doing it in a cost-effective manner as well.” In addition to this cultural shift in ideas of accessibility, Atiq said he is also very excited about the medical industry’s evolution from management of disease to healthy living and prevention of disease, which he calls the most significant and exciting ongoing transformation in the field of medicine. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so the saying goes, and so an emphasis on promoting health and illness prevention should save a great deal of after-the-fact care.

Atiq’s closing statement was one of inexorable optimism: “I think we have a great group of physicians in our state – of nurses, of other people who are involved in health care – and I think we’re going in the right direction.

“I’m lucky to have all four of my children go into medicine. I didn’t ask them to, but they chose it, and I’m delighted that they have. That might tell you something about my faith in where medicine is going.”

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Congrats, Dr. Fleming!

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University is incredibly proud of Dr. Regina Fleming, chair of our Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, for being named AMP’s Osteopathic Physician of the Year.

You are incredibly deserving of this honor, and we are so grateful for the way you represent our medical school and our profession. Congratulations!

Training Physicians In Arkansas, For Arkansas nyit.edu/arkansas | 870.680.8816 | ComjbAdmissions@nyit.edu

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CHAMPIONS OF HEALTH CARE

2022

CHAMPIONS OF HEALTH CARE We can think of no better way than “champions” to describe those who dedicate their lives to serving in the health care industry. We asked Arkansas Money & Politics readers to nominate their “Champions of Health Care” in 17 categories, and these are their top vote-getters in each category.

Of course, all health care workers are champions, but we want to give special congratulations to this particular group of Arkansas heroes, recognized by our readers.

LLIED HEALTH A CARE PROVIDERS

H EALTH CARE ADMINISTRATORS

D.J. DAILEY III, DDS Smile Dailey

CAM PATTERSON, MD (CHANCELLOR), UAMS

J. ALEX KELAMIS, MD Kelamis Plastic Surgery

GREG CRAIN BAPTIST HEALTH

EMILY GRAY, M.A. CCC-SLP UAMS SUZANNE YEE, MD Dr. Suzanne Yee Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center WILLIAM F. HEFLEY JR., MD Bowen Hefley Orthopedics ALONZO D. WILLIAMS SR., MD Arkansas Diagnostic Center

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RYAN GEHRIG Mercy Hospitals Arkansas

H EALTH CARE CEOS CHAD ADUDDELL CHI St. Vincent

MICHAEL STEWART Saline Health System GARY PAXSON, FACHE, RN, BSN White River Health System BRIAN THOMAS Jefferson Regional Medical Center

H EALTH CARE CLINICS ENHANCED HEALTHCARE OF THE OZARKS, Springdale CARTI

CHRIS BARBER St. Bernards Healthcare

CHI ST. VINCENT Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic

ADAM HEAD CARTI

ORTHOARKANSAS OZARK WELLNESS CLINIC LLC 56

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H EALTH CARE VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES ARKANSAS RURAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIP ARKANSAS UROLOGY FOUNDATION BLUE & YOU FOUNDATION ARKANSAS NURSE PRACTITIONER ASSOCIATION

H OSPITAL SYSTEMS MERCY BAPTIST HEALTH CHI ST. VINCENT UNITY HEALTH ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

I NNOVATION IN HEALTH CARE STATE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOR RECORDS EXCHANGE - SHARE SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE ARKANSAS COLLEGES OF HEALTH EDUCATION NYIT COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AT ARKANSAS STATE ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE

L ARGE HOSPITALS (100 BEDS OR MORE) UAMS CHI ST. VINCENT UNITY HEALTH WHITE COUNTY CONWAY REGIONAL

M ENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES PINNACLE POINTE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM UNITY HEALTH -- CLARITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS Searcy SPRINGWOODS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ARGENTA COUNSELING AND WELLNESS THE BRIDGEWAY

N URSE PRACTITIONERS LEAH CARRINGTON, APRN Enchanced Healthcare of the Ozarks EBONYE GREEN, MNSC, CNRN, ACNS-AG, APN UAMS JULIA PONDER, APRN Arkansas Heart Hospital ANGELA FOSTER, APRN, CNP Conway Regional Health System LISA GRUMMER, APRN Cornerstone Clinic for Women

P HYSICIANS OMAR T. ATIQ, MD Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS, President-elect of American College of Physicians REGINA FLEMING, DO NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University NICHOLAS GUINN, MD, St. Bernards Healthcare DAWN HUGHES, MD Conway Regional Health System BRIAN L. MCGEE, MD Arkansas Diagnostic Center

ARKANSAS DIAGNOSTIC

L ONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES GOOD SHEPHERD NURSING & REHABILITATION SUPERIOR SENIOR CARE Conway Branch PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE

P HYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

ALLY FERGUSON, RN Travel Nurses Across America LETITIA MORGAN, RN St. Bernards Medical Center MAGGIE MOORE, RN, SCRN CHI St. Vincent Neuroscience Institute VALERIE LAMBE, BSN, RN Conway Regional Health System PAIGE KELLY, BSN, RN Wright Plastic Surgery

R URAL HOSPITALS CABOT EMERGENCY HOSPITAL DEWITT HOSPITAL NORTH ARKANSAS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER HOT SPRING COUNTY NEA BAPTIST MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

S MALL HOSPITALS LEVI HOSPITAL ARKANSAS HEART HOSPITAL ARKANSAS SURGICAL HOSPITAL NORTHWEST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER OF SOUTH ARKANSAS

S URGEONS C. LOWRY BARNES, MD UAMS ALI KRISHT, MD, FACS CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute JAMES T. HOWELL, MD Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic SCOTT SCHLESINGER, MD Legacy Spine & Neurological Specialists EVAN NEWBOLT, MD, McFarland Eye Care

DREW SIEBENMORGEN, PA-C Jacksonville Medical Care ANNE BROWN, PA-C Baptist Health Family Clinic - West TRENT TAPPAN, PA-C OrthoArkansas

COLONEL GLENN HEALTH & REHAB, LLC

RACHEL NEAL, PA-C Conway Regional Hendrix Medical Clinic

BRIARWOOD NURSING AND REHABILITATION, INC.

MATTHEW T. REYNOLDS, PA-C, Arkansas Dermatology

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R EGISTERED NURSES

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Minutes Away.

Hours Faster.

Dr. Scott Archer

Dr. Brian Baird

Dr. Jim Box

Dr. Scott Darnell

Dr. Charles Mason

Dr. Justin White

Cabot Emergency Hospital is Arkansas’s first emergency focused specialtyhospital. Our state-of-the-art facility features no wait times, board-certified emergency physicians, and a dedicated clinical team who are always ready to provide expert care when it’s needed most. We are honored to be named among AMP’s 2022 Champions in Health Care. This distinction is a tribute to our outstanding team and the collaborative care they provide every day. 24/7, 365 days a year – Cabot Emergency Hospital is the superior choice for emergency care in Central Arkansas.

501.333.9110 212 WILLIE RAY DR. caboter.com

The provider of choice in Northeast Arkansas.

Leading the region in providing the most integrated experience, and an easy to navigate medical campus; NEA Baptist creates an ease of access to over 170 providers in over 45 specialties.

Want to know what’s happening for the weekend?

The integrated medical campus connects physicians to the clinics they serve and are always steps away from treating patients admitted to our 228-bed hospital. Also housed on the NEA Baptist medical campus is the Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care, providing Northeast Arkansas with the latest offerings for cancer care. No matter where you are, there is an NEA Baptist Primary Care and Urgent Care clinic nearby when you need it.

Tune in on 103.7 The Buzz every Friday morning when AY Media Group President & Publisher Heather Baker is their guest!

A better health care experience awaits with the future of health care, right at home. Get Better with NEA Baptist.

aymag.com

Get Better.

aymag.com

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50 LARGEST HOSPITALS IN ARKANSAS HOSPITAL

BEDS

TYPE

TRAUMA

ADMINISTRATOR/CEO

1. BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER - LITTLE ROCK

843

Medical-surgical

Level II

Mike Perkins

2. C ENTRAL ARKANSAS VETERANS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, LITTLE ROCK

635

VA

3. CHI ST. VINCENT INFIRMARY, LITTLE ROCK

615

Medical-surgical

Level II

Chad Aduddell, CEO

4. B APTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER - FORT SMITH (FORMERLY SPARKS)

492

Medical-surgical

Level III

Kim Miller, MBA, FACHE, President

5. UAMS MEDICAL CENTER, LITTLE ROCK

450

Medical-surgical

Level I

Stephen Mette, CEO

6. ST. BERNARDS MEDICAL CENTER, JONESBORO

440

Medical-surgical

Level III

Chris Barber, President & CEO

7. U NITY HEALTH WHITE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER, SEARCY

438

Medical-surgical

Level III

Ray Montgomery (Interim CEO)

8. W ASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL SYSTEM, FAYETTEVILLE

425

Medical-surgical

Level II

J. Larry Shackelford, President/CEO

9. MERCY HOSPITAL FORT SMITH

348

Medical-surgical

Level III

David Hunton

10. ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, LITTLE ROCK

336

Medical-surgical (pediatrics)

Level I

Marcy Doderer, President/CEO

11. J EFFERSON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, PINE BLUFF

300

Medical-surgical

Level III

Brian Thomas, President/CEO

12. CHI ST. VINCENT HOT SPRINGS

282

Medical-surgical

Level II

Douglas Ross, M.D., President

13. B AXTER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, MOUNTAIN HOME

268

Medical-surgical

Level III

Ron Peterson, President/CEO

14. NEA BAPTIST MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, JONESBORO

228

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Sam Lynd

15. B APTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER NORTH LITTLE ROCK

225

Medical-surgical

Level III

Cody Walker

16. NORTHWEST MEDICAL CENTER - SPRINGDALE

222

Medical-surgical

Level III

Jose Echavarria

17. ARKANSAS STATE HOSPITAL, LITTLE ROCK

222

Psychiatric

18. WHITE RIVER HEALTH SYSTEM, BATESVILLE

210

Medical-surgical

Level III

Gary Paxson, President/CEO

19. MERCY CLINIC - NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

208

Medical-surgical

Level III

Scott Snow Cooper

20. SALINE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, BENTON

177

Medical-surgical

Level III

Michael Stewart, CEO

21. N ORTH ARKANSAS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, HARRISON

174

Medical-surgical

Level III

Sammie Cribbs, President/CEO

22. S T. MARY’S REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, RUSSELLVILLE

170

Medical-surgical

Level III

Robert “Bob” Honeycutt, CEO

23. MEDICAL CENTER OF SOUTH ARKANSAS, EL DORADO

166

Medical-surgical

Level III

David Fox

24. NATIONAL PARK MEDICAL CENTER, HOT SPRINGS

163

Medical-surgical

Scott Smith, CEO

25. HELENA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

155

Medical-surgical

Amy Rice, CEO

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Margie A. Scott, M.D., Director

James Scoggins, CEO

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HOSPITAL

BEDS

TYPE

TRAUMA

ADMINISTRATOR/CEO

26. CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM

150

Medical-surgical

Level III

Matt Troup, President/CEO

27. U NITY HEALTH HARRIS MEDICAL CENTER, NEWPORT

133

Medical-surgical

Level IV

LaDonna Johnston

28. ARKANSAS METHODIST MEDICAL CENTER

129

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Barry Davis, President/CEO

29. NORTHWEST MEDICAL CENTER - BENTONVILLE

128

Medical-surgical

Level III

Patrick Kerrwood, CEO

30. P INNACLE POINTE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, LITTLE ROCK

127

Psychiatric

Shane Frazier, CEO

31. THE BRIDGEWAY, NORTH LITTLE ROCK

127

Psychiatric

Megan Miller

32. BAPTIST HEALTH REHABILITATION INSTITUTE, LITTLE ROCK

120

Rehabilitation

Mike Perkins

33. FORREST CITY MEDICAL CENTER

118

Medical-surgical

34. VALLEY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

114

Psychiatric

Andrea Wilson

35. V ANTAGE POINT OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS, FAYETTEVILLE

114

Psychiatric

Megan Wedgworth

36. BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER - CONWAY

111

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Tim Bowen

37. BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER - VAN BUREN

105

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Kim Miller, President

38. GREAT RIVER MEDICAL CENTER, BLYTHEVILLE

99

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Chris Raymer, CEO

39. OUACHITA COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER, CAMDEN

98

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Peggy Abbott

40. J OHNSON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, CLARKSVILLE

90

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Natalie Crowden

41. ARKANSAS CONTINUED CARE HOSPITAL

89

42. R IVENDELL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, BENTON

80

Psychiatric

Fred Knox, CEO

43. CONWAY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL

80

Psychiatric

Adina Bridges

44. E NCOMPASS HEALTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL, FAYETTEVILLE

80

Rehabilitation

Janette Daniels, CEO

45. S PRINGWOODS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL, FAYETTEVILLE

80

Psychiatric

Jordon Babcock, CEO

46. C HI ST. VINCENT SHERWOOD REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

80

Rehabilitation

Brian Cherry

47. V ETERANS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OF THE OZARKS, FAYETTEVILLE

73

VA

Christopher Myhaver

48. SILOAM SPRINGS REGIONAL HOSPITAL

73

Medical-surgical

Chris Blair

49. BAPTIST HEALTH - HOT SPRING COUNTY, MALVERN

72

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Jay Quebedeaux

50. CHI ST. VINCENT NORTH, SHERWOOD

69

Medical-surgical

Level IV

Chris Stines

Level IV

John Ballard, CEO

Drew Merryman

Source: Arkansas Hospital Association ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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ADMINISTRATORS OF STATE’S LARGEST HOSPITALS J. Larry Shackelford

Mike Perkins

Baptist Health Medical Center, Little Rock Mike Perkins is president of Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, with additional oversight for Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute, Baptist Health Extended Care Hospital and Baptist Health College Little Rock.

Margie A. Scott

VA Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System, Little Rock Margie A. Scott was appointed Medical Center director of Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System effective May 1, 2016. As director, Scott has direct line responsibility and full accountability for managing all activities in a healthcare delivery system.

Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville J. Larry Shackelford was named Washington Regional president and CEO in 2017 after serving as senior vice president of Strategy and Outreach Services since 2010. Previously, Shackelford was CEO at Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas, a multispecialty physician group practice, since its inception in 1998.

David Hunton

Mercy Hospital - Fort Smith David Hunton is the president of Mercy ClinicFort Smith. Hunton previously served as CMO of Mercy Hospital Fort Smith since 2012 and has been the physician lead of the CMO specialty council.

Chad S. Aduddell

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, Little Rock Chad S. Aduddell became CEO at CHI St. Vincent in 2015. He previously served as executive vice president and chief operations officer of CHI St. Vincent, and president of CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock. Aduddell came to CHI St. Vincent from St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City in 2012.

Kim Miller

Baptist Health Medical Center - Fort Smith Kim Miller was named president of the Baptist Health Western Region effective April 20, 2020. She previously served as president and CEO of Beaver Dam Community Hospitals Inc. in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Miller currently oversees the Baptist Health System’s hospitals in Fort Smith and Van Buren as well as affiliated physician clinics.

Stephen Mette

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center, Little Rock Stephen Mette was named CEO of UAMS in 2019. He brings more than 25 years of experience to his role at UAMS Medical Center. Mette started at UAMS as chief clinical officer in 2015, having previously served in executive roles in Maine.

Marcy Doderer

Arkansas Children’s, Little Rock Marcy Doderer is president and chief executive officer at Arkansas Children’s where she leads the state’s only pediatric health system serving the 700,000 children in Arkansas. Under Doderer’s leadership, Arkansas Children’s transformed from one hospital into a health system with two hospitals, a research institute, a philanthropic foundation, regional clinics and alliances, telemedicine and statewide outreach programs.

Brian Thomas

Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff Brian Thomas was named president and CEO of Jefferson Regional Medical Center in February 2017. Thomas first joined Jefferson Regional in 1998 as the director of Physician Practices and Operations Support. He went on to serve as CEO at Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, Arkansas, COO at J.F.K. Memorial Hospital in Indio, California and later at Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Alabama, before returning to JRMC in 2010 as senior vice president and COO.

Doug Ross

CHI St. Vincent - Hot Springs

Chris Barber

St. Bernards Medical Center, Jonesboro Chris Barber is the president and CEO of St. Bernards Medical Center. He has overseen the corporate operations of the nonprofit health care system for 12 years. Barber’s overall tenure includes three decades with the organization, which serves 23 counties in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri.

Ron Peterson

Ray Montgomery

Unity Health - White County Medical Center, Searcy Ray Montgomery, who retired as CEO of Unity Health - White County Medical Center after serving the hospital for 30 years, is currently filling the role in the interim while Unity searches for a permanent replacement following the resignation of its most recent president and CEO, Steven Webb.

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Doug Ross became president of CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs in 2019. Since 2018, he has served as senior vice president and chief medical officer previously and was also vice president of Medical Affairs for CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs.

Ross played a key role in helping CHI St. Vincent develop an integrated emergency medical group covering all four CHI St. Vincent hospitals in central Arkansas and Conway Regional Medical Center.

Baxter Regional Medical Center, Mountain Home Ron Peterson is CEO of Baxter Regional Medical Center. He came to Baxter Regional in 2007 after serving as hospital president of Trover Health System in Kentucky. During Peterson’s tenure, the hospital system has completed multiple construction and expansion projects, as well as building out a network of clinics in smaller surrounding communities.

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Sam Lynd

Michael Stewart

Sam Lynd was named administrator and CEO of NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in April 2020.

Most recently, he has served as COO for Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis since January 2019 and administrator of Baptist’s emergency services system wide since 2014.

Michael Stewart was named CEO at Saline Health System on November 30, 2018, bringing nearly 15 years of health care experience to the role. Stewart came to Saline Health System from Navarro Regional Hospital in Corsicana, Texas, where he served as CEO since 2014. Prior to his time at Navarro Regional, he spent two years as the COO/Administrator for Northwest Health System in Springdale, Arkansas, and seven years in executive leadership roles at hospitals in California and Florida.

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, Jonesboro

Saline Memorial Hospital, Benton

Cody Walker

Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock Cody Walker is president of BHMC-North Little Rock.

Walker previously served as vice president of hospital operations at BHMC-Little Rock. He came to Baptist Health in 2020 from Brookwood Baptist Health in Birmingham, Alabama, where he held the titles of market administrator, interim COO and associate administrator.

Robert “Bob” Honeycutt

Saint Mary’s Regional Health System, Russellville

Jose Echavarria

Robert “Bob” Honeycutt joined Saint Mary’s Regional Health as CEO on April 27, 2020.

Honeycutt joined Saint Mary’s from Ennis Regional Medical Center in Ennis, Texas, and Parkview Regional Hospital in Mexia, Texas, where he served as CEO since 2017.

Jose A. Echavarria is the Chief Executive Officer for Northwest Health-Springdale. Echavarria came to Northwest Health from Steward Healthcare in Texas, where he served in executive leadership positions at several hospitals since 2016.

David Fox

Northwest Health Medical Center, Springdale

Medical Center of South Arkansas, El Dorado David Fox has served as CEO at Medical Center of South Arkansas since April 2022.

Fox brought to the role more than 25 years of clinical and hospital and health systems operations experience, most recently serving as COO for Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home.

James Scoggins

Arkansas State Hospital, Little Rock James Scoggins has served at the Arkansas State Hospital since 1997 in various leadership roles, including director of Utilization Review, director of Admissions, and chief nursing officer before being named the CEO in 2019.

Scott Smith

National Park Medical Center, Hot Springs

Gary Paxson

White River Medical Center, Batesville Gary Paxson has served as the president and CEO of White River Medical Center since 2019. Paxson joined WRMC in 2012 as chief information officer.

A graduate of Saint Anthony College of Nursing in Rockford, Illinois, Paxson has over 25 years of health care experience.

Scott Smith joined National Park Medical Center as CEO effective May 25, 2020. In addition to this position, Smith also assumed the expanded leadership role of market CEO, in which he has oversight over both NPMC and Saline Memorial Hospital, another LifePoint Health facility located in Benton, Arkansas.

Amy Rice

Helena Regional Medical Center, Helena

Scott Snow Cooper

Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas, Rogers Scott Snow Cooper serves as president of Mercy Clinic in Northwest Arkansas. Prior to joining Mercy in 2014, Cooper spent 18 years as an independent orthopedic surgeon in Northwest Arkansas. He previously served as president of the Arkansas Orthopedic and Arkansas Medical societies and currently is the state’s representative to the Board of Councilors for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Amy Rice has served as CEO of Helena Regional Medical Center since 2018. Rice leads a team of more than 75 health professionals serving the Delta and is responsible for strategy, growth and business development. The Marianna native joined HRMC in 1999.

Matt Troup

Sammie Cribbs

Conway Regional Health System, Conway

Sammie Cribbs was appointed as president and CEO in April 2022. She was previously appointed chief nursing officer of North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in July 2014, and vice president of Clinical Services and CNO in 2016.

Matt Troup is the president and CEO of Conway Regional Health System. Troup has more than 20 years of executive leadership experience in the health care industry. He came to Arkansas in 2014 as vice president of ancillary and support services at CHI St. Vincent and was named president and CEO of Conway Regional within one year.

North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, Harrison

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Executive Q&A

Finding a Solution

By Katie Zakrzewski

Chair of the Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Dr. Lei Li

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A Little Rock has made some significant developments in clinical biology that will greatly impact metropolitan Little Rock and The Natural State as a whole. Dr. Lei Li, chair of the Department of Biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is overseeing the changes. Li received his bachelor’s degree in zoology from Shandong University in China and earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Georgia State University. He went on to complete postdoctoral fellowship training in neurobiology at Harvard University. After four years at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Li accepted a position at the University of Notre Dame, where he worked for 18 years. He joined UA Little Rock in August 2021.

AMP: Tell us about the new concentration in clinical biology at UA Little Rock.

Li: In an effort to meet student needs and prepare them for the future, we designed and implemented the new concentration of clinical biology in our B.S. program for students who want to pursue careers in clinical services, such as medical laboratory technology, dental hygiene, physical therapy, physician assistant, radiologic imaging, cardio-respiratory care, etc.

While students will learn core courses in fundamental biology and other sciences, they will also have opportunities to engage in hands-on laboratory research with faculty experts in research directly related to human health. The curriculum will help students step into graduate or medical schools with confidence and find employment in hospitals, governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations or any positions where an integrated clinical degree is desired.

The new concentration will accept students starting now AUGUST 2 02 2

for the coming fall semester. Unlike graduates from traditional pre-med or pre-professional programs, clinical biology graduates are highly sought after by the health care industry for immediate employment.

AMP: What went into making this decision?

Li: I joined UA Little Rock on Aug. 1, 2021, and began reimagining the biology program right away, with the help of Donaghey College of STEM Dean, Dr. Lawrence Whitman, and Associate Dean Dr. Jeffrey Connelly. After many information-gathering meetings and surveys, it was clear we needed to create this new concentration of clinical biology to address the shortage of the health care workforce in Arkansas. The biology department curriculum committee and faculty supported this plan, and it was approved by the university early this year. We recognized the need and adapted to fulfill it to help our students succeed and support the industry needs in Arkansas.

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Photos courtesy of Dr. Lei Li/UA Little Rock

AMP: How will this impact biology students and UA Little Rock?

Li: Student success and access is paramount at UA Little Rock.

Within the biology curriculum, we offer courses that serve different objectives: to provide students with an understanding of basic biological principles and their importance in society; to provide a solid academic experience for students entering careers immediately after the completion of their undergraduate degree and to provide the breadth and depth of background needed to succeed in a graduate program. The new concentration in clinical biology is designed to prepare students to enter the workforce of health care and medical services or other related programs. It provides a strong pre-professional background for students interested in pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or other health carerelated professional fields.

AMP: How will this impact health care professionals and health care opportunities in Little Rock and across Arkansas?

Li: UA Little Rock is an economic driver. We consistently utilize programs and partnerships supporting the needs of the state, and this is another great example. Health care and medical service personnel are understaffed nationwide, especially in Arkansas. The new concentration in clinical biology will ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

prepare students to enter the workforce of health care and related programs in Little Rock and across the state. More than 80% of our graduates stay in Arkansas to live and work in diverse fields. This program serves the community in addressing a vital need while providing interesting and fulfilling careers for our graduates.

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EXEC Q&A

Quantum Leaps and Bounds

By Katie Zakrzewski

Executive Q&A with Dr. Ali Krisht, director of CHI St. Vincent’s Arkansas Neuroscience Center

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r. Ali Krisht is the director and lead neurosurgeon at CHI St. Vincent’s Arkansas Neuroscience Institute. He is the 2019 recipient of the international Herbert Olivecrona Award for contributions to the field of neurosurgery, rated among the top 1% of all neurosurgeons in the United States by the rating firm Castle Connolly and editor of the journal Contemporary Neurosurgery.

Dr. Krisht has delivered more than 170 presentations and lectures around the world and received honorary citizenship in Taipei, Taiwan, for his work in neuroscience education in the Taipei community. He earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and completed his surgical residency at Emory University in Atlanta.

AMP: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Krisht: My original ambition was to become a soccer player, but a broken leg introduced me to the practice of medicine and eventually neurosurgery. I came to Arkansas in 1994 to work with two of the world’s most talented neurosurgeons who would later become my mentors, Dr. Ossama Al-Mefty and Dr. Gazi Yasargil. I received invitations to practice elsewhere but chose to stay in Little Rock and partner with CHI St. Vincent to establish the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute (ANI).

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In all, I have dedicated the last 35 years of my life to the field of neurosurgery. With ANI, we’ve been able to expand beyond surgical practice into research, creating the best practices and educating neurosurgeons who come to us from around the world to learn how best to care for their patients at home. The CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute opened its doors in 2019 on the campus of CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood, but I like to say that was really the first major step of many more to come.

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AMP: How has neuroscience changed since you entered the field?

Krisht: One of the things that attracted me to the field of neuroscience so many years ago was the realization of how little we actually know about the brain. Over the last 40 years, we’ve quite literally experienced a quantum leap in terms of our understanding of this field and, more importantly, outcomes for neurosurgery patients. At one time, 50% of patients would not experience a positive outcome, but today, thanks to the work of my mentors and others dedicated to this field, 85–90% of patients experience positive outcomes from surgery. Not only that, but thanks to advances in microneurosurgery and other advanced techniques, we can conduct the most complex surgeries over 18–19 hours, and the patient can be ready to return home after just a few days in the hospital. It really is incredible how far we have come – and inspirational as well – to realize how much more we still have to learn.

AMP: How hav neuroscience and neuroscience services changed here in Arkansas?

Krisht: Whether a patient comes to us following a stroke, tumor diagnosis, traumatic brain injury or other related condition, they can now expect the best care in the world right here within the borders of Arkansas. At ANI, we see patients from across the state, region and even the globe. They come to us because they know we have the resources, technology and, most importantly, the medical expertise to provide the highest quality of care.

adjacent to our current Sherwood location that will house and carry out the most advanced research for treating malignant brain tumors and other non-treatable neurological diseases.

Our future goal and vision is to treat what is now considered “untreatable.”

AMP: Why is it important for Arkansans to know about neuroscience?

Krisht: : There are many dated ideas about neurosurgery, and to many, a patient’s immediate response can be fear or sadness. In reality, neurosurgery today is extremely safe. A patient’s condition may not be safe, but we have the expertise and technology to provide treatment with the most positive outcomes and the smallest risk than ever before in history. In truth, neurosurgery today can be less risky than getting into your car to drive to work.

That’s really important for everyone to understand. If someone finds the right surgeon with the right experience to treat their condition, they can expect the very best treatment.

If anybody tells a patient their condition is inoperable or cannot be treated, there are centers like our Arkansas Neuroscience Institute at CHI St. Vincent, where we tackle the inoperable and untreatable because we are not going to give up on patients. Difficulty doesn’t exist, and impossible doesn’t exist.

AMP: What are some upcoming neuroscience initiatives?

Krisht: As I mentioned, the establishment of ANI was only the first step toward fulfilling the vision I have for this field. We want to become a lighthouse for both our patients needing care as well as other neurosurgeons looking to expand their understanding and skill in neurosurgery. We’re currently expanding our own team of highly trained and recognized neurosurgeons and hope to grow our expertise to cover every sub-specialty of neurosurgery in order to better serve our state and communities.

We also have a responsibility, to the broader field of neurosurgery and those who look to us from around the globe, to learn.

Our future plans for ANI include the establishment of facilities

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2022

Board of Directors

Emily Christensen

Steffany Benton

Michelle Boone

Nycole Oliver

Karen Reynolds

Julia Ponder

Emma Murray

Brenda Jacobs

Rebekka Amick

Tanya Golden

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Our staff provides residents with specially tailored treatment plans designed to recapture health, independent living and facilitate a return home.

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AMP’S TOP 100 PROFESSIONALS In our October issue, Arkansas Money & Politics will introduce Arkansas’ Legal Elite and our Top 100 Professionals for 2022. Visit our website and nominate your candidate today!

AMP’S LEGAL ELITE

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BUSINESS

FUN on a BUN:

The Business of Burgers

By Dwain Hebda • Photos by Jamison Mosley

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t used to be that the term “hamburger economy” referenced hard times, down markets and a general tightening of the belt for consumers. And while that may feel familiar in the face of rising prices and current economic uncertainty, the underlying metaphor is more than a little ironic as across the state and around the country, the burger business is booming.

Take David’s Burgers, a homegrown chain that operates 10 stores in Arkansas. Even during the lockdown of 2020, when dining rooms closed and many restaurants struggled to find traction, David’s Burgers welcomed long lines through its drive-throughs.

And the easing of said restrictions has only loosened the floodgates more, according to founder Alan Bubbus.

“Our sales are up 20 to 30% in many of our stores,” he said.

“I’m really excited about our business model. We’ve shown that our sales go up during pandemics. Our sales go up during recessions. Our sales go up during good times. We can handle a depression in the economy or a recession. I have a lot to be thankful for.”

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Bubbus isn’t alone. According to Statista, the burger business has been on an almost-uninterrupted upward march for a decade. In 2011, U.S. burger restaurants accounted for $107.1 billion in sales, grew by $7 billion in just three years and reached $123.3 billion in 2019. After COVID’s big bite out of sales in 2020, the industry picked up right where it left off last year, generating just shy of $127 billion.

Industry experts point to fast food chains as the bellcow for 2022’s burger sales, which makes sense given the number of said outlets and the cheap menu prices that appeal to families struggling at the pump and the grocery store. But seemingly any restaurant or pub that serves burgers is getting in on the action.

“We go through about 100 seven-ounce burgers a day. Weekends, it’s more,” said Mike Dampier, chef and general manager at Hot Springs’ iconic Ohio Club bar and restaurant. “Friday, Saturday, Sunday during season, which down here in Hot Springs is like March to Labor Day weekend, you’re looking at 150 to 200 burgers going out a day. Friday 120 to 150, Saturday

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RESTAURANTS

The two proprietors’ obsession with quality doesn’t translate into premium pricing, either. Dampier said Ohio Club prices have only been raised once since the pandemic began, at the start of 2022, and has weathered subsequent beef price hikes thanks to a fixedprice buying arrangement with the supplier.

“When you’re pricing your menu, you don’t want to lose money, but you don’t want to run people away,” he explained.

“You kind of see what you can live with and what you can’t live with as far as trying to make a profit. With the burgers, we’ve been told some of our stuff is a little bit cheaper than others and that’s fun to hear. We’re making a profit and the customers can still afford to be able to come out and eat.”

Bubbus’ strategy for keeping prices affordable is even more straightforward.

“Instead of raising our prices, we’ve cut our margins,” he said.

“That strategy has worked. Our margins have shrunk by probably a third, but our volume is up by a third.”

“We’ve really worked hard to provide a meal that’s less than $10 per person, and for a kid, you can still get a meal for $5, $6 with tax and everything included. I really believe right now we’re cheaper than McDonald’s for a similarly sized combo, and you don’t get all-you-can-eat fries and you don’t a sample of ice cream like you do with us.”

The future of the burger business also includes a trend toward self-sustainability. Bubbus said the next chapter in his business story lies in wholesale – buying directly from producers – to put even more control in his hands as an operator. Kyle Pounders, meanwhile, has a similar vision that he hopes will change the entire industry.

As founder of the seminal food truck Excaliburger, currently on hiatus, Pounders learned the ins and outs of the burger business, and believes direct sourcing of ingredients not only produces a better product, but represents a better system than what

The future of the burger business also includes a trend toward selfsustainability.

Bubbus said the next chapter in his business story lies in wholesale – buying directly from producers.

closer to 200, Sunday about 120 to 150, depending on what’s going on downtown.”

Both Dampier and Bubbus shared that the secret to their success starts with the quality of the main ingredient. Ground beef doesn’t generally enjoy a gourmet reputation, but you’d never know it talking to either of them, as they describe the extraordinary lengths to which they go to ensure the highest quality.

“Ours is fresh, it’s never frozen,” Dampier said. “We get Iowa premium, upper two-thirds, established aged. We get from a specific place that buys from specific ranchers. It’s not from all over the place. We can pinpoint where our beef is coming from.”

Bubbus is even more meticulous, skipping general suppliers to buy meat directly from the packers that comes from animals within a certain age window. The whole-muscle meat shipments arrive 2,000 pounds at a time, then undergo a step unusual for a burger place.

“We get the beef in, and we hang it,” Bubbus said. “We’re the only facility in Arkansas that’s hanging their beef on any kind of scale, especially for hamburger meat. We’re basically dry aging our hamburger meat.”

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figuring out how such a system keeps the lights on. He’s convinced it’s entirely possible, with a little tinkering.

“If we have an Excaliburger that can support a family in the middle class and pay their employees a regular wage, how much agricultural land does it take to do that? Can we have systems where those things are close at hand?” he asked.

“You don’t have to have a crazy farm; you’ve got to figure out lettuce, you’ve got to figure out tomatoes, you’ve got figure out cucumbers for pickles,” he said. “How’s that going to shake out? You have to ask very literal and very lateral questions of how many acres does it take to support one drive-thru?

Pounders is already moving forward in his idea and hopes to have proof of concept over the next few quarters for his audacious brand of cheeseburger economics.

“Arkansas should be this beautiful place where tomatoes and lettuce just flow. Yet, we’re using all of our national sourcing for these things,” he explained. “I think the cheeseburger is a perfect indicator of how dependent we are on the one singular system, how in the last however many thousand years of human history – minus the last 200 – people have been able to survive locally, but we’ve forgotten certain things like growing your own stuff, right?

It’s a great experiment to see how far back we can push this big monolithic system.” was exposed by the supply chain debacle of the past few years.

“It’s all tension and balance,” he said.

“What do you need to do versus what you can do. Sometimes those two are not the same.

You need to have a burger that’s within a reasonable price so people will come get it, but sometimes you can’t have it within a reasonable price point and make enough margin to cover everything. So, what gives?

“And the other thing is what you can do versus what you should do, like when everyone’s jacking their prices up out of control, do you just jack your prices up out of control too because no one notices and you get to blame it on inflation?”

Pounder’s experimental solution is to marry one local produce source to one burger outlet, perhaps even to the point of growing one’s own produce. The menu gets slimmed down in that model and along with it, the math for

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Arkansas is known as a state that knows how to do business. Whether the subject is Fortune 500 mainstays or hometown businesses that fuel local economies, Arkansas is pro-business.

In this month’s issue, Arkansas Money & Politics highlights a special sales section dedicated to some of the state’s most distinguished businesses, our 2022 Companies of Distinction.

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COMPANIES OF DISTINCTION

BEST PARK, LLC Since 2004, Best Park has been striving to make the parking experience in Little Rock “as easy as possible.” CEO Jeff Duncan understands that this is no mean feat: he started off as a valet parking attendant in 1970 and has been in the industry ever since. Quality parking services can have a huge impact on businesses of all sizes and kinds, and over the last 18 years, Best Park has established itself as the parking company of choice in the city. With 80 years of collective parking experience between Duncan and co-owner David Bogard, the team at Best Park prides itself on being prepared to handle whatever comes their way.

All of that expertise has proven especially vital over the past few years. Pandemic-induced layoffs, fee and rent adjustments and economic uncertainty put a strain on Best Park and its clients. For Duncan, surviving has been “a tremendous achievement,” and it all came down to being transparent when working with customers. That commitment to honesty is what drives Best Park, and for good reason.

Long-term success is more important to the company than short-term gain, and looking at the big picture allows the company to keep a level head through any obstacle. “Shady business practices will get you out of the blocks in a hurry, but it won’t allow you to finish the race,” Duncan warned.

That advice has served him through years of mergers, acquisitions, and different cities — and it is essential to how Best Park operates.

Focusing solely on Little Rock has also given Best Park an edge over competitors who might be spread too thin in several markets. The “winning combination,” according to Duncan, is not about answering to a far-off board of directors, but instead comes down to keeping clients, customers, and employees happy, right here at home. This is not always easy in a quickly evolving downtown market, but Best Park is taking advantage of opportunities for growth by increasing hotel valet services and expanding its medical facility services.

Duncan stressed another fundamental practice that has kept Best Park at the forefront of the parking management industry all these years: “Trying to get better every day at your craft should be the driving force behind anyone’s business.” For Best Park, getting better every day applies not just to the technological front, where innovative pay and invoicing systems are used to save clients money, but also in the day-to-day interactions with clients, landlords, employees and vendors. “Try to make someone’s day, every day,” Duncan urged.

501.374.2259 • Little Rock • bestparklittlerock.com

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COMPANIES OF DISTINCTION

ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE Since 1999, the staff at Elder Independence Home Care in Bryant has been committed to the dignity of the elderly. Decisions around elder care can sometimes raise challenges for loved ones, but the Care Team at Elder Independence strives to support and empower families.

Elder Independence makes some of the tough decisions easier by providing high-quality, client-centered and affordable home care services to clients, allowing them to continue living in the comfort and safety of their own homes. A client’s individual needs are carefully assessed, understood, and met through the selective assignment of qualified and compassionate caregivers.

Elder Independence aids clients with non-medical personal care, companionship, light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication services, and other acts of service to help them feel respected and cared for.

Under the ownership and guidance of Kim Clatworthy since 2014, Elder Independence has solidified its place as the care provider of choice for elderly Arkansans. In the coming years, Clatworthy hopes to see the company expand further throughout the state and ensure that no elderly individual goes without the opportunity to be cared for.

One of the greatest strengths of Elder Independence is that they are not a franchise company. This allows the team at Elder

Independence to provide more personalized care than many of their competitors. The staff at Elder Independence Home Care is deeply honored when a client chooses them as their loved one’s care provider, and they make a promise to each client: “your family is our family.” Caregivers will always show loved ones and family members the same level of quality care and compassion that they would expect for their own.

Another point of pride at Elder Independence is serving those who served by caring for our nation’s military veterans. Elder Independence has a wall in their office that honors all of their veterans, with a picture of each one.

Clatworthy emphasized the importance of the Care Team in the success of Elder Independence, whose “genuine care and concern for each person” allows the company to “under promise and over deliver” while providing the unwavering kindness that clients have come to expect over the years.

Anyone can see that respect, integrity, and compassion are the core values of Elder Independence, and it is no surprise that the company aims to be the #1 Home Care Agency in the state. While it might seem like a high bar to some, excellent elder care is second nature to the staff at Elder Independence. With a dedicated team and a track record of exceptional service, the choice for families and their loved ones is simple.

501.847.6102 • ElderIndependence.com

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COMPANIES OF DISTINCTION

D&D SUN CONTROL, INC. The window tinting industry is notoriously fickle, and the expert team at D&D Sun Control know this better than most. Most window film contractors close their doors within just three years, but D&D has been providing quality service from its North Little Rock headquarters for over two decades now. Whether it’s residential, commercial, or automotive windows, D&D brings valuable experience to every step of the process, from selection to installation.

Evans Dietz, owner of D&D Sun Control, has no doubt about what sets his business apart from other contractors: “My people, period.”

Every employee at D&D Sun Control has a get-the-job-done mentality, and that includes taking pride in the process as much as in the final product. “We will not be outworked,” Dietz said, “we will solve any problem and we will have fun doing it.”

On top of an undefeated work ethic, the specialists at D&D are constantly improving their craft in order to provide a quality product in every sense of the word. Dietz knows that taking care of his employees leads to happy customers and a thriving business, and he makes sure they know how valuable they are to the success of the company.

As a result, Dietz has seen D&D continue to grow over the years, and he does not expect things to slow down anytime soon, especially on the demand side. “It is a changing and evolving business,” Dietz said,

“whether you believe in climate change or not, in Arkansas it’s getting hotter!” D&D’s window tinting process helps customers reduce heat, glare, and harmful ultraviolet rays, as well as providing privacy and even energy savings for businesses and homes.

Customers can also enjoy a wider range of services, like wrapping.

Vehicle wrapping is a popular option that protects the paint and allows the customer to change the vehicle’s color or add any number of graphics. One growing trend is wall and floor graphics, which allow for more creative customization than traditional wallpaper and flooring options. The team at D&D can wrap anything from 18-wheelers to Yeti tumblers – and plenty in between. “Most people don’t know we even wrap caskets,” Dietz added.

No matter what a customer asks for, D&D is sure to provide professional, efficient, and courteous service, as well as utilizing highend, industry-leading products by 3M and other manufacturers. The team personally guarantees satisfaction on every job they do. D&D’s warranties ensure that any problems are dealt with quickly and easily, even providing replacement and reapplication services free of charge.

With this in mind, Dietz summed up what drives him and his company simply: “Service, service, service. We make sure our customers get the best service possible.”

501.945.7474 • North Little Rock • danddsuncontrol.com

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KELLCO CUSTOM HOMES, INC. Tracie J. Kelley, President and CEO of KellCo Custom Homes Inc., has a particularly fitting saying: “It doesn’t appear to me that I can’t do it.”

That philosophy, along with Kelley’s relentless dedication to excellence across all of her business ventures, has solidified KellCo’s status as one of the most recognized and sought-after custom home builders in Central Arkansas.

What sets Kelley apart is her fierce passion for ensuring each home she designs is truly unique. Kelley has “never built the same home twice,” and for good reason. Designing one-of-a-kind custom homes, KellCo brings the build vision to life through an innovative design approach and remarkable attention to the needs of her clients. “Whether I design and build a custom SPEC or a presold, my approach, techniques, and overall goal is unwavering. I enjoy creating a home that is truly unique and which reflects the lifestyle of my clients.” With the everyday demands of today that we may face, it’s important to include those needs within the designing phases, such as a spacious home office, family entertaining, theatre and gaming, a secondary living quarters for the in-laws and/or a separate space designed for nannies and the kiddos. Outdoor living is as in demand as ever and KellCo hits the nail on the head with creating AMAZING outdoor kitchens and in-ground pools.

“The responsibilities of a great contractor are hefty, and, to say the very least, exhausting. Working with the individual needs of my clients is important to me, and it’s as equally important that I get it right.

Throughout the entire build process, I am fully committed and engaged.

While there will always be hiccups throughout a build process, retaining a good contractor with a complete focus of its clients’ needs should

ensure you, the client, that each phase of the construction is enjoyable,” Kelley says. Through many sleepless nights, new experiences and gained wisdom, Tracie J. Kelley has dominated the industry and grown her companies to over 128 professional team members who step up, daily, delivering exceptional performance and unmatched customer service at every level. “I believe we are only as good as those who we choose to work with.” Kelley’s team is carefully chosen, and most have been with Kelley since her start in 1994.

KellCo specializes in far more than just “cute curb appeal” and has ZERO tolerance for cookie-cutter. “As a custom designer and residential builder, I am constantly driven to new levels of uniqueness and architecture and that continues to be the drive for all my endeavors within the real estate industry.” Kelley often travels out of state to select only the best in state-of-the-art materials not seen in just any home and her expertise is evident from the large portfolio of custom homes all across Arkansas.

KellCo’s The Power of Custom brings strength, stability and a boldness of individuality and style that speaks not only to your aesthetic needs, but to your unique vision, through our remarkable attention to design and luxury living. “Maintaining a strong will to push forward, listening while absorbing the wisdom I’ve learned from others certainly wasn’t learned in any textbook, but by great work ethics, lots of self-discipline and a willingness to learn and provide the very best possible!”

KellCo Custom Homes specializes in building one-of-a-kind custom homes while combining leading-edge designs with exceptional functionality. Building beyond the predictable!

Building All of Central Arkansas • 501.993.5232 • kellcocustomhomes.com

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AMERICAN CONCRETE CONCEPTS, INC. For nearly two decades, American Concrete Concepts, Inc. has been striking the perfect balance of quantity and quality. Based in Conway, but with a customer base that stretches from Boston to Los Angeles and even overseas, ACCI is one of the largest polished concrete installers in this part of the country.

Brent Schmiegelow, CEO, has seen ACCI grow at an impressive clip since he arrived in 2008, and with polished concrete gaining momentum as an attractive flooring option, he said, “I don’t see that trend slowing down in the foreseeable future.”

If you ask Schmiegelow, it all comes down to the “outstanding” quality of the team, which has gone from just seven people in 2007 to around 90 today. This allows ACCI to take full advantage of the increased demand for polished concrete. Not only that, the company also has the size and scale to tackle projects of all sizes, which sets it apart from their competitors.

ACCI maintains that growth by attracting and retaining top talent, especially in an industry that requires a high level of skill.

“It takes many years in this business to become a true craftsman,” Schmiegelow said, and that foundation of experience is what customers can expect with every job ACCI completes.

No one at ACCI is afraid to sweat the small stuff, and at the end of the day, it is that attention to detail that allows them to deliver a quality final product. For Schmiegelow and the rest of the crew at ACCI, “Our future looks very bright” — just as bright as the flooring they install for each of their satisfied customers.

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BARRY M. CORKERN AND CO. Staying in business through the tumult of the last few years is impressive enough, but the team at Barry M. Corkern and Co. have managed to turn their client-first approach to fee-only, comprehensive wealth management into a winning formula for 40 years now — on top of being named the 2022 Small Business of the Year by the Little Rock Regional Chamber.

Corkern explained his strategy succinctly: “We do the right thing.”

Corkern also stressed the importance of his firm’s unique business model. Because it is not tied to a specific financial institution, the team at Barry M. Corkern and Co. is made up of advisors —­not salespeople — whose focus is on the client, not on making a commission.

With clients in Arkansas and nine other states, Corkern sees the future of wealth management expanding even further, and his firm is on the “cutting edge” of technology advances. These innovations will allow people to be anywhere in the world and still receive the objective, thorough and time-proven expertise that Corkern and his firm provide.

With longer experience in fee-only wealth management than any other Arkansas wealth manager, clients of Corkern and his team can expect quality analysis and advice no matter how complex their financial situation might be. From investments to insurance, from savings to estate planning, and for everything in between, the advisers at Barry M. Corkern and Co. are driven first and foremost by an “insatiable drive to help people.”

501.664.7866 • Little Rock • bcorkern.com AUGUST 2 02 2

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BOW TIE WEALTH MANAGEMENT Although established in 2020, Bow Tie Wealth Management is already proving itself as the advisory firm to beat. Bow Tie is headquartered in Hot Springs, but serves clients all over the United States, from coast to coast and right here at home. Dennis Berry, a licensed advisor, is committed to meeting clients where they are. By surviving these tough past few years, Bow Tie has shown its exceptional ability to navigate financial uncertainty as well.

The Bow Tie team takes an “asset allocation” approach to portfolio management, and its investment philosophy emphasizes strategic asset allocation, open architecture investment selection, and private equity and debt solutions.

As business continues to grow – and the demand for multifamily office services and advisors only increases – Bow Tie Wealth Management looks forward to serving generations of Arkansans. Bow Tie is a solution-oriented company that is dedicated to helping clients in all aspects of their lives. From portfolio management to tax strategy, from trustee services to philanthropic planning, Berry and the team at Bow Tie are ready and able to meet even the most challenging financial situations head-on.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the work that Bow Tie does involves securing the passage of wealth from one generation to the next. Making this process as smooth, efficient, and understandable as possible saves Arkansas families an enormous amount of time and energy down the road.

The folks at Bow Tie value families and relationships in more ways than one, as evidenced by their involvement in the local community. Whether it’s after-business-hours assistance, serving foster children, or helping out through churches and other organizations, Bow Tie Wealth Management is a valuable part of the Hot Springs community and the state as a whole.

501.204.8000 • Hot Springs • bowtiewealth.com 20

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EGP, PLLC CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS When it comes to finances, the team at EGP understands just how important it is to get things right the first time. Picking the right firm to work with can be “just as important as picking the right attorney or surgeon,” according to Managing Partner Colin Gorman, CPA. Thankfully, the accountants and advisors at EGP, PLLC Certified Public Accountants and Consultants have plenty of experience as “financial first responders.” Since opening its doors in 1981, the firm has not only been around to see Argenta grow into the bustling district it is today, it has expanded its reach into West Little Rock, Bryant and Heber Springs.

EGP's success lies in its unique business philosophy. In an industry as detail-

oriented and highly specialized as finance can be, keeping the work environment in check is crucial. Gorman said, “It’s important to have a sense of humor, and to hold each other and ourselves accountable — no pun intended.” Finding the right balance can be tricky, but at the end of the day, it is what allows the team at EGP to best serve its clients.

Angela Frazier, CPA, Partner over Tax & Wealth Management at EGP, exemplifies this balance and the firm’s commitment to excellence. Frazier brings more than 20 years of experience in a variety of industries. As the Director of Personal Advisory Services, Frazier advises clients in a number of areas, from IRS representation to estate planning. She is not only a published expert on taxes and finance, but is actively involved in the community as well.

Gorman also stressed the value of education and mentoring.

EGP is not just focused on the present of wealth management or tax strategy. Raising up the next generation of humble, proactive, expert consultants is also a vital part of the firm’s long-term vision.

Gorman explained why it is important for his team not to go and find leaders, but to build them. “There is no substitute for the quality we bring,” he said. “There’s a lot to stay on top of, and our focus on education and mentorship is how we stay ahead of the competition.”

North Little Rock | 501.374.2910 • Little Rock | 501.221.9410 • Bryant | 501.847.1568 • Heber Springs | 501.362.8281 • egpcpas.com ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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FERSTL VALUATION SERVICES Founded by Tom Ferstl back in 1967, Ferstl Valuation Services’ impressive 55-year history makes it one of the oldest full-service appraisal firms in Arkansas and one of the largest. The scope of the business has expanded since Ferstl first opened its doors, but one thing that has remained the same is the company’s commitment to trustworthiness. “It is crucial to maintain the highest level of integrity, so we can continue to preserve the trust of our clients and the public,” said current owner J.T. Ferstl, who took over from his father in 2010.

Ferstl is the most sought-after firm for everything from real estate appraisal to consulting and even litigation support. Its highly qualified team of experts, both in Arkansas and surrounding states, serve as critical advisors in an ever-changing real estate industry. The firm isn't afraid to tackle tough assignments, and most jobs are far from easy.

Ferstl emphasized the company’s mission to be prepared “regardless of the complexities that might arise.”

Also setting Ferstl Valuation Services apart from the competition is J.T. Ferstl’s expertise in property law. A licensed attorney specializing in commercial and residential property litigation, Ferstl and the rest of his team have the perfect combination of professional licenses and certifications to meet all their clients’ needs in one convenient location. Ferstl’s company has earned a reputation in the real estate industry, and for good reason. It all comes back to loyalty, respect and pride in the services they provide.

501.375.1439 • Little Rock • ferstlvaluationservices.com 20

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HILBURN & HARPER, LTD. Since opening the doors in 1971, the attorneys at Hilburn & Harper have provided a broad range of personalized legal services for their clients.

Although it has gone through transformations in the decades since – name changes, mergers, and becoming the fifth largest firm in the state, to name just a few – Hilburn Harper stays true to its roots by maintaining that “small law firm” feel and quality.

One standout feature of working with Hilburn Harper is that clients actually meet with attorneys, not legal assistants. The team at Hilburn Harper consists of seasoned attorneys who are results-oriented, patient, and loyal to their clients. They work hard to keep clients informed and to prepare them for all potential outcomes, not just the ones they are hoping for.

Hilburn Harper has had many accomplishments over its five decades in business, and this is Sam Hilburn reflected in its position on the Bar

Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Of recent note, Hilburn Harper attorneys were integral in getting a $12M jury verdict overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court in K.B.X., Inc., et al. v. Zero Grade Farms, et al., 2022 Ark. 42.

As well as a full staff of legal assistants and law clerks, the firm recently added Gary B. Rogers as a partner, who brings with him nearly 40 years of legal experience. The firm boasts a “broad, diversified and impressive client base,” and offers an exceptional range of services, from family law to labor relations and many specialties in between.

With managing partners Sam Hilburn and Ernest H. Harper, Jr. at the helm, the firm hopes to continue its growth while holding on to what makes its approach so compelling. Each attorney at Hilburn Harper contributes to the overall effort of the firm, and that effort is to provide the complete and comprehensive service that Ernest H. Harper clients have come to expect.

501.372.0110 • North Little Rock • hilburnlawfirm.com AUGUST 2 02 2

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HUGG & HALL EQUIPMENT COMPANY Family owned and operated since 1956, and headquartered in Little Rock, Hugg & Hall provides full-service industrial and material handling equipment in 19 markets across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas.

Hugg & Hall’s wide range of offerings include new and used equipment, parts and service support, and over 12,000 rental units. The company also represents top industrial manufacturer brands, including Toyota, Doosan, JLG, Crown, Taylor, Genie, Combilift, and Bobcat. The folks at Hugg & Hall

take great pride in providing the quality equipment that their customers demand, with the world-class service they deserve, in order to reach their goals.

While most of the competition focuses on just one brand or one segment of the market, Hugg & Hall has been given the opportunity to represent several major manufacturers. Hugg & Hall offers full-service rental for those brands, as well as many more products, making it the go-to, one-stop-shopping option for its wide customer base.

Vice President Robert Hall summed up the company’s key to success in one word: consistency. But that consistency does not just extend to customers. Hugg & Hall prides itself on having “a safe, productive work environment, along with above-average wages and benefits.” The staff at Hugg & Hall knows they are in good hands, and they pass that feeling on to customers and suppliers.

Through commitment to integrity, Hugg & Hall has forged long-term relationships with customers and suppliers that contribute to the company’s success. “We are trusted to do the right thing,” Hall said “Our customers know they can depend on us to provide reliable products and services no matter what challenges may arise.” That continued mutual investment – in the staff, in the products, and in the services Hugg & Hall provides – is still paying dividends all these decades later.

501.562.1282 • Little Rock • hugghall.com 20

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MIRACLE-EAR CENTERS OF ARKANSAS Hundreds of thousands of Arkansans have untreated hearing loss. At Miracle-Ear, compassionate staff members see that statistic as a problem that they can help remedy. The Miracle-Ear corporation has been in business since 1948, but In 2021, Tiffany Davis of MiracleEar Midwest and Shelly York of Miracle-Ear of Arkansas teamed up to create Miracle-Ear Centers of Arkansas.

Miracle-Ear is the leader in continuous innovation in hearing care and cutting-edge technology. With Miracle-Ear, patients gain access to individually targeted hearing solutions that reconnect them to the people and things they love, which can drastically improve their quality of life.

The effects of hearing loss can include social isolation, depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, loneliness, and increased risk of falls. The highly experienced healthcare professionals at Miracle-Ear are devoted to helping patients suffering from these problems. Through comprehensive and complete hearing aid evaluations, the team at Miracle-Ear can select a hearing solution appropriate for their customers’ budgets and lifestyles.

York and Davis hope to continue growing the company’s impact throughout the state, with the eventual goal of becoming the undisputed No. 1 hearing care provider in Arkansas. As the demand for hearing aid services grows, new office openings and competitor acquisitions have the pair confident that “Miracle-Ear will be the No. 1 choice for every person with hearing loss in the state.”

Each staff member — from the hearing care professionals to the front office assistants and everyone in between — is dedicated to ensuring that when customers walk out of their office, they’ll be on their way to enjoying the sounds of life again. It is that genuine care and dedication to service that sets Miracle-Ear apart from the rest.

Little Rock • Morrilton • Hot Springs •Fayetteville • Bentonville • miracleearusa.com ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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NETWORK SERVICES GROUP, INC. Ryan Flynn, president of Network Services Group, is very clear about what makes his business tick. “We have a family culture that is focused on serving our clients and serving each other,” he said. That perspective, of being a true partner to clients rather than just a service provider, has made all the difference since 1989.

The future of IT support and business technology is ever-evolving.

Despite uncertainty over what lies ahead in the industry itself, Flynn sees his company expanding further in Arkansas and then into neighboring states.

Network Services Group is also creating even more streamlined processes for IT support in order to provide business owners “a custom blueprint for their company’s IT needs based on available technology.”

Cybersecurity is a particularly exciting area for development, and Flynn called it “the primary driving force for growth in our industry.” In the past two years, Network Services Group has added significantly to its security tools, and has created a dedicated cybersecurity research and implementation team.

All of this innovation has a single aim: meeting the needs of clients so that technology is an asset, not an obstacle. Flynn recognizes the importance of quality personnel in reaching that goal, so his focus is on retaining employees “from internship to retirement.” The employees at Network Services Group understand that every interaction with a client is significant, and according to Flynn, “Our hope is that our attitude may be a bright spot in their day.”

501.758.6058 • North Little Rock • nsgdv.com

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THE JANET JONES COMPANY Over the years, The Janet Jones Company has consistently ranked as the top real estate agency in Central Arkansas, remaining locally, familyowned, and proudly independent. Janet Jones, who founded the company in 1980, continues at the guiding helm, and her original guiding philosophy has never changed: The Golden Rule. The Janet Jones Company treats people like they would like to be treated. Their culture is their strongest asset, where they support each other’s efforts, share ideas openly, and collaborate to provide clients with their signature Legendary Service across Central Arkansas.

From listing to closing, The Janet Jones Company offers a comprehensive concierge service. The company hand-selects Agents who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to service, work together as a team, and display genuine care and consideration for their clients. Their team consists of 35 Agents and a support staff of 11, all of whom thrive in their family-like environment. The well-trained and experienced Agents are renowned as the best of the best, and they are the most knowledgeable, hardworking, and passionate professionals in town.

Among the more than 100 real estate companies in Little Rock, The Janet Jones Company consistently maintains the largest market share, the largest number of transactions, and the highest dollar volume sold. Their Agents collectively list and sell more homes per Agent than anyone else in town, approximately five times the Little Rock Market Area average. This ranks The Janet Jones Company Agents in the nation’s top 1% of sales.

The Janet Jones Company invites you to join their family of satisfied clients. “We would love to show you why we are considered The Gold Standard of Central Arkansas Real Estate.”

501.224.3201 • janetjones.com • @thejanetjonescompany AUGUST 2 02 2

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IF WALLS COULD TALK

IF WALLS COULD TALK: THE FLAG AND BANNER/TABORIAN HALL BUILDING

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tanding impressively at the corner of 9th and State streets for more than a century, the Taborian Hall building is a historic reminder of the time when Little Rock had a thriving Black business district called Blissville. The stately three-story building was the home of African American social group, the Knights and Daughters of Tabor, and on its third floor was a spacious dance and music hall called the Dreamland Ballroom.

Dreamland stopped hosting events more than five decades ago, but the hall’s current owner, Kerry McCoy, hopes to bring it back to life by fall 2023 to become a home to weddings, dance events and concerts again. Working on the project since 2009, Kerry McCoy is building upon her extensive renovations of the hall’s bottom two floors, which now house her multibusiness empire, Kerry McCoy Enterprises.

McCoy’s primary business is Arkansas AUGUST 2 02 2

By Carl Kozlowski • Photos by Ryan Parker Flag and Banner, which has been selling flags of all stripes to customers worldwide since its inception in 1975. Also located in the building are OurCornerMarket.com and the offices where McCoy works with her husband and three of her four children as she plans her weekly radio show “Up in Your Business” (airing on KABF 88.3 FM and KDXE 101.1 FM) and her bi-annual publication Brave magazine.

But with the ballroom being her ultimate restoration goal, McCoy has entrusted her son, Matthew McCoy, as the executive director of the Dreamland Foundation, which raises the funds for and oversees the construction involved.

The project is so impressive that the U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service awarded it a $499,608 African American Civil Rights Preservation Grant in 2018, and another grant of $499,723 to complete ADA compliance.

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Among the new touches that the Foundation has added is a whole new roof, since the hall’s roof was completely rotted, and an impressive restoration of the ballroom floor itself. The Foundation also used the grants for pest eradication and prevention and to build a modern elevator in an adjoining structure in order to meet ADA standards, plus a new HVAC system and restored windows.

“The Knights of Tabor, the Knights of Pytheas and the Mosaic Templars were all Black fraternal organizations that cropped up during the post-Civil War Reconstruction,” Matthew McCoy said. “They were private clubs, and the difference between them and the Masons was that they primarily functioned as mutual aid organizations – you’d pay dues unto them, and you’d usually get something out of it such as insurance, welfare help or funeral plot planning.

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Dreamland Ballroom is the third floor of The Taborian Hall.

providing and organizing community for the Black newly freed slaves in the South, starting in the 1860s and 1870s.

This [building] was founded as the Taborian Temple in 1918 and is just one of two buildings left from the fourblock Black business district that drew rural Black folks to live there, because Little Rock was the most progressive place in the state. The Temple was renamed Taborian Hall in 1954.”

Blissville started because Union soldiers gathered the new Black community into its own neighborhood due to segregation. It began as a shack and tent community, but the Taborians and similar social groups helped organize people and money to quickly build it into a brick-and-mortar community that began at 9th and Broadway and extended eastward for several blocks.

Kerry McCoy bought Taborian Hall in 1990, due to her love of old buildings and her ambitious desire to have an expansive base for her businesses. While she managed to upgrade the first two floors rather quickly, the lengthy process involved in fixing Dreamland has stemmed from her inability to get private business loans, since she’s primarily restoring a historic space to its original entertainment uses, and not turning it into condos or a restaurant.

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Her determination is admirable, for the Taborian Hall served as the Negro Soldiers Club after WWI for Black soldiers stationed at Fort Pike and became a USO Club for Black soldiers during World War II. It played host to countless Black singers and musicians, including Big Joe Turner, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, B.B. King, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, in its three nightclubs. Even after hosting a concert by the legendary Ray Charles in the late 1960s, Dreamland lost its grandeur by 1970, as Black clubs and businesses moved away from the district and were established throughout other parts of the city.

An additional challenge for Kerry McCoy was maintaining her businesses while contending with the pronounced clatter of construction, and the construction crews found themselves dodging all manner of falling debris. Her need to maintain the building’s historical attributes has been furthered by the fact the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

All of these impressive efforts are par for the course for Kerry McCoy, who started Arkansas Flag and Banner at 20 years old, after becoming dissatisfied with the Dallas-based Betsy Ross Flag Company she worked for and desiring to move home. Believing she could do the business better, Kerry McCoy launched Arkansas Flag and Banner and has been adding to her empire over the past 47 years.

Aside from running the Little Rock home base, Kerry McCoy has another branch of the flag company in Miami, now rechristened Florida Flag and Banner, where a team of seamstresses work on some of the flags. Most orders are fulfilled by reselling other companies’ flags through their website, flagandbanner. com, which Kerry McCoy had the vision to create at the dawn of the Internet in the mid-1990s.

The COVID pandemic provided yet another pathway to success, as Kerry McCoy acquired numerous smaller, mom-and-pop flag stores around the country that were having to close in order to gain access to their client lists.

“I see opportunities and they drive me crazy, because there’s so many of them out there,” said Kerry McCoy. “And when you own your own business, you’re in control. You don’t want to work for other people. I’m so glad I found a good home for all of it in Taborian Hall.”

For more information on how to help with or donate to Friends of Dreamland, visit dreamlandballroom.org.

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Movin’ On Up Hogs rolling under Pittman, but next step could be the hardest

By Mark Carter

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mere two seasons removed from the worst stretch in Arkansas football’s 128-year history, the Razorbacks will open the 2022 season with an upwards trajectory and higher expectations. The reward for a 9-4 campaign capped by a New Year’s Day win in the Outback Bowl? An even steeper hill to climb.

As one anonymous SEC coach told Lindy’s Sports, “The next step is the hardest in the SEC. Going from 8-4 to 10, 11, 12 wins is a harder step than going from three wins to eight. It really is.”

The fact Arkansas finds itself in position to try and take such a step borders on unbelievable, considering where the program was just two and a half years ago, and the conference — specifically, the division — in which it plays. The Hogs have been ranked as high as 13 in preseason polls and picked to finish as high as second behind Alabama (and as low as fifth) in the SEC West.

Coach Sam Pittman’s out-of-the-blue hire in December of 2019 was met with skepticism (at best) and ridicule (at worst) by national media. The Hogs were coming off consecutive 2-10, SEC-winless seasons under Chad Morris, who didn’t inherit a great situation when hired in December of 2017. Bret Bielema’s once promising but ultimately unfulfilled tenure (one nine-win season) had just ended badly, 4-8 and 1-7 in the SEC, the lone win delivered via Connor Limpert’s last second field goal to beat Ole Miss in Oxford.

Bielema’s fortunes began to turn for the worse when he essentially chased Pittman, then serving as his offensive

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Pittman, who always called Arkansas his dream job, is building the Hogs back into a team that can compete in the trenches.

Photos courtesy of The Univeristy of Arkansas

line coach, to Georgia. But then Morris attempted to turn Bielema’s groundand-pound approach into the “left lane, hammer down” no-huddle system he had allegedly perfected as OC at Clemson and to moderate success as head coach at SMU. But enough of that prolonged nightmare.

Pittman, who always called Arkansas his dream job, is building the Hogs

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back into a team that can compete in the trenches. And in the SEC, that’s where it must begin. Now, KJ Jefferson is back at quarterback and Hog fans are dreaming of 10 wins again. ****** When the Hogs get off the bus at opposing stadiums this fall, they will look

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Jamil Walker

Barry Odom

Kendal Briles

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the part. Pittman brought strength and conditioning coach Jamil Walker with him from Georgia, and the Hogs, by all accounts, look bigger and faster across the board.

When Pittman was hired in December 2019, one anonymous coach said he wouldn’t have touched the program with a 10-foot pole. But headed into year three, the Razorback football team has been transformed, and such garbage silenced. All three coordinators — Barry Odom (defense), Kendal Briles (offense) and Scott Fountain (special teams) are back for their third year under Pittman. Such continuity is rare these days in college football, and each unit has shown improvement year-over-year.

Under Briles, who turned down the Miami OC job in the offseason, the Razorback offense has finally merged into the passing lane. Points per game were up to 30.9 in ‘21, up from 21.4 in ’19, and total offense averaged 441.7 a year ago, compared to just 340.1 in Morris’ final season.

Prospects for a big season — that next step — reside behind Jefferson, the big dual-threat signal caller who threw for almost 2,700 yards, rushed for more than 600, had a completion rate of 67.3% and a touchdownto-interception ratio of 21-to-4. Backing him up is the speedy Malik Hornsby, who may see the field more as a slot back or receiv100

er than as a QB. Also back are four offensive line starters — top pro prospect Ricky Stromberg at center, guards Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer and tackle Dalton Wagner, as well as part-time starter Luke Jones.

Just two seasons removed from Morris’ disastrous conversion of the Razorback OL, Pittman has built it back into the two-deep mauling machine it was when he served as OL coach under Bielema. In 2021, the Hogs led the SEC in rushing at more than 227 yards per game, good for seventh nationally.

The only lingering questions on offense concern how the Hogs will replace firstround draft pick Treylon Burks and who will emerge as a deep threat. Portal receivers Jadon Haselwood of Oklahoma and 6-5 Matt Landers from Toledo via Georgia are expected to help answer those questions.

The door is wide open for last year’s No. 2 receiver, Warren Thompson, and big things are expected from incoming freshman Isaiah Sategna, a true speed demon and potential deep threat.

Odom, who also received opportunities to leave, has nurtured a similar turnaround on defense. The Hogs gave up 22.9 points per game in ‘21, down from 36.8 in ‘19, and 367.7 yards of total offense, a vast improvement on the 450.7 yards surrendered per game in ‘19. Turnover ratio went from minus-five to ARM ON E YA N D P OL ITIC S.COM

plus-six in that span, as well.

The only lingering question on defense resides up front. The ability to create more backfield disruption, the defense’s only real shortcoming a year ago, is important for the Hogs to take that next step. Odom may now have the numbers to do it. The mostly three-man fronts he employed in 2020 and ‘21 were necessary because the Hogs lacked the personnel to run man packages against today’s up-tempo offenses.

Odom expects to run more four-man fronts now, and he experimented with them in the spring. D-line portal additions Landon Jackson (LSU) and Jordan Domineck (Georgia Tech) are expected to make immediate impacts. They’ll join a cast of returning contributors like Isaiah Nichols and Taurean Carter, who was having a big spring until injuring his knee. And the Hogs get a gift in the return of medical hardship/COVID senior Dorian Gerald, whose vast promise has

been negated by injuries.

Portal prizes Dwight McGlothern (LSU) and Latavious Brini (Georgia), plus the return from injury of freshman all-America Jalen Catalon, the latest in the pantheon of hard-hitting Razorback safeties, solidifies an improved Arkansas secondary.

Linebacker Bumper Pool, last season’s team- and SEC-leading tackler with a whopping 125 stops, returns for his COVID senior year, and he’ll be joined by perhaps the biggest portal pickup, linebacker Drew Sanders from Alabama. At 6-5 and 232 pounds, Sanders is speedy and ready to man his preferred spot in the middle after part-time starting as an edge rusher for the Tide. And expect big things from freshman backer Chris Paul.

Odom should feel comfortable going on the offensive in ‘22.

And last season, special teams became a weapon again. Freshman sensation Cam Little went 20-of-24 on field

goal attempts, including a game winner at LSU, and converted all 46 PATs. Punter Reid Bauer, after a slow start to his Razorback career, averaged more than 43 yards per punt, but he’ll be challenged by incoming Aussie freshman Max Fletcher, whose brother is the punter at Cincinnati and dad was an all-star player in Australian Rules Football.

Now that Fountain has the luxury of depth, lingering kick and punt coverage issues have been addressed. So, too, should be the Hogs’ return game. Bryce Stephens has the potential to be a dangerous punt returner, and Green and Johnson are threats to return kickoffs to the house. ****** For the first time in what seems like a generation, but in reality is more like a decade, Hog fans are not poring over the schedule, hoping somehow to identify

Ricky Stromberg

Brady Latham

Beaux Limmer

Dalton Wagner

Luke Jones

Jadon Haselwood

Matt Landers

Warren Thompson

Landon Jackson

Jordan Domineck

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Of course, the Hogs again face what some believe to be the toughest schedule in the land. Arkansas fans have come to expect nothing less. This year’s non-conference slate includes 2021 playoff contender Cincinnati in the opener and top 20 BYU on the road.

Even during its time in the SEC basement, Arkansas had good-enough starting talent (mostly) to compete in the SEC; depth has been the nemesis. This season, Razorback fans should begin to notice that’s not so much the case anymore. Five Razorbacks were named to preseason player-of-the-year awards lists for their positions: Stromberg, Pool, Catalon, Little and Bauer.

And recruiting – ever evolving in this age of the transfer portal and NIL – is looking up.

The Hogs’ loaded class of ‘23, already with 24 hard commits, currently ranks 12th in the nation and fourth in the SEC, which would

Dorian Gerald

Chris Paul Jr.

Dwight McGlothern

Cam Little

Latavious Brini

Jalen Catalon

Bumper Pool

Drew Sanders

Reid Bauer

Max Fletcher

Dominique Johnson

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represent the program’s highest finish since recruiting rankings went mainstream roughly 20 years ago.

Prior to Pittman’s arrival, the Hogs won just one league game — that thriller in Oxford — from 2017-19. Since his arrival — seven league wins. With a schedule full of swing games, Hog fortunes will ride on the ability of Jefferson and the new receivers to connect, especially deep, opening up what should be an elite run game, and the defense’s ability to rely on man coverages and create more negative plays.

Last season’s four league wins should represent a source of pride, given where the program was just two seasons ago. But breaking even in the SEC West is kind of like making B’s and C’s at Harvard. The Hogs are sniffing the honors college these days, and football season can’t arrive fast enough.

Returning all-star candidates The heavy producers likely to make an allconference or all-America list: QB KJ Jefferson, S Jalen Catalon, C Ricky Stromberg (or any of the OL starters), LB Bumper Pool, K Cam Little, RB Dominique Johnson, RB Rocket Sanders Portal prizes Transfer and new players expected to have an impact right away: WR Jadon Haselwood (Oklahoma), CB Dwight McGlothern (LSU), CB Latavious Brini (Georgia), LB Drew Sanders (Alabama), WR Matt Landers (Toledo), DL Landon Jackson (LSU), DL Jordan Domineck (Georgia State) Sleepers Don’t sleep on these players, who may be poised for a big year: TE Trey Knox, RB AJ Green, LB, Chris Paul, WR Ketron Jackson, DL Taurean Carter, DL Cam Ball, DB Myles Slusher, PR Bryce Stephens, QB/WR Malik Hornsby, DL Eric Gregory, WR Warren Thompson, DB Jayden Johnson Potential surprises Potential out-of-the-blue contributors just coming in or flying under the radar: P Max Fletcher, QB Cade Fortin, LB Mani Powell, RB Rashod Dubinion, TE Ty Washington.

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the Hogs again face what some believe to be the toughest schedule in the land. Arkansas fans have come to expect nothing less.

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THE LONE RANGERS: LITTLE ROCK SEMI-PRO SOCCER TEAM AIMS FOR THE SPOTLIGHT

By Carl Kozlowski • Photos by Bob Barnett Photography

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t’s a blisteringly hot and humid Saturday night, but a crowd of nearly 1000 people have still come out for an evening of raucous excitement.

The relatively small yet enthusiastic group spreads out over the seats on the west side of the stadium to watch local semi-pro soccer team Little Rock Rangers face off against the LA Krewe football club from Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Rangers are just 4-5-4 going into the match, a rough season that has seen attendance drop from early season highs of 1,500 per game. But those fans who remain are ardent die-hards who have supported the Rangers as they grew and developed over the six years following their debut in 2016.

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The Rangers have a goal of making it to a higher-tiered, fully professional league, but like much else they contend with, it’s a complicated process.

Marching through the crowd on their way to the sidelines are three members of The Red Wave. The passionate group of fans wear kilts (the Rangers have a Scottish theme) and bang drums throughout the game. One member plays bagpipes and another sings loud rock songs like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” off-key through a bullhorn.

Whenever the Rangers score a goal, the Red Wave unleashes huge plumes of red smoke into the air. At halftime, dozens of young kids get to run around the field, kicking balls as hard as they can with the fantasy of making goals.

How has this Saturday sensation managed to fly under the radar of nearly all Little Rock residents? And in a city that has always overlooked soccer, how did the Rangers manage to get this far?

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“I grew up here and played here, and both of us are in our mid-forties,” said Rangers President John Wardlaw, referring to himself and Vice President Jason Rector. “Back when we were growing up and playing, soccer was basically an alt sport, like skateboarding.”

“This wasn’t mainstream at all,” added Rector, “But we just continued to play all the way through our youth.”

The idea for the team came to Wardlaw in 2014, when his oldest son started to play in the city’s U10 league – a designation for players who are 10 years old. As Wardlaw traveled the state taking his son to tournaments, he saw that soccer games still failed to draw large crowds and decided to help make it go mainstream.

Wardlaw and Rector assembled a group of 16 original founding members who collectively formed the team with money and sponsorships. The Rangers started playing in the all-amateur National Premier Soccer League, before moving up to its current status as a United Soccer League 2 team in 2020.

One surprising aspect of the team is that all of the players are unpaid, even

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those who come to play from 14 countries as far as Italy and Trinidad and Tobago.

The reason that no players can be paid stems from the fact that some players are on college teams outside the summer and would lose their college-playing eligibility if money exchanged hands with any player on their teams.

“That’s part of being considered semipro,” explained Rector. “The goal for us, and most professional soccer teams, is to break even – from the top to the very bottom teams. And that’s about what we do.

“There’s a couple of seasons where we may have $20,000 left in the bank,” he

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added. “But then there’s also some seasons like this one, where we’ll likely be $20,00030,000 in the hole at the end of the year.”

Because of those dicey financial stakes, both Wardlaw and Rector must maintain an incredible level of devotion to keep the team going. Both are unpaid and juggle fulltime jobs, with the games played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, during which they dash throughout the stadium attending to all manner of situations.

In keeping with their sacrifice, the team also features a volunteer statistician, as well as a volunteer stadium announcer, game-streaming commentators and a pair of teen interns who maintain the team’s social media presence. Their contributions are invaluable since the team has received no traditional media exposure in local magazines or TV news stations.

Down on the field, the team’s unpaid game photographer races about on the sidelines, taking incredible action shots of the players. The fact that everyone is a volunteer speaks to the devotion the Rangers rely upon. They have to make it all work financially on an average of $7,000-$15,000 in ticket sales at $10 per ticket.

The team plays 14 games a season, with seven at home and seven on the road. To keep travel costs down, the team owns its own bus and out-of-town hotels are paid for by host opposing teams. For home games, the Rangers receive a hefty discount on lodging by teaming with the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.

In addition to maintaining the main semi-pro team, the Rangers also oversee many tiers of youth soccer, as 300 players from ages 1 to 17 play in their Baby Bucks and Bucks programs. You read right: The Baby Bucks take players at 1-year and start by teaching them how to walk and run with a ball, right after they learn to ambulate themselves.

The Rangers have a goal of making it to a higher-tiered, fully professional league, but like much else they contend with, it’s a complicated process.

“Higher leagues do want us, but the War Memorial field is too narrow to play professionally, so we either would have to have renovations done here or we need to find another place to play,” explained

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Wardlaw. “Another hurdle that affects moving just one tier up from where we currently are is that we have to have an owner with at least a 35% stake and $10 million cash.”

While Wardlaw and Rector handle such financial concerns, the players focus on playing for their love of the game and the sheer desire to have careers at the professional level. Toronto native Spencer Barber and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kai Phillip sat down in the locker room to address their own paths to hoped-for glory.

“When I first came to America, I was playing in an amateur league called United Premier Soccer League,” said Barber.

“Other guys on the team I was playing with told me Little Rock had a well-run team at the next level up, so I asked for a tryout and made the cut.

“It’s very competitive here, and as soon as you step into your first training session, you’ll realize the intensity is a lot. “It’s a lot more consistently intense, because everyone is looking for a spot on the team.”

Phillip, meanwhile, just finished playing two years of junior college games, and will join an NCAA Division 1 team this fall when he starts playing at the University of Evansville in Indiana.

“It’s nice in Little Rock because I’ve made friends with so many of the fans and they support us no matter what kind of season we have,” said Phillip. “But it is hard to be away from family and friends back home. It’s sometimes hard adjusting to a new place,

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and the weather’s a little bit different here. The pressure to make it to the next level is the biggest challenge for me.”

Another standout player is Callum Thompson, a 16-year-old wunderkind from North Little Rock, who is two years younger than anyone else on the team.

But his outstanding skills on his Bucks teams were noticed early, and he aced his tryout for the team, and is now a regular member of the starting lineup.

“The hardest part for me is adjusting to how fast the game is played at the adult level – it’s just a whole different experience,” explained Thompson. “And maintaining the workout schedule five days a week for 90 minutes a day is very difficult to fit in with classes and homework, but I made it work starting in April, and I’m going to keep making it happen.”

The July 16 game with the Krewe had, in typical soccer fashion, no scoring for nearly the entire first half.

When the LA Krewe landed the first goal, the fans booed, but the second half was explosive by soccer standards: The Rangers scored two goals to notch their fifth win of the season as the crowd went wild and red smoke billowed into the night sky.

“Everything about playing here has been fantastic,” said Thompson. “Even though we haven’t had the greatest season, the fans are still backing us and have been there for us, and the feeling from that is great.

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THINKING

OUTSIDE T H E B OX

Think Rubix’s Akama-Makia Leads the Firm’s People-First Movement

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By Sarah Coleman • Photos courtesy of Think Rubix

peak symbol of ‘80s nostalgia, Rubik’s Cubes have often been looked at as the ultimate 3D puzzle for all ages, kids and adults alike.

Enamored with that same level of problem solving and critical thinking, culturefirst public affairs firm Think Rubix is all about finding the best possible solutions for its clients, solving each and every perceived puzzle while creating an impact.

With offices in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Birmingham, Alabama; and Little Rock, the firm is focused on helping the leaders of organizations or other initiatives develop innovative solutions. In 2017, Think Rubix was founded by strategists, researchers, policy makers, creatives and storytellers. Now, in its fifth year, Think Rubix has built a nationwide firm filled with creators and innovators who are diverse in every way, but most importantly, in their experiences.

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Rhonna-Rose Akama-Makia, the firm’s director of engagement, is acclaimed for many reasons, serving as a prime example of the embodiment of the values Think Rubix holds. Akama-Makia is a Little Rock native, with a reach spanning not only Arkansas, but globally. Known around the office as the firm’s “chief people mover,” Akama-Makia is in charge of quite literally, moving the people.

“It really is all about people, and moving the people from the margins to the middle,” AkamaMakia said.

As is true in many careers, day-to-day life looks different with each passing day in public affairs.

Because she works at a firm that is dispersed in several locations across the country, Akama-Makia prioritizes checking news daily, informing herself on anything that could impact the clients Think Rubix serves, or the areas where its physical offices are located.

While Think Rubix focuses on innovation, the

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clients the firm takes on are also innovators and creative thinkers.

“I think one of the most important things in helping our clients is understanding the culture of where our client is currently, and understanding what will work best for them,” Akama-Makia said. I also think it’s important to know what is deliverable, what goals are important to them and what strategies are working best for what clients want to achieve.”

Logging at least 40,000 miles on her car this year and hitting new levels of American Airlines frequent flyer status, Akama-Makia, just like Think Rubix, prides herself on not being a removed aspect, but a face-to-face one.

“Rhonna has probably spent the most time on the road with clients face-to-face,” said Tristan Wilkerson, managing principal for Think Rubix.

“In one week I think she was in four different places. We are very involved with our clients and a lot of the time, it is necessary to physically meet clients where they are.”

Social affairs is a broad umbrella under which many different subjects fall under. Truthfully, social affairs can mean something different in several different contexts. In being able to accurately

understand public affairs and shape the culture of the communities in which it is involved, Think Rubix prioritizes diversity, equity and innovation.

“The firm itself reflects so much of the diversity that we strive for: We’re diverse in gender, identities and cultures – and we celebrate this – because it just goes to show the ways in which we are able to do our work,” Wilkerson said. “Culture-first is our desire; we are working with our clients in a very hands-on way. We see challenges as opportunities and our goal is to help our clients understand the challenges they’re having so we can implement the best practices for these situations, and if the best practices don’t exist, we create them. The outcome of all of this tends to be far more equitable for the clients who want to do really good, equitable things in society.”

“Our team is not just diverse in race and culture, but in talent and experience,” Wilkerson added.

“We have people working with us who went to University of Arkansas at Little Rock, people who were born in Blytheville and people who have PhDs from Berkeley. We have London School of Economics graduates and folks who work for us internationally. From Florida to Minnesota, we

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Tristan Wilkerson

Nia McConnell

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have so much diversity. It is so much more than physically diverse people in a picture,” he said.

“Our firm is a fine example of what happens when we cultivate leadership in our state.”

Nia McConnell, project manager for Think Rubix, works across all aspects of the firm and is hands-on in crafting solutions for clients. “I have a really unique and cool position at the firm, and it’s that I get to be part of crafting solutions for every situation and I get to work with every client our firm takes on,” McConnell said. “Whether it’s a local campaign, a narrative campaign or researching ways to help a bank learn how to reach a new market, I get to be part of all of these experiences.”

In all of its efforts in diversity, equity and innovation, Think Rubix is equally diverse in the projects and campaigns in which they take on. “The No.1 value we have at Think Rubix is diversity, and we all have such different lived experiences, but we chose to come together to shape the world the way we want.

We shape our cities, the state and nationally,” McConnell said.

“Diversity of our experiences is truly at every intersection.”

Think Rubix has worked on a number of noteworthy projects and has helped many clients achieve goals. Recently, the firm took on a public-engagement campaign for the Little Rock School District Board, “Bright Futures, Better Schools.” The firm approached the campaign with a child-focused delivery. As a result, on Nov. 2, 2021, the LRSD Board held its special election day to vote on a millage extension that ultimately was approved by Little Rock voters, resulting in $300 million to pay for

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necessary upgrades in the district.

In facing the need for school construction and repairs around the Little Rock School District, the Board had failed in two previous elections to pass the millage extension. However, following Think Rubix’s 2021 campaign, 75.45% (5,736 people) voted in favor to approve the millage, with 24.55% (1,866 people) voting against it.

In addition to its work with the LRSD, Think Rubix has been at the forefront of several other campaigns. Akama-Makia has years of experience in working on campaigns locally and across the country, and is currently serving as the campaign manager for Arkansas Democrat Dr. Chris Jones in his gubernatorial race. Prior to becoming Jones’ campaign manager, AkamaMakia worked on Joyce Elliott’s campaign, a New York City mayoral race, and Jana Lynne Sanchez’s campaign for Texas’ sixth congressional district, in which Akama-Makia was able to bring her within 300 votes of second place in a special run-off general election.

As it is likely that Akama-Makia is the first Black woman to lead a gubernatorial race in Arkansas as a campaign manager, she has been making and leading history on multiple fronts.

“Connection and strategy are so important and I think my accomplishments speak to the on-theground effort I give. I work in an environment that is intimately aware of what’s going on. It’s not just about making sure we have strong candidates running for office, but it’s also about having a strong campaign,” Akama-Makia said. “We’ve

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[Wilkerson and Akama-Makia] been on the Chris Jones campaign since the very beginning. Jones won all 75 counties in the Democratic primaries, and this just shows how hands-on we’ve all been with his strategy and how much we have been meeting people where they’re at.”

Upon realizing Jones’ impact at the primaries, Akama-Makia allowed herself a moment to celebrate, then got to work. “The night of [the primaries results] I only cried once,” she recalled. “I promised myself I could react and then get back to doing the work. A lot of people don’t understand that nothing in politics is assured and no matter what the credentials are or what experience a candidate has, absolutely nothing is assured,” Akama-Makia said.

“Knowing people resonated with Chris Jones’ message really resonated with me.”

Akama-Makia can take credit for leading that same campaign, which raised almost $2 million for Jones, a record amount of funds raised for a Democratic candidate in Arkansas.

“Rhonna led all of those efforts in directly moving people into action. As we are aware about what Arkansans need and who can help them in achieving goals, Rhonna does this dayin and day-out,” McConnell said.

“When it comes to any political campaign, I think people should realize that nothing is set in stone and nothing is inevitable. Yet they should be aware that Arkansas is known for making history,” Akama-Makia said. “Arkansans need to be aware that the governor’s seat is the executive seat of the state and they need to be informed and aware of who is making decisions for the people in our state.”

Akama-Makia also notes that representation is one of the biggest ways in which a community can create equity.

“It is so important that we have representation in [political] seats. This isn’t just in identity but also in policy and alignment of values,” AkamaMakia said, adding that diverse candidates are often the least-funded candidates.

Whether the campaign is dealing with local issues, or working to elect officials, Think Rubix works across the board in public affairs with its clients.

“We build successful campaigns because we practice shaping the policy, and shaping the world we live in. We deal with it all – from govern-

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“It’s not just about making sure we have strong candidates running for office, but it’s also about having a strong campaign.” ment relations to media communications and corporatesocial communications,” Wilkerson said. “We actually practice the social innovation aspects and really think about what it looks like to move people from the margins to the middle.”

Wilkerson, who also serves as a general partner at High Street Equity Partners – which is based in Little Rock – is passionate in not just solving problems, but creating opportunities for those who need solutions.

High Street invests in founders of color and women founders who may not otherwise not have access to funding. On the block of equity and public affairs, High Street and Think Rubix intersect, allowing for the public affairs firm to continue to grow its impact.

“The reality is, with my talent, I could be doing a lot of things. There are a lot of industries I could be part of,” Akama-Makia said. “When I start thinking about my purpose, and I ground myself, I believe my purpose is to show up to the fight.

“There’s a lot of positions that require strategic thinking from behind the scenes and I know that I am very strategy-minded,” she added. “You can blame it on me being the oldest of my five siblings, or my deep-rooted sense of faith and belonging, but I just know that at the end of the day, when I go to sleep, I am most proud of myself for showing up for the people who couldn’t.”

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TOO MANY CHIEFS: TUMULT WITHIN LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT SPILLS OVER INTO MAYORAL ELECTIONS

By Katie Zakrzewski

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he last few months have proved to be volatile for the Little Rock Police Department, following the retirement and resignation of two consecutive police chiefs. As violent crime and public safety come to the forefront of Little Rockers’ minds, mayoral candidates have emphasized the public safety debate as an election issue.

Keith Humphrey’s tenure as police chief was one marked by lawsuits and scandal.

Within a year of becoming Little Rock’s 38th chief of police in April 2019, the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police overwhelmingly voted that they had no confidence in Humphrey, a resolution passed by nearly 84%. The former police chief had two investigations still open against him when he announced his retirement in May 2022.

Last September, a Little Rock human resources investigator accused Humphrey of targeting and harassing officers, as well as racial discrimination and retaliation. A second lawsuit was filed against Humphrey within 24 hours. Women who worked with Humphrey would begin to come forward with sexual harassment allegations against

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him. Humphrey replied by filing a civil rights lawsuit against more than 20 people, as well as the Fraternal Order of Police. Humphrey’s case was dismissed by a federal judge. Within his first two years of taking over the department, Humphrey had faced lawsuits from 12 police officers, two assistant chiefs who had applied for his job, as well as a plethora of human resources complaints. Loretta Cochran, the external investigator who looked into Humphrey’s performance, resigned the day after Mayor Scott announced that Humphrey would face no disciplinary action. Scott took the unusual step of releasing the statement regarding Humphrey’s fate in conjunction with questioning the legitimacy of Cochran’s report.

Just four months later, on New Year’s Eve 2021, Humphrey was involved in a shooting with an armed suspect outside of a gas station on Asher Avenue. After he retired, prosecutors determined that the shooting was justified.

This incident came at a time of increased violent crime across the city. In early 2022, reports indicated that violent crime in Little Rock had increased 17% compared to the first quarter of 2021. Trends show that this isn’t just a one-off statistical occurrence, either: Crime has steadily risen in the city since 2014.

Two months after this report was released, Humphrey retired.

The rise in violent crime across Little Rock and the upheaval of the Little Rock Police Department have certainly caught the eye of the Mayor’s office. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. released the following statement after Humphrey’s retirement: “Violent crime has increased in cities across the country in the past months, and I appreciate Chief Humphrey as an effective, innovative leader who has worked hard to develop community relationships and reduce crime in Little Rock,” Scott said. “Our next police chief will be expected to build on those efforts, while recognizing the immediate need to make our streets safer for residents. At the same time, the new chief will be an integral part of our holistic and collaborative approach to reducing violence.”

Three weeks after taking over as interim police chief, Crystal Young-Haskins resigned from the position after serving the City of Little Rock for over 16 years. As of June 18, 2022, Assistant Chief Wayne Bewley has served as the interim police chief.

The revolving door of LRPD police chiefs has hindered city efforts to mitigate violent crime and gun violence.

When the city council looked for ways to predict and mitigate gun crime through the use of ShotSpotter software last year, dissenting council members were puzzled at the absence of the LRPD’s expert input at city hall meetings discussing the topics. When asked for records showing whether this gun crime prevention software was suc-

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cessful, the LRPD responded that they didn’t track that data.

Mayor Frank Scott Jr. declared a state of emergency for gun violence in Little Rock earlier this year. But after the state of emergency expired, city leaders made no effort to extend it. Since then, the city has scheduled weekly public safety updates and launched new programs approved by the Little Rock Board of Directors, offering contracts to 11 different agencies that submitted proposals to help the city’s efforts to curb violent crime.

As of June 9, Little Rock has seen 37 homicides. 25 of those cases have led to arrests, with 10 remaining unsolved. As of July 18, weekly reports from the Little Rock Police Department indicated that while overall violent crime – such as forcible rapes and aggravated assaults – was down by 4%, the number of homicides had increased by 19%, and robberies by 44%.

In an interview with “Good Morning America”’s George Stephanopoulos in midJuly, Scott shared that “we have to address the guns,” and joined the group “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” just days after.

The rise in crime hasn’t just caught the eye of the Mayor’s office, but his opponent’s eye as well. And as the city looks for a new police chief, the people might choose a new mayor, too.

Scott’s most formidable opponent in the mayoral race is Steve Landers, a philanthropist and the owner of the largest auto group in Arkansas. In March 2022, the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Landers for mayor.

In a damning statement against Mayor Scott, the Fraternal Order of Police stated the following: “The duty of police officers is not only to protect, but to also serve the citizens of Little Rock. Officers take their sworn oath and missions very seriously.

We have not seen a commitment to either from the current administration. This current administration has misled the citizens of Little Rock regarding critical

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issues that affect the safety of this city. The number of officers has declined during the tenure of this administration, while simultaneously the violent crime has risen by double digit percentages. The programs being touted as solutions to the ever increasing violent crime are programs that have existed all along and have not been utilized. Becoming concerned with violent crime, and crime in general, during an election year is too little, too late. Protecting and serving the citizens of Little Rock requires having enough officers to respond to calls for service. Protecting and serving requires leadership that sets high standards, ensures officers are properly equipped, supports their officers, and holds officers accountable, regardless of ideology. The current administration has portrayed that policing in Little Rock needs to be ‘fixed’ while at the same time stating they ‘appreciate’ them.”

Landers acknowledged the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police in an official statement.

“I want to thank the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police for its endorsement,” Landers said. “It is vital to have local law enforcement support me and our mission. I have spoken with many of Little Rock’s finest, and we all agree that things need to change. My goals for 2023 are to fill every vacant police position, increase department morale, increase community policing and deploy our resources most efficiently by utilizing data-driven policing.”

Shortly after, Landers connected finances to the curbing of violent crime.

“As Little Rock mayor, I am going to propose funding to LRPD to fight the crime that has ravaged our city. I want every police vacancy filled. I will never hire private security detail to protect myself as our current mayor does. Tax monies need to support law enforcement and the security of its citizens and not the personal security of the mayor.”

Meanwhile, Scott has emphasized his own holistic approach to solving crime in Little Rock.

“We have to invest in the people of Little Rock. And most importantly, we have to invest in our youth and young adults. We want to ensure that we save a generation of young people,” said Scott. “We understand that this has to involve more than just law enforcement officers. It has to be a holistic approach. It has to be focusing on communities.”

The new programs Scott has proposed include a day laborer program to provide productive economic opportunities to individuals most at risk for perpetrating criminal activity. Also included are conflict resolution programs, martial arts after-school programs, art-based approach efforts, mentorship programs, mental health intervention and hospitalbased intervention at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

The city of Little Rock will hold a general election for mayor on Nov. 8, 2022. The nationwide search for a new Little Rock police chief continues as of this article’s publication.

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AUG UST 2022

THE LAST WORD

OLD MAN RIVER

By Katie Zakrzewski

“Ol’ man river That ol’ man river he must know something But he don’t say nothing Cause he just keeps rolling He keeps rolling along.”

Lately, I’ve lost a lot of friends.

My failure to put myself neatly in any one political camp during a particularly tumultuous time has caused many of the people that I considered to be close to me for years to lump me in as part of the problem. Deeply hurt by my former friends’ misjudgments of my character in a world of vitriol and peer pressure had put me on edge emotionally and mentally. I began to fall behind in work and school.

One mid-morning skirmish between my pets resulted in a visit to the emergency vet clinic, and what followed is what I’ve referred to as a “behavioral factory reset.”

Driving home from the vet, my eyes so full of tears I could barely see the road, I lamented to anyone who would listen: Why is the expectation in our society that we must work ourselves to death until something unplanned becomes the breaking point? Why do we care so deeply when people reject us for who we are and our beliefs when we have been patient with them for some time? Am I being punished? Am I actually the bad guy?

Upon returning to my little apartment, I became strikingly aware of the disconnect: I was working all the time, but I wasn’t moving ahead. I was such a “yes man,” and people did not hesitate to pile more onto my plate. I was “half-assing” 20 things when I could have been “whole-assing” five. I had to do something immediately.

Many individuals woke up the next morning to my resignation letter in their inbox. I resigned from things that took up my time, that cost me money or that just didn’t bring me joy anymore.

At 24, I felt that I had already lived several lives. I was fed up.

This was not sustainable.

I couldn’t continue to pour from an empty cup. ***** I talked to a former professor of mine, who was facing burnout after a difficult pandemic collegiate year. He shared with me that he was trying to find joy in the little things in life. For him, boating down the Arkansas River did the trick.

He shared with me, “One never feels isolated by the river. One is subsumed by something much bigger. Or rather, there is no big or small. There is just everything.”

I paused to think, and he added, “The river doesn’t care. I suppose that could sound cold or impersonal to some people, but I AUGUST 2 02 2

find it freeing.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant until I began to fill my now more abundant free time with the simple, little things. I’m an environmentalist, so for me, the little things were in nature.

For so long, I flung myself wholeheartedly into activities hoping to earn praise: praise from my parents, praise from my friends, praise from my bosses and coworkers. But it was never enough to satisfy me, so I pushed further.

Yet, the more I tended to my beehives and chickens, hung bird feeders and planters in my backyard and watched the squirrels and the chipmunks stealing seeds, the more I understood what my professor had meant.

Despite my circle of people growing smaller and smaller, I found more and more joy in the little things. I found joy in knowing that the fate of the universe actually wasn’t somehow in my young, naive hands and that things like the River had been there long before me, and would be there long after. Not everything was as “life or death” as I had made it out to be. For many folks, that’s terrifying. For me, it was a relief.

I was relieved — and maybe even envious — the more I spent time in nature checking the boxes in my bird book for winged critters that I had seen while bird watching. The Carolina chickadee that had a fondness for the seed pellets served in the hanging feeder outside my office window didn’t know that Senator Joe Manchin in West Virginia had recently rang the death knell for all of my climate advocacy since high school. If he did know, he didn’t care. Nor did my dog, Bee, give a damn about the Supreme Court. The birds and the squirrels and the honeybees and the chickens just continued doing what they had always done, happy to be there, seemingly ignorant.

Why couldn’t I? I’m too tired and far too insignificant to fight “the evil of the week” every single week. So instead, I’m going to try to be kind to everyone that I meet; yes, even the folks and former friends who view me as a knuckle-dragging troll for my political views.

And the more I find myself being kind to others, the sooner I can go home and surround myself with nature and with my pets.

The sun will come out tomorrow, and the birds will sing, and the squirrels will chitter , and the river will keep rolling along.

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