Arkansas Money & Politics November 2021

NOVEMBER 2021/armoneyandpolitics.com

Taking the

Reins

JAKE NABHOLZ READY TO GUIDE FAMILY FIRM TO FURTHER GROWTH

By Mark Carter/12

INSIDE: Best of AMP | Women in AEC | Hog hoops $5 USD

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N OVE M B E R 2021

NOVEMBER CONTENTS

6 | Plugged In 7 | Editor/Publisher letters 8 | Viewpoint 40 | Executive Q&A 102 | Discovery Economics 104 | The Digs of the Deal 122 | The Last Word 36 | Women in AEC

Highlighting Arkansans in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC).

59 | Best of AMP

Readers provide their choices for the “Best of AMP” 2021 in multiple categories.

96 | Sparking Innovation

26 | MARRS TALKS CONSTRUCTION Dave Marrs, one half of the hit HGTV show, Fixer to Fabulous, dishes on what business is really like these days.

The Venture Center’s latest round of the Spark! accelerator.

110 | Hawgball

This year, hopes are high on the Hill for hoops following an Elite Eight run.

123 | AIA

The 2021 AIA Arkansas Design Awards feature some of the state’s best designs.

ON THE COV E R 92 | DOLLARS AND SCIENCE The UA’s tech park is a laboratory where researchers hope to pair innovation with commercialization.

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Jake Nabholz was photographed for the November cover by Jamison Mosley at the Maumelle Charter High School job site. Nabholz is set to assume the leadership of the iconic Conway-based construction company on Jan. 1.

Page 12

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NOVEMBER CONTENTS PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Heather Baker | hbaker@armoneyandpolitics.com EDITOR Mark Carter | mcarter@armoneyandpolitics.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dustin Jayroe | djayroe@armoneyandpolitics.com COPY EDITOR Lisa Fischer | lfischer@armoneyandpolitics.com ONLINE EDITOR Lindsey Castrellon | lindsey@armoneyandpolitics.com STAFF WRITER Emily Beirne | ebeirne@armoneyandpolitics.com ART DIRECTOR Jamison Mosley | jmosley@armoneyandpolitics.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Mike Bedgood | mbedgood@armoneyandpolitics.com DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kellie McAnulty | kmcanulty@armoneyandpolitics.com

18 | GROWING PAINS Builders in Northwest Arkansas, one of the nation’s fastest growing regions, are struggling to meet demand in the current environment.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lora Puls | lpuls@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 Shasta Ballard | sballard@armoneyandpolitics.com Amanda Moore | amoore@armoneyandpolitics.com ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Jessica Everson | jeverson@armoneyandpolitics.com ADVERTISING COORDINATORS Jacob Carpenter | ads@armoneyandpolitics.com Virginia Ellison | ads@armoneyandpolitics.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Ginger Roell | groell@armoneyandpolitics.com ADMINISTRATION Casandra Moore | admin@armoneyandpolitics.com

44 | OPPORTUNITY Many Arkansas architects are looking at the changes wrought by COVID as an opportunity to adapt and even innovate.

INTERN Maitlyn Harrison | mharrison@armoneyandpolitics.com

CEO | Vicki Vowell TO ADVERTISE

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

Joyce Elliott, Arkansas State Senator; Gretchen Hall, CEO, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau; Stacy Hurst, Secretary, Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism; Heather Larkin, CEO, Arkansas Community Foundation; Elizabeth Pulley, CEO, Children’s Advocacy Centers; Gina Radke, CEO, Galley Support Innovations; Steve Straessle, Principal, Little Rock Catholic High School; Kathy Webb, Representative, Little Rock City Board

CONTRIBUTORS

Angela Forsyth, Becky Gillette, Becky Pittman, Katie Zakrzewski, Kenneth Heard, Dwain Hebda, Brad Hegeman, Carl Kozlowski

82 | SMILEY FACES Smiley Technologies, voted by readers as one of the Best of AMP for 2021, has been quietly building a fintech legacy.

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AMP magazine is published monthly, Volume IV, Issue 7 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.

N OVE M B E R 2021

PLUGGED IN

Central Arkansas radio legend Tommy Smith of The Buzz 103.7 looked back on his long ride, full of ups and downs, in AMP’s October issue.

FEEDBACK TOMMY SMITH: ROCKER, RADIO LONG RIDER…OUTLAW “Great article and a wonderful radio career for a one of a kind talent... ” Rebecca Mills

Josh Price @joshforarkansas Democratic candidate for Arkansas Secretary of State, will receive a national award at New York City’s iconic Carnegie Hall.

INSTAGRAM

LR ARCHITECTS SHARE PLANS FOR NEW PINNACLE MOUNTAIN VISITOR CENTER “Isn’t one of the best things about Pinnacle that it isn’t overbuilt and has remained natural?”

Kyle Kalkwarf NOT BLOWING IN THE WIND: POTENTIAL FIRST WIND FARM IN ARKANSAS ON HOLD “Nobody wants to look at those things. They are an eyesore and the Ozarks do not deserve to be destroyed by money grabbers from out of state. We have hydro power here and that supplies the area sufficiently.

People need to learn to say no!”

Theo Cosmas $900K USDA GRANT TO HELP FEED SENIORS IN SOUTH ARKANSAS DELTA “Thank you for recognizing the importance of this project. We appreciate your support” Arkansas Rural Health Partnership CHEERS OR JEERS: BOBBY PETRINO IS RETURNING TO RAZORBACK STADIUM TO COACH “Cheers! One of the best we have ever had.”

William Willis

Ozark Prosthodontics @ozarkpros has announced the addition of Dr. Ericka Miller to its team of prosthodontists.

Newmark Moses Tucker Partners, the leasing agent and property management firm for The Promenade at Chenal @chenalpromenade has announced that Sullivan’s Steakhouse will open in early 2022.

TOP ONLINE ARTICLES 1. Bass Pro Founder Shares Plans for Former Arkansas Theme Park ‘Dogpatch USA’ Location 2. Simmons Bank Promotes Jason Culpepper, Reggie Rose 3. First-ever ‘Wahlburgers Wild’ Opens Inside Memphis Bass Pro Pyramid 4. Sporting Goods Store Trader’s Bill’s Coming to Little Rock 5. Sarah for Governor Announces Coordinators in ALl 75 Arkansas Counties 6. Sullivan’s Steakhouse Coming to Little Rock 7. Major Housing Developments Announced for Fort Smith, Bringing $100M Economic Impact 8. UALR Public Radio Receives Anonymous $1.5M Donotion, Largest Cash Gift in It’s History

Hot Springs @visithotsprings will be the host city in 2022 and 2023 for the grueling 1,037-mile Arkansaw High Country Race.

9. The Current Global Supply Chain Crisis Explained in One Illustrative Video 10. Spotlight on Small Business: Smackey’s: Southern BBQ from the Heart in Little Rock

CORRECTIONS Phil Watson, one of AMP’s Top Professionals for 2021, is Director for Bernhard in Little Rock. His title and the firm’s name were listed incorrectly in the October issue.

State Rep. Mark Lowery (R) is a candidate for secretary of state in 2022. He was left off a list of candidates for statewide office in the October issue.

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

EDITOR’S LETTER

By Mark Carter

FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL PROVIDE A GLORIOUS OVERLAP

T

he glorious overlap for college sports that envelops the weeks of late October and early November is my favorite part of the year.

Football season is in high gear, preparing for stretch runs that will determine championships, bowl invites and coaching vacancies. And the Hogs, for the first time in a while, have something for which to finish strong. Basketball season is tipping off, this year in Arkansas amid high expectations — the highest maybe in a quarter century — following last spring’s encapsulating Elite Eight run.

A fall Saturday afternoon in Razorback Stadium followed by a Tuesday evening tip in Bud Walton? Yes, please.

Football drives the college sports bus, as we all know, but basketball is big, too.

In 2019, the NCAA made $1 billion off March Madness (the sole reason it still has anything to do with Power 5 schools), according to Forbes. Its entire revenue that year was $1.2 billion. And CBS and Turner paid $804 million for the rights to televise March Madness through 2032.

The Power 5 may yet break away from the NCAA (fingers crossed), but such a scenario would be for football only. (It’s

become an annual American rite for those colleagues of yours who otherwise pay college hoops no attention to squirm in delight over the prospect of East Vermont State-Middlebury upsetting Established Power U. And the good Lord help anyone who tries to take that away.)

Football ultimately is king in Arkansas, but basketball is a strong COO. It’s supported more strongly at no other SEC school outside of Kentucky. Forbes ranked college hoops programs by revenue from 2016-19, and the Hogs — still mired in a decade of mediocrity — finished 13th nationally with a three-year average revenue of $24.7 million and an average profit of $13.9 million.

By Heather Baker

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

A

UK topped the list at $56 million and $31.2 million — everyone knows that basketball rules the roost in the bluegrass state. Only one other SEC program made the top 20 — Alabama, at $19.3 million in three-year average revenue and $4.9 million in average profit.

But Eric Musselman has resurrected a slumbering giant, and season tickets were sold out for all games this season in the mammoth 19,000-plus Bud Walton Arena for the first time in 20 years.

This month’s AMP includes a look at Musselman’s third Hog team, one ranked 16th in the preseason and picked to finish third in an improving SEC. And the football team is pointed very much in the right direction under Sam Pittman. Once upon a time, Arkansas was a top 10 fixture in football and basketball, often simultaneously. And then there’s baseball, always good under Norm DeBriyn but now a consistent monster under Dave Van Horn — not to mention the across-the-board success throughout Arkansas athletics.

It feels a little retro on the Hill these days. Let’s hope it stays that way for a while.

SPOTLIGHT AIMED AT WOMEN IN AEC

enough new homes in this current environment to s a woman who’s worked in a malekeep up with the region’s incredible growth and visit dominated industry since before she with Bentonville’s Dave Marrs from HGTV hit show finished school and subsequently Fixer to Fabulous on how he’s dealt with materials climbed the ladder, I can relate a little to some of the shortages during the pandemic among other things. industry professionals highlighted in this month’s And of course, we’ve got Jake Nabholz on the issue. cover. Jake takes over as CEO of Nabholz Corp. on The November issue of Arkansas Money & Politics Jan. 1, as Greg Williams caps a brilliant career and features a focus on the architecture, construction transitions full time into his role of board chair. and engineering fields, known collectively as AEC. Also inside, we’ve got Best of AMP for 2021.

And one of this month’s spotlights is aimed at Heather Baker Readers provided their choices for the best in a women in AEC. It wasn’t that long ago that one just variety of industries and categories, and we share the top three didn’t see women on a job site. That’s no longer the case. in each.

Given the opportunity, women can perform — and perform Thanks to everyone for reading. Our readers are one of well — in fields traditionally left to men, and many Arkansas the many things I have to be thankful for this year and every professionals are proving just that. Inside, we visit with some of year. Hit me up with any comments or story ideas at HBaker@ them about the challenges they faced along the way.

We also look at the efforts in Northwest Arkansas to build ARMoneyandPolitics.com.

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VIEWPOINT

EMBRACING INNOVATION

IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

H

istorically, the construction industry has been slow to adopt new technology, largely due to the vast amount of collaboration necessary to successfully complete a large project. Introducing a single new technology or idea requires engagement, training and implementation on many levels, including owners, architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, craft professionals and suppliers.

However, new challenges prove the need to innovate and require the introduction of disruptive technologies at a faster pace than before. A global pandemic, unprecedented supply chain disruption, cost increases and continued workforce shortages now add to the already unique challenges businesses face. These issues have forced many industries to rethink long-term strategies and reach for more innovative methods for delivering their services.

As technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, we are beginning to see the contributions we stand to gain in terms of worker safety, increased productivity and added value for clients, which make adopting new technology for our industry the obvious way forward.

Many construction companies have started to embrace systems for virtual 3D modeling and clash detection. Even newer tools now include job site robotics that can perform repetitive tasks and specialized trades, as well as move heavy materials, reducing worker fatigue and injuries.

Three-dimensional printers were once costly and difficult to use. These printing systems have since rapidly evolved and can now be used to print complex, layered parts useful in construction at a competitive cost, bringing the potential to revolu-

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By Brad Hegeman

tionize production and mitigate supply chain issues.

New wearable technologies are being deployed on job sites to assist craft professionals and improve safety. Imagine exoskeletons that multiply the wearer’s strength and make lifted objects feel much lighter, or even weightless, reducing employee fatigue and injuries. Proximity sensors can now be attached to hard hats or safety vests to provide an audible, visible and physical alarm alerting employees if they approach a safety hazard such as the leading edge of the roof, trenches or construction equipment, thereby mitigating risk.

Several of these new technologies — such as 3D modeling, quality control programs, 360-degree cameras and equipment utilization programs — collect volumes of information on jobsite performance, quality and safety. The question then becomes, ‘What do we do with all this data?’ That’s where artificial intelligence platforms and data analysis programs can provide integral evaluation and insight, leading to increased productivity and improved client experiences.

At Nabholz, our response to the changing world around us has been to first and foremost embrace the concept of innovation and empower our employees to solve problems. We are currently exploring many of the technologies above as potential solutions. With some of these concepts in the research phase, other new products are now being tested by members of our team for potential full-scale implementation. We have dedicated teams to evaluate new tools and technology to determine how or if they improve safety, productivity, service, and add value to our clients.

While advancements in technology

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are amazing, it’s important to not equate innovation with technology alone.

Our most valuable assets are the individuals who bring their experience and Brad Hegeman skills to the table each day. In fact, some of the most effective innovations we’ve adopted as a company are solutions developed by our craft professionals responding to on-the-job challenges.

To further engage and encourage ideas from our team members, we developed a formal, in-house Nabholz innovation program. Using an online platform, we present some of the biggest issues we face as a company to all employees for feedback.

Through our team’s responses, we have now implemented enhanced safety training programs, mission critical equipment screening systems, new closeout processes, prefabrication of certain building components, VDC modeling of underground utilities, concrete demolition tools, equipment moving systems and many more ideas.

It is truly an exciting time to be in construction. Never before have we had so many options available that can transform how we work. If we are willing to embrace the concept of innovation and the technologies that come with it, we will pave the way forward for our industry’s continued growth.

Brad Hegeman is vice chair and chief strategy officer at Nabholz, the Conway-based construction firm with 14 offices in seven states.

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Carole Smith, SVP, Simmons Bank

Jake Nabholz becomes CEO of Nabholz Corp. on Jan. 1.

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CONSTRUCTION

THE BIGGER THE

BETTER

JAKE NABHOLZ READY TO TAKE THE REINS OF THE FAMILY BUSINESS

BY MARK CARTER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMISON MOSLEY

he immediate impression upon encountering the job site for what will be the new $26.3 million Maumelle Charter High School is something along the lines of, “This is a charter school?”

The massive 115,000-square-foot project is up and well on its way to completion in the spring of 2022. It’ll include 35 classrooms, administrative offices, a cafeteria, an arena-style gym seating more than 1,800, an auditorium seating more than 800, a band room, science labs, computer labs… even a soccer field with artificial turf and a surrounding track complete with separate areas for the throwing events.

And it’s being brought to life by Nabholz Construction Corp., the iconic construction contractor based in Conway now with 14 offices spread The 115,000-SF Maumelle Charter across seven states, High School is scheduled to be from Arkansas to Concompleted next spring. necticut. The firm has worked with Academics Plus Charter Schools, which operates MCHS, since the organization’s first facility was built in Maumelle 10 years ago. Nabholz was there for the charter system’s existing campus in 2017 and is on board once again for the sparkling new, state-of-the-art school.

And it’s fitting, given the company’s biggest markets are education and health care. For incoming CEO Jake Nabholz, grandson of company founder Bob Nabholz and son of current Executive Vice President David Nabholz, the new Maumelle Charter

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High represents something like a cherry on top.

“We did the elementary school in 2011, the existing campus in 2017 and now this one,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch ’em grow.

Those long-term relationships are just so important to us.”

Nabholz will be 41 when he assumes the role of CEO on Jan. 1. He’ll take over for 30-year company veteran Greg Williams, who’ll retain his role as chairman of the board. The transition was announced this past summer and had been in the works for a while. After 23 years with the family firm, for which he started working as a general laborer through his high school summers, Nabholz is ready to assume the role of chief executive.

“Jake’s leadership style is modern, yet still in line with the values and principles our company was founded on over 70 years ago,” Williams said. “He has overseen tremendous growth in the company, particularly in our Oklahoma operations.”

Nabholz most recently served as regional president overseeing operations in Central and northeast Arkansas as well as Tennessee, Mississippi and Oklahoma. After graduation from the construction management program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Nabholz served in business development and office leadership roles, including eight years in the Tulsa office, before his promotion to regional president in 2018.

“I started off as a project manager and transitioned to doing

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Nabholz was the contractor for the construction of Arkansas Children’s Northwest. (Photo provided)

business development stuff, which was good. It was good for me to get out of Arkansas, especially those first eight to 10 years of my career. It’s a lot easier to make mistakes when you’re not in the market where everybody knows you,” he quipped.

And of course, Nabholz is a household name in the Arkansas business and professional communities. So, most everyone who knew Jake Nabholz probably expected him to join the family business. For a long time, all Nabholz knew for sure was that he wanted to be in construction.

“I honestly didn’t know I wanted to do it [become the CEO] until about a year ago,” he said. “I knew I wanted to be in construction, but what role and all that, it just kind of worked itself out. I’ve wanted to be in construction since I got to go to my first job site when I was probably seven or eight years old. I’ve got two younger brothers, and my mom was a school teacher. So, in the summer, she would get tired of having all three of us at the house. I would go to the job site with my dad occasionally and was just hooked on it from day one, all the equipment and stuff happening. The bigger, the better. It was just awesome.”

Bigger and better isn’t a bad way to describe the company’s growth the past decade. Since Williams took over as CEO in 2014, the company’s annual revenue has almost tripled (with four straight record revenue years), a second Tulsa location was opened and new offices were christened in

North Little Rock; Portland, Tennessee (north of Nashville); and Oxford, Conn. (New Haven). The firm also added new markets in solar and rail transit.

The Connecticut office was opened to accommodate the latter. There, the Nabholz team performs routine maintenance and emergency repairs on railroad and machine tool equipment and distributes turntables, transfer tables and more to its clients in the northeast. Turntables and transfer tables are used to turn engines around in a railyard (think Thomas the Tank Engine at the end of a long day), and the company custom manufactures them at its shops in Rogers and Olive Branch, Miss.

The company’s services extend as well to machinery moving, installation and service; custom fabrication and millwork; facility maintenance and repair; environmental hazard services; and even crane and equipment rental.

Nabholz’ first order of business on Jan. 1: “Do no harm.” His goal simply is to avoid stagnancy, and a new leadership structure he’s helped create is designed to help do just that. Brad Hegeman was elected board vice chair and named chief strategy officer, responsible for long-term planning and diversification, including new services and acquisitions.

Hegeman, who started at the company in 1996, most recently served as COO with Greg Fogle, who will remain in that role.

Nabholz’ former region territories will be split among EVPs An-

BIGGER AND BETTER ISN’T A BAD WAY TO DESCRIBE THE COMPANY’S GROWTH THE PAST DECADE.

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cent of all its work represents repeat customers, Nabholz said. drew Adlong and Michael Feamster. Based in Jonesboro, Adlong “We’re still an Arkansas company,” he said. “We’ve built a lot will oversee operations in central and northeast Arkansas, Misof relationships over the years. That long-term business is so imsissippi and Tennessee. Feamster will serve as regional presiportant to us.” dent for Oklahoma.

For example, the firm has worked with Arkansas Children’s Perhaps most importantly, Williams is staying on as board since 1978. In addition to the construction of multiple new clinchair and guiding Nabholz through the transition. ics and numerous small renovations at the main hospital, Nab“We don’t want all that knowledge to walk out the door,” Nabholz Corp. built the health system’s new hospital in Northwest holz said. “Greg is intelligent and humble, and you rarely see Arkansas. those things together.”

“Everybody notices the big projects like [Arkansas Children’s] Nabholz added that Williams did “a tremendous job” setting Northwest, that new campus and things like that. But we do up the company for geographic growth, and he hopes to build on that progress. Through the expansion into rail, the Another Nabholz project: The UA’s Nabholz brand was expandAdohi Hall on campus across the ed to the Northeast. But the street from Bud Walton Arena, company also is becoming a seen at lower right. bigger regional player.

(Photo provided) Major projects in neighboring states include the new terminal at Columbia Regional Airport in Columbia, Mo.; the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium from Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris in Springfield, Mo.; Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Hutchinson, Kan.; the Franklin Special School District Performing Arts Center and Gymnasium in Franklin, Tenn.; the USA BMX national headquarters in Tulsa; and the Case Athletic Complex at the University of Tulsa, in addition to numerous schools and health care facilities xxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxx in Oklahoma, Kansas, Misxxxxx xxxxx. souri and Tennessee.

Nabholz noted Kansas, Oklahoma and Nashville, a bunch of smaller renovations for Children’s. As a matter of especially, as good growth markets for the firm. fact, we’ve had teams there that have spent their entire career In Arkansas, it’s difficult to drive anywhere and not see Nabon that campus,” Nabholz said. holz handiwork. Notable projects include Saracen Casino Resort, where phase two construction is ongoing; the Arkansas *** Museum of Fine Arts (formerly the Arkansas Arts Center), going up in Little Rock’s MacArthur Park; Crystal Bridges Museum The family atmosphere fostered among both clients and the of American Art; Arkansas Children’s Northwest; the corporate company’s more than 1,100 employees served it well through headquarters for ArcBest and Southwest Power Pool; the ATA the main thrust of the pandemic, and it continues to do so as Martial Arts international headquarters; Little Rock’s new, statelingering supply-chain issues confound contractors. of-the-art Southwest High School; and numerous big projects “I thought our team responded really well to the pandemic. for the University of Arkansas, UAMS, UA Little Rock, UCA, J.B. Greg did a great job leading us through that,” Nabholz said.

Hunt and St. Bernards Healthcare.

“We’re still dealing with the aftermath of it. The biggest issues The Nabholz Corp. portfolio is filled with projects completed for us are materials availability and pricing. The cost issues for many of the same clients from across the state. In fact, 85 per-

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Little Rock’s new Southwest High School. (Photo provided)

we’re dealing with are unprecedented. And while that’s a problem, a bigger problem is just being able to get materials we need to execute a job — things we’ve never had issues getting.

“I mean, who would’ve thought we’d ever have trouble getting paint?”

Supply chain issues caused by the pandemic forced the company to change the way it did some things, but ultimately, it had to simply “keep going,” Nabholz said.

“You change the sequence of some of the buildings [at a job site]. But some of the items are so critical that you can’t finish until you get them. You build everything around it and come back and install the one thing you didn’t have. Or, you’re having to switch materials, switch finishes. It puts a little bit bigger burden on the architects and owners to help go through that selection process again.

“So, you’re making decisions based on what you can get and not necessarily on what you wanted.”

Nodding to the new Maumelle Charter High being completed 100 yards away, Nabholz added, “It’s still going to get done.

The kids are still coming into this building behind us.”

The pandemic also prompted Nabholz Corp. to launch an environmental group within its own corporate structure that

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could handle the disinfecting at COVID hotspots on a job site.

This enabled the company to handle problems and potential problems “right then and there” and not be forced to wait on outside companies whose availability wasn’t guaranteed, Nabholz said.

“We had to help get our clients through that.”

The firm’s growing environmental hazards services group now handles everything from disinfecting and commercial sanitizing to asbestos abatement.

With its expansion into services related but not directly tied to construction, Nabholz Corp. now handles up to 8,000 jobs a year. In fiscal year 2019, its service teams completed more than 7,500 projects.

Nabholz said these teams might do two or three jobs a week, ranging in price from a couple thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars. These smaller, quicker jobs could include anything from changing a doorknob, painting a door, a complete remodel to even installing a foundation for a new piece of equipment.

The firm’s industrial group takes on jobs coast to coast, but otherwise, teams are staying within the company footprint.

“One of our goals is to always keep our teams close to where

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they live,” Nabholz said.

And these jobs help set Nabholz Corp. apart, he added.

interns out of construction management schools like at UALR.” The company relies on other regional construction management programs as well, including John Brown University in Siloam Springs, University of Louisiana Monroe, Mississippi State, Kansas State and Pittsburg State in Kansas. In today’s environment, manpower is something that can’t be taken for granted.

“It’s one of our biggest challenges,” Nabholz said.

In addition to paying 100 percent of its employees health

*** Nabholz is committed to continuing the company’s legacy of community involvement. His favorite projects are those that aren’t necessarily the biggest and shiniest but the ones that have the biggest impact.

“Someone asked me about my favorite project at Children’s, and everyone assumes you’re going to say the big hospital in Northwest Arkansas,” he said. “Actually, one of my favorite ones is the clinic that we did in southwest Little Rock. Oh, yeah. Because it had the biggest impact on that community and the population that it serves.”

In 2020 alone, Nabholz Corp. contributed more than $1.5 million to roughly 200 nonprofit and charitable organizations that support those in need. And the firm’s Nabholz University program represents an effort to give back to communi-

The UCA Integrated Health and Sciences Building; the company’s youth apprenticeship program.

(Photos provided)

care premiums, the company offers internal career development courses. In 2020, 137 employees were enrolled, with 61 taking part in the firm’s Department of Labor-recognized carpentry apprenticeship program.

“We’ve got different development programs that can take a person right out of college all the way up to my job,” Nabholz said.

It all boils down to growth. Nabholz is determined to keep the company moving forward and making positive impacts on the communities it serves. And family seems to seep down into the company’s very bones. Not only are there generations of Nabholz family members on the payroll, but multiple generations of other families as well.

And for Nabholz, many employees — such as MCHS site superintendent Luke Schichtl — might as well be family.

“We’re really setting our structure up for growth,” Nabholz said. “We operate what we call our purpose statement, which is pretty simple. It’s growing our people, serving our clients and building our communities. And so that growth model really fits that purpose statement because when you’re growing, you’re able to give your people, your team, more opportunities for their advancement to better support their families.”

ties while recruiting and identifying its future workforce.

“Basically, we can take a person out of high school, put them under a cooperative internship and let them see if they like construction,” Nabholz said. “And if they do, then we can move them through to different tracks. If they want to work onsite… or we can send them through an apprenticeship program, a foreman training program, and there’s our superintendent development program. So, there’s a really defined track for someone who wants to go that way. Or if someone thinks that they want to be a project manager, we’ve got a really good intern program where we hire

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NWA BUILDERS STRUGGLE TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND

BY MARK CARTER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEREDITH MASHBURN

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ike a burgeoning adolescent whose mom struggles to keep it in clothes that fit, Northwest Arkansas continues to experience growing pains related to the influx of new residents.

And thanks to lingering issues related to available workers and materials, contractors are having a hard time supplying new homes to keep up with increased demand.

John Easterling of John Easterling Construction in Springdale said materials availability is increasing somewhat for him after a spring and summer of supply chain stoppages. But what he really needs now, he says, are skilled laborers.

“We’ve been woefully short on skilled laborers for many years,” he said. “We still don’t have the ability to fill work orders.”

Easterling attributes much of the worker shortage to the extension of federal unemployment benefits related to COVID. Through the CARES Act, extended federal unemployment payments were made through Sept. 6. Many states ended their participation in the program this summer; Arkansas opted out on June 26. The program paid the unemployed an additional $300 per week.

“The unemployment benefits really hurt. Eventually, everyone will get unmotivated if you pay ’em not to work,” Easterling said.

But materials availability remains an issue, and coupled with a scarcity of available or willing workers, continues to place pressure on builders struggling to meet demand. One contractor who wished to remain anonymous told Arkansas Money & Politics that he was driving to Mexico to pick up appliances since the local wholesaler he uses can’t get anything delivered.

Builder John Easterling is in the market for skilled laborers.

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NWA growth is resulting in new builds like this one in Goshen. (Photos provided)

TOWNS LIKE CAVE SPRINGS ARE ABSORBING MUCH OF THE REGION’S GROWTH. As builders are forced to

Another said some local builders are forced to wait out materials shortbring on undocumented workers for work like brick ages, new builds — like masonry at up to $30 an hour in cash. this one in Cave Springs “You can have all the houses you want, but with(right, photo provided) — out the materials, we just can’t get ’em built,” Eastremain in high demand. erling said. “The demand for houses is still really (Photos provided) high. Our incoming calls are steady. Right now, construction is in high demand. Projects just take longer now.”

And Northwest Arkansas, almost as much as any region in the country, needs those projects. The 2020 census put its population at roughly 550,000, virtually all of it in burgeoning Benton and Washington counties. Benton County’s population grew by 29 percent between 2010 and 2020, and by a whopping 44 percent between 2000 and 2010.

Washington County, meanwhile, saw 21 percent growth the past decade and 29 percent growth before that. Fayetteville is now the state’s second-largest city at just under 94,000 residents; four of the state’s 10 largest cities and six of its fastest growing cities are in Benton and Washington counties.

According to the most recent Arvest Skyline Rebase numbered 642, the lowest number since 2009. port, conducted by the Center for Business and Economic ReFrom January through June, 4,854 homes were sold in the search in the Walton College of Business at the University of three-county NWA footprint (Benton, Washington and MadiArkansas, building permits were up the first half of 2021, from son counties) used for the report, and homes continue to last 2,074 issued to 2,754. on the market for less than 90 days. The number of ownerThroughout the region, there are virtually no completed occupied lots in the region has steadily declined over the past and unoccupied new homes in active subdivisions, the report decade as well — 64 percent in Benton County and 61 percent found. As of June 30, there were just 54, the lowest number in Washington County. since 2012. And homes listed for sale in the region’s MLS dataHome values are increasing, the numbers reveal. The av-

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erage sales price in the region for the first half of 2021 was $306,236, up 16 percent from the same time in 2020 and up 44 percent since 2016.

The report identified 23,693 total lots in 414 active subdivisions across NWA, with 3,769 of them empty, as of June 30.

With 14,602 residential lots having received preliminary or final approval, it calculated 62.1 months of remaining lot inventory in the market.

A robust seller’s market lingers, but Suzett Sparks, senior vice president and designated broker for Lindsey & Associates, said it’s been tempered somewhat from the summer, when potential sellers were being inundated with offers, in some cases even before placing their houses on the market.

“Instead of 30 to 40 offers, there might be three to 10 offers on a property,” she said. “We’re seeing a small increase to days on the market. There are still cases of homes selling for $10,000 or more over asking price but not as common as we saw during the spring and summer, although it still exists. During the spring and summer, it wasn’t uncommon to have offer prices of

But can such growth — any growth, for that matter — be sustained when materials to build homes, and workers to wield those materials, are in short supply?

“I have talked to several builders who are building but waiting to finish and put those homes on the market to be able to make sure they know how much money they have in them before getting them under contract,” Sparks said. “Material prices have been all over the place in the last 18 months, and builders just aren’t sure what it will cost to complete a home.”

Sparks said she expects the market to see some new homes come open in the next six months.

In the meantime, apartments will help fill the void. The average multifamily vacancy rate across Benton and Washington counties for the first half of 2021 was 3.4 percent, down from 5 percent the latter half of 2020, according to the report. The regional average lease rose 5 percent to $768.48 in the last year and 26 percent in the last five.

A recent study commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation acknowledged a current lack of production capacity neces-

xxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx.

$40,000 over list price, not contingent upon appraisal.”

Towns like Cave Springs, just southwest of Rogers in Benton County, are absorbing much of the region’s growth and evolving from quaint hamlets into small cities. Now with a population of more than 5,000, Cave Springs grew by 57 percent from 2000-2010 and by 218 percent over the last decade. Other examples include Tontitown, where growth rates over the past two decades were 161 and 75 percent; Highfill, 54 percent and 172 percent; and Centerton, 343 percent and 87 percent.

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sary to build the required number of housing units. It cited other factors such as high land costs and “inefficient” or “exclusionary” development rules. The study recommended region-wide zoning reforms to address what it called sprawling development patterns.

For now, builders like Easterling will keep plugging away. He said last year his company made less than half of its 10-year average gross.

“It’ll be crash or correction,” he said. “This will continue until the market crashes or corrects itself.”

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CONSTRUCTION

PATHWAY FUTURE TO THE

BY DWAIN HEBDA

PROGRAM SEEKS TO EASE LABOR PAINS

the eight-year assistant superintendent of Vilonia Schools orchestrated with Vilonia Pathways Academy, a new charter school that provides a holistic approach to preparing K-12 students for skilled careers after high school.

“Several years ago, the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board at UA Little Rock completed a survey concerning the industry’s needs,” she said. “The findings were that unless there was a systematic approach to introducing students to the industry, then there would be a severe shortage. That’s proven to be true.

“We need workers; for every four who are retiring there is only one entering the industry, research states. And we feel like we can produce those workers.”

Riggans began the effort for what would roll out this school year as Vilonia Pathways Academy about four years ago. Taking note of state and national trends, she formed a relationship with Nabholz Construction and Kinco Constructors to help develop a means for producing more workforce-ready graduates.

It wasn’t an original concept nor a new problem, but the discussions led to an epiphany for Riggans that turned the entire venture on its head.

“At some point, I realized I was thinking more in a traditional mindset of a shop model, and it was not a shop model that we needed,” she said. “When you think about construction, a lot of people think it’s just shovel and pick, but the industry is high-tech these days. There’s so much that students are not aware of, and they needed exposure to the construction industry.”

Riggans changed course and began to think more comprehensively about the challenge of skilled education. Shop class had been around for generations, but it fell short of the kind of immersive educational experience she was after. With extensive input from her industry partners, soon joined by expertise from UA Little Rock, she and her colleagues crafted a curriculum unlike anything the school system had tried to that point.

“We really reversed the cycle,” she said. “A lot of times in education, we look at the standards when what we should do is look at the industry and ask them, ‘What you need?’ Some of my colleagues and I spent lots of time with those industry partners just listening and saying, ‘Tell us what skills are missing. What types of things do we need to offer?’ Then we went back to the teachers and started to develop that curriculum.”

Vilonia Pathways Academy boasts an interdisciplinary approach that combines education in core subject matter augmented with field trip experiences and age-appropriate training from industry partners, some of it right on the jobsite. This exposes students to various roles within the construction industry, the skills needed to be successful in those jobs and connects the dots be-

A new curriculum aims to help point more students toward the construction industry.

athy Riggans is not a bricklayer, an electrician nor a general contractor. She is neither shop steward for the local pipefitter’s union nor foreman on a construction site. As of this writing, in fact, it is unknown if she has ever swung a hammer for a paycheck in her life.

So, it might seem unlikely that someone such as Riggan, an administrator in the Vilonia School District, would be the tip of the spear to create an educational program to backfill the shortage of workers in these very industries. Yet that is precisely what

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CONSTRUCTION tween the classroom and the job market.

“Our students spend a lot of time in the field experiencing things firsthand,” she said. “Nabholz Construction went to Conway Regional for field experience there, and they were exposed to actual people working in the industry, learning about that.

They’ve been to Kinco Constructors, working with them as they’re building a big project out at UAMS. They talked to the students about how BIM [building information modeling] is being used in the construction industry. We have some students who have developed interest in that program as a result.”

Even core classes are cast in the mold of applicability in Dr. Cathy Riggins technical careers, Riggans said, of Vilonia and Dr. reinforced by companies in the Hank Bray of UA field.

Little Rock. (Photo “For instance, 12th grade provided) math is built around technical math,” she said. “The first unit was around budgeting and personal finance. What’s a 401K? How do you select your withholdings on your check? Am I going to work for salary or hourly? Then, we took our students to Nabholz Construction, and they did a whole benefits package training for students.”

The program became even more robust with the input and participation of UA Little Rock, which already had a general education concurrent credit agreement with Vilonia Public Schools. With the Vilonia Pathways Academy, the university provides high school students the opportunity to earn college credit and professional certifications while still in high school that will give them a head start in the workplace or in finishing their degree after graduation.

Dr. Hank Bray, chair of the university’s Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering, said the school has embedded its associate’s of science in construction degree which students can complete while they are in high school.

“If they want to, they can graduate from high school with an associate’s degree. And this is a true two-plus-two degree; if they complete that [associate’s] degree, they will have two years left at UA Little Rock to complete a bachelor’s degree. Everything they take in high school would count towards their bachelor’s degree.”

Bray said the concept represents big, bold thinking and has the potential to completely recast students’ perspective when it comes to pursuing a career in construction or other skilled jobs.

“Over my career, what I’ve figured out was that if you don’t get some basic interest or understanding about opportunities by the

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time kids are in junior high, you’ve lost them,” Bray said. “This is a holistic approach, and what that means is when these young children are in kindergarten and first grade, it’s putting things into context. When you learn to read, you learn to read about building projects. You learn to read about buildings and highways instead of other types of stories so you’re exposing young minds to this at an early age.

Xxxxx x xxx xxxxx “And then when you learn math and science, it’s easy to put xxxxxx xxxx xxx these into the context of building something. Practical math is xxxx xxxx not lower-level math. It’s word problems that say,xxxxx ‘What’s the distance from here to here on xxx. this set of plans?’ There’s constant exposure to the trades through this program, and students are able to keep their options open.”

Arkansas’ skilled labor shortage is not unique. Long before the pandemic hit, contractors around the country were bemoaning the dearth of workers, caught in the pincers of mass retirement of older employees and decades of the education community pushing four-year degrees over two-year and technical education. It was a slow-approaching iceberg that everyone saw coming, Bray said.

“We’ve known for 30 years that there was a looming labor shortage, particularly in the trades, and our efforts to head it off have been largely ineffective,” he said. “I have been in construction education for 33 years and 33 years ago, we acted like this was as serious as a heart attack, but we just haven’t done a good job addressing it.

“There have been some things that have been tried: We’ve tried government training programs and incentives to contractors. We have employed what I call the shop model in our schools. I’m in my 60s, and people my age grew up with the opportunity to take a shop class that taught everything from carpentry to welding which we thought was really going to work. But it didn’t because, let’s be honest, there was a stigma attached to taking those classes.

It did not attract some of the best and brightest students. We really never overcame that problem.”

The chickens were already coming home to roost when COVID pushed the construction industry into even deeper waters.

ENR.com reported in September that nine out of 10 contractors surveyed nationally were having difficulty finding craft workers, up from just over half the previous year.

Such demand has driven up what were already good rates of pay in the trades, even among the most entry-level positions.

BusinessWire reported in March that the helper and apprenticelevel job market was booming. Demand for roofer apprentices

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was up 50 percent just in the previous month with jobs going unfilled for 39 days on average; carpentry apprentice jobs were up 33 percent and sitting empty for a month, and plumber apprentice gigs were up 24 percent and going unfilled for an average of 29 days. All this despite a median hourly rate of $16 per hour or about $33,000 annually for what amounts to rank beginners.

Bray said the construction industry itself is partly to blame for the conditions under which it now struggles.

“We haven’t done a good job of explaining the benefits of these jobs,” he said. “Construction has been seen as seasonal work, and in some cases that was true. But we had a reputation problem to overcome, and we haven’t done a good job with that.

“As a result, young people do not understand that these jobs have tremendous earning potential. There are plenty of large contractors in

Dr. Hank Bray wants to do a better job of explaining the benefits of a construction career. (Photo provided)

Arkansas who have employer benefit plans including employer-provided health insurance, retirement plans and the ability to make enough money that you could raise a family, be the sole breadwinner and still be home every night. It’s a gold mine. That’s not well-known, and that’s the biggest obstacle.”

This fall, the first year of Vilonia Pathways Academy attracted around 50 students, spread out more or less evenly over ninth through 12th graders. Riggans looks for those numbers to grow substantially as the program breaks in, and is already thinking of how to adapt the program to address other trades outside of construction. She views this effort, which comes after decades in education, as a true calling serving both students and the community at large.

“To my knowledge, no other program like this exists in Arkansas,” she said. “We’re building it, and we’ve attracted interest, and I suspect next year there will be more students. The theory is, we would start with the commercial construction industry, and then we would add additional areas. We can tweak what we have to take on another industry.

“We feel like this is the model for workforce education. That’s the whole purpose. I’ve got 32 years in education, and I’ve come to realize that in what time I have left in education, my heart is to make sure that students are prepared for the workforce.”

Undergraduate Degrees: » Bachelor of Science in Construction Management » Bachelor of Science in Civil & Construction Engineering » Bachelor of Professional Studies in Construction

DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT & CIVIL AND CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING Donaghey College of SCienCe, TeChnology, engineering, anD MaTheMaTiCS

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WAREHOUSING MATERIALS AND RECESSION-RESISTANT INDUSTRIES:

DAVE MARRS TALKS CONSTRUCTION

BY ANGELA FORSYTH PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HGTV

Jenny and Dave Marrs

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CONSTRUCTION

ost people may know him for his hit HGTV show Fixer to Fabulous, but Dave Marrs has been in the construction game much longer than that. The seasoned contractor, owner of Marrs Development, started off as a young apprentice to his father before starting his own business in 2004. Now, he and his wife, Jenny, renovate, design and build homes across the Northwest Arkansas area while filming a TV show last Xxxxx that x xxx xxxxx season pulled in more than 35 million viewers. xxxxxx xxxx xxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxx.

AMP spoke with Marrs, who shared his insight on the success have to plan out to get a set of windows right now. You have to plan of his business, building supplies shortages and where he thinks out 12 to 16 weeks. That’s something that before COVID you might the construction market is headed. have a two-to-three-week time.

AMP: How did you get started in construction?

And now you’re trying to complete these projects in similar-toMarrs: I grew up in Colorado, where my dad was a builder. the-same times with products that aren’t there or take forever to Through high school and college, I did electrical work; I did framget. The business model has definitely changed. We’re warehousing, trim, carpentry and built cabins. Like a lot of us who don’t ing a lot of items. We’re pre-ordering appliances, lighting, floorwant to do what our parents do, I went to college and thought ing — anything that we can get. We’re fortunate in our area that I would do corporate America. I ended up doing that for two prices have tracked pretty well with the increases in lumber and years, which is great because it got me all these other essentials for building. to Northwest Arkansas, but I realized But still, it’s all new territory. that I wasn’t using my creativity like I AMP: What about the current wanted to. So, I went back and started employee shortage? Has manpower WE’RE EXPERIENCING ... building homes in 2004 in Arkansas. I been an issue for you? never really looked back. We’ve been Marrs: With that, Jenny and I were A BIG BOOM IN GROWTH very fortunate, very blessed because of blessed that we started in 2004. Part of WHERE IN BIGGER CITIES being a contractor is going through the the area that we’re in.

AMP: How have you adapted in scratches and bruises of finding subthe last two years to the changes OR ON THE COAST, PEOPLE contractors who are loyal to you and brought on by the pandemic? don’t take on too much work and can ARE WANTING MORE OF Marrs: When it first started, Jenny always get to your jobs. and I were still filming the show beI think that something that has reTHAT LIFESTYLE WHERE cause construction was one of the esally been a saving grace for us is that sentials in Northwest Arkansas. I think we’ve been around building for so long YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT other than getting tested with a swab in in the area that the manpower issues my nose two or three times a week, rehave not been as terrible as they could MORE SPACE. ally the only difference was there was have been. Again, that all comes back less traffic. But that soon changed. We to scheduling. My dad used to always all expected we were going to get big tell me a general contractor is worthslowdowns, and as you know, just the opposite happened. Real less day-to-day. Week-to-week, you get a little more important. But estate exploded. I think that’s a combination of a situation where that month-to-month — where you’re scheduling and setting up a lot of people previously weren’t in their homes the entire time. with subcontractors a month in advance so they can pencil you in They had been in their offices a lot of the day. And maybe then, and they can count on specific work on a set day — that’s where when they worked from home, they realized what was and wasn’t my value as a general contractor comes in for homeowners. working.

Otherwise, if it’s just a day-to-day thing, homeowners may as I think we’re experiencing — just from the people we talk to — well just build houses themselves. a big boom in growth where in bigger cities or on the coast, peoAMP: What’s your take on the future of this industry? ple are wanting more of that lifestyle where you have a little bit What’s in store? more space. With people being able to work remotely, they were Marrs: Building, in general, is full of peaks and valleys. There finally able to do that. We had a perfect storm hit where you’ve will be a downturn without a doubt. There always is. In America, got people with the ability to buy who are now wanting to move fortunately after every valley there seems to be another peak. I to smaller markets. think we’re going to get a lot more regional. One of the great With the shutdown in trucking, the shutdown in a lot of matethings about Arkansas is there’s a lot of work here, and we’re very rials and the increase in all the commodity prices, like lumber, it’s centrally located. I read an article this morning that said that evcompletely upended what we were doing pre-COVID. It’s caused ery semi-truck in America is backed up by about 100 loads before Jenny and me, as a business, to be better planners because you we get trucking back to where we’re on schedule again.

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So, what these truckers are doing, which I don’t blame them, is they’re getting the shortest routes that pay the best. So, I think there is an advantage to being in middle America right now where we are loaded with hardwoods. You go south four or five hours, and you reach a bunch of pine and places where we get our plywood and OSB [oriented strand board], and a lot of that is done in Arkansas. I think that’s going to be an advantage for us. But I don’t see inflation going anywhere anytime soon, so I think we’re just experiencing new normals.

Before COVID, I was paying $7 to $8 a sheet for OSB plywood, and two months ago it was $50 a sheet. I think that we’re never going to go back to what we considered normal, but I’m really liking being in Arkansas right now because it seems like in our area, when the economy goes south, more people go to that big retailer, and they still need to buy chicken, and they still need trucking. So, we have a lot of industries especially in Northwest Arkansas — and in all of Arkansas — that I wouldn’t say it’s recession-proof, but it is very recession-resistant.

AMP: What advice can you offer people wanting to get into homebuilding?

Marrs: I really think that the apprenticeship program we used to have in America has pretty much died off, but it’s so important. So, I always tell people that there are a lot of individuals who are good business people, who even in downtimes are still successful and sometimes even excel and grow their business during those times. Usually, those individuals love to talk, and they love to help people out. If someone is wanting to get into this business, I would say go find someone who’s doing it well. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just help each other out. I think it helps us, especially our areas, just to get through these times a little bit easier.

Season three of Fixer to Fabulous starring Jenny and Dave Marrs airs on HGTV every Tuesday, (starting Nov. 16) at 8 p.m. and streams on discovery+.

Jenny and Dave Marrs renovate, design and build homes in NWA as part of a TV show that attracts more than 35 million viewers.

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C R A F T O N T U L L A R C H I T E CT U R E The Highlands Oncology Building in Springdale was designed to facilitate the ‘patient as guest’ experience by aligning hotel-inspired finishes with a visionary program for healthcare excellence through the creation of quality spaces that offer comfort and allow the patient to settle into the process of healing.

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INDUSTRY

RECOGNIZING AEC TOP EXECS Working one’s way to the top of any company is an accomplishment worthy of recognition, especially in industries as competitive as architecture, construction and engineering.

And especially in an environment still absorbing the impacts of a global pandemic.

But Arkansas is home to some impressive leaders in the AEC fields who have helped shape the state’s business climate and contributed to growing the state’s economy. AMP recognizes some of these company leaders below.

Richard Alderman, WDD, Little Rock Derek Alley, VCC, Little Rock Frank Allison, Engineering Consultants Inc., Little Rock Chris Baribeau, modus studio, Fayetteville Daniel Barnes, McClelland Consulting Engineers, Little Rock David Beggs, Flynco, Little Rock Hex Bisbee, Multi-Craft Contractors, Springdale Marlon Blackwell, Marlon Blackwell Architect, Fayetteville Bob Butler, Alessi-Keyes, North Little Rock Joe Carter, Snyder Environmental, North Little Rock William Clark Clark Contractors, Little Rock William Clark is the founder and CEO of Clark Contractors, launched in 2009.

A third-generation resident of Little Rock, he graduated from Central High in 1987 and attended the University of Arkansas, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business management in 1991.

His wife, Christy, is the company’s control-

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ler. Clark serves as a corporate director for Simmons Bank and board member for CARTI, where he also serves as vice chair of the strategic committee. He is a member of Arkansas Executive Forum and the UA’s Sam Walton College of Business Dean’s Executive Advisory Board. Clark and his wife actively support local charitable organizations and causes including UAMS, Baptist Health and Arkansas Children’s.

Greg Cockmon Cromwell Architects Engineers, Little Rock Greg Cockmon graduated in 1984 from Southern Arkansas University Tech and went on to graduate from the University of Arkansas School of Architecture in 1989. Soon after, he began working as an intern architect with Cromwell. At the firm, he gained an extensive resume both as an architect and a project manager specializing in a variety of project types including medical, corporate and government. He most recently led the design team on the award-winning ArcBest Headquarters. Cockman held the role of president of the company for the 12 years before being appointed CEO in 2020. He has been involved in local community activities including serving on the board for the local chapters of the American Red Cross and the Habitat for Humanity and as a board member of his church. Cockman is a member of the American Institute of Architects and a graduate of Leadership Arkansas, Class VII. Scott Copas, Baldwin & Shell, Little Rock

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Matt Crafton, Crafton Tull, Little Rock Cody Crawford C.R. Crawford Construction, Fayetteville Cody Crawford is owner and founder of C.R. Crawford Construction, one of the state’s largest general contracting and construction management companies. A native of El Dorado, Crawford began his construction career by working in the various types of heavy industrial and manufacturing businesses located in the southern part of the state. He began his formal education in the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. After realizing that his passion was not for designing but rather for constructing buildings of all types, he adjusted his career path to better align with his interests and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in construction management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He founded C.R. Crawford in 2006 in Fayetteville, where it remains headquartered.

Dexter Doyne Doyne Construction, North Little Rock Doyne President/ CEO Dexter Doyne started his construction company in 1983.

It has since grown into a multi-milliondollar firm working on all types of projects across Arkansas and surrounding states.

Some of the company’s notable Arkansas projects include the new Arkansas Muse-

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um of Fine Arts, UCA’s Integrated Health Sciences Building, Little Rock Southwest High School, the UA Clinton School of Public Service, the UA Little Rock Windgate Center of Art and Design, the College Park Independent Living Center and St. Mark Baptist Church. Doyne is a former member of the Little Rock Port Authority board of directors, for which he served as vice chair and chair.

Matthew Dunn, Crist Engineers, Little Rock Tom Fennell, Fennell Purifoy, Little Rock Ann Fleming, Fleming Companies, Bryant Bill Gray Taggart Architects, North Little Rock Bill Gray is CEO of Taggart Architects, which is licensed in 29 states and recognized both locally and nationally for high quality architectural design. Gray started his career with Taggart in 1983 and has served in many roles within the company over 38 years. He has been a project architect, project manager and principal in charge of some of the firm’s largest and most complex projects. He is active in his community and currently serves or has served on various boards including the NLR Chamber Executive Board, Arkansas Enterprises for Developmentally Disabled, ACANSA Arts Council Board, Lakewood Methodist Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Salvation Army Advisory Board and Young Life Committee.

Brock Hoskins, Garver, North Little Rock Doug Hurley, pb2, Rogers

Roger Marlin, Hydco, North Little Rock

Ed Tinsley, Bernhard, Little Rock

Julie McCallister, ECCI, Little Rock

Wesley Walls, Polk Stanley Wilcox, Little Rock

Jonathan Opitz, AMR, Little Rock Phil Purifoy, Fennell Purifoy, Little Rock Patrick Schueck Lexicon Inc., Little Rock Patrick Schueck is president and CEO of Lexicon Inc., a leading provider of construction management, fabrication, erection, mechanical installation, golf course construction and plant management services. Under his leadership, the company has become Arkansas’ largest construction company with nearly 2,000 employees. Schueck has overseen many of Lexicon’s biggest steel fabrication and erection contracts, including the expansion of the McCormick Center in Chicago; AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas; ThyssenKrupp Galvanizing Lines and Melt Shop in Calvert, Ala.; the NASA Stennis A3 Test Stand in Mississippi; and numerous Nucor Corporation projects. He has also been instrumental in transforming Prospect Steel into a global leader in automated robotic fabrication.

Born and raised in Little Rock, Schueck gives his time freely to state nonprofit organizations. A three-time cancer survivor, he considers it a privilege to support Arkansas Children’s, where he is a member of the board of directors. He also serves on the boards for the American Institute of Steel Construction, Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas, Little Rock Regional Chamber’s Fifty for the Future and US Bank.

Brian Jackson, Hight Jackson, Rogers

Mark Smith, Tatum Smith Welcher, Rogers

Chris Ladner, Entegrity, Little Rock

Britt Stewart, Metro Disaster Specialists, North Little Rock

Tim Maddox, DEMX, Fayetteville

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David Tatum, Tatum Smith Welcher, Rogers

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Doug Wasson Kinco Contractors, Little Rock Doug Wasson is president/CEO of Kinco Constructors, a multidisciplined general contracting and construction management firm with offices in Little Rock and Springdale. Kinco, established in 1973, has grown to be one of the state’s leading construction companies with more than 100 employees.

Wasson is a graduate of Southern Arkansas University Tech with a degree in building construction and the Project Managers Academy at Clemson University. He joined Kinco while still in college and throughout his career has served in numerous positions from project superintendent to vice president. He became president/CEO in 2000. He is actively involved in numerous associations including the boards of Arkansas Hospice, Arkansas State Police Foundation and UALR Construction Management Advisory Council. Wasson was appointed in 2020 by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to serve on the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board.

Greg Williams Nabholz Corp., Conway Nabholz CEO Greg Williams joined the company as a controller in 1991 and was promoted to CFO in 1995. He became CEO in 2014 and was chosen as chairman of the Nabholz board of directors in 2019. Williams holds a degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas and is a certified public accountant and a Paul Harris Fellow. He currently serves on St. Joseph Parish Finance Council as well as the board and executive committees for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. In January 2022, Williams will step down from the CEO role, taking on his sole position as chairman.

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A look at some of the major construction projects completed in Arkansas since 2020.

PROJECTS

LOCATION

COST (ESTIMATES)

Osceola

$716 million

Saracen Casino Resort (phase 1)

Pine Bluff

$350 million (total)

Simmons Foods processing plant

Siloam Springs

$125 million

Oaklawn Racing Casino expansion

Hot Springs

$100 million

Amazon fulfillment center

Little Rock

$100 million

Bank OZK headquarters

Little Rock

$98 million

Conway

$90 million

St. Bernards Surgery Tower

Jonesboro

$82 million

Delta Peanut shelling plant

Jonesboro

$70 million

Bryant

$55 million

Fayetteville

$50 million

North Little Rock

$50 million

UCA Windgate Center for Fine & Performing Arts

Conway

$45 million

Saline County Career Technical Campus

Benton

$28 million

Little Rock

$23 million

North Little Rock

$23 million

Conway

$23 million

Hytrol expansion

Fort Smith

$20 million

AC Hotel

Little Rock

$18 million

Arkansas Children's Clinic

Pine Bluff

$18 million

Fayetteville

$14 million

Cypress Cold Storage

Maumelle

$13 million

Cynergy Cargo new plant

Crossett

—

Majestic Steel service center

Blytheville

—

The Marshall student apartments

Fayetteville

—

Big River Steel expansion

Structurlam mass timber plant

Encore Heart Hospital Fayetteville Library expansion Amazon fulfillment center

Costco Koppers treated wood plant expansion UCA Integrated Health Sciences Building

UA Civil Engineering Building

PROMINENT COMMERCIAL PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION Saracen Casino Resort (phase 2)

Pine Bluff

$350 million (total)

West Memphis

$250 million

Bentonville

$52 million

Ash Flat

$35 million

Arkansas Federal Credit Union headquarters

Little Rock

—

Walmart corporate campus

Bentonville

—

Zekelmen/Atlas Tube

Blytheville

—

Southland Casino Racing expansion The Ledger office building Emerson manufacturing plant

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N OVE M B E R 2021

WOMEN in AEC Given the November issue’s focus on architecture, construction and engineering, it seemed like an opportune time to recognize prominent women in these fields which traditionally have been male dominated.

But many Arkansas professionals are proving that women can thrive in these industries, whether their role is on a job site or behind a desk.

This month, AMP recognizes some of those leaders — in roles ranging from estimating assistant to company president — who are helping blaze trails and grow the state economy in the process.

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Michelle Ashmore Bid Coordinator/Contract Specialist Koontz Electric, Morrilton Michelle Ashmore joined the Koontz Electric project management team in October 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton with an AAS in business office technology. She is certified in construction quality management for contractors from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Her duties include scheduling, tracking and submitting all bid opportunities totaling more than $120 million annually.

Ashmore also executes and bonds all contracts received and keeps all regulatory compliance current.

Akemi Bauer Senior Project Engineer ECCI, Little Rock

Kara Bryan Project Administrator Clark Contractors, Little Rock

Akemi Bauer was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 22, she traveled alone to New Mexico to obtain her master’s degree in environmental engineering. While in New Mexico, she worked at an environmental firm as a field engineer. One of her career highlights at the firm was overseeing the installation of more than 100 monitoring wells at the North Railroad Avenue Plume Superfund site project. With colleagues, she recently published a paper about this project in the Applied Science Journal. Since moving to Little Rock 15 years ago with her husband, Bauer has obtained her professional engineering license and expanded her focus beyond remediation projects to include Clean Air Act Permitting and Compliance. She began her career at ECCI as a project engineer and has since been promoted to ECCI’s top engineer status of senior project engineer.

Kara Bryan is a project administrator at Clark Contractors and has been part of the Clark team since April 2020. Prior to that, she worked at Bass Construction and Habitat for Humanity in Monroe, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in construction management from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

As a project administrator, Bryan is responsible for managing the entire submittal process on a construction project, including developing a submittal schedule at the beginning of the project, ensuring that all submittals are expedited through the review process with the design team and contacting all subcontractors and vendors with correspondence.

Bryan has worked on a variety of different projects at Clark, including phase one of the Ritz Theatre Restoration in Malvern, renovations for the Hamburg School District and most recently the Good Day Farm Cultivation and Growth Facility in Ruston, La.

Amber Banks, AIA Architect Cromwell Architects Engineers, Little Rock Amber Banks joined Cromwell as an intern in 2015 and began her architectural career with the firm after receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas in 2017. Since joining the Cromwell team, she has worked on a variety of projects including education, military, medical and municipal. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and an active community member, serving as a board member for International Development Service and as a mentor for North Little Rock W.O.R.K.S.

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Stacy Baxter Project Coordinator Baldwin & Shell, Little Rock Stacy Baxter is a project coordinator at Baldwin & Shell Construction and has been with the company for two and a half years.

She has been in the industry for 17 years and her background includes construction, engineering and environmental work. Baxter is a professional bodybuilder at the National Gym Association. She lives in White Hall with her son.

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Josie Bush Estimating Assistant Baldwin & Shell, Little Rock Originally from north Louisiana, Josie Bush is quickly learning to call Arkansas her home. She attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and earned an undergraduate degree in marketing as well as her MBA. Bush has accumulated a variety of experiences, completing internships in industries including telecommunications, information technology consulting, property management and student services. At Baldwin & Shell, she traded a business suit for a hard hat and is learning the construction industry from the ground floor. As estimating assistant, Bush engages with local business owners, collabo-

N OVE M B E R 2021

WOMEN IN AEC rates with her team on various projects and serves the customer – her favorite role.

Lea Cecsarini Field Office Manager/Technician McGeorge Contracting Co., Little Rock Lea Cecsarini began working for McGeorge Contracting in August of 2000 in north Arkansas. Hired as a flagger/laborer, she never thought of construction as a career; she just needed a job to support her four children. Little did she know that road construction was the career she was called to have. Cecsarini set a goal to be the first female foreman the company ever had and relocated her family to Central Arkansas to pursue it. In the fall of 2014, she achieved that goal.

Twenty-one years after she joined the team at McGeorge, Cecsarini is a field office manager technician, “taking care of just about everything out in the field,” and grateful that her job, borne of necessity in 2000, turned into a career she loves.

ciation of General Contractor’s Construction Leadership Council Committee.

Reyna Espinoza Project Manager Taggart Architects, North Little Rock

Whether sketching dream houses or drawing cartoons, Reyna Espinoza was a creative child. Given her inclination toward mathematics, the path seemed almost obvious.

She attended the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. Being a first generation Mexican-American graduate, she was accustomed to overcoming various problems, and difficulties and problem solving became second nature. Espinoza has been a project manager at Taggart for five years. Having used various BIM programs in her 14 years of experience, she currently specializes in using Revit computer software to create construction documents.

Dana Gauntt Vice President, Human Resources Lexicon, Little Rock Danna Gauntt joined the Lexicon team 29 years ago, hired by company founder Tom Schueck, and built the HR department from the ground up. She was recently promoted from Human Resources Director to Vice President, Human Resources. Her department is responsible for staffing a company that is reorganizing and now has more than 1,800 employees. Lexicon President/CEO Patrick Schueck said her promotion was well deserved and demonstrates how Lexicon strives to hire good people and then let them grow and achieve within the organization. When Gauntt joined Lexicon, the only real benefits it offered were insurance-related. Today, Lexicon offers a comprehensive benefits package that rivals anyone in the industry, she said.

Maggie Estes Project Manager Baldwin & Shell, Little Rock Michelle Dodroe Vice President of Infrastructure Crafton Tull, Fort Smith Michelle Dodroe is an experienced civil engineer who leads Crafton Tull’s office in Fort Smith. Her expertise includes sanitary sewer assessment and remediation; mainline water extensions; water and wastewater asset mapping and modeling, roadway and drainage design. Dodroe is a member of L1eadership Arkansas, Class XVI, and she graduated from Leadership Fort Smith in 2019. Dodroe earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Webster University. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

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Maggie Estes is a project manager for Baldwin & Shell’s Construction Services Division, and just celebrated her fifth anniversary with the company. After graduating from the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, she built her experience from the ground up. From electrical supply sales, to assisting project managers, running bids, facilitating bid solicitations & submittal packages, she developed a well-rounded understanding of all of the teams necessary for a successful project. Her fascination with spaces and how a building physically and mechanically comes together led to a perfect gateway into her career. Estes now manages multiple construction projects up to $7 million dollars in value including renovations, rehabilitations and ground up construction, from early schematic design through full execution.

She currently serves on the National Asso38

Jennifer Herron Principal Herron Horton Architects Jennifer Herron, AIA, founded Little Rock’s Herron Horton Architects with her husband, architect and artist Jeff Horton. She is a graduate of Little Rock Central High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design. After practicing architecture in the San Francisco Bay area and in Little Rock, she and her husband founded their own firm. Herron believes architecture is about people, and she has a curiosity about how people use space and how they relate to their surroundings. A passion for telling stories through photography has enriched her sensitivity to light, environmental conditions and how conditions affect the human spirit.

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of science in mechanical engineering. Fallon has worked on projects ranging from controls upgrades, HVAC equipment replacements, to new commercial buildings and existing facility renovations for buildings of all sizes.

Karen Ross President PDC Construction, Little Rock

Krista Kirk Senior Project Manager C.R. Crawford Construction, Fayetteville Krista Kirk has been in the construction industry for more than 20 years. With a bachelor of science in business administration from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Kirk began her career in construction as a project manager’s assistant and in less than a year became a project manager. Kirk’s strong management skills and industry experience helped allow her to excel in a maledominated industry. Her responsibilities include leading complex construction projects and ensuring each project’s completion is achieved on schedule, on budget and with quality and safety. She has worked on a wide variety of projects for public and private sector clients including, most recently, the Highlands Oncology Group treatment center in Springdale; Generations Bank in Fayetteville and Gateway First Bank in Jenks, Okla.

Kim Koch and Fallon Lee Principals Insight Engineering, Little Rock

Kim Koch is Insight’s founder and principal. She is a registered Professional Engineer and USGBC LEED Accredited Professional with more than 15 years of experience in mechanical systems design, project management and company leadership. Koch has managed and designed projects in K-12, higher education, health care and commercial market sectors. She has worked on all types of mechanical systems, from ground-source heat pumps to complex district energy systems, bringing a wealth of technical expertise to her work.

Fallon Lee is a principal and mechanical engineer with experience in commercial, education, and health care. She is a registered Professional Engineer and a graduate of Arkansas State University with a bachelor ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

Pam McElrath Senior Electrical Engineer Cromwell Architects Engineers

Pam McElrath, PE, LEED AP BD+C, is a 1992 graduate of Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. She holds professional engineering licenses in 10 states and is a LEED Accredited Professional. She is an active member of Electric League of Arkansas and Illuminating Engineering Society. McElrath has worked for Cromwell for more than 28 years and is head of its electrical engineering department. She is experienced in electrical, lighting, instrumentation and control-system design as applied to office, industrial, municipal, educational and medical facilities. She is also skilled in electrical and lighting retrofitting for adaptive reuse or building renovation projects.

Karen Ross is a Little Rock native who attended Auburn University where she earned a bachelor of science degree in building construction followed by an MBA from the University of Arkansas. She started her career working as an estimator and project manager at Kinco Contractors from 1993 to 2001. Ross joined PDC as a project manager in 2001 and by 2005, she became one of the company’s owners. In 2011, she took on the title of president. She also serves as senior project manager, senior estimator and senior scheduler and is involved first-hand with every project at PDC, working directly with owners, architects, engineers, and subcontractors to make sure every project is a success.

Melody Sparks CFO/Co-owner DC Sparks Construction, Rogers

Melissa Roach Project Coordinator/Administrator Kinco Contractors, Fayetteville

Melissa Roach is a Springdale native and second-generation Kinco team member. She graduated from the College of the Ozarks in Missouri and obtained her master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Clemson University/College of Charleston. Since then, she has worked in a variety of roles from historic home consulting to project coordinating on multimillion dollar renovations and new construction. She has a passion for restoration and was an integral member of the Kinco team on the historic renovation of Cane Hill Presbyterian Church.

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Melody Sparks is the CFO and co-owner of DC Sparks Construction in Northwest Arkansas. She brings more than 20 years of business experience to her role including customer service, logistics, data analysis and office management. Sparks made the jump into construction in 2016, recognizing that her skills were needed to help grow the family business. With her education in business management and more than two decades of experience working in the local CPG market, she has helped to streamline office processes and implement marketing strategies to grow the company. She is also a licensed Realtor and property manager with Southern Tradition Real Estate in Springdale.

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EXECUTIVE Q&A

Designing Women

Leaders in AEC fields shattering glass ceilings

By Lindsey Castrellon

It’s no secret that like many other professions, the architecture, engineering and construction industries are predominantly made up of male workers. But more women are stepping into leadership roles in these industries, thanks in part to programs put in place to encourage girls to pursue STEMrelated fields and companies making conscious efforts to be more inclusive in the hiring process.

Arkansas Money & Politics visited with three AEC professionals who are using their elevated designing, planning and building skills to shatter the glass ceilings in their respective industries — and replacing them with solid foundations for future female leaders.

Amber Banks, AIA, Architect

Cromwell Architects Engineers Little Rock

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Stacy Baxter, Project Coordinator Baldwin & Shell Construction Little Rock

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Fallon Lee, Principal, Engineer Insight Engineering Little Rock

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mber Banks joined Cromwell as an intern in 2015 and began her architectural career with the firm after receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas in 2017. Since joining the Cromwell team, she has worked on a variety of projects including education, military, medical and municipal. A member of the American Institute of Architects, she is an active community volunteer, serving as a board member for International Development Service and as a mentor for North Little Rock W.O.R.K.S. AMP: Who, or what, inspired you to pursue a career in architecture?

Banks: For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed anything that involved drawing, painting and simply making. As a child, I found myself creating different spaces with the tools available to me such as furniture pieces, blankets and toys, but I was completely unaware of the profession of architecture. While in middle school, an older cousin of mine gave me a 3-D modeling program that allowed me to begin transforming my imagination into digital forms. Of course I did not realize it at the time, but my cousin must have noticed the beginnings of a passion for design before I knew it myself. I only knew that I wanted to create better spaces for my family, community and the environment.

Throughout the remainder of middle school and high school, I continued exploring the world of architecture and design, and I eventually began to ask myself: “Is this the career path for me?” Unfortunately, as a senior in high school, there were several people who told me that architecture school was difficult and that I may need to select another major. All of the words of discouragement only increased my self-motivation. Without knowing what architecture school fully entailed, I made the decision to listen to my own voice and I enrolled in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas.

AMP: How could you encourage women to be more involved in architecture, engineering and construction?

Banks: The architecture, engineering, and construction industries are still predominantly male, but that does not have to be a reflection of the future. Like many other professions, women may face obstacles in the AEC industries, but I encourage each woman to use every obstacle as a means of self-motivation to move forward.

As a Black female student in architecture school, it was challenging to find others in the school and profession who I could relate to or even feel comfortable discussing some of the difficulties I faced. My own experience in school encouraged me to focus on my studies and graduate so that one day I could potentially become a mentor

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for someone else in my position. If you are passionate about architecture, engineering or construction, do not let anything or anyone discourage you. Take what some may consider a disadvantage, and use it to better understand a more diverse client base and introduce a new perspective to resolve design issues.

AEC industries give you the opportunity to shape the built environment and how it impacts families and communities. It provides the tools necessary to determine the direction that the environment will move in. It is up to all of us to create a more inclusive profession. I am following my dream of helping those in my surrounding community and hopefully one day, I will inspire more young women of various racial and ethnic backgrounds to enter the profession like myself and all of the women before me.

AMP: What has been your favorite project while working with Cromwell?

Banks: I began studying architecture primarily to help establish or strengthen existing resources and anchors within communities that encourage individuals to teach, gather, indulge in the arts and enjoy the natural landscape. As an architect at Cromwell, I have had the opportunity to work on several community-faced projects. As you can imagine, when you work closely with your clients it is difficult to select one project as your favorite simply because each client and project presents a different set of design opportunities and relationships. One project in particular allowed me to re-engage with a neighborhood within the Little Rock community.

For much of my childhood, I resided in southwest Little Rock, so that community has held many memories for me.

The McClellan High School reconstruction project with the Little Rock School District encouraged our design team at Cromwell to propose a concept that could meet the needs of the community, provide a safe environment for students and improve the facilities that were important to the area.

As plans for the new Southwest High School were moving forward, our design team began to focus on transforming the existing site of McClellan High School into a new K-8 school. As a design team, we collaborated closely with LRSD teachers and faculty, facilities management and community stakeholders to ensure that the design met their needs. Working on this project meant a lot to me because we were creating an educational environment that would help shape young minds. It was essential that each space encourage learning, exploration, creativity and friendships.

Though it has not been constructed yet, I hope that one day students will have the opportunity to walk the halls and interact with the educational environment created for them.

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EXECUTIVE Q&A

tacy Baxter is a project coordinator at Baldwin & Shell Construction and has worked in the industry for 17 years, the last two and a half with Baldwin & Shell. Her background includes construction, engineering and environmental work. Baxter is a professional bodybuilder at the National Gym Association who tends never to “lose her whey.” She resides in White Hall with her son.

AMP: What is one challenge you face on a regular basis as a woman in the construction industry?

Baxter: I have been in or around the AEC environment for 17 years, and I have found that it is a very challenging environment as a woman. I have previously struggled with finding the same

F

allon Lee is a principal and mechanical engineer with experience in the commercial, education and health care sectors. She is a registered professional engineer and a graduate of Arkansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Lee has worked on projects ranging from controls upgrades and HVAC equipment replacements to new commercial buildings and existing facility renovations for buildings of all sizes.

Lee believes working on projects that improve Arkansas communities is one of the best ways to make a difference such as the new Arkansas Children’s clinic in Pine Bluff. She is an active member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers and the Arkansas Chapter of the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for which she serves on the board of governors. She also serves on the board member of studioMAIN, a Little Rock non-profit that mobilizes the community around innovative design.

AMP: What are some common misconceptions about women working in engineering?

Lee: The most common misconception is that people don’t even think of women as being in the field. Often when people see my name, they will address my email as ‘Mr.,’ or when they see me walk into a meeting, they will assume I have a different role than project manager or mechanical engineer.

AMP: Which organizations were the best resources for you when you were studying to earn

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respect and mentoring that was given to my male counterparts.

AMP: In what ways does Baldwin & Shell support women in construction?

Baxter: Baldwin & Shell has provided me with the training and mentorship needed to be successful.

The company has provided a membership in Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) for the last two years and has allowed independent learning.

The company is extremely family-oriented and provides flexibility for all women in regards to putting family first.

AMP: What is your proudest accomplishment in your field thus far?

Baxter: I was also promoted from a project assistant to a project coordinator in nine months.

your degree/certification?

Lee: The most essential resource for me during college and while working towards my certification was mentorship. I had a professor during college who became my mentor and provided priceless guidance and encouragement. At the beginning of my career, I was very fortunate to find a mentor with much more experience who poured both knowledge and wisdom into me. Both of those people were essential to my growth in understanding technical information and navigating towards obtaining my Professional Engineering license.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) were both great organizations for introducing me to different careers in engineering during school, and ASHRAE is one I have stayed involved with to date.

AMP: What is one goal you would like to achieve while working with Insight?

Lee: I would like Insight to continue to grow and be thought of as Arkansas’ firm. The two things I am most passionate about for Insight are serving Arkansas communities and investing in the next generation of engineers. I am lucky those goals go hand-in-hand. When Insight invests in students who represent the entire state, women and men from different backgrounds and communities, then we also get to see those engineers pay it forward by working on projects they are passionate about in communities all over the state.

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Congratulations Melissa Roach

• 2nd Generation Kinco Constructor • B.A., College of the Ozarks • M.A., Historic Preservation, Clemson/College of Charleston

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ARCHITECTURE

PANDEMIC SPURS DESIGN INNOVATIONS FROM ARCHITECTS

By Becky Gillette / Photos by Ebony Blevins

The Grumpy Rabbit, Lonoke

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THE PANDEMIC HAS EXACTED A HUGE SOCIETAL COST AND FORCED A RETHINK OF NEARLY EVERY INDUSTRY, MOST CERTAINLY ARCHITECTURE, SAID WESLEY WALLS, AIA, PRINCIPAL WITH POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS IN LITTLE ROCK.

“H

owever, generational shifts such as this can and often do result in a refreshed and even improved way of viewing the world and the built environments in which we live, work, worship and play,” Walls said.

Walls said the pandemic will serve as a reminder to architects about the value of fundamental, logical design strategies as simple as designing outswinging restroom doors to limiting physical touch post-hand wash, or perhaps rediscovering the value of operable windows and access to fresh air.

“Thankfully, many automated building features well-suited for limiting physical contact and transmission such as operable doors and motion-sensor lighting systems/plumbing fixtures were already in place due to energy code requirements,” Wall said.

With respect to workplace environments and office furniture systems, there had been a recent shift toward “benching” configurations, where the layout was linear along a shared worktop with little to no physical dividers. For obvious reasons, this is no longer a desirable trend. Wall said additional attention must be given to physical dividers, orientation of workstations and even the way people circulate

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through a building to mitigate transmission.

One area that may take some time to ascertain the long-term impacts is whether HVAC systems should include more air circulation and sanitation. Bringing in more fresh air can also increase energy costs.

“Building HVAC systems are complex and expensive, not just initial costs, but to operate,” Walls said. “A lot of research on creating healthier building environments should be forthcoming about the most effective way to balance the need to maximize filtration and circulation while minimizing energy costs. While there are some effective retrofit strategies, the results from these studies will take some time to trickle more permanently into marketplace applications.”

Ultraviolet light air sterilization systems and other technologies which remove bacteria and reduce other particulates from rooms have been available for quite some time, but are now being perfected because of COVID awareness, said Ryan Biles, AIA, an architect based in Lonoke.

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ARCHITECTURE

Ryan Biles thinks architects will change their design approach to consider the best way to create spaces that allow “users to be good neighbors.”

Biles said mechanical contractor Russell Ivy of Lonoke Service Company recommended that his team consider this technology at The Grumpy Rabbit restaurant in Lonoke when it was designing the project this past spring.

“Because of his awareness of the technology and restaurant owner Gina Wiertelak’s desire to prioritize patron health and comfort, the system was installed as part of the building construction rather than as an afterthought or retrofit.”

Working indoors is inevitable for most of the year in most of Arkansas, but when given the option to work in a shaded outdoor space with wifi and access to other meeting spaces, Biles believes most employees would prefer this. He expects developers and architects to consider and embrace ways to increase flexible outdoor space in designs for new and renovation construction.

“I would like to suggest a shift in emphasis to quality outdoor spaces and well-designed landscapes that focus on human comfort and habitability,” Biles said. “This means careful consideration of proportion, screening, separation from parking areas and views, as well as the access to fresh air and room to stretch out. If architects consider the current emphasis on public health as a defining shift in our approach to design, I think we can raise our collective awareness and subsequently our design approach

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to consider the best way to create indoor and outdoor spaces that allow users to be good neighbors.”

Architects are experiencing a moment when they can step up to the plate and advance great solutions for their clients with the willingness to shift thinking to adapt to a new, dynamic reality, he added.

“I believe that the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 is making a systemic impact where temporary measures and quick-tomarket innovations developed as a response to the spread of disease may find a permanent home in the library of solutions from which architects derive and innovate for our clients.”

The big picture is that the disruption of the pandemic and resulting impacts on the daily routine will play a large role in how towns and cities are shaped going forward, and for the long term, said Brad Kingsley, AIA, a principal with Hufft who leads the company’s Northwest Arkansas studio.

“As we continue moving to digital platforms for interaction and the exchange of ideas, the fabric of the physical city will change and adapt,” Kingsley said. “What will be more important than ever is to design places where people can come together and create real, meaningful connections.”

He expects the biggest changes in office design will be influenced by the “work from home/work from anywhere” model

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INTERIOR DESIGNERS EXPECT A SPATIAL REBOOT

By Becky Gillette

Most employees have had a taste of the work-from-home for grouping or spreading tables apart. life. Natalie Biles and Stacey Breezell of Shine Interior Design “This variety of seating allowed for more socially distanced Studios in Lonoke would like to imagine that this trial of resolutions while still providing an interesting atmosphere givmote work has caused employers and employees alike to reing visitors a chance to try out new seats with each meal,” think their post-pandemic workplace.

Biles said. “The culture and location of a restaurant will factor “The increased flexibility may allow for a culture shift that a company was wanting to make but didn’t know how,” Biles said.

“On the other hand, it could slow production and efficiency for some companies, depending on the market or type of company.”

The business partners anticipate that the floor plate of the corporate office environment may decrease significantly. They would love to see more outdoor spaces incorporated into workplaces as has been seen with the restaurant industry.

“With the decrease in floor plate, we foresee more flexible offices — individual offices and desk spaces that may be cleaned more regularly and also rented out or reserved to make the most of the real estate,” Breezell said. “We could also see more integration of public spaces with café-style seating and small lounge soft-seating enviNatalie Biles and Stacey Breezell ronments. If the floor plate does not change and companies are fully staffed in person, we would imagine that more individual spaces and larger heavily into how patrons are spread out, but we believe that workstations that naturally provide more distance would be restaurants will continue providing multiple seating options implemented.” and interior partitions to provide more separation. There are The atmosphere of a restaurant is a large contributor to its clever ways to create separation of spaces without creating success. During the pandemic, restaurants adopted measures isolation that negatively impacts the culture and vibe a ressuch as social distancing, wearing masks and automatic hand taurant aims to establish.” sanitizing solutions to protect patrons and staff. These meaThe women see it as their challenge as interior designers sures certainly provided more assurance of safety and care as to find ways to increase human comfort and find innovative well as better sound levels making it easier to have a conversaways to help people let go of some reservations and tension tion. However, limited seating did not bode well for profits. that they’ve held onto because of the pandemic.

In order to keep the culture and light-hearted atmosphere “The interior space is meant to serve its users utilizing alive at The Grumpy Rabbit restaurant in Lonoke, owner space, color, daylight, texture and many other elements that Gina Wiertelak found ways to spread out patrons by offering are available to designers to create healthy and uplifting envia multitude of environments for seating as well as flexibility ronments that feel safe,” Breezell said.

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ARCHITECTURE that was accelerated by the pandemic. Technology integration will be the dominant factor in creating hybrid environments that facilitate in-person and remote collaboration equally. Kingsley expects that there will be a lot of existing spaces that go through retrofits, and audio visual and acoustics will be important considerations.

“I don’t think total square footages will necessarily reduce, but I do think there will be more thought to how spaces can be used differently and more efficiently,” Kingsley said. “For new construction, it will be more important than ever for employees to be in urban environments where they can easily come and go. The convenience of suburban offices, where people used to spend eight hours of their day, will not be as desirable or seem as convenient as they once were.”

Kingsley said the biggest changes in restaurant design, especially in fast-casual and café concepts, will be at the customer touch points, like how food is delivered or how trash is disposed.

How can food service providers reduce the number of times items are passed around?

“Like offices, I think other disruptions will come from the acceleration of people working from anywhere,” Kinsley said. “This shift could really change the scale and location of fast casual and café establishments. I think these spaces will be more integrated into existing neighborhoods and commercial centers as remote workers come and go more frequently. More flexible seating and technology integration will need to be provided, maybe even meeting space inside a café. I think restaurants will become hybrid work environments, with the goal to keep a customer there all day.”

He also anticipates that adaptive reuse will be dominant though there’s still uncertainty in how new office space will be used. He can see companies being more comfortable retrofitting existing spaces instead of investing in new construction. The same thing could be true of universities.

“Schools still have the same amount of real estate, so utilizing and monetizing that space in the future will require creative adaptive reuse,” he said.

“ARCHITECTS ARE EXPERIENCING A MOMENT WHEN THEY CAN STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND ADVANCE GREAT SOLUTIONS FOR THEIR CLIENTS” — RYAN BILES

Local architects believe that technology integration will be the dominant factor in creating hybrid environments for in-person and remote collaboration.

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ENGINEERING

PIED PIPERS

After 80 years, Crist Engineers still booming

By Dwain Hebda

I

t’s the best of times and the most challenging of times for many businesses, and Little Rock’s Crist Engineers is no exception. Having had to pivot sharply with the rest of the universe to accommodate the onset of COVID last spring, the 83-year-old firm emerged nimbler and more adept at interacting productively through remote work arrangements.

Which is good news given the current labor market and the company’s groaning workload, 90 percent of which comes from wastewater projects. Attracting and retaining the right employees is a daily challenge of primary importance, said Craig Johnson,

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The firm’s first home on West Markham in Little Rock; founder Marion Crist. (Photos provided)

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vice president, who’s been with the firm for almost a decade.

“We are very busy. We need more help,” he said. “The labor market for good, qualified engineers here is tough.

It’s very competitive to get good people and very competitive to keep people.

“I just had lunch with a gentleman today, and it’s amazing what new grads are asking for. It’s flex time and what do you do outside of work and what philanthropic organizations are you engaged with? It’s crazy the work environment our new grads are expecting to be engulfed in, compared to where I was starting out 25 years ago.”

Increasingly, a firm’s aptitude for effective remote work arrangements is top of mind for many would-be employees. To that end, Crist Engineers has risen to the top of the heap when it comes to the new normal of the workplace.

“Initially, to be in accordance with the CDC guidelines, we sent everybody home, and we had to invest quite a bit in hardware for them to be able to operate from home,” Johnson said. “We had people take their PCs home, take their equipment home, and we did a rotation here at the office. We rotated everybody one week in here and one week from home, because we still had a need to meet with the team. You still have to see people and work with our structural engineers, and that seemed to work pretty well.

“That’s been a benefit because our mentality changed regarding some of our employees. We pretty much have permanent employees working remotely now. We have an employee who works in Tulsa; we have people who work in Springdale. They come in about once a month for two to three days at a time, based on project load. We would have

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never considered that arrangement prior to COVID.” Crist’s ability to shift thinking has not only paid off in response to recent events, but in recent years, it’s been the hallmark of successful firms in the industry overall.

“From an engineering perspective, clients continue to expect us to bring the best innovation that we can and deliver more for less,” Johnson said. “That’s a very difficult challenge because the need always outweighs the amount of budget that you have. Delivering a project within the timeframe that’s dictated by a regulatory constraint can pin us to a schedule that’s sometimes reasonable and sometimes not. So, it’s how much juice can you get out of the grape, and how can you go about doing that?

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The firm’s focus is water and wastewater treatment including pump stations.

CRIST ENGINEERING HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE CONSULTING ENGINEERING OFFICE OF MARION CRIST, A 1925 STANFORD GRADUATE WHO HUNG OUT HIS SHINGLE IN 1938.

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ENGINEERING

Craig Johnson stands next to a pump at a biosolids watering project in Bryant.

“INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY, COMMUNICATION IS STILL KEY.”

Craig Johnson

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“What we do see is clients coming around more to the understanding that it’s renewal that they’re after, rather than modifying or replacing. Completely renew the infrastructure that’s there, because it needs to last for 50 years, and there’s stuff in the ground that’s well over 100 years old that’s never been touched. It probably leaks like a sieve, but nobody knows about it because it’s buried.”

Of course, a company’s ability to innovate relies on several variables beyond project scope, budget and timeline. Particularly now, supply chain issues have altered access to materials such that it’s wreaking havoc with production cycles, delivery dates and pricing, even those specified in contracts.

“We have manufacturers writing letters to our contractors that are just arbitrarily extending their delivery dates because they say they can’t deliver within the confines of the purchase order or the agreement,” Johnson said. “Some are claiming force majeure, saying, ‘We just can’t do it because of COVID.’ “More and more, they get their backs up against the wall and aren’t able to meet production, and right now, contractually, there’s not a good way to address that. There are some efforts with some of our organizations that support us contractually to be able to address those challenges, but we’re in very much of a gray area when these items come up.”

The situation has made it very difficult for firms to increase their overall book of

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business. Johnson said Crist’s projects are almost exclusively Arkansas jobs or right over the border and will stay that way, given how full the staff’s hands are. But even within the firm’s heritage market footprint, planning for the future is becoming a dicey proposition. This comes at a particularly bad time, given the potential trillions of dollars’ worth of projects looming on the horizon, provided Congress passes an infrastructure bill.

“We can’t get long leads, budgeting steel pipe, PVC,” Johnson said. “Suppliers won’t keep quotes more than a week or two weeks, but in the municipal business, it’s legitimately a 60-day process.

Contractors are having difficulty holding for 60 days. Because of that, we’re having to change the way we engineer projects.

“We just led a project with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, revamping the Spring River Fish Hatchery in Mammoth Spring. The contractor comes to the pre-construction conference and says, ‘We think this is a good design; it’s very cost-effective, but we won’t be able to start for another 24 weeks because of

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Recent work has included a new water treatment plant in Hot Springs and (below) installing 48-inch raw water transmission lines for a new Lake Ouachita water supply project.

this particular material. We need your engineer to redesign it like this, so we can move the project ahead.’ That was a first; I’ve never done that in 25 years, where we made a substantial redesign effort to accommodate material availability.”

Crist Engineering has its roots in the consulting engineering office of Marion Crist, a 1925 Stanford graduate who hung out his shingle in 1938. The firm grew steadily, and in 1955 designated key em-

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ployees as associates, incorporating that year as Marion L. Crist and Associates.

In 1968, Crist retired, and his share in the firm was purchased by the associate engineers. The company changed to Crist Engineers Inc. in 1973, and today maintains a Hot Springs office in addition to its Little Rock headquarters.

Johnson said for all that’s new, both in the firm and in the field, the fundamentals that underpin the company’s sterling

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reputation are as solid as ever, even if they are expressed in radically different ways.

“Internally and externally, communication is still key, even though it’s a lot of Zoom and Microsoft Teams,” he said. “I have clients that Teams me directly, or they’re setting up Zoom calls, and this becomes the normal mode of communication on a project. There’s good and bad with that. We’re even more accessible than we were before, but you lose a lot of personal transactions with people that we’ve worked with for a long period of time.

“Internally, you have to step up the communication platform for all of your team members, without a doubt. It got to the point, and we did this today, where we’re still using Teams and Zooming in calls, and we’re across the office from one another. We would never have done that before; we would get in a conference room. But it’s easier since we’ve gotten used to it, to be in front of your own machine using your screen share from your office, even though the other person is just down the hall to the right.”

N OVE M B E R 2021

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Always Strong.

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS | PUBLIC AFFAIRS | POLITICAL CONSULTING DIGITAL ADVOCACY | PUBLIC RELATIONS | CONSUMER OUTREACH

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We’ve been proud to feature many of the state’s most prominent businesses in Arkansas Money & Politics. These businesses represent the entire spectrum of industry in Arkansas, from local restaurants to trucking companies.

AMP asked its readers to nominate those businesses they considered “the best” in their fields. We think all Arkansas businesses are the best in their fields, but the top three votegetters in each category are recognized and listed alphabetically in the pages that follow as the 2021 Best of AMP.

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ACCOUNTING FIRM/CPA

BEST PLACE TO WORK

CASINO

• BKD • GARLAND & GREENWOOD CPAS AND ADVISORS • TODD AND ASSOCIATES CPAS

•E CCI (ENGINEERING, COMPLIANCE & CONSTRUCTION) • INUVO • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES

•C HOCTAW •O AKLAWN RACING AND CASINO RESORT • SARACEN CASINO RESORT

ADVERTISING AGENCY

BOAT DEALER/ MANUFACTURER

CEO

• I NUVO •S IXTYONE CELSIUS • STONE WARD

•B RADFORD MARINE • GREGG ORR MARINE • XPRESS BOATS

AIR CHARTER SERVICE • AIRRESOURCE GROUP • CENTRAL FLYING SERVICE • OMNI AIR CHARTER ARCHITECT •C ROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • SOWELL ARCHITECTS • TAGGART ARCHITECTS AUCTION COMPANY

BUSINESS CATERER FOR EVENTS •R X CATERING • TWO SISTERS CATERING • VIBRANT OCCASIONS CATERING BUSINESS CONSULTING FIRM •J CD CONSULTING • LEGACY CAPITAL GROUP • THE SOLUTIONS GROUP

• I NUVO, RICHARD HOWE • NETWORK SERVICES GROUP, DANIEL ALFORD • SMILEY TECHNOLOGIES, ELIZABETH GLASBRENNER CFO •C ARTI, JENNIFER STYRON • CONWAY REGIONAL, TROY BROOKS • INUVO, WALLACE RUIZ CHAUFFEUR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES •A RGENTA LIMO • TSC CONCIERGE SERVICE • VILLAGE CHAUFFEUR

BUSINESS INSURANCE AGENCY •B LACKMON AUCTIONS • TRUE GRIT AUCTION SERVICES • WILSON AUCTIONEERS AUTO SERVICE •H ONDA WORLD OF CONWAY • MCLARTY DANIEL AUTOMOTIVE • MERCEDES OF LITTLE ROCK BANK

CHIROPRACTOR •B ROWN AND BROWN INSURANCE • SMITH & COMPANY INSURANCE (STUTTGART) • SUNSTAR INSURANCE CAR DEALERSHIP •F LETCHER AUTO GROUP • MERCEDES OF LITTLE ROCK • RUSSELL CHEVROLET

•D R. CHRIS BLACKMON • DR. BEV FOSTER • ROSE LIVINGSTON COMMERCIAL CARPET/CARPETING •C &P CARPETS • MILLER COMMERCIAL FLOORING • TOM JANUARY FLOORS

•B ANK OZK • CHAMBERS BANK • SIMMONS BANK

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COMMERCIAL CLEANING

CONSTRUCTION

DISASTER RESTORATION

•B USTED KNUCKLES CLEANING • JAN-PRO OF ARKANSAS • STEAMATIC OF ARKANSAS

•B ALDWIN & SHELL • C.R. CRAWFORD CONSTRUCTION, LLC • NABHOLZ

•A LL CLEAN USA • METRO DISASTER SPECIALISTS • SERVICE RESTORATION

COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPER

DIVERSE WORKPLACE COO

•C HRIS H. OLSEN • CONWAY SPRINKLER & LANDSCAPE • SOUTHERN LAWN SERVICE COMMERCIAL PRINTING •D EMOCRAT PRINTING AND LITHOGRAPHING • MAGNA IV COLOR IMAGING • TCPRINT SOLUTIONS (TWIN CITY PRINTING) COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT •C OLLIERS INTERNATIONAL • NEWMARK MOSES TUCKER PARTNERS • RPM GROUP COMMERICAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY

•A RKANSAS BLUE CROSS, GRAY DILLARD • ARKANSAS UROLOGY, JONATHAN RUSHING • OUACHITA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS, SUSAN SMITH COUNTRY CLUB •C OUNTRY CLUB OF LITTLE ROCK • HOT SPRINGS COUNTRY CLUB • PLEASANT VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB COURIER SERVICE •A RKANSAS BEST COURIERS • GOHOGUE • PARRISH DELIVERY SERVICES CREDIT UNION

•A LLISON REAL ESTATE • COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL • RPM GROUP COMPUTER SERVICES COMPANY •C OMPLETE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS • COMPUTER HUT • EDAFIO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

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•C ONWAY REGIONAL • INUVO • UAMS HEALTH DRY CLEANING SERVICE •O AK FOREST CLEANERS • SCHICKEL’S CLEANERS (MAUMELLE) • SHINN CLEANERS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR •B ERNHARD •G ARY HOUSTON • ROSS FAMILY ELECTRIC ENERGY COMPANY •B LACK HILLS ENERGY • ENTERGY • FIRST ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ENGINEERING FIRM

•A RKANSAS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • TELCOE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION • UNITED FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

• CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • ECCI (ENGINEERING, COMPLIANCE & CONSTRUCTION) • GARVER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING

DERMATOLOGY CLINIC •A RKANSAS DERMATOLOGY • DERMATOLOGY GROUP OF ARKANSAS • PINNACLE DERMATOLOGY

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•B ERNHARD •E 3 ENVIRONMENTAL • ECCI (ENGINEERING, COMPLIANCE & CONSTRUCTION)

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Thank You for recognizing us as one of AMP’s Best 2021

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Congratulations to our leadership who are being recognized as the best in their respective categories. At Conway Regional, we are one team with one promise: to be bold, to be exceptional, and to answer the call.

AMP’S BEST CEO OR PRESIDENT OF A HOSPITAL

AMP’S BEST CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER

Matt Troup

Troy Brooks

AMP’s Best Fitness Center Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center ConwayRegionalHFC.org

Thank you to the thousands of readers who voted Conway Regional as the best in multiple categories:

Best Hospital Best Diverse Workplace Best Health Care Provider

EXCAVATION COMPANY

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

HOTEL FOR LEISURE TRAVEL

•G RANT GARRETT EXCAVATING • KOEHN EXCAVATING AND HAULING • MILLWRIGHT CONSTRUCTION

•C ONWAY REGIONAL • ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE • WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

• 21C • CAPITAL HOTEL • OAKLAWN HOTEL (OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT)

EXERCISE FACILITY/ FITNESS CENTER

HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDER

•L ITTLE ROCK ATHLETIC CLUBS • CONWAY REGIONAL • ST. BERNARDS HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER

•A RKANSAS BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD • DELTA DENTAL • USABLE LIFE

FINANCIAL/PERSONAL INVESTMENT SERVICES

HOME HEALTH PROVIDER

•B ARRY M. CORKERN & CO., CFP • LEGACY CAPITAL GROUP • SMALL AND ASSOCIATES FINANCIAL FLORIST •A LL ABOUT FLOWERS • THE PETAL SHOPPE • TIPTON HURST FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE

HVAC CONTRACTOR

•S T. BERNARDS HOME HEALTH • ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE • ELITE SENIOR CARE HOSPICE •A RKANSAS HOSPICE • HOSPICE HOME CARE • KINDRED HOSPICE

INDUSTRIAL ROOFING •M ETAL ROOF PROS • MID-ARK ROOFING • ROBERTS - MCNUTT INSURANCE AGENCY •M ARK WILLIAMSON INSURANCE • SMITH & COMPANY INSURANCE • STEPHENS INC. INTERIOR PLANT SERVICE

HOSPITAL

• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS • UA LITTLE ROCK • UCA

•C ONWAY REGIONAL • UAMS MEDICAL CENTER • WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

GLASS COMPANY

HOTEL FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL

•C APITOL GLASS COMPANY • DISCOUNT AUTO GLASS • LITTLE ROCK GLASS

•C APITAL HOTEL • LITTLE ROCK MARRIOTT • OAKLAWN HOTEL (OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT)

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•D ASH HEATING & COOLING • LONOKE SERVICE CO. • MIDDLETON HEAT & AIR

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•F OUR SEASONS PLANTS AND PRODUCE • KELLEY THOMAS LANDSCAPE NURSERY • LEAFSCAPE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER •C ONWAY CORPORATION • RITTER COMMUNICATIONS • WINDSTREAM

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INVESTMENT ADVISORS

LAW FIRM

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

•B OW TIE WEALTH MANAGEMENT • IPSEN ADVISOR GROUP • LEGACY CAPITAL GROUP

•F RIDAY, ELDREDGE & CLARK, LLP • LASER LAW FIRM • MITCHELL WILLIAMS LAW FIRM • WRIGHT LINDSEY JENNINGS

•A RKANSAS GAME AND FISH FOUNDATION • LITTLE ROCK ZOO • RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF ARKANSAS

IT COMPANY

NURSING HOME •E DAFIO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS • INUVO • NETWORK SERVICES GROUP JANITORIAL SERVICE •A BSOLUTE POWER CLEANING SERVICES • DOW BUILDING SERVICES • JK JANITORIAL SERVICES JEWELER •C ECIL’S FINE JEWELRY • LAURAY’S, THE DIAMOND CENTER • SISSY’S LOG CABIN LAND REAL ESTATE BROKER •L ILE REAL ESTATE • MID-ARK PROPERTIES • MOSSY OAK PROPERTIES DELTA LAND MANAGEMENT LANDSCAPER •C HRIS H. OLSEN • GOOD EARTH GARDEN CENTER • MAPLE LEAF LAWNS

MANUFACTURING COMPANY •G RANDEUR FASTENERS • TRIANGLE ENGINEERING • XPRESS BOATS

•B RIARWOOD NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER • PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE • SUPERIOR HEALTH & REHAB

MEMORY CARE FACILITY

OFFICE DESIGNER

•A VENIR MEMORY CARE • LITTLE ROCK DIAGNOSTIC CLINIC, NEUROLOGY (CHI ST. VINCENT) • MEMORY CARE OF LITTLE ROCK AT GOOD SHEPHERD

•C ROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS • DEBI DAVIS INTERIOR DESIGN • INNERPLAN

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•A MERICAN PAPER & TWINE • PETTUS OFFICE PRODUCTS • SCHOOL & OFFICE PRODUCTS OF ARKANSAS

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•C URRY’S TERMITE & PEST CONTROL • DELTA PEST CONTROL • THE BUG MAN

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THANK YOU FOR VOTING US

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Guaranteed Satisfaction Since 1886 Little Rock | NLR | Conway | Pine Bluff (501) 666-3333 tiptonhurst.com

Thank you for voting us AMP’s Best of 2021. + Best Health Care Provider + Best Hospital

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Recognized for Excellence in Nursing Education

EXPECT MORE

STUDENT SUCCESS & AFFORDABILITY Thanks for Voting Us Best HVAC in AMP’S Best of 2021 Trust Middleton to do it right the first time

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Unite, Support, Educate and Enhance

THANK YOU

for recognizing us as one of AMP’s Best Of 2021!

Join us April 1-2 at Robinson Center 2022 Annual Conference Contact us via email vendors@anpassociation.org for exhibit opportunities.

A GREAT MORTGAGE RATE

AND GREAT SERVICE?

UAMS Proudly Celebrates the Best in Health Care Congratulations to the outstanding UAMS health care team recognized among the best of 2021 in the following categories.

• Diverse Workplace UAMS Health • Best Hospital UAMS Health • President, Hospital CEO or Health System Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS Chancellor; CEO, UAMS Health 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.

To find a doctor, visit UAMS.Health/AMPBest2021 or call 501-686-8000.

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Thank you for recognizing us as one of AMP’s Best of 2021.

LASER LAW FIRM, P.A.

The Laser Law Firm has been engaged in the practice of civil litigation, specializing in corporate and insurance defense, for over 60 years.

416 N. McKINLEY STREET, SUITE 760 LITTLE ROCK, AR 72205

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Thank You for voting us one of AMP’s Best Investment Advisors

OUR FIRM IS PROUD TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SERVICES: • Trustee Services • Comprehensive Financial Planning • Risk Analysis • Asset Allocation • Lifestyle Management • Selection of 3rd Party Managers and Funds • Charitable Planning • Estate Planning • Family Education • Tax Planning and Strategy

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Thank you to our employees for making us the Best of 2021: Best Advertising Agency Best Place to Work CEO, Rich Howe CFO, Wallace Ruiz Diverse Workplace IT Company Tech Company Our employees are the driving force behind our business that has made us a market leader in Artificial Intelligence built for advertising. Thank you, Inuvians, for your dedication, your desire to win for our clients, and building a privacy-first advertising solution for tomorrow.

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|

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N OVE M B E R 2021

PET HOSPITAL

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PLACE FOR A LUNCH MEETING •D OE’S EAT PLACE • SAMANTHA’S TAP ROOM & WOOD GRILL • THREE FOLD NOODLES PLACE FOR A SPECIAL EVENT •C ACHE RESTAURANT • CAPITAL HOTEL • RUSTY TRACTOR PLACE FOR TEAM BUILDING OR COMPANY RETREAT •C AMP ALDERSGATE • MID-AMERICA SCIENCE MUSEUM • PETIT JEAN/ROCKEFELLER PLACE TO MEET AFTER WORK •F OX TRAIL DISTILLERY • PETIT & KEET • SAMANTHA’S TAP ROOM & WOOD GRILL

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ECCI has been providing quality engineering and environmental solutions to address each of our client’s unique challenges and needs for nearly three decades.

Thank you for recognizing us as one of AMP’s Best 2021 • Best Place to Work • Engineering Firm • Environmental Consulting Firm

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N OVE M B E R 2021

Service with a Smiley Little Rock software company seeks higher calling through service to community banks

By Dwain Hebda / Photos by Ebony Blevins

Smiley Technologies President/CEO Elizabeth Glasbrenner.

T

he banking landscape today is one of unparalleled access and control from your desktop to the palm of your hand. The industry is so technologically forward that it’s easy to forget just how recent all of these advancements are; just 20 years ago, the ability to move money from a smartphone or deposit a check with a camera click was still very much the stuff of science fiction.

As times and consumer demands changed, banks ramped up their offerings exponentially, often creating a back-office mess as they did so. The result, in the words of Elizabeth Smiley Glasbrenner, president and chief executive officer of Smiley Technologies, is “software spaghetti” — a tangled maelstrom of cobbled-together systems and providers. And that has provided ample opportunity for the banking software company based in Little Rock.

“The early core systems were just ledger systems; they were the ability to keep track of accounts in the general ledger, from which you might have had to produce bank statements and reports,” Glassbrenner said.

“There’s a lot of logic there, but that’s all banking technology was back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. And what’s happened is you now have things like debit cards, ATMs, mobile banking, document imaging, check imaging, telephone banking, all the things that are now pieces of banking. All of the other legacy systems either buy a company or they interface with them, but the back piece is still the same.

“Ours is a little different. We took the approach of saying there are some things that are now inherent to banking. Check images now are inherent to banking; you can’t be a bank processor and not do electronic check images anymore. So, let’s build that as part of it together, the document imaging, the online banking piece and mobile banking. Those are all inherent pieces of our software that we built.”

The approach has been particularly appealing to small community banks, which are the bread-andbutter of Smiley Technologies’ clientele. Such institutions need a reliable, feature-rich software package to remain competitive, but generally don’t have the IT budget or the dedicated personnel that the big boys do.

Smiley’s products give Main Street institutions the best of all worlds, including a staff that shares a kindred business philosophy.

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“If I’m honest, I think [small banks] are just people more like us,” Glasbrenner said. “Some of those banks really get lost between the large vendors and the large markets. If we can help keep the community banks alive in some of these communities then we’re doing our part. For us, that’s more fun. I feel like we can make a real impact.”

Glasbrenner and Co.’s role as the plucky little underdog is locally ironic, considering one of the behemoths they compete against is Little Rock-based Systematics, a company built from scratch by Glasbrenner’s father Walter Smiley, whose work would virtually coin the term “fintech.” Smiley, who once was listed by Business Week as one of the “People Who Run America’s 1,000 Most Powerful Companies,” sold the company to ALLTEL in 1990, which in turn sold it to FIS in 2003.

Smiley Technologies, founded in 1992 by Glasbrenner and her brother Vance Smiley, does not and never has endeavored to be the second coming of Systematics, content instead to leverage underserved niches in the banking market. In fact, the original concept for the company was not to write their own software at all, but to be an outsource manager of banks’ systems.

“When we were born in 2002, it was really out of the need from a bank that had a service problem with their vendor,” Glasbrenner said. “We thought maybe if we just became a service business, then we’ll manage your software for you and interface with the company, and we’ll alleviate probably 90 percent of your problems. And they said, ‘Sure, we’ll be your first customer, if your father watches you and makes sure you don’t screw it up.’

“We headed down this road to be this service business and about a year into it, we realized you really can’t provide great service and help them out if you don’t have control of the software. So, we embarked on a path, probably naively, to build a new core system.”

Growing up in their father’s entrepreneurial shadow not only honed the siblings’ business chops but gave them a keen understanding of how important personal relationships are in establishing trust. This is particularly vital when talking about switching from one core system to another.

“Banks are inherently scared to change out their core system. You’re essentially ripping the guts out N OVE M B E R 2021

and shoving them back in with a new software. That’s hard on the bank,” Glasbrenner said.

“When I was a kid, we used to go to the data centers, and we’d go to the banks with my dad and really saw the partnerships, the true friendships he had with those people and the ability to help them when they needed to change their strategy or do something different.

Our whole goal really has been to resurrect that concept.”

Partners Bank in Helena recently underwent the process of changing its systems over to Smiley Technologies.

President and CEO John Moore said the nerve-wracking process came off without a hitch, thanks to the software firm’s Smiley employees (from left) Karen Campbell, Damita Burse, Marc Haynes, Chris expertise and process.

Raper, Amanda Billingsley and Donna Willis strategize in the company “war room.”

“Switching our core banking system and IT managed services to Smiley things for other people,” Glasbrenner said. “That was really what Technologies will allow us to grow the bank to levels no one ever drove me and what excites me about what I do. It never occurred thought possible,” Moore said. “Their partnership model, along to me that I could do that in the corporate world; I thought I had with their innovative products and exceptional service, made to be in a nonprofit to do that. our decision to switch to Smiley Technologies easy.

“But when I took over as CEO at Smiley, I realized that is my “Smiley Technologies offers a true partnership model with job. My job is to help all these people be successful including genuine care for their customers that is unseen in this industry. our customers. I get way more fulfillment out of this than I ever The Smiley team goes above and beyond for their customers, thought that I would, being able to create an environment where which was evident the past few months during the conversion I can help employees and their families, plus all of our customprocess.” ers, on a daily basis. That’s very, very fulfilling for me, and creatBilling oneself as the high-touch alternative in a high-tech ing opportunities for community involvement and all that, that’s marketplace puts a particular priority on the quality and scope just kind of icing on the cake.” of the company’s workforce. Meeting that expectation takes conAs the company enters its second decade, it’s grown to 62 emstant refinement, smart hires and since early 2020, fresh thinking ployees with clients scattered all over the country including Dalwhen it comes to attracting and retaining talent. las, San Antonio and Charlotte among others. As proof of con“If you’d had told me two years ago we’d have some remote cepts go, Smiley Technologies has built a pretty compelling case, workers that don’t even live in-state, I would have told you, you excelling in big city and small-town institutions alike. This has were crazy,” Glasbrenner said. “[COVID] has definitely opened given company leadership the opportunity to pick and choose up my eyes. I’ve got to give the staff credit for that because they clients that provide the best cultural and philosophical match. proved they can do it remotely and at home.

“I think we’re to a place where we can compete anywhere,” “I don’t love it because I want people to be together, that’s just Glasbrenner said. “There are big communities that are using our my nature. But I think it’s a fact of what we have to deal with. We software and doing very well. I don’t have any heartburn over are getting great talent that we might not have had exposure to that; I’m just not sure that’s our long-term strategy. We really before. The job market’s hard right now, especially because we’re want to focus on those smaller town banks where we can really in a growing state and trying to find people right now is pretty make a difference so that they don’t go away, frankly. I think comtough.” munity banks are a really important part of our future.

Another effective lure for employees is the company’s com“We have that luxury of being able to really go after our purmunity-focused culture. Often bandied about as a catchy slogan, pose in why we want to do this and not have to just focus on the Smiley Technologies’ commitment to higher purpose in its work money part of it. We’re not trying to be at a thousand banks like is authentic, from the clients it focuses on to philanthropic acour competitors. We will lose what we’re good at if we go try to tivities steeped in Glasbrenner’s former career in nonprofits. All do that. At 50 to 80 banks we think, given the history we’ve seen, of which add up to a congenial, close-knit working environment the service model breaks and you don’t want to do that. Service that’s in step with what many workers are looking for. is the fun part about this for us.

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Succeeding Together

Little Rock

We are very grateful for this award, and proud to serve our local communities.

LITTLE ROCK OFFICE: 10901 Financial Centre Pkwy Suite 2, Little Rock, AR 72211 Phone: (501) 223-8367 www.belflex.com

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GOING BEYOND CANCER TREATMENT TO DELIVER CANCER CARE.

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hanks to the readers of Arkansas Money and Politics for naming Jennifer Styron as a ‘Best of CFO.’ Under

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SMALL BUSINESS

Each Day,

A NEW DAY

FOR THE TEAM AT MAC VALUATIONS, VARIETY IS THE DRAW

A

s the co-founder of MAC Valuations Group, Alex McIntosh has a unique perspective on the state of the valuations industry and the broader implications it holds for the real estate market.

A graduate of the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, he has developed intensive experience across Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana in assessing the values of properties across the retail, office, multiunit residential, industrial, agricultural and other specialized categories.

His hard work paid off quickly, as he received the MAI designation (as a member of the Appraisal Institute) and Certified General (CG) licensure by the age of 30, making him the youngest to hold such designations in Arkansas for an extended period of time. Yet even with all his success, McIntosh and MAC have had to contend with the economic hardships wrought by the pandemic and its lockdowns, which have risked devastating the office sector.

One thing that keeps him going is the fact that his trade is filled with endless variations, keeping every day fresh and intriguing. After all, MAC offers litigation support, expert witness testimony and fee appraisals to clients, in addition to assessing all manner of real estate property.

McIntosh explained, “No two days are alike for us. One day, we may be looking at a 4,000-acre rice and soybean farm on the Mississippi River, and the next I’m working on a mixed-use apartment project.

So, what distinguishes us is the ability to adapt. A lot of clients have very unusual needs, like we may be

MAC Evaluations co-founders Geof Carmack and Alex McIntosh.

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By Carl Kozlowski

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hired to value property in a divorce proceeding, then turn around and work for Arkansas Game & Fish in valuing their land swaps.

“But that daily experience of never having the same day twice is what draws a lot of people to our side of the business.”

Mcintosh founded his four-member staff in 2016 with Geof Carmack, but initially dreamed of a political career.

After working for a couple of failed campaigns, he knew it was time for a change of plans. He joined a small boutique firm in Northwest Arkansas in 2003, taking a risk because, “They said they’d be paying me peanuts for two to three years while I learned the ropes.”

Yet fortune smiled upon him when Walmart decreed in 2005 that all of its key vendors were required to open offices near its corporate headquarters in Bentonville or somewhere within the region.

“The office real estate market exploded overnight, and my boss said, ‘Well, you’re not going to be doing these little cookiecutter residential assignments anymore,” McIntosh recalled. “We quickly did some complex commercial work, and the rest is history. Everything took off from there.”

Indeed, the 41-year-old McIntosh has risen quickly to the pinnacle of his profession, attaining the coveted highestlevel ranking of MAI status from the industry’s governing body, the Appraisal Institute, by the age of 30. He noted that there are fewer than 30 appraisers with that status in the state, and only five under the age of 45.

McIntosh made it clear that his brand of valuations is markedly different than the kind used by homeowners seeking to get their homes appraised for a sale.

“That’s a totally different animal because it’s volume-driven, and the fees and the pricing are very competitive while those guys do three to 10 a day just to make ends meet,” he said. “We deal in

ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

The firm has been involved in multiple components to the renovation of the I-430/Cantrell Road corridor in west Little Rock.

complex properties that can be mixed -use. I’m working on a large office development in Conway right now, which has 50 apartments sitting on top of it.”

One danger facing the valuations field is that rapid attrition is occurring in the ranks of appraisers. McIntosh estimates that the average age of top-level appraisers designated CG is about 65, which puts many at retirement age at a point when it’s getting harder and harder to convince young people to replace them.

“A lot of people don’t think this industry is sexy, and it’s tough to convince a 22- or 23-year-old college grad to come work for two to three years at first making peanuts,” he said, noting that starting pay is poor throughout the industry. “The key thing is that once you earn your stripes and get licensed and understand all that you need, it can be extremely lucrative.

Many people at the top of this, working as chief appraiser for a Bank of America or a multinational lender, make up to nearly $800,000 a year.”

One major reason that firms like MAC start appraisers off with low pay is that it’s a skill learned on the job — and those who get certified in Arkansas often leap to big-city markets like Dallas, Atlanta

89

and Tulsa. McIntosh even noted that one of his prime competitors from 2004 in Fayetteville managed to conquer Manhattan’s market, earning seven figures before the age of 30.

But he also says that the large-market sectors of the industry are responding to the rapidly shifting pandemic labor market by offering large sign-on bonuses.

Another threat that’s facing the residential side of the appraisals market is the fact that online behemoth Zillow is using automated valuation models in an effort to eliminate the human aspect of home valuations.

“Thankfully, it’s different on the nonresidential side of the industry. We have a body of knowledge that makes this essentially the scientific method,” McIntosh said. “When you have a mixed-use project, that’s two or more entirely different sets of formulas, and that’s something a computer isn’t equipped to handle yet.

“What separates good appraisers from others is that I can pick up the phone and call a complete stranger, and I can make them tell me things about a transaction that they wouldn’t tell to someone walking down the street. There’s a real art to it and a real science.”

N OVE M B E R 2021

IT’S STILL ABOUT SERVING THE CUSTOMERS.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

A BLUEPRINT FOR INNOVATION

UA’S TECH PARK SERVES AS OUTLET FOR RESEARCH, COMMERCIALIZATION

By Lindsey Castrellon | Photos by Austin Castrellon

upport for technological development in the state of Arkansas has significantly increased over the past decade, thanks to factors such as conscious efforts to bolster STEM education opportunities and resources in schools and recognition of the positive economic impact of technological ventures throughout the region.

Grassroots organizations with the purpose of supporting entrepreneurial development and innovation through funding, networking and education have sprouted across the state and are steadily growing into lifelines for researchers and innovators, present and future.

The Arkansas Research and Technology Park (ARTP) in Fayetteville, operated by the University of Arkansas, is the blueprint for technological research and innovation in the state. And the tech park is blazing trails, sometimes literally.

A strategically planned “innovation system,” the park consists of three multitenant facilities and three multi-disciplinary research facilities occupying more than 120 acres. Each of the six facilities plays a unique role in helping to advance new technologies to the marketplace.

The Innovation Center is a key component to the flow of operations within the

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The Innovation Center is home to many startups including Catalyze H2O. Water (middle right) is shown during the purification process; research engineer Aaron Ivy (far right).

park. Featuring minimalist design elements such as clean lines, lofted ceilings, and plenty of natural light thanks to the building’s impressive window wall, the Innovation Center dresses the part as the touchstone of the tech park.

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The actual building was the first LEED certified building in the state of Arkansas, as David Hinton, ARTP’s interim director, will proudly tell you. Hinton is also the acting executive director of Technology Ventures, a university department that

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commercializes and manages the UA’s intellectual property portfolios.

Hinton speaks of the purpose and accomplishments of each organization and project like a proud father.

“The Arkansas Research and Technology Park is now being recognized as a destination where startups and innovative companies want to be,” he said. “It is really a bustling innovation ecosystem in south Fayetteville where companies have the opportunity to start and grow while collaborating with

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the University of Arkansas. The park is a unique environment where companies and university labs co-exist resulting in many synergistic interactions even as you are just walking down the hall.”

One of those companies is Catalyze H2O, a water treatment startup. But its purpose goes much deeper than that.

“We primarily work on novel water remediation techniques,” research engineer Aaron Ivy said. “We’re currently working with the Army to remediate explosives out of wastewater without leaving behind any solid waste. So, what we do is try to come up with new methods of filtering water that won’t leave behind any dangerous after products.”

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Catalyze H2O’s researchers will tell you that clean water underpins economic vibrancy.

“We make it our business to understand the clean water needs of industries. We target treatment goals to enable economic vitality and water sustainability.”

Catalyze H2O shares the lab space with award-winning biopolymer technology company, CelluDot, spun out of the New Venture Development course in the department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Venture Innovation at the UA’s Walton College of Business.

Hinton teaches the course with Sarah Goforth, director of the UA’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. They teach a structured methodology called the lean startup approach, which includes

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Arkansas Research and Technology Park is now being recognized as a destination where startups and innovative companies want to be.

David Hinton

customer discovery and business-model creation and how to pitch to investors.

CelluDot was started in this class, wound up winning an Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation and moved into the tech park.

“I feel fortunate to be part of the journey and to have helped them along the way,” Hinton said.

The cutting-edge companies at the tech park have earned an impressive amount of them and know how to put them to good use, according to Weston Waldo of Technology Ventures.

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“The companies that are within this park generate roughly 54 percent of the state’s total SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer Research [STTR] federal grant winnings that we receive,” he said. “ARTP is a research powerhouse.”

Waldo’s official title is Venture Development Program Manager. A technical description of Waldo’s role within the tech park would be working directly with inventions and inventors who represent potential startups and licensing opportunities and serving as a liaison between the startup ecosystems of the UA and the region.

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However, Waldo’s enthusiasm for what he does goes far beyond any of the technicalities. A Texas native, Waldo previously was a program manager at Texas Tech.

He’s all Arkansas now.

“I think if you ask anyone here, everyone would say that they love their jobs and love what they’re doing,” he said. “I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here. It sounds cliché to say that, but it’s true. I really love my job. There’s so many layers and dimensions to it, and I love it all.”

For startups, making it to the tech park can represent quite a journey.

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“There doesn’t seem to be a linear path,” Waldo said. “Sometimes individuals or groups are able to move forward a little faster because maybe they met a venture capitalist or are somehow able to fund the full thing from the beginning.

But normally, it starts off with someone who has an idea, and they’re thinking, ‘What do I do with this?’

“They may go to one of David’s classes and participate in some of the earlystage programs, and they start to formulate a team and solidify that idea. Then they may write a business plan and seek out grant funding or early-stage seed funding that helps them to develop some minimal viable product. Then they get their first customer, and they test that all the way through, and they grow in scale from there. That’s kind of the traditional path.

“Generally, I would say the starting point is usually when someone is willing to say, ‘Yes, I want to try it.’

Because most of the entrepreneurs that I work with are first-time entrepreneurs.

Many of them begin with no business background or experience with this kind of thing, but they say, ‘I am willing to be uncomfortable and to give this a try.’”

The Innovation Center also serves as the home office of the University of Arkansas Technology Development Foundation, a university-affiliated nonprofit that manages the park and provides es-

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left. And some of that just got claimed the other day, so we’re having some really exciting conversations about the next move.

“We’re currently having some conversations about trail development in the city that will improve accessibility in the area.

And there are a lot of other projects like that which are Weston Waldo: keeping us busy.”

There is a seat The park is poised to at the table for continue its path as a groweveryone. ing community of thinkers and planners, thriving on enthusiasm from its leadership and a solid network of support from scientists, educators and entrepreneurs working together to help each other prosper. Waldo stressed there’s always room to grow that network.

“I think sometimes when people hear the word, ‘entrepreneur,’ or the details of starting a business, it sounds foreign to them,” he said. “They automatically think of Elon Musk or Bill Gates, and there’s no in between. I really wish more people knew that there is a seat at the table for them, no matter where you are in life, whether you’re retired or a college student or other professional. There are so many opportunities to get involved.

“Just reach out; there are work and play atmosphere,” he explained. tons of people willing to help. There’s a “It’s incredible how this is an epicenter for place for everyone. It’s not just for stuinnovation for the state, and it’s continu- dents or faculty. That’s my job, and there ally growing. We’re almost full — we’ve are tons of ways we can help connect. You got about 300,000 square feet of leasable can move at your own pace, and there’s space and about 10,000 square feet of that people here who want to help.” sential technology transfer functions to corporate partners.

Dr. David Snow is the UA’s interim vice chancellor for economic development and president of the foundation. “[The tech park] is inviting with a live,

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The 2021 SPARK! class: (standing) Ashley Jones, The Venture Center; Miya Blackmon, Little Rock Lightning; Ben Harrison, FareMarket; Soroya Tucker, VLS Waste Solutions; (bottom row) Meosha Howard, Infidimensional Skin; Kissa Kimble, Elite Recruiting; Tammy Iosbaker, The Frame Maker; Whitney Gray, Whit’s End. (Not pictured is Ayana Baraka, Edamame Films)

WHAT SPARKS ENTREPRENEURSHIP? ne thing we know for sure about working with entrepreneurs — building a business takes heart.

The pull towards creating something new comes deep from within and fuels the fire to keep going when times get tough, as they inevitably do. That’s why Spark!, The Venture Center’s local small business pre-accelerator program produced in partnership with the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, is such a needed resource.

Through The Venture Center’s Spark! pre-accelerator, eight local entrepreneurs work together to build their sales and marketing skills and support one another through the challenges and opportunities of their entrepreneurial journeys. This marks the program’s third year, and the 2021 cohort boasts a broad range of businesses.

Meet the Founders of the 2021 Spark!

Cohort

Ayana Baraka, Edamame Films Edamame Films produces films by and about disenfranchised communities.

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A LOT OF

HEART

By The Venture Center Team

Ayana Baraka shared that she became an entrepreneur because it was necessary.

As a cinematographer, Baraka knew that learning the business was critical to making a career out of her passion for filmmaking. Through her work, Baraka spotlights underrepresented artists and gives voice to the disenfranchised.

Baraka said, “People of color directed only one in 10 films between 2011 and 2017, and less than 20 percent were written by women.” Baraka is changing inequitable systems of her industry, one project at a time. She’s breaking down barriers to working in film by producing work writ-

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ten by and written about women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and disenfranchised communities while also honing in on partnerships with women of color.

Miya Blackmon, Little Rock Lightning The Little Rock Lightning is a professional basketball team that focuses on providing a professional basketball experience to the Little Rock community, fans and business partners.

Miya Blackmon and her husband, Jushun, wanted to make a positive difference in Little Rock, the city they love. The Little Rock Lightning engages talented basketball players and coaches and was born from the Blackmons’ desire to use their talents to foster community and build leaders, on and off the court.

The Lightning creates jobs, produces family-friendly activities and fosters business development in Little Rock. The team has completed its first year, and now its biggest challenge is growing brand awareness. Armed with a mission to do good and a spirit of grit, it will use Spark! as a tool to achieve their goal of sustaining

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STARTUPS

a professional basketball team in Little Rock.

Whitney Gray, Whit’s End Whit’s End is a professional KonMari certified organization service.

Whitney Gray was struggling as a new mom and with organization. When she was diagnosed with ADHD, she realized that she needed different tools to operate efficiently. When Gray discovered the KonMari Method, a new healthier world opened to her. Through the KonMari Method, Gray teaches others how to access a path to wellness through organization and tidying. Gray is passionate about her work because she recognizes that most people become overwhelmed by disorder and clutter at some point in their lives, which prevents people from living their best lives. With compassion and empathy, she leads people to a life that sparks joy.

Benjamin Harrison, FareMarket FareMarket works with Arkansas farmers and producers to bring your favorite farmers’ market items to your door with same-day delivery available on all orders.

In 2019, Benjamin Harrison walked into The Venture Center hoping for advice on a new website idea but walked out with a startup support network. After five years of farming and serving as a food justice advocate, Harrison wanted to explore ways to bring new food businesses to low resource communities, and he knew he had to build it. His e-grocery startup partnered with the urban farming consumer co-op to offer high quality, affordable food. Harrison hopes he is creating a more democratic food system.

Moesha Howard, Infidimensional Skin Infidimensional Skin creates skin care paths for clients to obtain the beautiful skin they deserve, focusing on beauty and wellness through waxing, skincare and relaxation.

Meosha Howard always knew she wanted to work for herself, even at 15 years old, when she got her first job. She describes herself as self-reliant and says this trait motivates her every day. It’s what

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pushes her to succeed and makes her feel connected to herself. Through her spa, she helps her clients feel good about themselves and properly care for their skin. Howard hopes to grow Infidimensional Skin Spa and open locations across Arkansas. “I can barely sleep at night envisioning my business franchising... I would also love to have a skincare and accessory brand in the future,” Howard shared.

Tammy Iosbaker, The Frame Maker The Frame Maker is a custom framing business that helps customers create beautiful and long-lasting art, memories and family heirlooms by using quality conservation materials.

For more than 30 years, Tammy Iosbaker has taken great joy in serving as a professional custom framer. Creating beautiful pieces for people to cherish is her passion, and Iosbaker and her husband decided to venture out to open a business putting her passion to work.

Properly framing and displaying artwork, sentimental or collectable memorabilia, documents and other items requires being informed not only on the aesthetic potential of a piece but also about conservation methods of framing irreplaceable items with sentimental and monetary value. Iosbaker hopes to grow her business to support her family and also to support her local community.

Kissa Kimble, Elite Recruiting Elite Recruiting matches Class A CDL Drivers with career tractor-trailer opportunities.

Before Elite Recruiting, Kissa Kimble was a mother of two, spending 14 hours a day working which left little time for herself or her family. Then, Elite Recruiting presented itself. The hope of spending more time with her family while securing a better financial future propelled Kimble to take the leap into entrepreneurship, and today Kimble works to solve today’s CDL driver shortage. Kimble hopes to continue growing Elite Recruiting and to increase efficiency in all areas of her business.

Soroya Tucker, VLS Waste Solutions VLS Waste Solutions is a valet trash service

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provider devoted to a seamless process that benefits our clients and environment.

Soroya Tucker has goals. As an entrepreneur, she’s looking to identify the gaps in the community’s services and resources, while also making a positive impact on the younger generation. Through her business, Tucker serves her customers with valet trash services for those outside the city limits and in apartments and to serve other areas that need waste management services for beautification.

Tucker is proud to be part of a company bringing jobs to Arkansas and making it a better place to live.

Support for the Spark! cohort With support from the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, Arvest and Arkansas Money and Politics, The Venture Center’s 2021 Spark! Cohort has access to the tools and connections it needs to grow these businesses. Over the course of the fall program, the cohort met weekly to discuss goals and strategies and to practice elevator pitches in hopes of winning the prize pool at November 10’s VC Pitch ‘N Pint event. When entrepreneurs combine heart and drive with tools and resources, success is sure to follow. And these eight Spark! entrepreneurs are fully equipped.

About The Venture Center The Venture Center is a globally recognized Arkansas based Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESO) that helps entrepreneurs turn their start-ups into viable, high-growth businesses. By leveraging the expertise of a worldclass team of mentors, intensive programming, and introductions to the investor community, The Venture Center serves as an engine for economic growth in Arkansas and beyond. Learn more at www.venturecenter.co.

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GRATITUDE FOR ARKANSAS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE GUIDANCE OF MENTORS

By The Venture Center Team

The Venture Center’s mission is to give entrepreneurs the tools they need for success.

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ello, November! At The ing thought or an economy-boosting Venture Center, an atti- business. A mentor can spot strengths in tude of gratitude is our a mentee that they may have never conpractice year-round, but sidered before, changing not only the trathe season gives us a pointed opportunity jectory of the mentee’s life but the lives of to reflect on the generosity surrounding their future employees, the community events they will sponsor, and the customus.

The state of Arkansas, our commu- ers benefiting from their innovations.

This kind of change can be proffered by nity partners, program volunteers and participants have fueled another year of those outside the realm of what a stereosupporting entrepreneurs and innovation typical mentor is, too. Too often, people through education, collaboration, and ac- limit themselves and don’t consider menceleration, and we’re thankful. November torship because they have preconceived notions that a mentor must be an expert is also Global Entrepreneurship Month, a dedicated time to join other Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) to amplify the We d on ’t k n ow wh at power and opportunity entrepreneurship brings. And while ESOs the work place will can provide much-needed access forCutline entrepreneurs to everything here. be a ye ar or 10 ye ars from business resources to skillbuilding workshops, it’s the conf rom n ow, bu t we nection to mentorship that may be most needed today. know t h at e n t reEntrepreneurship requires hope, grit, tenacity and resilience, prene u rs will play a and we’re lucky enough to work with people every day who are leadin g role in ch artstrengthening those very qualities. Since March of 2020, together ing th e cou rse. we have endured a time of stress, disruption, grief, rebuilding and then started over to do it again. It’s a given that this has fundamentally altered everything about our lives and or have a lifetime of experience to be helpbusinesses in ways that we can’t yet mea- ful. Those people couldn’t be more offsure. What we do know is the workplace base, though. Mentors can also be people is undergoing a tremendous change, and who simply take the time to get to know forces like “The Great Resignation” and a mentee and provide support in the best the digital revolution’s increased pace are way they can.

A friend recently posted, “To inspire redefining the nature of work. We don’t know what the workplace will be a year or people, don’t show them your superpow10 years from now, but we know that entre- ers. Show them theirs.” Of all the memes preneurs will play a leading role in chart- and graphics gushing across our collecing the course. Consequently, mentors are tive social media feeds, this one stood out because that is what mentorship is all needed now more than ever.

For a mentee, having a mentor can about. Mentors don’t have all the answers mean the difference in an idea as a fleet- and certainly don’t need superpowers, but

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sharing their time and support is invaluable in helping someone recognize their unique talents and areas of strength.

Connecting a mentee to people who can help with a specific problem, being a confidant when things are particularly difficult, or simply providing frank feedback with the intent to help another person grow are all needs that mentors can fill. On the flip side, though, it’s important to remember that everyone, regardless of age and experience, can benefit from having a mentor. We see it daily in our Spark! program, in our fintech mentorship programs, in VCWoman Achieve and just about every other program. Every person at The Venture Center has a mentor — or multiple mentors — they treasure and lean on for advice, guidance and growth.

During Global Entrepreneurship Month, the many paths to mentorship are center stage for Entrepreneur Support Organizations. Getting involved as a mentor or as a mentee is as easy as connecting with The Venture Center, and if we don’t have the right program or resource for you, we can connect you to the ESO that does. As we journey through what is hopefully a post-pandemic world, we know the last two years have stimulated an incredible volume of startups, entrepreneurship and innovation.

As a result, the time is right to seize the abundant opportunities to get involved with mentorship. And while entrepreneurship and mentorship continue to rise, we’ll continue to hold tight to an attitude of gratitude for entrepreneurs and the mentors helping guide them.

The Venture Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. Find out how to get involved at www.venturecenter.co.

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The Venture Center is the place where entrepreneurs learn, connect, and accelerate their businesses.

EDUCATION

COLLABORATION

ACCELERATION

JOIN US AT VENTURECENTER.CO N OV E M B E R 2 02 1

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DISCOVERY ECONOMICS

BONE OF CONTENTION DR. MARK SMELTZER DEDICATES RESEARCH TO THWARTING A DANGEROUS NEMESIS

D

Dr. Mark Smeltzer

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espite a close relationship spanning decades, Dr. Mark Smeltzer has not developed fond feelings for his professional protagonist, Staphylococcus aureus.

“I am of the personal belief that bacteria do not care about you,” Smeltzer said. “They just don’t want to die. Most people don’t realize that you have a very large number of bacteria living on or in you, mostly on your skin or in your gut, and they live happily there without doing harm and serving some beneficial purposes on your behalf.

“The trouble is when they make their way into places they aren’t supposed to be. When that happens, your body has remarkable systems in place to get rid of them. The result is a battle in which the bacteria are trying to ‘not die.’

“The result of this battle can have very adverse consequences, and this is what is known as an infection. If we can understand what the bacterium is doing to fight its part of the battle, we can develop therapeutic strategies that prevent it from doing that and tilt the balance in favor of you.”

Smeltzer, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and member of the Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) Academy of Scholars and Fellows, has dedicated his research and professional career to dueling with one such microscopic killer that causes the death of nearly 20,000 Americans every year.

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At one point in history, it seemed this threat was neutralized. Before World War II, physicians learned that penicillin could cure Staphylococcus aureus (or staph) infections.

However, by the end of the 1940s, the bacteria began to build a stubborn resistance to penicillin. This progression of introducing a new antibiotic — and the bacterium fighting back by developing resistance to the new antibiotic — has continued to the point that many bacterial species, including S. aureus, have now been designated as ESKAPE pathogens (highly virulent and antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens) owing to the lack of effective antibiotics to treat the infections they cause.

Smeltzer believes addressing this will require a different way of thinking about the problem, and this is what led to his efforts to understand what Staphylococcus aureus needs to do to win the battle and “not die.” He believes he and his colleagues have uncovered a key weapon that S. aureus needs to survive that battle, and that he can exploit to clinical advantage.

Smeltzer said this is particularly important in orthopedic infections including those associated with orthopedic implants — fields of medicine whose technology vastly improves lives, and yet all too often are thwarted by an assassin billions of years old. Specifically, the things Staphylococcus aureus does to “not die” under these circumstances also render conventional antibiotics almost useless.

Smeltzer and his team at UAMS, which in-

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cludes Dr. Karen E. Beenken and a long line of graduate students, are working on a far more targeted approach, based on understanding what S. aureus is doing to survive in the context of complicated orthopedic infections and developing genetic inhibitors (tiny molecules that can prevent the expression of specific genes or alter the function the proteins they encode).

Smeltzer believes such inhibitors could be used to prevent S. aureus from doing what it needs to do to survive this battle, and that this would help eliminate staph infections without the specter of bacterial resistance. Having identified what he believes is an important target, Smeltzer is hoping to identify that inhibitor and use it for practical clinical applications.

Another important consideration is the need to get such an inhibitor, as well as conventional antibiotics when they are available to the site of the battle without causing collateral damage.

“It isn’t often thought of in this way, but antibiotic therapy is chemotherapy, and all chemotherapy has some capacity for off-target adverse effects,” Smeltzer said.

“Thus, antibiotic resistance is not the inability to kill a given bacterial strain with a given antibiotic, but rather the inability to do so without harming the person you are trying to help.”

Orthopedic surgeons often use some form of localized antibiotic delivery to avoid these adverse effects, and the Smeltzer laboratory has also actively investigated methods to optimize such delivery methods. In recent years this led to a collaboration with fellow Academy member Dr. Alex Biris, chief scientist at the Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences at UA Little Rock, who has developed the NuCress™ bone scaffold technology, which promotes healing of large segmental bone breaks.

“Your bone is normally sterile. Your skin is not,” Smeltzer said. “Traumatic injury to the bone often includes pen-

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Smeltzer hopes to utilize technology developed in Arkansas to deliver antibiotics directly to the site of an infection.

etration of the skin, thus introducing bacteria to a place they are not supposed to be. This is when the battle starts, and the consequences can be very serious. To overcome them, you have to both eliminate the bacteria from the bone and repair the damage to the bone.”

Through the NuCress™ scaffold, Dr. Smeltzer hopes to utilize Dr. Biris’ technology to deliver antibiotics directly to the site of infection, thus accomplishing both clinical objectives while at the same time avoiding the unwanted off-target effects. This isn’t as easy as dipping the materials into a flask filled with antibiotics and calling it a day.

With the help of an ARA Impact Grant, Smeltzer has developed a process to determine the optimal amount of antibiotics. In simplified terms, he has developed models that look at effectiveness, concentration and the interaction of the two. Think of Biris’ bone regeneration scaffold as the “antibiotic delivery vehicle” that allows physicians to apply the antibiotic directly to the site where it is needed most. This simultaneously eradicates infection from contaminated bone while restoring its structural integrity.

However, using this approach to deliver conventional antibiotics is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impact Smeltzer’s research may have on medicine. He believes that genetic inhibitors, such as the one he is seeking to counter

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staph infections, can also be incorporated into the bone regeneration scaffold to get an even better therapeutic result, in part by making conventional antibiotics work better. He also believes this approach will lead to an enormous advance in treating all forms of bacterial infections, not just infections related to bone and orthopedic implants, and not just infections caused

by Staphylococcus aureus.

The immediate impact has proven to be of interest to many, including the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), which views this work as a way of saving lives on the battlefield.

“Traumatic injury to the bone is common on the battlefield due to blast injuries and open fractures,” Smeltzer said.

“The DOD, Dr. Biris and I share an interest in minimizing the consequences of such injuries and restoring the men and women who serve our country to good health and, hopefully, continued service.”

Discovery Economics is a monthly feature from the Arkansas Research Alliance highlighting the work of the ARA Academy of Scholars and Fellows. Dr. Mark Smeltzer and his collaborator, Dr. Alex Biris, are members of the Academy. ARA recruits, retainsand focuses strategic research leaders to enhance the state’s competitiveness in the knowledge economy and the production of job-creating discoveries and innovation. Learn more at ARalliance.org.

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DIGS OF THE DEAL

CURRAN HALL’S CURMUDGEONLY PAST

By Katie Zakrzewski

any historic homes throughout the capital city have housed some of Arkansas’ most powerful political figures, some of whom had notorious reputations. Curran Hall is no exception. A host of tragic deaths and Klan violence has created an air of mystery around Little Rock’s Curran Hall, as the Quapaw Quarter Association works to preserve the stories of the structure’s multiple inhabitants.

The construction of Curran Hall began in 1842. Built as a private home by Col. Ebenezer Walters for his pregnant wife, Mary Starbuck Walters, the home was completed in 1843 although despair was mixed into the foundation.

Mary died in childbirth and Walters, devastated and oppressed by the sadness within the home’s walls, promptly sold the property to David J. Baldin before leaving the state. The Baldin family played a large role in the logging industry in Arkansas. In 1849, the property was sold to James Moore Curran, a prominent local lawyer for whom the home is named.

Curran bought the home for his wife, Sophia Fulton, who was the daughter of William Savin Fulton.

Fulton was the last territorial governor of Arkansas, as well as the state’s first U.S. senator.

However, Curran tragically died unexpectedly in October of 1854, ending a promising career in law. Sophie then married Curran’s law partner, George Watkins, and the two quickly left before the beginning of the Civil War. At the end of the Civil War, the home was purchased

by Jacob Frolich, who was a printer, a Confederate veteran and a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Frolich was elected to three consecutive terms as Arkansas’ post-Reconstruction Secretary of State, from 1879 to 1885.

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While Frolich lived in Curran Hall, he was under intense surveillance from the state government, due to heated opposition to the state’s new anti-slavery agenda.

Frolich began to set up traps throughout the house and vacated the premises after he was indicted for murder.

Frolich was accused of murdering Albert Parker, a well-known agent for the Reconstruction government. Frolich avoided arrest by escaping to Canada but returned to Arkansas after the Reconstructionist government collapsed, at which time he was acquitted.

Shelle Stormoe, the membership and activities coordinator for the QQA, alleges that many rumors about Frolich’s renovations to the house have always swirled around the city.

“Because there was so much political violence, there were rumors that Frolich cut holes in the floor to create escape pods for his family, but no evidence for that was found. However, there was a lot of time between the theoretical escape-pod creation and when the building was actually assessed,” Stormoe Construction on explained.

Curran Hall was completed in 1843.

Frolich sold the property (Photo provided) in 1881 to Mary Eliza Bell, the daughter of William E. Woodruff. Woodruff was the founder of the Arkansas Gazette the precursor to today’s daily statewide paper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Her descendants owned the house until 1993 when Averell Tate moved out.

In 1996, the City of Little Rock and the Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission saved the residence from demolition. Then, the Little Rock Visitor Information Center Foundation led the way in renovating Curran Hall for use as Little Rock’s first official visitor

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An illustrated map of Little Rock from 1871 with Curran Hall’s location circled in red.

information center. Six years and $1.4 million later, the house was formally opened to the public as the Little Rock Visitor Information Center on May 18, 2002.

Stormoe admits that reported paranormal activity as unusual as the property’s diverse inhabitants has lingered over the home for decades. She divulged several ghost stories that are associated with the home.

“Ghost stories regarding the property started with Mary Eliza Bell’s brother, Alden Woodruff. He moved into Curran Hall after his house caught fire and told many people in town that he saw ghosts in the house,” Stormoe said.

“While Mary Eliza was out of town on a trip, Alden became convinced that Mary Starbuck Walters haunted the house. He painted the walls and floor of the kitchen black because he was convinced that he would be able to see her ghost better. Obviously, Mary Eliza was not pleased with the renovation,” Stormoe added with a laugh.

Stormoe conceded, however, that many paranormal fans who visit the house have been paid a visit by an apparition who identifies herself as Mary. Some visitors have even captured a voice recording of paranormal phenomena.

“I’ve heard the recordings, and many people say they’ve seen her, but we have no images. People driving past the

A R M ON ARM O NE E YA YA ND ND P PO O LL II TT II C C SS .COM .COM

house at night have told us that they saw someone in a long dress walking back and forth in the house,” Stormoe said.

The list of odd paranormal occurrences doesn’t end there.

“Two weeks ago, I came to work and the alarm was going off. I looked everywhere, and there was not a soul here, and the alarm did not register with the alarm company,” Stormoe said. “We have people who work here now who witnessed a weird thing several years ago. They were prepping to open when the coffee maker started making coffee without being plugged in. A few visitors have been walking through in the past and have seen someone in a 19th-century dress, and some visitors claim to see a man in a Civil War uniform sitting at the table.”

Spooky occurrences aside, Stormoe and other members of the Quapaw Quarter Association have remained determined to help tourists visiting the state with directions and information as well as educating the general public about history across the capital city.

It’s apparent that Curran Hall has been called home by some of Arkansas’ most reputable and notorious residents, from lawyers to politicians and journalists. Curran Hall stands tall 200 years later as a reminder of the state’s colorful past.

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POLITICS

GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES The Race for Secretary of State — Rep. Mark Lowery

By Katie Zakrzewski

This month, AMP launches a series of Q-and-A features with the candidates for Arkansas’ state constitutional and federal offices in 2022. We begin with state Rep. Mark Lowery of Maumelle who is challenging incumbent and fellow Republican John Thurston in the May 24 primary. Also announced for the office are Republican Eddie Joe Williams and Democrat Josh Price. Next month, AMP will feature these candidates, as well as the three candidates seeking to replace Leslie Rutledge as the state’s attorney general. Each month through May, a different group of candidates will be featured.

State Rep. Mark Lowery (R) of Maumelle is serving his fifth term in the Arkansas House, representing District 39. Lowery is running against GOP incumbent John Thurston for secretary of state in 2022. Born in Little Rock to an Air Force family, Lowery graduated from Sylvan Hills High School before receiving a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

AMP: Why are you running for Secretary of State? What are some of your goals?

Lowery: I think election integrity is such a critical issue, and that we have to have someone in the Secretary of State position who is proactive about it. No matter where you stand on what happened in the 2020 elections, there certainly were problems. I think we’ve seen a blueprint that has been developed in other states that could potentially be brought to Arkansas. I started my interest in election integrity when I sponsored the voter ID bill in 2017. Ever since then, I’ve been involved in just about every piece of legislation that deals with election integrity, whether it is the way absentee ballots are processed and tabulated to the way we investigate complaints.

I have a great concern that there are a large number of voter complaints that never get investigated...because people don’t feel that it had the impact of changing the result of the election. But I believe that it’s election fraud or election impropriety, whether it’s one vote or whether it’s 10,000 votes. I think that I have a more proactive attitude about that than the incumbent. Mr. Thurston is a nice man. He’s a nice guy, but as I’ve told people when I make presentations, I think what we need in that position, in light of what happened in 2020, is a fighter and not a figurehead. I believe that I’m uniquely qualified because of the legislation I’ve sponsored to be that fighter.

AMP: Why have you decided to run against an incumbent in your own party?

Lowery: I know it’s a narrow path, and you’re running against an incumbent. But I had a narrow path when I ran for the legislature in 2012. I was running against the sitting city clerk in Maumelle, so I was literally running against city hall, because he had the support of the mayor, the chief of police, the city council... I went door to door and

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was not deterred by anything, including going up to the houses that already had campaign signs for my opponent and talking to the voters. I’d say, ‘I know you’ve already made your mind up, but I want to meet you.’ And I think a lot of people respected that.

One thing I found out is that a lot of people don’t even know who that other candidate is. I think some of the same elements are present in the Secretary of State’s race. Regulars may be supporting Mr. Thurston because he’s the incumbent. But when I go to watermelon festivals and peach festivals and Timber Fest and talk to average Arkansans, they don’t know who their Secretary of State is. And even when they press me to tell them who it is and I tell them his name, they just shrug their shoulders. So I think that word of mouth — talking to these people, going to these conferences or going into these festivals and the word spreading — I think it can happen organically.

AMP: What are some of the key issues in your platform?

Lowery: Well, I’ve been on the education committee all five terms in the legislature; I’ve emphasized greater accountability by individual school districts in the way they spend their money on students. I have pressed on the issue about adequacy in terms of adequate funding, that it should not just be on the backs of the legislature. It also ought to be on the backs of superintendents that they are equitably and correctly spending the money on the students. But I found out more information when I sponsored legislation in 2017 to place a cap on how much the superintendents can just put in the bank and not spend on kids. I found at that point that there was a cumulative amount statewide of $1.6 billion not being spent directly on kids.

So, we passed legislation setting a cap and how much superintendents can hold over. Unfortunately, superintendents have a good way of figuring out how to work around laws, and that $1.6 billion has grown to $2.2 billion, even with the implementation of that bill. The other thing that I’ve been very involved in — I have been the lead sponsor on every piece of legislation tied to homeschooling, starting with the Tim Tebow bill legislation. We enacted that bill in 2013 to allow homeschool students to participate in extracurricular activities, not just athletics, also including band, orchestra, drama, whatever activity a homeschool student may not have available to them because of being homeschooled.

AMP: What do you consider to be your greatest success?

Lowery: One of them was when the governor asked me to be the lead sponsor for productivity funding in higher education. We no longer pay at the state level to universities just based on students being enrolled. Their funding is based on success, whether it’s earning a certificate or whether it’s going on to earn their diploma.

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MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE

Monthly Mental Health Tip:

Nearly one in five adults lives with a mental illness.

Invest in a wellbeing program.

Employers can’t afford to ignore the financial impact mental health has on the workplace.

Absenteeism, lost productivity, decreased retention = $$$$

For more tips on promoting mental health at work.

The BridgeWay is here to assist you.

1-800-245-0011 *National Institute of Mental Health, 2019

Quality Care Rooted in Arkansas

TheBridgeWay.com

Customized physical, occupational and speech therapy programs are conducted by licensed therapists who focus on improving mobility and motor skills following an injury or illness. The enrichment of daily physical function can significantly improve a resident’s selfreliance and overall happiness.

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

Jamestown features separate rooms and private suites with a private entrance for the comfort and convenience of shortterm residents and their families focused on returning home. A full meal service with snacks is prepared daily.

ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING When you buy a hunting and

ARKANSAS GAME

AND

FISH COMMISSION

Licenses and Permits

fishing license, you are giving the gift of the great outdoors.

Hunting and fishing licenses fund conservation, so that wildlife and wild places are available for everyone to enjoy.

Bo Archer CID: #000-000-001 HE Verified DOB: 05/24/1972

BUY A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR A HUNTING OR FISHING LICENSE AT AGFC.COM

THE RETURN OF HAWGBALL UNDER MUSS, RAZORBACK BASKETBALL PRIMED TO REVISIT PAST GLORY

By Mark Carter Photos courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

C

oined in the Nolan days of Arkansas basketball, the term “Hawgball” has become synonymous with prosperity for the Razorbacks, cries of “Hawgball is back, baby!” reverberating through Arkansas households on those sometimes-long winter nights over the past two decades when the Hogs invariably flirted with success — and their fan base would attempt to exhume the spirit of 1994 — but otherwise were mired in mediocrity.

It appears, however, that Hawgball indeed is back. Let that soak in a little more: Arkansas basketball is coming off an Elite 8 run and a top 10 finish; it is ranked 16th in the AP preseason poll, its first preseason ranking since 2007, and Bud Walton Arena, all 19,200 seats of it, is sold out for the entire 2021-22 season.

That’s every ticket, for every game. Sold.

Yes, Hawgball is back, baby.

From the get-go, Eric Musselman has been enthusiastic about his fondness for it and his desire to bring it back. Growing up and into his early adulthood, he followed three teams, he’ll tell anyone who asks, as I did back in 2019 at a Little Rock Razorback Club event, not long after his hiring.

“Believe it or not, it was Arkansas, UCLA and UNLV,” he told me. UCLA, because of its pedigree and his connections to Southern California. The Runnin’ Rebs because, well, a lot of folks adopted Tark and his high-flying band of “men” after they arrived on the national scene with a trip to the 1977 Final Four.

And the Hogs? Once Eddie Sutton placed modern Arkansas basketball on the national stage through a 1978 Final Four run and continued success, and Nolan Richardson took that foundation and built a monster, Hawgball was a national brand.

And Musselman jumped at a chance to be a part of it. Though he had a good thing going at Nevada, the chance to guide a highlevel Power 5 program with resources, and at which basketball was prioritized, was his logical next step. After all, the son of a college and pro head coach, he almost quite literally

had filled every other possible role related to basketball. Arkansas just might represent his chance to finally reach the mountain top.

Entering Year 3 of the Muss Bus tour, Arkansas basketball has returned to the national stage. This resurgence is driven by the coach’s Energizer-bunny work ethic, enthusiasm and complete embrace of the program’s history and traditions.

In just two seasons (one a pandemicshortened season), Musselman has guided the program back to a status it last enjoyed in the 1990s under Richardson. Twenty wins in year one with a possible/probable NCAA berth awaiting before the tournament was canceled due to COVID and in year two — 25 wins, an SEC second-place finish, a top 10 final ranking and an Elite 8 run that included dramatic wins over Texas Tech and ORU now cemented into Razorback lore.

For Hog fandom of late, rarified air.

Musselman, it appears, has fully roused the sleeping giant, now shaking off two decades of slumber. Given his frenetic energy, how could it be anything but fully awakened?

The Hogs, though, lost a lot from last year — 52 points a game and more than a third

Entering Year 3 of the Muss Bus tour, Arkansas basketball has returned to the national stage.

This resurgence is driven by the coach’s Energizerbunny work ethic, enthusiasm and complete embrace of the program’s history and traditions.

Eric Musselman

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Lost, Returning, Incoming LOST: • Moses Moody, NBA lottery pick — 16.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, SEC Freshman of the year, 2nd team all-American, SEC Newcomer of the Year.

• Justin Smith, grad transfer from Indiana — 13.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2nd team all-SEC. • Jalen Tate, graduated — 11 PPG, 3 APG, 2RPG, NCAA all-South Region team.

• Vance Jackson, graduated — 3 PPG, 2 RPG. • Desi Sills, transferred to his hometown Arkansas State — 7 PPG, 2 RPG; preseason all-SEC second team his junior year.

• Ethan Henderson, transferred to Texas A&M — 1 PPG, 1 RPG.

RETURNING: • Devo Davis, 6-4, 180, SO, G — 8 PPG, 4 RPG, 2 APG. • JD Notae, 6-2 190, SR, G — 12 PPG, 3 RPG, SEC 6th man of the year.

• Jaylin Williams, 6-10, 240, SO, F — 3 PPG, 4 RPG. • Connor Vanover, 7-3, 215, JR, F/C — 6PPG, 4 RPG. • K halen “KK” Robinson, 6-0, 180, SO, PG — Missed last season after season-ending injury early, will likely get year back; scored 15 in collegiate debut with three assists, three rebounds and a steal; averaged 11 PPG, 8 APG, 5 RPG, 4 SPG at Oak Hill.

• Kamani Johnson, 6-7, 235, JR, F — redshirted last year after transferring from Little Rock; 11 PPG, 7 RPG his final season at LR.

INCOMING: • Stanley Umude, 6-6, 210, G, grad transfer from South Dakota — 21 PPG, 7 RPG, 3 APG, 3x all-Summit League.

• Chris Lykes, 5-7, 160, PG, grad transfer from Miami — 15 PPG, 5 APG, 4 RPG. • Au’Diese Toney, 6-6, 206, G, transfer from Pitt — 14 PPG, 5 RPG. • Trey Wade, 6-6, 220, F, grad transfer from Wichita State — 6 PPG, 5 RPG. • Chance Moore, 6-5, 195, G — 2020 HS signee, 4-star recruit from Brookhaven, Ga. — 19 PPG 9 RPG in HS.

of all minutes played. One-and-done SEC Freshman of the Year Moses Moody took his 17 points and six rebounds a game to the NBA lottery. Fan favorite and workhorse grad transfer Justin Smith quite simply willed the Hogs to numerous wins, averaging 14 and seven.

(His value to last year’s team is almost immeasurable. With him in the lineup, the Hogs were 24-4. If MVP awards were given to the players who truly were the most valuable to their respective teams, Smith would’ve been the league’s MVP. Instead, he was named a second-team all-SEC selection, a clear snub.)

And de facto point guard Jalen Tate, another senior grad transfer, was one of two Hogs to play every game. He averaged 11 points, four assists and two boards a game and made the NCAA All-South Region team.

Also gone are guard Desi Sills and forward Ethan Henderson to the portal and big man Vance Jackson to graduation, a combined 11 points a game.

Thanks in large part to their work, anticipation for Hawgball is perhaps as high as it’s ever been.

But that anticipation borne of postseason success was only fueled by Musselman’s October signing of two five-star recruits to the 2022 class — Nick Smith, a 6-4 combo guard from North Little Rock, and 6-7 manchild Jordan Walsh from Cedar Hill, Texas.

The Hogs beat out bluebloods for their commitments and currently hold the No. 2 class in the 2022 cycle, according to ESPN. It’s the highest-rated class for Arkansas in the roughly 20 years that recruiting classes have been ranked.

Smith is the No. 6 overall player in the country for ’22, and Walsh is No. 7. They join three ESPN 100 four-stars already committed — 6-3 shooting guard Derrian Ford of Magnolia, 6-6 shooting guard Joseph Pinion of Morrilton and 6-6 small forward Barry Dunning of Mobile, Ala. And as of late October, the Hogs were in the mix to land another five-star in the 2022 class, 6-7 combo guard Anthony Black of Duncanville, Texas.

Hog fans couldn’t have asked for a better coach to navigate the dawning of the transfer portal, but Musselman is proving his chops as

• Jaxson Robinson, 6-6, 185, G, transfer from Texas A&M, 2 PPG, 1 RPG. N OV E M B E R 2 02 1

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Players joined in on a post-game Hog call after the Sweet 16 win over ORU.

a traditional recruiter as well. The portal, however, indeed will help propel the ’2021 Hogs and complement a solid returning foundation.

Returning for the team that gave eventual national champion Baylor its closest game of the tourney (and the only one to play the Bears within 10 points) are 6-4 sophomore guard Devo Davis, 6-2 senior guard JD Notae, 6-10 sophomore forward/post Jaylin Williams and 7-3 junior forward/post Connor Vanover, all but Notae homegrown.

Davis displayed a high motor and elite perimeter defense from the getgo, but his play down the stretch and 14 points a game in the tournament helped elevate him to cult status among the fan base. (He was the first Razorback basketball player to sign an NIL deal.) Notae, the SEC’s 2021 Sixth Man of the Year and a spurt scorer in the Al Dillard mold, averaged 12 points a game and was Mr. Reliable when the Hogs had to have a bucket.

Williams, aka “Tall John Legend,” may have the highest ceiling on the team; he averaged three points and four boards but proved clutch in the home stretch.

And, of course, Vanover (six points, four rebounds) is back, the slender giant of a man who actually requires high ceilings.

His 3-point touch is a legit weapon and his wingspan — at the elbow on offense

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and under the basket on D — can cause problems.

Also back are 6-0 PG Khalen Robinson, the Little Rock native who prepped at Oak Hill and suffered a season-ending foot injury in December, and UA Little Rock transfer Kamani Johnson, a junior 6-7 power forward who averaged 11 points and seven boards for the Trojans in 201920 before his traditional transfer to Fayetteville. He’s a banger at 235 pounds.

Musselman brought in four from the portal, each of whom could be immediate contributors. The biggest portal prize

might be Stanley Umude, a 6-6 highly sought swingman from South Dakota who averaged 21 points, seven boards and three assists a game last year for the Coyotes. Umude is a three-time all-Summit League performer who can score from any spot on the floor.

He’s actually played in Bud Walton, when South Dakota visited in December 2019; Musselman essentially got to scout him. The Hogs won that night 77-56, but Umude had 13 and eight.

Chris Lykes is a 5-7 grad-transfer point from Miami who averaged 15 points, four

Devo Davis

JD Notae

Jaylin Williams

Connor Vanover

Khalen Robinson

Kamani Johnson

Stanley Umude

Chris Lykes

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Cade Arbogast (21), Kamani Johnson (20) and Stanely Umude (0) battle on the boards during the Red-White game held in Barnhill Arena.

For years, Arkansas kids listened as their moms and dads told tales of hardwood glory dating back to the Triplets...

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rebounds and five assists for the Hurricanes.

Remember, that’s against ACC competition.

Though short in stature by D-1 basketball standards, Lykes was named to the preseason all-ACC first team last season. An ankle injury ended his season just two games in, and Lykes is eager to make his final collegiate season count.

Another 6-6 swingman with a motor (and another ACC grad transfer to boot), Au’Diese Toney put up 14 and five for the Pitt Panthers last season. The portal also delivered Wichita State’s Trey Wade — you guessed it, a 6-6 swingman. Wade averaged just seven points but grabbed Au’Diese Toney six boards a game for the Shockers in 2020-21.

Four-star high school signee Chance Moore, a 6-5 swingman from Brookhaven, Ga., was rated the 84th best player in the nation by ESPN. And 6-6 sophomore guard Jaxson Robinson, a budding Jaxson Robinson

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3-point threat, transferred over from Texas A&M. Filling out the bench are walk-ons Lawson Blake of Fayetteville, a 6-10, 225-pound forward who averaged 13 and seven prepping at Link Year in Branson, and redshirting Cade Arbogast, a 6-3 guard from California, who played high school ball at De La Salle for Justin Argenal, brother of new Razorback as-

Trey Wade

Chance Moore

Lawson Blake

Cade Arbogast

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sistant coach Gus Argenal.

Vanover and Williams, of course, will fill space in front of the basket, and both are capable shot blockers, but Musselman’s third installment mostly will be a mid-sized team of bangers that scores from multiple spots — a team of Tony Browns, Lenzie Howells and Ron Huerys, if you will.

The main threats from 3? Notae, both Robinsons and Vanover, although Arbogast can stroke it as well. Despite Musselman’s taste for the long ball (three points are more than two, after all), don’t expect these Hogs to rely on 3-point shooting nearly as much as Arkansas teams have in recent years.

These Hogs will go to the hoop, and the art of the midrange jumper could experience a renaissance this winter in Fayetteville.

SEC media picked Arkansas third behind Kentucky (expected to return to its normal self after a bizarro-world 9-16 campaign) and Alabama. Look for the Hogs and Tide to jockey for that No. 2 position behind the Wildcats, and possibly even supplant them, in the years to come.

It feels like Razorback basketball might actually have cleared a symbolic hurdle, one that plagued it for two decades. Mike Anderson’s final season in Fayetteville, a milquetoast 18-16 campaign in 2019, mirrored most of the last 20 years — blips of hope notwithstanding, rather pedestrian overall.

Anderson’s record of 169-102 overall and 78-64 in conference play, winning percentages of .624 and .549, might be good enough at places like Georgia but at Arkansas, cracks of apathy were starting to show from what had always been considered one of college basketball’s best fan bases.

Bud Walton Arena, however, is no longer crying out through the echo of empty seats. (Although to be fair, 95 percent of college basketball programs would kill to average home crowds of even 10,000, very much an off night in Fayetteville.)

For years, Arkansas kids listened as their moms and dads told tales of hardwood glory dating back to the Triplets, of beating mighty UCLA on the way to the ’78 Final Four; of US Reed getting tripped against Indiana State; of Eddie and Abe and Joe and Akeem; of May-Day and Big O; of Big Nasty and Scotty’s rainbow 3. “I wish you could experience that,” they’d tell their eager young fans. “But just wait. It’ll be that way again.”

It looks like “again” may have arrived. It looks like Hawgball is back, and it’s taking the Muss Bus. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

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2021-22 Schedule Tues., Nov. 9

Mercer

7 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 13

Gardner-Webb

TBA

Wed., Nov. 17

Northern Iowa

7 p.m.

Mon., Nov. 22

Kansas State (Hall of Fame Classic in KC)

8 p.m.

Tues., Nov. 23

Cincinnati or Illinois (Hall of Fame Classic in KC)

TBA

Sun., Nov. 28

Penn

3 p.m.

Wed., Dec. 1

UCA

Sat., Dec. 4

Little Rock

TBA

Tues., Dec. 7

Charlotte

8 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 11

Oklahoma in Tulsa

Sat., Dec. 18

Hofstra in LR

Tues., Dec. 21

Elon

Wed., Dec. 29

at Mississippi State

Tues., Jan. 4

Vanderbilt

7:30 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 8

at Texas A&M

12 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 12

7 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

TBA

6 p.m.

8 p.m.

Missouri

8 p.m.

TBA

Sat., Jan. 15

at LSU

Tues., Jan. 18

South Carolina

Sat., Jan. 22

Texas A&M

7:30 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 26

at Ole Miss

6 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 29

West Virginia (SEC-Big 12 Challenge)

Wed., Feb. 2

at Georgia

6 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 5

Mississippi State

7:30 p.m.

Tues., Feb. 8

Auburn

6 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 12

at Alabama

11 a.m.

Tues., Feb. 15

at Missouri

8 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 19

Tennessee

TBA

Tues., Feb. 22

at Florida

6 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 26

Kentucky

1 p.m.

Wed., March 2

LSU

8 p.m.

Sat., March 5

at Tennessee

TBA

SEC Tournament in Tampa

TBA

March 9-13

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6 p.m.

1 p.m.

N OVE M B E R 2021

Giving theGift of the Outdoors

T

he popularity of stocking stuffers has necessitated the small gifts as borderline requirements during the holiday season. Sure, the large presents will always win the day — a diamond pendant for her, a new pitching wedge for him, or the latest gaming console for the kiddos. But the mantel ought also be dangling boot-looking gift holsters, filled to the brim with lagniappes of all varieties.

And everyone has a supposed guide to stuffing your loved one’s stockings, from Country Living to the New York Times. A virtual trip to Amazon will even feature a seasonal

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subcategory on its homepage centered around the fireplace hangers, “Best Stocking Stuffers 2020.” But there’s something missing from nearly all of these idea lists, something that will reward you with much more appreciation from your recipient than tabletop bowling or a coffee mug warmer: the gift of the outdoors.

Fortunately for us Arkansas folk, we live in a Natural State that is rife with opportunities for outside entertainment, and we have the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) from which to give and get our gifts from — both literally and figuratively.

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HUNTING LICENSES We’ve gone without a lot of our usual traditions this year, but hunting was not one of those things. It roared back into scope last month while both deer and duck hunters breathed a collective sigh of relief that it did not succumb to 2020 like (almost) everything else.

While the hunter in your life is perched silently in a blind or waist-deep in a frigid pond, there’s no better time to ensure a next season for them than by getting a jump start on a 2021 hunting license.

For enthusiasts under the age of 16, the fee is free; you need only obtain an officially licensed ID for them on agfc.com (which is also free). For everyone else, there is a wide range of options to stocking stuff.

There’s the Resident Sportsman’s License ($25), which allows the holder to hunt with modern gun, muzzleloader or bow, and also includes two turkey tags and six deer tags; a waterfowl stamp ($7), which entitles all holders of hunting licenses to skyward prey; or even a Nonexpiring Lifetime Resident Hunting and Fishing Sportsman’s Permit ($1,000), providing both hunting and fishing licenses for life. Visit agfc.com/en/resources/licensing/huntinglicenses/ for more information.

FISHING LICENSES The art of angling has played out similarly to that of hunting this year; as most of the events inside four walls became causes for health concerns, activities spent with Mother Nature were given the green light.

The AGFC offers a plethora of fishing license options, such as the general, Resident Fisheries Conservation License ($10.50), entitling Arkansans to fish with sport fishing tackle; a Resident Trout Permit can be tacked on ($10) to fish and retain those species; or a Combination Sportsman’s License ($35.50), providing the privileges of both the generic hunting and fishing licenses.

Visit agfc.com/en/resources/licensing/fishinglicenses/ for more information.

COMMERCIAL LICENSES Outside of the standard-issue fare, the Commission also offers various Commercial Licenses, such as a Resident Fur Dealer ($50); Resident Trapper’s Permit (free); Wildlife Breeder/Dealer’s Permit ($75); Commercial Wildlife Hunting Resort Permit ($600); and the Game Bird Shooting Resort Permit ($250).

Visit agfc.com/en/resources/licensing/ commercial-licenses/ for more information.

THE GIFT OF GIVING

The best part about giving the gift of the outdoors is that you are essentially buying two presents — one for the recipient, the other for the AGFC. Only a small segment of the Commission’s annual budget comes from the Conservation Sales Tax implemented in 1996. For the remaining sums, the AGFC has to pool resources from a variety of mediums, including a sizable share from licenses.

But recently, those monies have fallen into a consistent decline. Over the past five years, fishing license sales have decreased significantly, from 519,816 to 432,505. Hunting licenses tell a similar tale.

With each license sold, the Commission can fulfill its vital mission — to protect, conserve and renew the many resources that make up our Natural State, ensuring that outdoor enthusiasts of all types have bountiful opportunities available to them, from this generation to the next.

So, step outside the box this holiday season and give the gift of the outdoors. Like cousin Eddie says in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, “That’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.” A ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

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Best g n i h s i fSpots IN ARKANSAS

by Species

By Dustin Jayroe

our line is spooled, rods all accounted for, and your tackle box restocked. Your bobbers, weights and lures are all organized to the color. There might have been some winter-weather-induced boredom behind that Marie Kondo-esque tidiness to your tackle, and things may not look that neat by summer’s end, but either way — the time has come to put it all to good use. To cast your line and try to land a hook in what lurks beneath the water’s surface.

But just as polarity and superstition can surround the bait and artificials of preference, so too can it encompass one of the most important decisions of all: where to fish. Here are a few of our favorites, broken down by species.

Walleye

Crappie

Like with trout, the Natural State is well-known for its ample and sizable population of walleye. And also like trout, walleye are cool water fish, commonly found in streams, rivers, clean lakes and tailwaters.

Many anglers consider the crappie as the hidden gems of the fishing world, so to speak. Not only is the species one of the best-tasting freshwater fish around, it generally takes a little more work to find. However, crappie typically congregate in schools, so once tracked down it’s bound to be a productive day on the water.

LAKES

RIVERS

-

-

Bull Shoals Lake Greers Ferry Lake Lake Catherine Lake Greeson Lake Hamilton Lake Ouachita Lake Norfork

Black River Current River Eleven Point River Kings River Spring River White River ate

R e co

r d

St

22 pounds, 11 ounces; Greers Ferry Lake (1982)*

LAKES

RIVERS

-

- Mississippi River - Spadra Creek - White River

Beaver Lake Bull Shoals Lake Cane Creek Lake Lake Conway Lake Dardanelle Lake Greeson Lake Overcup Nimrod Lake

cor d W

2011

e •M

ingo C

St at

ee

5 pounds

C ra p pi

k

h

i te

e

Re

r

*Also the 12-pound-line-class World Record.

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Trout The state is probably most renowned to visitors for its abundant trout fishing opportunities, thanks in large part to the fisheries developed over the past 50 years by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC).

-

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Arkansas also has a very good track record when it comes to bass fishing, especially largemouth bass. The species is very available practically anywhere in the state, but a few spots can churn out bigger splashes than others. And as the warmer weather turns the clock on the largemouth’s return to shallower waters, this time of year is perfect for anglers.

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STATE RECORD • Cutthroat Trout: 10 pounds, 2 ounces; White River (2018) • Lake Trout: 11 pounds, 5 ounces; Greers Ferry Lake (1997)

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Beaver Lake Bull Shoals Lake DeGray Lake Greers Ferry Lake Lake Chicot Lake Conway Lake Dardanelle Lake Greeson Lake Millwood Lake Norfork Lake Ouachita Mallard Lake Table Rock Lake

STATE RECORD •L argemouth Bass: 16 pounds, 8 ounces; Mallard Lake (1976)

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Catfish If crappie is among the most delicious fish to eat from Arkansas’ waters, then catfish have just as much a case to make on that front. (Which is best probably comes down mostly to personal preference.) Catfish is also one of the largest game fish in the state and among the most plentiful species as well.

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THE LAST WORD

STILL SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

By Kenneth Heard

I

’ve always been one to look for the deeper meaning of things, the true heart of an issue or the real drive of what it all means.

Once, when a relationship I was in was doomed, the girl wanted us to go to couples counseling. After speaking with the counselor for a while, he solemnly told me I tended to analyze things too much.

I paused, and then said, “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Maybe the desire for the answers was what led me into a career in print journalism. It may have helped me understand the 2014 elections and foreshadowed the writing on the wall of the 2016 presidential contest.

I’ve asked a lot of questions since then, my pen poised over my reporter’s notebook waiting for that enlightenment. Most of the time, I was disappointed.

I once interrupted former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Preacher Roe’s dinner in West Plains, Mo., to ask him about the famous home run Bobby Thomson hit for the New York Giants against the Dodgers in the 1951 National League playoffs. The homer prompted Giants’ radio announcer Russ Hodges to make his famous “Giants win the pennant, Giants win the pennant!” call.

I knew Roe was there and thought maybe he’d offer some behind-the-scenes insight into the iconic hit. Instead, pausing between chews, he merely said, “Thomson hit the ball so hard, if it didn’t clear the wall, it would have knocked it over.”

That was it. No strategy to pitch around Thomson, no tales of the emotions following the heartbreaking loss for Roe. And once, I got to meet my musical hero, Joe Cocker. A friend of mine played trumpet with him during Cocker’s U.S. tour a few years earlier, and we were able to see him in Memphis. After bowing to him and acting like a giddy school girl, I told him I thought he covered songs better than the original artists, including the Beatles. In an attempt to experience a deep learning moment, I asked him if he realized how he provided the soundtrack to so many lives with his music.

He was humble, saying critics weren’t as kind, and then he summoned a memory.

“A man thanked me for ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On,’” Cocker told me, referring to one of his songs. “He came home one night, and his wife was in bed and was only wearing a hat.”

A boyish twinkle appeared in his eye. “He got laid,” he said.

It wasn’t really the deeper meaning of life I was seeking, but I forged on.

While the northeast Arkansas bureau correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for nearly 20 years, I asked tons of probing questions and looked for those deep meanings.

I may have found the deepest in the lobby of the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock. I had come to Little Rock to help the paper cover the November elections in 2014. The paper put me up in the hotel for the night after a late evening of coverage. Tom Cotton,

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the Republican candidate, had just defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor in the U.S. Senate race.

I had covered Cotton’s campaign stops in northeast Arkansas during the election, but never actually spoke with him. He had a tendency to duck away from the media after his events.

I thought that night in the Wyndham, maybe I could find him after his victory.

It was nearing 1:30 a.m. The hotel was quiet, but lights shone from a large ballroom where Cotton had held his election watch. I neared the entrance, and then I saw it. The meaning of the election; the true symbol of what was to come.

Two boozy women wearing plastic Cotton hats at jaunty angles stumbled out of the room. They were holding half-inflated helium balloons and giggling as they collided into each other while they walked.

“Is Tom Cotton in there?,” I asked.

“Who?” one asked, and I gave up.

But I saw it. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote about seeing the true American dream in his novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, when he saw the desperation on the faces of those eating at a breakfast diner before trying to recoup their losses at Vegas’ casinos.

It may have not been as much an epiphany as Thompson’s, but I saw the meaning of that election. Two years later, Donald Trump threw his hat into the presidential ring and the circus began; the inebriated women may have been a good indication of things to come in the ensuing years.

I’ve been out of news for four years now, but I still search for those answers. There are times, though, I may not like what I discover.

Kenneth Heard was the Jonesboro bureau correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette from 1998 to 2017 and has more than 30 years of experience in journalism. Ken and his wife, Holly, live in Jonesboro.

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DESIGN AWARDS | 2021 A SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS MONEY & POLITICS • NOVEMBER 2021

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2021 | FROM THE PRESIDENT

These awards were recently highlighted in our chapter’s state convention and second virtual design awards event held in late October.

Architects, design professionals, allied members, clients, and friends joined to celebrate these accomplishments.

40 entries were submitted by member firms in the Design Awards Program. The jury identified 8 finalists in the categories of Merit, Honor, and Citation awards. We are grateful for the time and effort of our wonderful jury. The jurors, from Mexico City included Fernando Vasconcelos- Architecture & Design Chair at GFA, Loreta Castro Reguera-CoFounder of Studio Taller Capital and Diego Ricalde-Partner at Estudio MMX. JONATHAN OPITZ, AIA PRESIDENT, AIA ARKANSAS

1 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS

As the 2021 President of AIA Arkansas, I’m honor to present to you this year’s AIA Design Awards publication highlighting our chapter’s achievements through our Design Awards Program and our Chapter Awards. These individuals and projects represent the accomplishments of our state’s architects, consultants, contractors, building owners, and clients. We are very proud of the high quality of work the state of Arkansas is able to produce yearly.

In addition to jury selected recipients, our Chapter honors two additional recipients through the Member’s Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award is an award that allows the public to view all entries and choose their favorite project.

The cover of this year’s publication highlights the 2020 Member’s Choice Award winner, Miller Creative Quad designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox in Conway, Arkansas. Selected by the AIA Arkansas membership.

This year’s chapter awards are as follows: The Emerging Professional Award is intended to recognize a young professional, practicing for 10 years or less, who has expanded the role of the architect through civic participation and professional mentorship. This year’s recipient is Amanda Sturgell, AIA. Amanda has used her talents to serve our organization and others around the state through her volunteering and philanthropic efforts. She is a passionate, civic-minded architect and leader demonstrated personally and professionally through her deep commitment to the betterment of our communities and the state at large. Her volunteer involvement includes AIA Emerging Professionals Committee, AIA Sustainability Committee, AIA Diversity Committee, studioMAIN, PopUp Benton, the Alex Foundation, and the Arkansas Stem Coalition. She was also the project architect for Polk Stanley Wilcox’s award winning Jacksonport State Park Visitors Center for the Arkansas Department of Heritage.

The Award of Merit is AIA Arkansas’s recognition of an individual, public official, member of any allied profession, public agency, or company that through interest, activity, and concern with the profession of architecture, shall have advanced the cause of good planning and design and/or contributed to the dignity and value of the architecture profession. This year’s recipient is Dean Peter MacKeith, Assoc. AIA, the dean and professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas. Dean MacKeith is nationally recognized design educator and administrator, having twice been recognized by Design Intelligence as a “design educator of the year” and twice by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture with national awards for “creative achievement in design education”, for his design studio teaching and curatorial work. Dean MacKeith serves as chair of the advisory committee for the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program. He also serves as Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Campus Architecture and Design at the U of A. Dean MacKeith is overseeing the design and construction of the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, a regional center for research and development of new wood products and new approaches in sustainable construction materials.

AIA Arkansas’ Diversity Award was established to recognize and individual, public agency, organization or company for exemplary commitment and contributions to inclusiveness within the architectural profession and education in the state of Arkansas. This year’s recipient is WER Architects and Brandon Bibby, AIA for creating the “Building Momentum” program. The WER design team developed a program to extend an educational partnership with school districts across the state and expose students to the accessibility of a future in design. The goal of the program is to improve access through an outreach consisting of an interactive presentation, for Middle and High School students to introduce them to the architectural profession.

I hope everyone enjoys this publication; it does a wonderful job showcasing the amazing talent and projects we have in Arkansas. Congratulations to all the award winners! I appreciate you talking the time to celebrate with us.

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2 AIA 2019 DESIGN AWARDS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS | 2021 AIA AWARDS 1 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 3 HONOR AWARDS 6 MERIT AWARDS 11 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 12 2020 MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARD ON THE COVER

14 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Yume Rudzinski earned a Bachelor of Architecture and a Minor in Gerontology at Syracuse University. Over 28 years of professional practice, Yume has worked on a range of public and private projects such as schools, museums, hospitals, nursing homes, multi-family and variety of commercial buildings.

She taught in the School of Architect at K-State and University of Arkansas until 2006, when she established Architects 226 in Fayetteville with her partner, Russell Rudzinski. Currently Yume works as an owner’s representative for a group of private investors in Northwest Arkansas where her experience as an architect contributes to successful collaborative projects. During her free time, she manages the Northwest Arkansas High School Hockey team and volunteers at St. Joseph Catholic School and Church.

15 REMAINING PROJECTS 20 JUDGES

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HONOR AWARD | RED BARN

3 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION

Red Barn is a carefully crafted Agri-hood in Bentonville, Arkansas. The design is contextually sensitive, deriving materiality from the simplistic vernacular forms of the site and region. A blend and balance of townhomes and flats are designed with ample outdoor spaces to enrich the experience of the agriculture that is produced on site to create a strong live, work, and play community.

OWNER/CLIENT: GREEN CIRCLE PROJECTS

As Bentonville is rapidly expanding, this project seeks to be a counterpoint to basic suburban sprawl and a heavy departure from the woes of typical suburban apartment architecture. While sprawl puts a strain on municipal infrastructure, hinders watersheds, and destroys valuable farmland – this project specifically celebrates and respects the agricultural DNA of Northwest Arkansas by following a few key sustainable ideals of conservation planning principles, preserving state-significant soils while retaining and enhancing heritage fields, leveraging agriculture as a community-building amenity, continuing the city’s dedication to trail connectivity, and living the “Arkansas lifestyle.”

PROJECT TEAM: CHRIS BARIBEAU, AIA, CORY AMOS, AIA JODY VERSER, AIA DANIEL AROS, ASSOC. AIA GRAHAM PATTERSON, ASSOC. AIA PHILLIP RUSK, ASSOC.

Vernacular agricultural forms are singular in nature, simple in material palette, and timeless. The expression of the flats reflects the calmness of the native agricultural forms on the site. Metal panel facades are drawn from barns, chicken houses, and sheds seen locally. This industrial material is juxtaposed with wood screens and large screen porches. Parking is both garage and surface parking clusters along the “allee” space between the flats and townhouses. The townhouses, both in massing and material, draw from traditional town forms.

White board and batten, cedar, and warm gray brick take traditional local materials in a modern direction.

While the flats connect to the site through large screened porches that look onto the forests and fields, the townhouses connect at the ground, through neighborhood lawns and community spaces.

AIACONSULTANTS: LAND3 STUDIO, ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP, RLG, ENGINEERING ELEMENTS

This project provides young professionals, growing families, and older couples a unique opportunity to live in close proximity to downtown Bentonville, but also a unique “Ozark living” experience -- in a neighborhood designed with architecture and landscape carefully considered as an enhancement to the land, not a dominating force over the historical, agrarian context.

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

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HONOR AWARD | THADEN SCHOOL BIKE BARN

4 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: THE THADEN SCHOOL PROJECT TEAM: MARLON BLACKWELL, FAIA MERYATI BLACKWELL, AIA JOSH MATTHEWS, AIA CONSULTANTS: TAYLOR + MILLER LIGHT

The Thaden School is a new independent middle and high school in Bentonville, Arkansas; endowed and structured to allow students from all socio-economic backgrounds to attend. The unique curriculum combines academic excellence with learning by doing in three signature programs: Wheels, Meals, and Reels. Through its partnerships with community organizations in the visual and culinary arts, and organizations promoting health, physical activity, cycling, and community service, the school provides students with opportunities to learn both on and off-campus. The school’s “whole student / whole body” pedagogy features indoor and outdoor learning opportunities.

Tapping into an expanding cycling culture in the region, the Bike Barn is integrated into a network of pedestrian pathways that connect the Thaden School to a larger system of trails that extend throughout Northwest Arkansas. Sited on a berm on the eastern edge of campus next to the soccer field, cyclocross, and pump track, the Bike Barn transfigures the vernacular of the region into an athletic facility. Starting with the profile of a gambrel barn, (made prolific in the region for its expansive storage capacity) the Bike Barn reconfigures that profile to create maximum flexibility for a variety of sports including volleyball, basketball, and cycling, while also providing bike storage and support facilities.

As with any good barn, the interior space is the direct result of structural clarity and economy.

Consequently, the spring point of the gable is

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set to provide the greatest height below the trusses. Working with a local manufacturer who normally fabricates trusses for suburban homes, the main truss was developed collaboratively using local materials and experience. Structural steel, mostly in the form of flitch plates, was used sparingly to reinforce the predominantly wood structure. A literal ‘barn raising,’ the twelve (12) primary trusses were hoisted into place above built-up wood columns, revealing a modified gambrel profile that results in a spacious, light-filled interior.

Naturally, the entire exterior is clad in wood, locally-sourced cypress backed continuous copper insect screen and finished in a combination of traditional red barn paint.

A clear finish is also used where the wood is protected, mainly on the west side where the volume of the barn is carved away to form a wide porch facing the soccer field, providing shelter and shade for spectators. Except for storage and locker rooms, the entire space is naturally ventilated through the combination of open joints in the cypress board siding, vented skylights, and a series of roller doors that open to the surrounding landscape.

As the largest producer of timber in the South, Arkansas has historically harvested timber that is sent elsewhere. In contrast to this history of extraction, the Bike Barn explores the specific material culture of timber and wood in Arkansas, building on the longstanding legacy of light-framed, wooden Ozark barns.

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HONOR AWARD | THE METEOR

5 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER HUFFT

FIRM: HUFFT CONTRACTOR: DAVE GRUNDFEST COMPANY LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: THE METEOR PROJECT TEAM: BRAD KINSLEY, AIA ERICA BLANSIT, ASSOC. AIA CONSULTANTS: STRUCTURAL - GORE 227 INC. MEP - CORE STATES GROUP LANDSCAPE - ECOLOGICAL DESIGN GROUP

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The Meteor’s mission is to combine “truly great coffee and bikes.” Recognizing Northwest Arkansas’s growing reputation for world-class cycling, founders Chris St. Peter and Doug Zell relocated the Little Rock location to Bentonville.

The design process began with a simple existing metal shed. We carved into the structure with new glazing, opening the building up to the community. A custom perforated metal screen notates the front entry, and also connects the exterior of the café and bike shop. Designed with cycling and coffee lovers in mind, the space is honest and raw. Bespoke vintage finds are showcased alongside authentic industrial pieces. Even the furniture speaks to the impression of The Meteor being a little different than the average coffee shop. Custom-designed café tables and chairs speak to the same design elements that make the space – raw material, brand colors and geometric shapes to bring a funky edge. The interior is warm, inviting and minimal, reflecting an environment that’s welcome to anyone on and off two wheels.

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MERIT AWARD | HOBBS STATE PARK TRAIL STRUCTURES

6 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER HUFFT

FIRM: HUFFT CONTRACTOR: BOULDER CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: ROGERS, AR OWNER/CLIENT: ARKANSAS PARKS & RECREATION FOUNDATION; ARKANSAS STATE PARKS PROJECT TEAM: BRAD KINGSLEY, AIA MATTHEW HUFFT, AIA BRANDEN VISSAT JOSH OGREN ALEX MILLER SCOTT BEATTIE BURGESS ZBRYK CONSULTANTS: STRUCTURAL - MARTIN/MARTIN CONSULTING ENGINEERS DIGITAL MODELING - EVOLVELAB

State parks as a whole seek to get people on foot or bike to explore nature and their surroundings. These structures are all about getting out to the most beautiful parts of the park, setting the stage for an immersive experience. The design team worked with the client, trail designer and state park personnel to document and evaluate where exceptional key moments should be placed to heighten exceptional geological features, specific views or a unique experience. In order to focus design efforts and the client’s budget, the team focused on two specific experiences: Departure, and Destination.

State Park - sink holes, and rock outcroppings.

An innovative parametric design process was utilized by the in-house fabrication team to optimize the design and use the least amount of materials possible. Designers worked directly with fabricators to study and evaluate options, which lead to a seamless process between design and fabrication. Stacked steel tubes were carefully arranged to form the parabolic shape. from a distance, the structures are understood as formal volumes. Up close, though, the stacks create a finer, tactile element to interact with and experience the park’s surroundings from a different perspective.

The goal of the Departure was to create an interaction with artistic elements, while also providing a functional space for pre-ride, and post-ride gatherings. It was important to foster the sense of community that has developed in the mountain bike community in Northwest Arkansas.

Adventurers along the trails can find themselves between, under or inside the shells.

The materials respond to the duality between the monumental scale of the forest, and the granularity of its underbrush. The trailhead offers a welcoming bewelcoming launching and landing point for adventure. It makes the experience one to be shared. The camping structures are what make the Monument Trail at Hobbs State Park a destination. They invite visitors to stop, spend a night and watch the park take on its various looks as it turns from day to night and day again. These sites have been received as an invaluable asset and amenity, with a distinct and distinguishing twist in a state that is already known for outdoor experiences. The structures are recognizable objects along the trail, centering adventurers within the landscape and creating a sense of place.

For the Destination, the team focused on the state park and trail systems biggest asset - the adjacency to Beaver Lake and subsequent shoreline. We identified an ideal camping spot based on geography, views, and location along the trail. Similar to the trailhead, the design aimed to elevate the experience for the user beyond a typical primitive campsite experience.

The parabolic shape of the Hobbs trail structures complements the landscape, inspired by two naturally-occurring features in Hobbs

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MERIT AWARD | SUE WALK BURNETT JOURNALISM AND STUDENT MEDIA CENTER

7 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER ARCHITECTURAL IMAGEWORKS - GAYLE BABCOCK

FIRM: MAHG ARCHITECTURE, INC. CONTRACTOR: CDI CONTRACTORS LOCATION: KIMPEL HALL UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS OWNER/CLIENT: UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PROJECT TEAM: GALEN HUNTER, AIA TRAVIS BARTLETT, AIA MICHAEL LEJONG, AIA, NATHANIEL DEASON, AIA ANDREW WELLS, FAIA JASON HAINLINE, AIA JOEY HAMM, AIA CONSULTANTS: MYERS ENGINEERING, HOWELL & VANCUREN, MORRISON-SHIPLEY ENGINEERS, BERNHARD TME, THRESHOLD ACOUSTICS, ENTEGRITY

Located at one of the most active pedestrian zones on the University of Arkansas campus, this small addition places the student run UATV on display. It’s prominent site at the threshold of the historic campus elevates the identity of the Department of Journalism, but offered significant challenges being constructed on top of an existing 200 seat lecture hall below grade. The design response conveys simplicity and restraint, emphasizing a new, more welcoming pedestrian experience at the intersection.

An angled glass aperture breaks the broadcast’s “fourth wall,” allowing visitors to observe activities within, while framing camera views of the historic campus beyond. Entry to the original building was hidden by large planters at the intersection. These were removed and replaced with a cascading stair leading to an upper terrace providing a place for students to connect with a sibling open space across the intersection.

The addition’s form is intentionally spare, contrasting with its surrounding historic neighbors, but with a nod to their slate roof shingles. It’s charcoal terracotta skin is taut, revealing only two interior spaces – the studio itself, and master control. After sundown, light spills onto the adjacent street from these spaces signaling the dedication of journalism to the community.

MERIT AWARD | TANGLEWOOD CABIN

8 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: INSITE CONSTRUCTION, INC. LOCATION: ROGERS, AR OWNER/CLIENT: LEAH AND DAN CURRY PROJECT TEAM: MARLON BLACKWELL, FAIA MERYATI BLACKWELL, AIA JUSTIN HERSHBERGER, AIA SPENCER CURTIS, AIA CONSULTANTS: ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS, INC., STUART FULBRIGHT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

Nestled along a remote bluff overlooking Beaver Lake in the Ozark Mountains, the Tanglewood Cabin is a weekend retreat designed to eventually become a full-time residence. The cabin is born of a desire to engage the surrounding landscape while offering security and shelter, balancing prospect and refuge. The steep oneand-a-half-acre lot has an average slope of over 40%, except for a small terrace where the cabin sits. The cabin overlooks an 80-foot drop to the lake below, sited to carefully frame views of the lake and surrounding forest.

The cabin is a stoic mass in the landscape, with a restrained material palette and strategically composed openings, mainly directed towards the lake. The cabin draws inspiration from the dogtrot typology, arraying the interior family functions around a central porch, forming a ‘U’ shape. The volume and form of the cabin are the direct result of the plan, shaped to conform to the site, projecting slightly over the edge of the slope. The broad south face emphasizes the orientation of the cabin to Beaver Lake, re-presenting the rugged beauty of the Ozarks and offering a respite within the secluded landscape. A slight inflection in the southern edge emphasizes the location and importance of the living area.

The simple plan is wrapped in a dark shell that provides a mysterious, quiet elevation upon arrival, except for a generous entry porch that introduces the material logic. The sides and

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rear of the cabin are clad in locally sourced cypress with a charred finish, providing a durable, low-maintenance exterior for the remote cabin. The roof and remaining face that overlooks the lake are clad in metal panels, as they naturally have limited access for maintenance. The finish of the metal panels recalls the sheen and quality of light of the water below, eventually giving way to floor to ceiling glass and a large, carved porch.

The porch and adjacent bedroom are clad in clear cypress, clearly establishing the difference between the dark, stoic exterior shell, and the rich, warm interior. The cypress ceiling expands throughout the interior but breaks to create a more expansive section as the cabin moves towards the lake. Generous spans of glass fold in from the southern façade, connecting the living and dining area to the porch, and ensuring natural light reaches deep into the cabin.

In this compact footprint, every space is used, so circulation spaces are enlarged to become flexible spaces for the life of the home to be celebrated, whether work or play. Along these spaces, carefully composed windows frame dynamic views and bring in soft daylight.

Each window is calculated to present views both near and far of the Ozark landscape.

The Tanglewood Cabin transforms a classic, vernacular approach, bending it to create a modern, comfortable, and timeless home.

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MERIT AWARD | ASC ARTS X3

9 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS

PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: AMR ARCHITECTS, INC CONTRACTOR: EAST HARDING CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: PINE BLUFF, AR OWNER/CLIENT: THE ARTS & SCIENCE CENTER FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS PROJECT TEAM: JONATHAN OPITZ, AIA HEATHER DAVIS, AIA JAMES SULLIVAN, AIA DAVID COWAN, AIA KYLE HEFLIN, ASSOC. AIA KATE EAST, ASID CAROLINE SMITH CONSULTANTS: MCCLELLAND CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC., ECI, INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC., LUCAS, MERRIOTT, & ASSOCIATES

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When the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC) first looked at expanding nextdoor, they looked at it through an ambitious lens of how to honor the past legacy of Downtown Pine Bluff, the history of the building, and the origin story of their own organization while still addressing and adapting to the current needs of the city, community, and their patrons. Downtown Pine Bluff, Arkansas was once one of the three largest concentrations of AfricanAmerican owned businesses in the entire United States. In its heyday, the ARTSpace side of the existing building was a firehouse, dairy creamery, and an auto parts store. It was this synergy that the design team used as a primary focus in the overall design and concept of the project. The client’s vision was to have three distinct art related components combined between these two historic buildings: The ARTSpace on Main, ART Works on Main, and the ARTS Yard.

These spaces together are referred to as the ASC ARTS x3 by the owner.

As phase I of this project, the northern half of the building was renovated to be the new home for ASC’s ARTSpace. This portion houses art galleries, multi-purpose spaces, costume storage and a multiuse shop for set building for the ASC Theater. The existing commercial storefronts were replaced with bi-fold garage doors similar to the original firehouse doors. On both the first and second floor, large garage doors divide each space to allow the building to use each space individually or all in unison for one large event. The series of glass garage doors also allows for the visual connection from Main Street all the way through the building to the ARTS Yard behind it. On the second floor, new skylights have been installed in the original openings to again allow natural light to permeate more evenly in the center of the building.

All of the exterior brick and original window openings remain, with any damage repaired and restored.

A large portion of the historic tin ceilings has been reused in the Event Space. The new stair was added in a newly created two story volume that allows visitors to see and interact on both levels simultaneously, while also pulling natural light and the connection to 13 3

Main Street further into the space.

The ARTS Yard is located behind the ARTSpace, and can act independently or as an extension of the program for both the ARTSpace and the ART Works buildings. It is a gated multi-use space that serves several purposes including space for outdoor pottery wheel classes, welding, outdoor movies and shows, bike repair workshops for the community, and overflow space for the shop when it’s fabricating sets and scenes for performances.

As phase II of the renovation and the southern portion of the building, ART Works furthers ASC’s mission of community engagement, but in a different vehicle. This building was still an active auto parts shop when phase one, ARTSpace, began construction. The idea with ART Works was to create a multiuse flexible black box theater to complement ACS’s established more traditional theater. The building is connected both internally and externally to the ARTSpace and the ARTS Yard to allow all three elements to work together and reconfigure as needed.

Along with the black box theater, ART Works also has a ticket and concession stand, a lobby, a green room with dressing stalls, laundry, theater storage and an elevated sound booth. The owner also really wants to encourage artists in residency and new apartments in Downtown Pine Bluff, so there are five dwelling units and five leasable artist studios.

The biggest achievement of the ASC ARTS x3 project is the success of taking two underutilized historic buildings and turning them into mixed-use spaces that allow downtown to have a 24/7 community engagement. This constitutes a fundamental shift in the feeling of community ownership, pride, and a sense of progress. As the owner likes to remind visitors, all of the construction funds were raised through private donations, so these projects didn’t cost the citizens of Pine Bluff a dime. It is a wonderful way for a community to start believing in their downtown again, by seeing private individuals and foundations invest in their future by reviving essential historic buildings from their past.

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MERIT AWARD | WILLIS RESIDENCE

10 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY HURSLEY

FIRM: DEMX ARCHITECTURE CONTRACTOR: STRONGHOLD NWA LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: PRISCILLA WILLIS PROJECT TEAM: TIM MADDOX, AIA SETH SPRADLIN, AIA CONSULTANTS: SMITH ENGINEERING

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The single-family house is sited outside the eastern limits of Fayetteville, AR in an area dominated by late 20th century suburban homes. It sits perpendicular to the gentle slope between two converging swales and overlooks a small pond on the south end of the property. The house is aligned with the neighbor to the north, but pivots slightly to frame the view and expand the yard to the west.

The home presents a reserved face to the street composed of clerestory windows and select screening elements that dissolve the austere elevation near the edges. The primary volume of the house is clad in a clear finished cypress with dark voids carved for entry, balconies, and overhangs. Clerestory window units articulate the underlying structure and elevate the roofline to let natural light into the central living area.

The linear layout is composed of three primary functions: the entry and guest amenities, which transition into a central shared living area, and then master suite isolated to the south for privacy and views. The plan utilizes a 4’ module to simplify construction as well as provide a spatial and structural order.

All the primary spaces spill onto an exterior balcony of some form, giving the owner and guests direct access to the surrounding landscape, views, and natural light.

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PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD | T HE GRUMPY RABBIT AMERICAN EATERY

11 AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHER NOLAN DEAN

FIRM: RYAN BILES ARCHITECT CONTRACTOR: HART CONSTRUCTION LOCATION: LONOKE, AR OWNER/CLIENT: GINA & JIM WIERTELAK PROJECT TEAM: RYAN BILES, AIA NATALIE BILES, ASID STACEY BREEZEEL BRANTLEY SNIPES, PLA,ASLA WILL STALEY SARAH MELBY CONSULTANTS: PHILIP LEWIS ENGINEERING, INC, 2GE

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The creation of a first-class dining experience in rural Arkansas proved to be a fulfilling design challenge for a Delta-grown multi-discipline team combining architecture, interior design, branding consultancy, and landscape design.

Owners Gina and Jim Wiertelak desired to extend their signature hospitality to the entire community of Lonoke, Arkansas and guests from abroad with the creation of The Grumpy Rabbit American Eatery, a oneof-a-kind space for gathering, celebrating, and enjoying neighborly conversation over a meal crafted by an acclaimed chef. As believers in the ongoing revitalization of Downtown Lonoke, the Wiertelaks invested in the built fabric of the community with the purchase and adaptive re-use of the historic J.P. Eagle Building at 105 Front Street Southwest to house this new experience. The handsome brick structure was originally constructed in 1905 and designed by the renowned Arkansas Architect Charles L. Thompson, whose work is found throughout the town of Lonoke in a relatively high concentration of homes and commercial structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Owners utilized State of Arkansas and Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits in this project, choosing to strategically invest in a project that would be a catalyst for their hometown.

The historic Eagle Building is a twin to the neighboring D.R. Boone Building, remaining structurally connected, but separate properties. Both properties have been utilized variously for commercial purposes throughout the preceding 115 years. Originally constructed as a mercantile and storage facility with a completely open 25’-0” x 100’-0” footprint, the last several decades have seen layers of low-impact interior renovations within the walls of the Eagle Building that had become worn and deteriorated. The Grumpy Rabbit American Eatery project was envisioned from the beginning as an adaptive re-use that would preserve the historic integrity of the building’s primary facade, while maximizing the space of the original footprint for the accommodation of a clean, modern dining experience. Demolition of the non-historic interior elements yielded a blank canvas for Architect Ryan Biles and collaborators Natalie Biles and Stacey Breezeel of Shine Interior Design Studio, who are based around the corner in Downtown Lonoke. The resulting interior design perfectly reflects the owner’s vision of a light, clean environment juxtaposed with the remaining original materials of the building envelope, including plaster walls, original wood floors, and bead board ceilings. The historic and the new exist alongside one another in a thoughtful, unique composition of textures and finishes. Utilizing space, pattern, and furnishings, the design team created ten different seating areas within the project, bringing to life the Owner’s desire to offer a different dining experience each time a guest visited the eatery. Dining rooms and wet bars are located on both floors, with kitchen and service spaces arranged along the side and back of the building, accommodating deliveries and emergency egress onto a new patio space behind the structure.

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2020 MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARD | MILLER CREATIVE QUAD Located in the heart of a traditional, collegiate gothic liberal arts college, the new Miller Creative Quad is a mixed-use building that integrates student housing with music, theater and gallery space. The building is designed to reimagine student housing, to create visual and physical connections to art, to draw activity through the site, to maximize the outdoors, to celebrate the creative process, and most importantly to create a building that allows students “to dwell with the arts.”

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Replacing Hulen Hall, a historic dining hall in the middle of the campus, the design of the new building inverts the figure ground of the original building; rather than repeating the diagram of an impervious campus structure that disrupted campus circulation, the new footprint reveals an open ground plane with an internal courtyard that invites engagement with and passage through for campus students and visitors. While its outer shell is traditional in response to its collegiate gothic context, the interior courtyard purposefully introduces a modern design aesthetic to create a sense of discovery, energy and engagement between the exterior and interior, art and patron, student and teacher - where students truly can “dwell with the arts.”

Though the building configuration is typical of many on campus (and uninterrupted on upper floors), the First Floor is carved through along two separate axes in support of activating the quad and drawing people and activity through the site. The south wing of the ground level contains the college’s Music Department, with offices, classrooms, conference and music rehearsal and practice rooms. The north wing houses the museum of art, with a large reception lobby, three separate galleries and their associated support spaces. The two slices through the ground floor create a third form, a two-story glass volume that encapsulates a 65-seat film screening theater.

Accessed independently of first floor exhibition and pedagogical spaces, the Second and Third Floors comprise a new residence hall for 106 students, featuring single and double rooms, kitchen areas, study lounges, and classroom space. Reinforcing student engagement with the arts, common areas and study rooms on the second floor are purposeful in providing visual connection to art galleries and common areas below, while outdoor covered patios and study spaces create a direct, physical link to the quad and exterior activities.

Though Hulen Hall was deconstructed and displaced by the Miller Creative Quad, its historical significance and campus legacy live on through strategic repurposing of recognizable elements of the building - its original clay tile roof was repurposed to serve as the exterior cladding for the south music wing, while the recognizable patterned aluminum panels from the original dining hall were installed as a decorative filigree below the light-changing, translucent soffit of the art gallery.

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PETER B. MACKEITH | AWARD OF MERIT Peter MacKeith, dean and professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, is a nationally recognized design educator and administrator. During his leadership since 2014, the school has grown significantly in student enrollment, retention and graduation outcomes, faculty appointments and accomplishments, curricular programs, diversity initiatives, community engagements and outreach centers, external funded research, new facilities and financial resources.

Previously, MacKeith served as associate dean, professor of architecture and associate curator for architecture and design at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis from 1999-2014. He also was director of the Master of Architecture – International Program at the Helsinki University of Technology Finland from 1995-1999, and he held previous academic and administrative appointments at the University of Virginia and Yale University.

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A 2020 Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, MacKeith has been recognized twice

by Design Intelligence as a “design educator of the year” (2017 and 2019) and twice by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture with national awards for “creative achievement in design education,” for his design studio teaching and curatorial work.

MacKeith serves as chair of the advisory committee for the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, a regional initiative of the Walton Family Foundation, and is a member of the editorial board of Places Journal for architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism. He is currently overseeing the completion of a $75 million capital campaign for the Fay Jones School, and guiding the design and construction of the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, a regional center for research and development of new wood products and new approaches in sustainable construction materials.

AMANDA STURGELL | EMERGING PROFESSIONAL

Amanda is a senior associate and licensed architect in Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects’ Little Rock office. She was born and raised in Benton, Arkansas, and is a graduate of Bryant High School. She credits Bryant’s Engineering program and her grandfather, Robert Gregory, a carpenter, with fostering her early interest in design. Amanda is a graduate of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture, and is a member of the AIA, currently serving on the AIA-Arkansas Emerging Professionals Committee and serving as a chair of the AIA-Arkansas Education Outreach Committee.

She is a board member of the Arkansas STEM Coalition, Benton’s Downtown Arts and Beautification Group, and participates as a mentor in the AIA Merge Mentorship Program.

Amanda is passionate about design education, and has participated in speaking programs with the UALR Girls in Stem Event, Girls’ State, the 2017 Alex Foundation Girls’ Summer Camp, Bryant High School’s Engineering program, and multiple career orientation classes and career fairs.

BRANDON BIBBY, BUILDING MOMENTUM | DIVERSITY AWARD

Brandon Bibby AIA, NOMA, NCARB, WELL AP is a 2021-22 Space and Society Fellow and architect with MASS Design Group. Bibby is an artist and architect motivated by movement, culture, and familiarity in contemporary southern space and questioning representation and access to equitable and quality design in the built environment. He continuously strives to merge his passion for choreography with architecture by utilizing visualization and narrating through movement and expression. He is a graduate of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the ninth African American architect to hold an active license to practice architecture in Arkansas. An award-winning professional for his leadership and community engagement, Bibby is a recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal and named the Arkansas Business’ 20 in their 20s New Influential 2019 Class. He has lectured, and moderated panels with the American Institute of Architects, Architecture and Design Network, AARP, and currently serves as a Health Equity Advisor with the International Well Building Institute.

His diverse portfolio includes design, programming, and project management on over 100 arts, educational, commercial, and healthcare projects. His current work focuses on public memory and memorials at MASS Design Group, an architectural non-profit with the mission to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity.

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2021 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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PROJECT: BANK OZK HEADQUARTERS

FIRM: AMR ARCHITECTS, INC.

FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: INTEGRITY CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: CDI CONTRACTORS

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

PROJECT: CAMPBELL RESIDENCE

PROJECT: CANE HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

FIRM: JENNINGS + SANTA-RITA ARCHITECTS, PLLC

FIRM: WER ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: SCOTT MCMURTREY

CONTRACTOR: KINCO CONSTRUCTORS

LOCATION: ROGERS, AR

LOCATION: CANE HILL, AR

PROJECT: COLER MOUNTAIN BIKE PRESERVE

PROJECT: CO-OP RAMEN

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

FIRM: MARLON BLACKWELL ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: HEART + SOULE BUILDERS, LLC

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR ARM O N E YA ND P O L I T I C S .COM

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

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PROJECT: 1424 SOMA

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2021 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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PROJECT: DON TYSON CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

PROJECT: FLORIDA PUBLIC UTILITIES

FIRM: WER ARCHITECTS

FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: DANIS

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

LOCATION: WILDLIGHT, FL

PROJECT: GRAVETTE COMPETITION GYMNASIUM - LIONS DEN

PROJECT: GREENWAY OFFICE PARK

FIRM: BILD ARCHITECTS

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC.

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CORPORATION

LOCATION: DECATUR, AR

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

PROJECT: GRIST MILL CABIN

PROJECT: HOBBS STATE PARK EDUCATION PAVILION

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

FIRM: BRYA ARCHITECTURE INC.

CONTRACTOR: MASWORKS CONSULTING

CONTRACTOR: DIXON CONTRACTING INC

LOCATION: ROGERS, AR N OV E M B E R 2 02 1

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2021 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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FIRM: FENNELL PURIFOY ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: BRANCO ENTERPRISES, INC. LOCATION: SPRINGDALE, AR

PROJECT: KM HOUSE FIRM: MODUS STUDIO CONTRACTOR: KING KUSTOMS, LLC LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

PROJECT: LITTLE ROCK SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

PROJECT: MULBERRY-PLEASANT VIEW AUDITORIUM

FIRM: POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS

FIRM: MAHG ARCHITECTURE, INC.

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ

CONTRACTOR: CIRCLE M CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, INC.

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

LOCATION: MULBERRY, AR

PROJECT: NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY

PROJECT: OSAGE PARK PAVILION

FIRM: CORE ARCHITECTS

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

CONTRACTOR: BALDWIN & SHELL

CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION

LOCATION: ROGERS, AR

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT: J.B. AND JOHNELLE HUNT FAMILY OZARK HIGHLANDS NATURE CENTER

2021 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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PROJECT: OZ HOUSE

PROJECT: OZARK NATURAL FOODS CO-OP

FIRM: SKILES ARCHITECT, PA

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

CONTRACTOR: ROGER GRIFFIN

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CORPORATION

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

PROJECT: THE DOUBLE BARRELL “TROT” GUN

PROJECT: ROGERS EMERGENCY DISPATCH CENTER

FIRM: AMR ARCHITECTS, INC.

FIRM: CORE ARCHITECTS, INC.

CONTRACTOR: SUMMERWOOD HOMES

CONTRACTOR: CADDELL CONSTRUCTION CO. (DE), LLC

LOCATION: NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR

LOCATION: ROGERS, AR

PROJECT: SYLVAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL

PROJECT: THADEN FIELDHOUSE

FIRM: WER ARCHITECTS

FIRM: HUFFT

CONTRACTOR: BALDWIN & SHELL

CONTRACTOR: CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION

LOCATION: SHERWOOD, AR

LOCATION: BENTONVILLE, AR

2021 | REMAINING PROJECTS

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PROJECT: THE HIGHLANDS BUILDING

FIRM: AMR ARCHITECTS, INC

FIRM: CRAFTON TULL

CONTRACTOR: CLARK CONTRACTORS

CONTRACTOR: C.R. CRAWFORD CONSTRUCTION

LOCATION: EL DORADO, AR

LOCATION: SPRINGDALE, AR

PROJECT: TYSON MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION CENTER

PROJECT: VALLEY SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

FIRM: DEMX ARCHITECTURE

FIRM: MODUS STUDIO

CONTRACTOR: C.R. CRAWFORD CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CORPORATION

LOCATION: SPRINGDALE, AR

LOCATION: VALLEY SPRINGS, AR

PROJECT: WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER JB HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES CANCER SUPPORT HOME

PROJECT: WINDGATE CENTER FOR ART + DESIGN

FIRM: DEMX ARCHITECTURE

FIRM: WER ARCHITECTS

CONTRACTOR: C.R. CRAWFORD CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTOR: NABHOLZ CONSTRUCTION / DOYNE CONSTRUCTION

LOCATION: FAYETTEVILLE, AR

LOCATION: LITTLE ROCK, AR

AIA 2021 DESIGN AWARDS

PROJECT: THE HAYWOOD

2021 | AIA AWARD JUDGES

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FERNANDO VASCONCELOS,

LORETA CASTRO REGUERA,

JDIEGO RICALDE,

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN CHAIR / GFA

CO-FOUNDER / STUDIO TALLER CAPITAL

PARTNER / ESTUDIO MMX, S.C. DIRECTOR / CÁTEDRA BLANCA UIA

Born in Mexico City in 1956, an architecture graduate from Iberoamericana University, with a master’s degree in Architecture & Urban Design from the same university.

40 years of extensive practice designing a number of houses and residential buildings as well as health, education and infrastructure projects, mainly in Mexico City but all over the country.

20 years a teacher for architecture design studios at Iberoamericana University and 20 years a teacher for the Urban Design Summer Studio of the Mexico Program of Fay Jones School of Architecture of the University of Arkansas.

Since 2018, Architecture & Design Chair of the prestigious development firm GFA, in charge of many residential, retail and hospitality projects in Mexico City, Tijuana, Belize, Nayarit and recently, with THOR Urbana, the New Urban Entertainment Center in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.

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Born in Mexico City in 1979 is architect and cofounder, with José Pablo Ambrosi, of Studio Taller Capital. Their work focuses on the design of multifamily housing buildings and public spaces that work as retroactive infrastructures.

They have developed projects such as Represo Colosio in Nogales, Bicentennial Park in Ecatepecc, Xicoténcatl in Tijuana and the Hydric Pavilion in Mexico City. The studio has received several national and international prices such as the Architectural League of New York 2021 Emerging Voices Award, a recognition in the Quito Biennial World Prize and a Silver Medal in the Mexico City Biennial. Independently, Loreta coordinated with Manuel Perló a team from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), to design Parque Hídrico Quebradora, winner of the Gold Prize at the 5th edition of the Lafarge Holcim Awards. Loreta studied architecture at UNAM. She has a master’s degree in architecture at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio and in Urban Design at Harvard.

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Diego Ricalde is an architect by the UNAM and Master in Architecture and Urbanism by the Architectural Association School of Architecture and has worked in Mexico, Switzerland and Italy.

Diego is currently a professor of Architecture and Urbanism at the Universidad Iberoamericana de la Ciudad de México. Together with Jorge Arvizu, Ignacio del Rio and Emmanuel Ramírez, Diego directs Estudio MMX; an urban and architectural design studio based in Mexico City.

Diego has received national and international awards among like the “Young Creators Scholarship” (FONCA), the “Abraham Zabludovzky” Prize, the “Cemex Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship” and the Biennial of Mexican Architecture.

Together with Estudio MMX, the office has also received other important national and international awards.

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A Growing Health System for a Growing Community

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