April 2015

Conway festival announces

entertainment lineup, contributions

PAGE 4D

2015 brings changes to make toad suck daze more “regional and

relevant”

Faulkner County Business Journal To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat2D — Sunday, April 12, 2015

The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s Administrative Profes-sionals Awards luncheon is set for Administrative Professionals Day – Wednesday, April 22 – beginning at 11:30 a.m. The event will take place in Childers Dining Hall at Central Baptist College.

The inaugural luncheon honors ad-ministrative support staff, executive assistants, office and facility manag-ers, office clerks, receptionists, and other administrative professionals. Of the more than 20 area profession-als nominated for the Outstanding Administrative Professional award, seven were chosen as finalists. Three of the finalists will receive the Out-standing Administrative Professional award at the luncheon.

Colleen Fuller, Hewlett-Packard

Colleen Fuller has been an exec-utive assistant for Hewlett-Packard for more than five years. She sup-ports four inside sales directors with-in the HP Enterprise Group. “To en-sure their days run as smoothly as possible, I have to be a ‘Jill-of-all-trades,’” she said. “I like that every day is a challenge and no two days are the same.”

Between managing and updating schedules, booking travel arrange-ments, preparing presentations, and coordinating meetings, Fuller regu-larly sets aside time to stay abreast

of the latest in HP processes and pro-cedures and attend additional train-ing on software. “It’s important that I am able to bring an added value to those I support,” she said.

Michael Armistead, director of in-side sales, said Fuller is instrumen-tal to the success of Hewlett-Pack-ard. “Supporting four directors and a combined workforce of 300 manag-ers and employees takes a person who is diligent, organized and highly effi-cient with time management,” he said. “With all that is demanded of Colleen, she still manages to find time to add her own personal touch to what she does and those she interacts with.”

Bonnie Holloway, Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Bonnie Holloway is the executive assistant for Kimberly-Clark Corpo-ration’s Conway site. She began her career at Kimberly-Clark as an oper-ator 32 years ago and has worked in every department in various roles. As executive assistant, Holloway serves as the internal and external point of contact for all inquiries and as a key support position for federal regulatory agencies, including the FDA, EPA and OSHA.

Holloway was one of the first grad-uates of Central Baptist College’s PACE program, a program that en-ables working adults to earn a college degree. She is involved in a number of

community organizations, including the Conway Regional Women’s Coun-cil, the Arkansas Diaper Depot, Daz-zle Daze, and Habitat for Humanity.

Kevin Ward, mill manager, said Holloway exemplifies loyalty and ded-ication. “In my 25 years with Kimber-ly-Clark, I have transferred across six U.S. and European geographies and three distinctly different busi-ness divisions,” he said. “Until arriv-ing at the Conway mill, I have nev-er experienced an executive assistant who truly defines the words ‘loyalty’ and ‘dedication’ as Bonnie does day in and day out.”

Brenda Martin, Crain Buick GMC

Brenda Martin is the customer relations manager for Crain Buick GMC. She has been a part of Crain Automotive for 13 years and has worked for different aspects of the auto industry – from financing and selling to service – since 1968. “This experience helps bring better under-standing to me and also helps me em-pathize with my co-workers and our customers.”

As part of her role at the dealer-ship, Martin works closely with sev-eral community organizations, includ-ing Soaring Wings Ranch; The Chase Race & Paws; the athletic depart-ments at UCA, Conway High School and Greenbrier School District; and Toad Suck Daze.

Jay Myers, general manager at Crain Buick GMC, has worked with Martin for 10 years. “Brenda is the example of what customer service is all about,” he said. “From following up with customers and taking responsi-bility for Crain-sponsored community events to training our sales and ser-vice team, Brenda really does it all.”

Sherry Payne, Acxiom Corporation

Sherry Payne has worked for Acxi-om Corporation for 25 years. As a se-nior administrative assistant, Payne coordinates calendars for internal meetings and client calls, communi-cates regularly with company exec-utives, submits reports, and assists with other projects that arise.

“I love to take care of people, and being an administrative assistant is the type of work I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I take pride in my work and want to support my leaders and teams to the best of my ability.”

Traci Smith, a director at Acxiom, said Payne is considered the model administrative professional, having supported countless senior leaders for 25 years. “I have known Sherry both professionally and personally for more than 20 years and have wit-nessed her drive sales opportunities for Acxiom just through the relation-ships she builds with our clients and

FINALISTS < 3D

Finalists named for Administrative Professionals Awards luncheon

Faulkner County Business Journal Sunday, April 12, 2015 — 3D Log Cabin Democrat • Find our online edition at www.thecabin.net

internally at Acxiom,” she said. “Sherry has supported me and my family, and it is an honor I can now support her with this recognition.”

Shawanna Rodgers, True Holiness Saints Center

Shawanna Rodgers is an executive administrator for True Holiness Saints Center. In this role, Rodgers oversees the daily operations of the church, acts as a liaison between Pastor E.C. Malt-bia and local organizations, and plans True Holiness Saints Center’s annu-al community events, including a lun-cheon on Good Friday and College Day.

“Working as an administrator for True Holiness has afforded me an up-close and personal opportunity to serve my community in a capacity I wouldn’t have dreamed of,” she said. “The rela-tionships I have established here in Conway through my local church and the opportunity to serve in various ca-pacities in the community have pro-vided a sense of family that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Pastor Maltbia said Rodgers goes above the call of duty to serve the church and the community. “As if being an ad-ministrator wasn’t enough, Shawanna continues her service by volunteering her time to the Pine Street Backpack Program, the Community Action Pro-gram for Central Arkansas, and the Faulkner County Leadership Institute,” he said. “She is everything someone like

me would need in an admin and is be-yond deserving of this award.”

Angela Russell, Central Baptist College

Angela Russell has worked as an ex-ecutive administrative assistant at Cen-tral Baptist College for 26 years. Her re-sponsibilities in the president’s office include receiving, tracking and report-ing on financial gifts made to the col-lege. “Working at CBC gives me an op-portunity to share in something that helps shape the future for hundreds of students and their families,” Russell said.

Terry Kimbrow, president of CBC, said the growth of the college led to ad-ditional job responsibilities for Russell, all of which she has handled efficiently. “Angela learned and became the expert on new fundraising software, trained other administrative assistants, and managed human resources and service awards,” he said. “She is everything an outstanding administrative profession-al should be.”

Elaine Story, Acxiom Corporation Elaine Story has worked as an execu-

tive assistant at Acxiom Corporation for 19 years. She is a member of the Amer-ican Society of Administrative Profes-sionals and the International Associ-ation of Administrative Professionals. During her nearly 20-year career at Acx-iom, Story has established a vast net-work of internal and external contacts. She credits these relationships with de-

veloping her skill set. “Over the past 19 years, I have been blessed to work with some of the most amazing associates and leaders,” she said. “Some have been there to simply love and encourage me when I’ve had a rough day, but all have helped instill a drive in me to want to be better, to lead by example, and to stand with dignity and strength.”

Dennis Self, senior vice president of technology operations and chief infor-mation officer, said Story knows how to leverage the power of teamwork and is an asset to the IT team at Acxiom. “In my short time working with Elaine, I have come to appreciate her ability to learn and make adjustments quickly, her “can-do” attitude and her desire to accept an increasingly larger scope of responsibility to help contribute to the success of our team,” he said. “She is passionate, professional, tenacious and communicative.”

About the EventIn addition to the awards, the event

will feature a keynote speaker. Attend-ees will hear from Charlotte Strickland, founder and owner of Strickly Speak-ing and professional development and training coordinator at the University of Central Arkansas. Tickets to the Ad-ministrative Professionals Awards lun-cheon are $50 per person, and tables of eight are available for $400.

For reservations, contact chief oper-ating officer Lindsay Henderson at 501-932-5403 or Lindsay@ConwayArkan-sas.org.

All photos are by Mike Kemp.

FINALISTS from 2D

Employees of Chamber-member businesses are invited to attend a Membership Maximizer on Tuesday, April 21.

During a Membership Maximizer, a Chamber representative provides an overview of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s history and mission as well as an explanation of member benefits.

The informal setting gives attend-ees an opportunity to network and ask questions over a catered lunch.

Aaron Throneberry, director of sales, said the luncheon is ideal for employees of businesses new to Chamber and new employees who work for current Chamber-member businesses.

“Membership Maximizers give our members a glimpse into the work-ings of the Chamber and information about how they can get the most out of their membership,” Throneberry said. “These events are a great way to kick-start a new member’s involve-ment in the Chamber, and ultimate-ly, the Conway business community.”

There is no cost to attend a Mem-bership Maximizer, but reserva-tions are required. Email Aaron Throneberry at Aaron@ConwayAr-kansas.org or call 501-932-5404 by Friday, April 17, to reserve a place.

Chamber Membership Maximizer Scheduled

“These events are a great way to kick-

start a new member’s involvement in the Chamber, and ulti-mately, the Conway

business community.” —

Aaron Throneberry

Faulkner County Business Journal To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat4D — Sunday, April 12, 2015

CONWAY, Ark. – On May 1, the 34th Annual Toad Suck Daze festival, presented by Crain Buick GMC, will kick off in downtown Conway. This year’s Toad Suck Daze will feature a number of changes designed to make the three-day festival more “regional and rel-evant,” according to Conway Area Chamber of Com-merce CEO Brad Lacy.

“Toad Suck Daze has always been an evolving event. We started at the river, now we’re downtown. We’ve supported traditional college scholarships, and we’ve grown to support pre-K education. We think this year’s changes are just as positive.”

This year’s entertainment will feature a Friday night slate dedicated to “Legends of Rockabilly.” The free concert will feature Sonny Burgess and the Leg-endary Pacers at 6:45 p.m., Jason D. Williams at 8 p.m., and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leon Russell at 9:15 p.m. Toad Suck Daze’s Saturday night concert brings Forrest Williams at 6:30 p.m., Barrett Baber at 8 p.m., and Corey Smith at 9:15 p.m. for a singer-songwriter night of “Americana Soul.”

All entertainment will take place on the McDon-ald’s/Crain Kia Main Stage in Simon Park and is pre-sented by Acxiom Corporation, Conway Convention & Visitors Bureau, Crafton Tull, and Southwestern Energy. For a full schedule of festival entertainment and other attractions, visit ToadSuck.org or download the Toad Suck Daze app for iPhone or Android. The

latest information about the festival is posted regu-larly on the Toad Suck Daze Facebook page.

Oak Street GalleriaToad Suck Daze is bringing a new open-air shop-

ping event to central Arkansas during this year’s fes-tival. The Oak Street Galleria, sponsored by Smith Ford, features high-quality merchandise from up-scale boutiques and skilled artisans across the re-gion. The 24 vendors were chosen by a jury and will complement the merchants of downtown Conway.

The Toad Market will still be part of the festival and features both commercial products and hand-

made arts and crafts. Close to 200 vendors partici-pate each year.

Check Presentation to Local NonprofitsThe Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s Toad

Suck Daze Committee presented contributions to two local nonprofits at a special event at Crain Kia on Monday, March 30.

Arkansas Preschool Plus received a $35,000 con-tribution, and the Conway Downtown Partnership received $20,000.

The committee will also award $25,000 in schol-arships to Faulkner County students. Lacy said pre-senting the awards before the festival is a good re-minder of Toad Suck Daze’s ultimate goal.

“This event obviously wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors and volunteers. Because of them, Toad Suck Daze is able to entertain 150,000 visitors while supporting these worthy causes.” Toad Suck Daze will take place May 1-3 in downtown Conway.

2015 brings changes to make toad suck daze more

“regional and relevant”

Conway festival announces entertainment lineup, contributions

Submitted Photo

The free “Legends of Rockabilly concert will take place Friday, May 1, and will feature Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers, Jason D. Williams, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leon Russell.

Submitted Photo

The free “Americana Soul” concert on Saturday, May 2, will feature For-rest Williams, Barrett Baber and Corey Smith.

Submitted photo

Jay Myers, general manager of Crain Buick GMC, presents Bill Bethea, president of the Conway Downtown Partnership’s board of directors, with a $20,000 check from Toad Suck Daze. Crain Buick GMC is the presenting sponsor for the 2015 festival.

Submitted photo

Representatives from Arkansas Preschool Plus accept a $35,000 check from Toad Suck Daze. Pictured, from left: Michelle Ford, program director; Jerry Adams, board chair; Amy Routt, board member; Brad Lacy, board member and president/CEO of the Conway Area Cham-ber of Commerce; Croaker the Toad; and Dr. Charlotte Rainey Green, founder and executive director.

galleria

Sunday, April 12, 2015 — 5D Log Cabin Democrat • Find our online edition at www.thecabin.net

Visitors to the Conway Area Chamber of Com-merce will see a new face as they enter the office lo-cated at 900 Oak Street. Melissa Baney began working for the Cham-ber as office manager on March 30.

In addition to being the first point of contact for Chamber guests, Baney processes membership data, submits mainte-nance orders, and fulfills requests for information from potential residents, among other duties.

“I’m excited to be part of the Chamber and look forward to interacting with the people who make up Conway’s business community,” Baney said. “Conway is a great place to live, and I’m pleased to be part of an organization committed to its contin-ued growth.” Baney, a na-tive of North Little Rock, has lived in Conway for 18 years. She and her hus-band, Rick, a senior vice

president and commer-cial lender for Eagle Bank in Little Rock, have three children: Taylor is a senior at the University of Cen-tral Arkansas, Alexander is a freshman at the Uni-versity of Arkansas, and Emily is a ninth-grader at Conway Junior High School.

“Melissa is the Cham-ber’s ‘first impression’ to guests. She is energetic, organized and helpful –

which is essential when working with the count-less visitors who pass through our building,” said chief operating officer Lindsay Henderson. “At any given moment, Melis-sa might welcome a family looking to relocate to Con-way or a business hosting trainings in our facility. It is important that each one is welcomed with a smil-ing face, and I’m thrilled it starts with Melissa.”

Faulkner County Business Journal To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat6D — Sunday, April 12, 2015

Conway to serve as Leadercast host site for fourth consecutive year

Submitted Photo

During the 2014 Leadercast broadcast at Central Baptist College, participants heard from a variety of world-renowned leaders. The 2015 event will take place May 8 at CBC.

Business leaders in the Conway area can access the knowledge and experience of world-renowned lead-ers by attending Leadercast® at Cen-tral Baptist College on May 8, 2015.

This is the fourth consecutive year the Conway Area Chamber of Com-merce has hosted a broadcast in Con-way.

The Leadercast event, a brand that builds “Leaders Worth Follow-ing,” is broadcast live from Atlanta to hundreds of sites around the world, including Conway.

The 2015 simulcast will be co-host-ed by award-winning personalities Bill and Giuliana Rancic and will fea-ture the following speakers:

Andy Stanley, leadership author and communicator;

Peyton Manning, Super Bowl-win-ning quarterback and five-time NFL MVP;

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate and founder of The Malala Fund;

Ed Catmull, president of Pixar & Disney Animation Studios;

Seth Godin, innovative thinker and best-selling author;

Rudy Giuliani, 107th mayor of New York City from 1993-2001;

Aja Brown, mayor of the city of Compton, California;

Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP AG;Commander Rorke Denver, Navy

SEAL Commander and author; andLeadercast exists to change posi-

tively the way the world thinks about leadership.

This year’s theme – The Brave Ones – will explore what it means to lead in a way that creates bold cul-tures, builds faithful employees, and produces high achievement.

For more information about Lead-ercast, visit Leadercast.com.

For local ticketing information, call director of events Therese Pollard at 501-932-5411 or visit ConwayCham-ber.org.

Address.............Beds/Baths.........Subdivision..........SQFT..........$/SqFt.......Built

Lollyrock River Estate........4/4/1.................none......................5814.................24.09.............19904625 Sawgrass.....................4/4/2...........Centennial Valley......6128 ................122.39...........200020 Blankenship...................5/4/0..................none.....................4200.................142.83...........19994340 Emerald Garden .......5/4/0............Southerlin Park........3883................100.18............20011405 S Salem......................5/4/0...The Village at Hendrix.....2122................173.43............2013

TOP RESIDENTIAL SALES, APRIL

Baney joins Chamber staff as office manager

Submitted Photo

Melissa Baney, Office Manager

Faulkner County Business Journal Sunday, April 12, 2015 — 7D Log Cabin Democrat • Find our online edition at www.thecabin.net

Conway EconomyAt a Glance

Unemployment RateFebruary 2015Seasonally AdjustedUS................................................5.5%Arkansas.....................................5.5%

Not Seasonally AdjustedUS...............................................5.8%Arkansas....................................6.0%Faulkner County........................5.4%

Conway...................................5.0%

Sales Tax CollectionsConway*

January2015..................................$1,709,7442014....................................1,617,654Percent Change..........................5.7%

Annual2014................................$23,416,6282013..................................23,235,8912012..................................22,944,163Percent Change 2013-14.......... 0.8%*Tax Rate 1.75%

Faulkner County*January2015.....................................$641,7922014.......................................600,465Percent Change..........................6.9%

Annual2014..................................$8,774,1092013....................................8,588,8352012....................................8,465,686Percent Change 2013-14...........2.2%*Tax Rate 0.5%

Restaurant Sales*February2015................................$14,402,004

2014..................................13,282,123Percent Change..........................8.4%

Year to Date-February2015................................$28,985,6802014..................................26,402,994Percent Change..........................9.8%

Annual Sales 2014..............................$176,205,9652013................................164,519,3692012................................161,318,563Percent Change 2013-14............7.1%*Including mixed drink sales

Hotel Sales

February2015..................................$1,314,0352014....................................1,363,957Percent Change.........................-3.7%

Year to Date-February2015..................................$2,530,2772014....................................2,580,200Percent Change.........................-1.9%

Annual Sales2014................................$19,336,1692013..................................18,559,3082012..................................18,683,677Percent Change 2013 – 2014...4.2%

Conway Building PermitsSingle Family Homes

Year to Date-February2015..................................30 Permits2014..................................23 PermitsPercent Change........................30.4%

Annual2014................................119 permits2013................................147 Permits2012...........................186 Permits 2011...........................153 Permits

Percent Change: 2013 – 2014...-19.0%

Average Construction Cost*Annual2014.....................................$220,3112013........................................228,2752012........................................207,5372011........................................204,387Percent Change 2013 – 2014...-3.5%*Not including lat or lot improve-

ments

Average Square Footage*Annual2014............................................2,9292013............................................3,0022012............................................2,9102011............................................2,814Percent Change 2013-2014.......-2.4%Average Construction Cost Per Square Foot*

Annual2014..........................................$75.222013............................................76.042012............................................71.332011............................................72.64Percent Change 2013 – 2014....-1.1%* Total under roof

Lottery SalesFaulkner CountyYear to Date-March2015..................................$4,009,0092014....................................4,010,133Percent Change.........................0.0 %

Annual2014................................$14,193,2042013..................................17,038,2772012..................................16,943,909Percent Change 2013 - 2014...-16.7%

Total StateYear to Date-March

2015..............................$115,256,5132014................................111,429,811Percent Change..........................3.4%

Annual 2014..............................$401,251,3652013................................432,932,7992012 ...............................452,245,215Percent Change 2013 - 2014.....-7.3%

Natural Gas

Severance TaxDistribution

Conway Year to Date-March2015.......................................$74,6112014.........................................73,393Percent Change..........................1.7%

Annual2014.....................................$363,8372013.......................................276,5232012.......................................162,523Percent Change 2013 - 2014....31.6%

Faulkner CountyYear to Date-March2015.......................................$60,8332014.........................................59,712Percent Change..........................1.9%

Annual2014.....................................$296,4112013.......................................224,4552012.......................................131,418Percent Change 2013 – 2014...32.1%

Information provided by Pulse of Conway

EconomyGlance

To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat8D — Sunday, April 12, 2015