Photos provided by Tyson Foods Debra Vernon is tired. The senior director of corporate social responsibility at Tyson Foods and her team of 14 have been in all-hands-on-deck mode since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Natural State. Six members of…
February 2020
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazinePolitics
Arkansas Municipal League: Making Arkansas Cities Great
by AMP Staffby AMP Staffby Lauren McLemore Executive Director Mark Hayes says the best way to think about the Arkansas Municipal League is in two parts. The primary function of the organization representing Arkansas cities and towns is that of the average professional association…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: John James
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffJohn James doesn’t fit the mold. A would-be family practice physician, James gave up medicine on the final day of his residency in 2001 to focus full-time on growing a retail ecommerce he had launched during his residency. James paid…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: Brent Birch
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffThe Little Rock Tech Park is the physical embodiment of the commitment by central Arkansas leaders to recognize technology and research as an economic driver, says executive director Brent Birch. Its development along a rejuvenated Main Street corridor in downtown…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: Nancy Gray
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffThe University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is the state’s largest basic and applied research institution with a total budget of $1.3 billion and more than $100 million in annual research funding, notes Dr. Nancy Gray, president of BioVentures, the…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: Wayne Miller
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffUltimately, the goal of The Venture Center is to inspire social and economic change in the state, says executive director Wayne Miller. On a more tangible level, its mission is to help tech-based startups and early-stage companies not only refine…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: David Snow
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffAs executive director for University of Arkansas Technology Ventures, David Snow oversees the commercialization of research conducted by UA professors, students and affiliated startups. He says Technology Ventures helps identify, protect and commercialize intellectual property developed from UA research and…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: Charles Morgan
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffYour phone rings. You pick it up, seeing a number you don’t recognize. In the past, this was normal and you’d typically answer to see who was calling. Unfortunately these days, every call from an unknown number has a good…
- BusinessFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: Alan Morse
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffIn Arkansas’ northeast corridor, one 114-year-old company rose from humble beginnings to become one of the Mid-South’s biggest local telecommunications providers. Jonesboro’s Ritter Communications provides internet, television and phone services to 45,000 customers in 92 communities across Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee…
- BusinessEducationFebruary 2020MagazineTechnology
Titans of Tech in Arkansas: Asa Hutchinson
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffShortly after taking office in 2014, Gov. Asa Hutchinson recognized the need for more computer training in Arkansas schools and advocated for the introduction of coding into school curriculums across the state. In 2015, legislation was passed to expand computer…