Family is big in Arkansas, and it stands to reason that family businesses are, as well.
Generational businesses are the backbone of business in the Natural State. In Arkansas, family business can mean many things — from global corporations to small-town institutions. Not only were the world’s largest retailer and world’s largest protein producer each launched as family operations in Arkansas; the largest off-Wall Street investment firm, one of the nation’s preeminent trucking companies and one of the country’s great longstanding department stores were, as well.
Yes, we’re talking Walmart, Tyson Foods, Stephens, J.B. Hunt and Dillard’s, each launched and still headquartered, respectively, in Bentonville, Springdale, Lowell and Little Rock.
Other homegrown national brands originating from and still based in Arkansas include Xpress Boats in Hot Springs, Lexicon in Little Rock and Petit Jean Meats in Morrilton.
These companies achieved global reach through generations of family leadership, but so have iconic hometown institutions such as Cogswell Motors in Russellville, Stallion Transportation Group in Beebe and Fayetteville’s Underwoods Fine Jewelers.
Generations of Arkansas families have shown the world that the Natural State is a hotbed of entrepreneurship and innovation. While Arkansas Money & Politics does not claim to have a comprehensive list of every family operation in Arkansas, we can nevertheless shine a spotlight on some of the state’s prominent family-run stores, companies and firms.
We are proud to once again recognize generational businesses in Arkansas.
Arkansas Graphics
Printing, Little Rock
Arkansas Land Co.
Land Brokerage, North Little Rock
Bachoco USA
Poultry, Fort Smith
Founded in the 1930s as OK Foods, Bachoco USA grew from a livestock and poultry feed manufacturer into a fully integrated poultry producer. Since being acquired by Bachoco in 2011, it has continued supplying high-quality chicken products to retail and foodservice customers across the U.S. while continuing its commitment to food safety, quality and continuous improvement.
Bell & Co.
Accounting Firm, North Little Rock
Blackmon Auctions
Auctioneer, Little Rock
Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry
Jewelry, Rogers
Bray Sheet Metal
Sheet Metal, Little Rock
William Bray started his namesake business in 1924 behind his Little Rock home. As the business grew, he purchased the property at 1508 Scott St., where the business remains today. His sons, Carson and Warren Bray, continued to expand the company, turning the backyard sheet metal shop into a large-scale operation. Now run by third-generation owner Mary Bray Kelley and her son Woody Simmons, Bray Sheet Metal continues to serve the paper mill and roofing industries, in addition to manufacturing chairs, tables, chimney caps, flags, countertops and more.
C&C Tree Service
Tree Service, Little Rock
C&C Tree Services of Arkansas in Little Rock is a family-owned and -operated tree service business that has served homeowners around central Arkansas for 45 years. Much more than just removing unwanted limbs and trees — which they do efficiently and affordably — father-and-son duo Chuck and Chase Shamlin specialize in providing a variety of top-notch services for outdoor spaces.
Capitol Glass Co.
Auto Glass, Little Rock
Established in 1950, Capitol Glass Co. is the oldest locally owned and operated glass company in the Little Rock area. For more than seven decades, the company has maintained the reputation of quality and safety earned by longtime owner and co-founder Jack Grimes. The company is now owned by Grimes’ son, Glenn, while his grandson, Aaron, runs the day-to-day operations.
Crafton Tull
Planning/Design/Surveying, Rogers
Crafton Tull is a 100-percent employee-owned professional engineering, planning, design and surveying firm focused on improving communities. Bob Crafton and Lem Tull founded the company in Rogers in 1963. Bob’s son, Matt Crafton, is president and CEO. Lem’s son, Jim Tull, is chief strategy officer. Today, the firm has more than 300 employees and operates from offices throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Crews & Associates
Banking, Little Rock
Dillard’s
Department Store, Little Rock
Doe’s Eat Place
Restaurant, Little Rock
Don’s Supply
Restaurant Supply, Little Rock
Edwards Food Giant
Grocery, Marianna
Ferstl Valuation Services
Real Estate Appraisal, Little Rock
First Arkansas Bank & Trust
Banking, Jacksonville
Flake & Co.
Commercial Real Estate, Little Rock
Flake & Co. is a woman-owned commercial real estate firm with roots dating to 1932, bringing generations of experience, integrity and insight. The company invests alongside its partners, treating others’ capital with the same discipline, care and pride as its own.
Fort Thompson Sporting Goods
Sporting Goods, Sherwood
Freyaldenhoven Heating and Cooling
HVAC, Conway
Freyaldenhoven Heating and Cooling in Conway was founded by brothers Bob and Buck Freyaldenhoven in 1970. Led by second-generation owners Scott and John Freyaldenhoven since 1999, the company has expanded its capabilities and become the largest heating and air conditioning operation in Faulkner County.
Fuller and Son Hardware & Lumber
Hardware, Little Rock
Garrett Excavating
Construction Services, Benton
Established by Irvin Garrett in 1950, Garrett Excavating has seen much innovation over three generations of leadership while remaining committed to hard work and quality results. Led by CEO Grant Garrett, Company President Sean O’Keane and Chief Operating Officer Ricky Lattin, the company has locations in Benton and Bentonville and can assist with a wide range of excavation needs.
Generations Bank
Banking, Fayetteville
James A. Rogers Excavating
Construction Services, Little Rock
Founded in 1962, James A. Rogers Excavating in Little Rock has grown into a respected name in Arkansas construction. Under the tenure of third-generation owner Chris Meyer, who purchased the company from his grandfather in 2016, the business has expanded around the state, acquiring Hot Springs quarry operation McHenry Companies, now McHenry & Meyer Companies, LLC, and utilities infrastructure company NOEC Construction.
Keith Smith Co.
Broiler Hatching Eggs, Hot Springs
Founded in 1944, Keith Smith Co. is the nation’s largest independent producer of broiler hatching eggs and day-old chicks. With more than 80 years of continuous operation, the company combines deep industry expertise with a strong commitment to innovation and customer service. Guided by third-generation family leadership, Keith Smith Co. takes pride in delivering dependable service, expert support and consistent quality across every aspect of its business.
Lexicon
Construction, Little Rock
The late Tom Schueck founded what became Lexicon in his Little Rock garage in 1968 with $200 in the bank and a pregnant wife at home. Thanks to his family’s dedication to building America, the now employee-owned Lexicon has grown into one of the nation’s leading fabrication and construction companies and has roughly 3,400 employees. On March 3, 2020, Schueck died at age 78. He was chairman of Lexicon.
Today, under the guidance of CEO Patrick Schueck, the Lexicon family of companies combines a commitment to excellence with cutting-edge robotic technology and an emphasis on safety and superior craftsmanship to complete iconic steel-fabrication, construction, energy, industrial, commercial and public projects. The companies include Lexicon, Prospect Steel, Custom Metals, Steel Fabricators of Monroe, Heritage Links, Universal, Lexicon Industrial Constructors, Lexicon Construction Management and Lexicon Industrial Maintenance.
Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa
Resort, Mt. Ida
Myers Supply
Janitorial Equipment, Hot Springs
Nabholz Construction Corp.
Construction, Conway
Nabholz Construction Corp., started in 1949 as a small, family-owned construction company, has grown into a large, multidiscipline, employee- and family-owned firm still focused on one thing — integrity. The Nabholz name has been synonymous with integrity since R.D. “Bob” Nabholz founded the business more than 75 years ago, and integrity remains the firm’s guiding principle and the foundation of every project the company touches.
Network Services Group
Computer Support and Services, North Little Rock
Network Services Group got its start in 1989 as an outgrowth of a telecommunications consulting firm. From the start, NSG has been committed to delivering quality products and service — a focus that has not changed over more than three decades, even as the technology and systems they work with have evolved at a rapid clip.
Ryan Flynn was named president of Network Services Group in 2013, after 15 years with the company. Over the 12 years since, NSG has grown from 11 employees and a single location in North Little Rock to more than 75 employees and three locations in Arkansas.
Oaklawn Hot Springs
Racing Casino Resort, Hot Springs
Louis Cella represents the fourth generation of the family behind Oaklawn Hot Springs, the world’s premier thoroughbred racetrack and casino resort. His great-grandfather and great-uncle brought racing to Arkansas in 1904, while his grandfather sought to establish a racetrack that could compete in Spa City’s heyday. Cella himself has overseen a $100 million expansion of Oaklawn that represents one of the largest hospitality investments in state history.
Parrish Delivery Services
Mail/Courier, Little Rock
Petit Jean Meats
Food Processor, Morrilton
Pettus Workplace Solutions
Office Supplies, Little Rock
R&E Supply
HVACR Supply, Little Rock
Roller Funeral Homes
Funeral Home, Little Rock
Russell Chevrolet & Honda
Automotive, North Little Rock
S-C Seasoning Co.
Culinary, Harrison
Simmons Foods
Manufacturing, Siloam Springs
Sissy’s Log Cabin
Jewelry, Pine Bluff
Smith Family Funeral Homes
Funeral Home, North Little Rock
Southern Interiors
Flooring/Kitchen & Bath, Sherwood
Brian Hagewood founded Southern Interiors in Sherwood in 1999 at just 27 years of age. The company has since become a go-to destination for all things home improvement. As part of Flooring America, the store has access to a wide range of resources while retaining the benefits of a locally owned operation. Hagewood has also been joined in business by his daughter, Alyssa.
Stallion Transportation Group
Transportation, Beebe
Stephens
Finance, Little Rock
In January 2025, brothers Miles Stephens and John Stephens were appointed co-chief executive officers, and their sister, Laura Brookshire, was named chair of the executive committee, marking the third generation of family leadership at Stephens. They succeeded their father, Warren A. Stephens, chairman, president and CEO, who led the business for almost 40 years. His father, Jackson T. “Jack” Stephens, served as president from 1956 to 1986. W.R. “Witt” Stephens founded the company in 1933.
Tipton & Hurst
Florist, Little Rock
Weaver-Bailey Contractors
Construction, Conway
Weaver-Bailey Contractors originated in 1960 when brothers-in-law Voyne Weaver and Joe Bailey began contracting subdivision work in Little Rock. Now under the leadership of Voyne’s brother, Charlie, and his son, Don, the company is recognized as the largest main-line concrete paving company in Arkansas.
The Wilson Law Group
Legal Services, Little Rock
Wilson & Associates was founded by Robert M. Wilson in 1978, and later managed by Jennifer Wilson-Harvey. Through their shared vision, The Wilson Law Group grew into a multistate, multicompany business. In 2022, second-generation attorneys Jillian Wilson and Robert M. Wilson III were named co-managing partners, continuing the legacy and building the company to provide diverse services through Wilson & Associates, Attorney’s Title Group, and Foundation Legal Group.
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