FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Four exceptional business leaders, including two former Razorback football players, will be inducted into the 2010 Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. Since its founding in 1999, 46 individuals have been honored for their accomplishments and lasting impact on the state.
The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame board have announced these outstanding leaders for the 2010 induction ceremony:
· William E. “Bill” Clark, chairman and chief executive officer of CDI Contractors, Little Rock, Ark.;
· Jerral Wayne “Jerry” Jones, owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys Football Club Inc., Arlington, Texas;
· James E. “Jim” Lindsey, chief executive officer of Lindsey Management Inc., and owner and chairman of Lindsey & Associates Inc., Fayetteville, Ark.; and
· J. Thomas “Tommy” May, chairman and chief executive officer of Simmons First National Bank and Simmons First National Corp., Pine Bluff, Ark.
“We are excited that it is our 12th year to showcase the significant contributions of business leaders — who are Arkansans either by birth or by choice,” said Dan L. Worrell, dean of the Walton College. “The Arkansas economy has been blessed with a tremendous base of business talent. We believe it is vital to the state and its future business leaders to honor and perpetuate these inductees’ names and accomplishments.”
The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is permanently housed in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at the Walton College on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.
The selection process was chaired by Walton College alumnus Larry Wilson, chairman and chief executive officer of First Arkansas Bank & Trust, Jacksonville, Ark. A nominating committee of 25 business leaders encouraged people throughout the state and beyond to make nominations, and then a selection committee of 12 business and community leaders reviewed the nominations and chose the inductees. Criteria for selection included: the significance of the impact made as a business leader, the concern demonstrated for improving the community, and the display of ethics in all business dealings. In addition, the inductee must be over the age of 60.
Wilson said: “We are very excited about this year’s inductees. They join 46 other Arkansas business leaders in a place of prominence. Each of these remarkable people has made major contributions to the state of Arkansas and beyond to the nation and the world.”
Bill Clark earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1966. He founded CDI Contractors in 1987 when he partnered with Dillard’s Inc. to build a company that was owned equally by both. CDI is not only known for building Dillard’s corporate offices and stores across the country, but also for the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Episcopal Collegiate School and much of the Alltel campus. Clark was past chairman of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and served on the steering committee for the University of Arkansas Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. He was instrumental in the Arkansas Arts Center capital campaign to raise $23 million for its expansion. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church and served in leadership roles in and received honors from numerous Central Arkansas civic and charitable organizations. Clark loved the outdoors and was an avid duck hunter and golfer. When he died in May 2007, his friends established the Bill Clark Presidential Park Wetlands — 13 acres on the banks of the Arkansas River in the Clinton Park.
Jerry Jones received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1965 from the Walton College and a Master of Arts in 1965 from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. While at the University of Arkansas, he was a Razorback football starter and co-captain when the team won the national championship in 1964. In 1971, the North Little Rock native founded Jerry Jones Oil & Gas Co. and continues today to serve as its president and CEO. He purchased the Dallas Cowboys football team in 1989, and within four short years, the team won its first Super Bowl. It became the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in four seasons while tying the NFL record for the most Super Bowl victories at five. Jones opened his new $1.2 billion stadium this fall in Arlington, Texas, and is recognized as one of the premier businessmen in the NFL for his innovations. He uses the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game to kick off the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Drive. The Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities are known for their generosity to many other family- and community-related causes. The Walton College gave Jones its Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Jim Lindsey received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas in 1968. A successful Razorback football player, he went on to a seven-year professional career with the Minnesota Vikings. He returned to Arkansas and used his professional earnings to buy the land where the Northwest Arkansas Mall is located. He founded Lindsey & Associates in 1973, which grew into one of the largest real estate companies in Arkansas and helped define the Northwest Arkansas region. He also established Lindsey Co. in 1978 and Paradise Valley Athletic Club in 1981. Lindsey founded Lindsey Management Co. in 1986, which became the largest property management firm of multi-family housing in Arkansas, with a growing presence in Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee. He was inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame in recognition of his development of golf courses as part of his apartment complexes. A native of the Arkansas Delta region, Lindsey continues to be involved in the family farming business. He was a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees. He led the effort to establish the need-based Brandon Burlsworth Memorial Scholarships.
Tommy May received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1971 and an Master of Business Administration in 1972 from the Walton College. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1967 to 1970. He began his banking career with First National Bank of Commerce in New Orleans in 1972. He later joined Exchange Bank of El Dorado as vice president in 1976 and graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 1979. Upon the formation of Exchange Bancshares Inc., a holding company, in 1981, he was elected president and CEO. In 1987, he became president and CEO of Simmons First National Bank and president of Simmons First National Corp., with assets of $600 million. Today, the company owns eight Arkansas community banks, which operate through 86 offices in 48 communities, and has assets of approximately $3 billion. May was a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees for 10 years, serving as chairman for 2002 and 2003. He served on the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee, the Foundation Board, the Board of Advisors and the Walton College Dean’s Executive Advisory Board. In 2007, May received the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Medal and the Walton College’s Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award.
A list of previous inductees into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is available at:
http://waltoncollege.uark.edu/abhf/Tickets to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, a black-tie optional event, are $150 per person. For more information about tickets and event sponsorships, please contact the Office of External Relations at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Business Building 117, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201, 479-575-6146, by e-mail at
abhf@walton.uark.edu, or on the Web at
http://waltoncollege.uark.edu/abhf.
DEAB member John Reap (BSBA '70) with Chancellor Dave Gearhart
DEAB member Rick Greubel visits with current Walton College student Ashley Jancuska, who was the winner of our student scavenger hunt
Current Walton College student Ashley Jancuska chose Rick Greubel as the one DEAB member she would most like to meet during our recent scavenger hunt. Since she was the winner, she was given the opportunity to meet him in person.
Walton College students Rachel Duncan, Ashley Jancuska, and Lana Hong helped greet our DEAB members at the reception. 
