Wellsco Inc. *

R.L. Wells was supposed to be enjoying the comfort of early retirement when he returned home to Greene County more than 20 years ago. Instead, Wells founded a successful telecommunication services firm and quietly built a philanthropic legacy in Paragould.

Under his direction, corporate profit and civic charity often blurred at Wellsco Inc., home to 170 staffers and $12 million in annual sales. The blending process was made easier because his firm has remained a privately owned family concern.

As the only stockholder, Wells had the flexibility to deploy the resources of Wellsco with seemingly disproportionate support for charity and donations.

His use of matching grants was a favored means of encouraging others to join in the fun of giving.

The parameters for Wellsco’s policy on giving remain fuzzy and aren’t likely to change in the wake of Wells’ death on Dec. 13.

“I don’t think my dad put limits on it, on what he could do to make a difference,” said Jim Wells, senior vice president of Wellsco. “We try to be good stewards of the resources we’re given, and that means trying to make a difference in our community.”

The company’s sense of community extends beyond the Paragould area, too, where dozens of nonprofits were the recipients of gifts of money, goods, time and manpower.

Wellsco was a key player in the formation of the EAST Initiative, a charitable nonprofit focused on blending technology and community service projects into the high school curricula.

EAST began as a pilot program at Greenbrier High School in 1995 and now involves more than 150 schools in seven states and thousands of students from across the nation.

Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge and Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes and Ministries have also been recipients of Wellsco support.