Judy McReynolds of ArcBest Corp. of Fort Smith and Adam Head of CARTI won Executive of the Year awards, and Sherman Tate of Little Rock was honored for decades of business and civic leadership at the 34th annual Arkansas Business of the Year Awards.
Arkansas Business Publishing Group of Little Rock presents the awards each year to honor businesses, nonprofits and executives in Arkansas. Readers of Arkansas Business nominate executives and organizations for the awards, and an independent panel of judges determines the winners.
The event Wednesday night was held before a full audience at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Little Rock and watched remotely by ticket holders around the state.
McReynolds won Business Executive of the Year after leading ArcBest to the most lucrative year in the logistics company’s history.
Head, who is overseeing CARTI’s expansion across the state, won Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
Tate received the Legacy of Leadership award in honor of his trailblazing career in state government, where he was the Legislative Council’s first Black employee, and in the private sector, where he broke barriers at Arkla Gas and later founded the consulting firm Tate & Associates Management.
The event Wednesday marked the fourth year that Arkansas Business and the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas presented the Olivia Farrell Gender Equity Award. The award recognizes a company that has worked hard to foster equality in the workplace. The foundation partnered with the Clinton School of Public Service to create a survey to measure equality based on company metrics including financial literacy, flexibility, job skills, leadership, mentoring and resources.
This year, the award went to Chenal Family Therapy of Little Rock.
Business of the Year winners honored at the banquet were:
- Tanners Team Sports Inc. of Hot Springs in Category I (1-30 employees) (video)
- McCauley Services of Bryant in Category II (31-55 employees) (video)
- Inuvo Inc. of Little Rock in Category III (56-100 employees) (video)
- Ritter Communications of Jonesboro in Category IV (101-499 employees) (video)
- Hytrol Conveyor Company Inc. of Jonesboro in Category V (500 or more employees) (video)
The Thea Foundation of North Little Rock was named Nonprofit Organization of the Year. (video)
Next year's Arkansas Business of the Year Awards will include something new — an award recognizing the state’s most innovative companies. Criteria for the new award will be published soon.
Nominations for other categories are now open. Click here.
