Finalists, Winners Honored
at Seventh Annual Banquet
Finalists and winners were honored Feb. 2 at the seventh annual Arkansas Business of the Year Awards banquet held in the Bill Clinton Balroom of Arkansas’ Excelsior Hotel in Little Rock.
Rankin Construction Co. of North Little Rock won Category I for companies with 1-25 employees.
I Care of Arkansas, based in North Little Rock, won Category II for companies with 26-75 employees.
Hi-Tech Engineering Inc. of Hot Springs was the winner in Category III for companies with more than 75 employees.
The Business Executive of the Year was Ron Robinson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods advertising and public relations agency in Little Rock.
Here’s a pictorial look back at an evening dedicated to Arkansas businesses. n
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CATEGORY III WINNER: Partners of Hi-Tech Engineering Inc. of Hot Springs were on hand to accept the company’s award. The 6-year-old firm builds equipment for sawmills and is one of the country’s fastest-growing private companies.
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CATEGORY II WINNER: Dr. Gene Graves (holding plaque) and his staff at I Care of Arkansas in North Little Rock accept their award. The 13-year-old company pioneered home intravenous medication usage in Arkansas and had $17 million in sales in 1994.
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CATEGORY I WINNER: Bob Rankin (holding plaque) and his staff at Rankin Construction Co. of North Little Rock were on hand to accept the company’s award. Rankin focuses on government contracts and had $3.8 million in sales last year.
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EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: Ron Robinson (center), chairman and chief executive officer of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods in Little Rock, is shown with his partners in the advertising and public relations agency. Robinson was also celebrating his 25th anniversary with the firm.
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FEELING GOOD: Dr. Gene Graves of I Care of Arkansas accepts his company’s award as Arkansas Business Publisher Wythe Walker Jr. looks on.
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BUILDING SUCCESS: Bob Rankin of Rankin Construction Co. accepts his company’s award as Arkansas Business Publisher Wythe Walker Jr. (from left), judge Zeke Robertson of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. and Rankin’s son, Keith, look on.
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THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR: Ron Robinson of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods accepts congratulations from judge Jack Fleischauer of First Commercial Bank.
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HIGH-TECH WINNER: Russell Kennedy of Hi-Tech Engineering Inc. is congratulated by judge Pat Lile of the Commission for Arkansas’ Future.
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Arkansas Business Publisher Wythe Walker Jr. salutes the finalists.
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Former Gov. Frank White of First Commercial Bank was the guest speaker.
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Alan Leveritt, president and founder of the Arkansas Writers’ Project, introduced the finalists for Business Executive of the Year.
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Olivia Farrell, chief executive officer of the Arkansas Writers’ Project, helped honor the finalists.
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