A standout collection of 2025 quotes from Arkansas business leaders, innovators, and public officials, offering insight into challenges, growth, and the distinctive spirit shaping the state.
“I convinced him not to use four-letter words.”
— Veteran marketing pro Bill Fitzgerald, recalling an alternative word that Lexicon CEO Patrick Schueck wanted to use in the company’s slogan, “We build big stuff.”
“It wasn’t quite what I pictured Liberation Day feeling like.”
— Bill Dillard III, senior vice president of Dillard’s Inc., describing President Donald Trump’s announcement of Liberation Day on April 2, when he unveiled his plan to place reciprocal tariffs on nearly all countries that export goods to the United States.
“I’ve been lending in agriculture, in Arkansas specifically, for just shy of 30 years, and I think this is probably the hardest I’ve seen it.”
— Cole Plafcan, who directs agriculture lending across six states for Simmons Bank of Pine Bluff.
“I think he tried to swing with too big of a bat and struck out.”
— Cade Hammen, an owner of Four State Stockyards of Exeter, Missouri, remarking on northwest Arkansas attorney Justin L. Crawley, who was charged on April 11 with felony theft of property and forgery.
“Liked the restaurant. Didn’t love it. It was failing, just like Cheers was when I bought it. It was failing. So, bring it back to life. Are you going to piss some people off? Of course. But I can assure you, I’ve made 50 million times more happy than the ones I pissed off.”
— Little Rock restaurateur Chris Tanner, describing his experience in buying and reviving the landmark restaurant the Oyster Bar.
“I answered your question. You just didn’t like the answer.”
— Little Rock homebuilder Tracie Kelley, during her deposition involving a dispute with a couple over a $1.6 million home. The case was later sent to arbitration.
“When I first bought property on Main Street, I was 59 years old. I’ve been down there 20 years now, so you can do the math.”
— Little Rock entrepreneur Anita Davis, one of the businesspeople who helped transform the SoMa neighborhood downtown.
“Tontitiown is one of the fastest-growing communities in Arkansas, and we’re digging up real estate to put trash on it.”
— Rep. Steve Unger, R-Springdale, discussing the Eco-Vista Landfill in Washington County, which is filling up rapidly and the subject of community complaints.
“I can tell you for sure without a doubt, if I wore the fact that I was a woman on my sleeve, I would have had a problem — but I didn’t.”
— Retiring ArcBest Corp. CEO Judy McReynolds on being a woman leader in a male-dominated industry.
“It’s not a smart move to underestimate her. She plans and she prepares and she outworks everyone in the room.”
— Lance McReynolds about his wife, retiring ArcBest Corp. CEO Judy McReynolds.
“We were circling third base, heading towards home plate, and then they just stopped the ballgame and sent everybody home.”
— Catherine Krantz, area director for broadband at Communities Unlimited, speaking of the federal restructuring of BEAD funding.
“We’ve got massive underserved areas in the Mississippi Delta. The rural nature of this state is not helpful from a cancer standpoint. We have patients who will live and die of cancer and never see a clinical trial, because they’re out in the middle of nowhere. They don’t even have a car.”
— Dr. Michael Birrer, director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. It plans to submit its application for National Cancer Institute designation at the first of the year.
“I think the public will suffer, jobs will suffer, news coverage will suffer.”
— University of Arkansas journalism professor Larry Foley on the potential impact of merging major television station chains Tegna and Nexstar Media Group.
“If you want to challenge Mike Orndorff, try to tell him that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
— Gabe Holmstrom, former executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, on Mike Orndorff, who has developed Pettaway Square and a tiny home project in Little Rock’s Hanger Hill neighborhood.
“And I was like, ‘Did I just get fired?’”
— Arkansas native and bestselling author G.T. Karber on being let go from his SAT tutoring job after taking a hiatus to work on his three-book Murdle deal.
“It’s been a challenge at times, and I think the biggest challenge was just proving myself. I was, in some eyes, daddy’s little girl who just stepped in: ‘Here she comes.’”
— Cindy Williams on replacing her father as head of Time Striping.
“It wasn’t ‘at risk.’ It would have closed.”
— Rex Jones, interim CEO of the Helena Hospital on what would have happened if the Helena Health Foundation had not bought the facility.
“Clearly, the Hispanic workforce, for example, in northwest Arkansas, is a huge chunk of our workforce. And they are awesome people. They just do awesome work, and we would hate to see anything damage that or degrade that.”
— Greg Fogle of Nabholz on concerns about President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
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