The logic of accounting lured John Rogers to a career path that led him to Little Rock ad giant Stone Ward, where he’s served as CFO since 2000.
“When I started my college career in business, the accounting department seemed to be where the bright, logical thinkers clustered, and it seemed to fit,” he said.
Rogers said he’s always been attracted to the balance and harmony he found in applied accounting principles, and was always interested in software and the ability to make things more efficient.
“My career has been a nearly even mix of accounting and IT management and software architecture and development ever since,” he said.
Rogers has overseen consistent revenue growth at Stone Ward as well as significant company milestones. He worked to transition agency ownership from the firm’s two owners to an employee-owned trust that includes the founders. He led the acquisition of a competing firm and the installation of new operating systems, each of which led to significant growth for the agency.
Before moving over to Stone Ward, Rogers served for 14 years as senior vice president and chief information officer of TCBY Enterprises. He cites Stone Ward founders Larry Stone and Millie Ward and TCBY founder Frank Hickingbotham as his mentors.
From the former, he learned the values of principled leadership and doing the right thing (from Stone), as well as servant leadership and optimism (from Ward), and from the latter, he learned maturity and loyalty to one’s values.
Sign up for Daily E-news
