Mike Mills grew up on a farm west of Lowell and graduated from Rogers High School. He has an undergraduate degree from Hendrix College in Conway and a graduate degree from the University of Arkansas. He also served in the Marine Corps.
Mills founded Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca (Newton County) in 1976 and expanded it into the state’s first log cabin resort in 1985. He has also served on the Arkansas Travel Council, Arkansas Tourism Development Foundation, Ozark Mountain Region board of directors and Arkansas State Parks, Recreation & Travel Commission. He was the director of Arkansas tourism from 1982 to 1986, and has been involved in numerous national and regional organizations.
Mills was inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame in 2018, and Buffalo Outdoor Center won an Arkansas Business of the Year award in 2013.
How was business before the Buffalo National River closed? Do you believe the closure was necessary?
Business was great the first two months of this year. We had shut our store, zip line, canoe operations, all before the [National Park Service] closed the river.
I do think it was the right thing to close the river. There were hundreds of people on the trails and trail heads. Many of them were coming in our store, and there was no social distance in practice. We closed to protect ourselves and employees.
You’ve been in the business for 44 years. What trends have you observed, and what are your thoughts on how the industry has changed?
There are three things that have changed my business for the better in its history: paved roads leading to Ponca, the advent of the internet and hiring Austin Albers to take my place.
In the early ’60s, there were no paved roads leading to Ponca, and it was the late ’70s before they were all paved. That made a huge difference on vehicle maintenance and gas mileage.
I was able to obtain BuffaloRiver.com in 1996, which was way before the dot-com wave. That site has served as the premier site for the Buffalo River ever since.
Finally, after I had run the operation for 39 years, my son-in-law, Austin Albers, took over. We have added many items to the menu of BOC since. We currently have 30 cabins, two lodges, 94 canoes, 25 kayaks, 20 rafts, a zip line, a downhill mountain bike course, 5,000 SF of retail space, self-serve gas pumps, an airstrip (37AR) and the most experienced staff ever.
What is the best advice you ever received?
I have had many great mentors, Jim Gaston, Jack Herschend, Mike Huckabee, my father (George Mills Jr.), just to name a few. All agreed I should marry my wife, Rhonda — the best advice that I ever received.
What has been your most memorable canoe excursion?
I have had hundreds of canoe trips. Some to rescue canoes, some to rescue people and some that saved a life. The most precious to me were canoeing and river camping with my wife and two young daughters in the late 1980s.
What attracted you to this job?
I wanted to live and work on a river. It was just my life goal.
Sign up for Daily E-news
