
Joe Ford, former CEO of Alltel Corp.
The Independent Telecommunications Pioneer Association announced Wednesday that former Alltel Corp. CEO Joe Ford will join its Telephone Hall of Fame next year.
He’ll be inducted on April 23, at the group’s annual meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The hall honors those who have made positive and substantial contributions to the development, growth and public perception of the telephone industry, on a national scale, over many years, according to the association’s website.
Ford and his son, Scott Ford, now own Westrock Asset Management LLC of Little Rock and Westrock Coffee Co. of North Little Rock.
They launched hedge fund Westrock Alpha GP L.P. in June.
Joe Ford created Westrock Coffee Holdings after negotiating the $28.1 billion sale of Alltel to Verizon in 2008. That company announced in July a partnership with the P. Allen Smith Cos. of Little Rock to promote the people behind crops at Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm in Roland and in the countries where Westrock Coffee is grown, such as Rwanda and Tanzania.