In The News

Bill Pendergist Honored as Member of Arkansas Business 40 Under 40

Bill-PendergistEach year, Arkansas Business honors 40 intriguing business and political leaders under 40 years old who bear watching. The Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honorees are nominated by readers and chosen by the editors of Arkansas Business. Congratulations to Bill Pendergist for being chosen as part of the 2016 class of 40 Under 40.

 

Arkansas Business Power List 2016

John Cooper III, 47

Chairman and President
John Cooper Communities Inc., Rogers
John Cooper, president of the company since 2002, took on the added title of chairman after the death of his father in 2013. He has worked at Cooper Communities full time since 1996. The operations of Cooper Communities, founded as a retirement community development firm by Cooper’s grandfather in 1954, now encompass 2.1 million SF of commercial property owned or under management as well as homebuilding and residential development.


Dickson Flake, 77

Colliers International Arkansas, Little Rock
During his long career in commercial real estate, Dickson Flake has helped develop more than 2 million SF of space. In 1971, he co-founded Barnes Quinn Flake & Anderson, the predecessor of today’s Arkansas Colliers International operations. The 33-story First National Bank Building (today’s Regions Center) in Little Rock and J.B. Hunt Transport Services headquarters in Lowell are among his legacy projects. Flake serves on the Little Rock Technology Park Board Authority.


John Flake, 68

Chairman
Flake & Kelley Commercial, Little Rock
John Flake made his reputation as a deal-maker with a string of apartments, office buildings, medical space and retail projects primarily in Arkansas. He was a leading player in making the tallest office building in Arkansas happen: the 40-story Simmons Tower in downtown Little Rock, which opened in 1986 as Capitol Tower and later was called TCBY Tower and Metropolitan National Bank Building. He established Flake & Co. in 1979, the foundational firm of today’s Flake & Kelley Commercial.


Kevin Huchingson, 45

CEO and President
Colliers International Arkansas, Little Rock
A corporate principal since 1997, Kevin Huchingson has led Arkansas’ Colliers offices since 2002. He oversaw mergers with Little Rock’s IBR Real Estate in 2003 and Lane Real Estate Services Inc. of Bentonville in 2005. Colliers is the largest commercial property manager in the state, with a portfolio of more than 14 million SF of commercial space around Arkansas. Huchingson also is co-founder and COO of the $150 million-asset CapRocq Core Real Estate Fund Ltd., established in 2012, and the $300 million-asset CapRocq Core 2 Fund established in July 2014.


Hank Kelley, 60

CEO
Flake & Kelley Commercial, Little Rock
Hank Kelley has helped amass and oversees more than 4.7 million SF of commercial space, one of the largest commercial property portfolios in Arkansas. Perhaps his most recognized works are the tech-related developments for Acxiom and Arkansas Systems in west Little Rock. He became a 2012 member of the Counselors of Real Estate, a professionally prestigious invite. Kelley started his climb with appraising work followed by an associate partnership at Barnes Quinn Flake & Anderson.


Jim Lindsey, 71

President
Lindsey & Associates, Fayetteville
Jim Lindsey leads one of the largest commercial and residential realty operations in northwest Arkansas. The company has developed apartments in eight states, and its management portfolio contains 40,000 units. A prominent Razorback booster and former member of the University of Arkansas System board of trustees, Lindsey launched the company in 1972 as his seven-season pro football career wound down.


Jimmy Moses, 66

Co-Chairman
Moses Tucker Real Estate, Little Rock
Jimmy Moses launched a career with redevelopment projects in downtown Little Rock in 1984. That venture grew to include new high-rise developments largely populated by office space and residential condos. The company’s commercial property management portfolio, dominated by downtown Little Rock addresses, also expanded to 3.8 million SF with the addition of the Regions Center. The creation of the River Market District could be his crowning achievement of downtown deeds.


Rett Tucker, 66

Co-Chairman
Moses Tucker Real Estate, Little Rock
Rett Tucker joined forces with Jimmy Moses in 1998 after exiting Flake Tabor Tucker Wells & Kelley Inc. The duo made their mark on the downtown Little Rock skyline with a roster of new buildings offering a mix of commercial space and residential condos all of them with good quality locks installed by a professional locksmith in dublin. The list includes the seven-story Capital Commerce Center, 14-story First Security Center, 18-story 300 Third Tower and 10-story River Market Tower. Tucker was a key player in making the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center a reality.

Eat My Catfish to Open in Little Rock

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Eat My Catfish lease signing with Travis Hester and his business partner.

Benton-based Eat My Catfish has announced construction on a new location in Little Rock. The restaurant will open at 10301 N Rodney Parham Rd, the former location of Barbara Graves. The plaza sits directly in front of the Breckenridge Theatre at the corner of I-430 and Rodney Parham Rd. Eat My Catfish started as a food truck in Benton in 2008. Owner and President Travis Hester was 24 at the time. In January of 2012, Hester opened their first brick & mortar location in Benton, and their second in Conway in 2013. Eat My Catfish currently operates these two dine-in restaurants, as well as two on-site catering trailers. In 2015, they catered over 350 events. They are also the largest seller of crawfish (cooked and live) in the state of Arkansas, and the 2016 winner of Arkansas Times’ “Best Seafood around the State” award. The new Little Rock store have live crawfish and fresh Gulf Shrimp available for purchase. Diners can expect a wide variety of quick-serve food, including catfish, crawfish, chicken, shrimp, and more. Their philosophy is simple, start with good fresh food, serve it fast and give great customer service. Each location provides ample seating indoors, and the Benton and Little Rock locations include outdoor patio seating. The new restaurant is expected to open in June of 2016 – just in time for Fourth of July crawfish boils. For more information about Eat My Catfish, visit eatmycatfish.com. For media inquiries, please contact info@kangabloo.com.

 

 

Shoppes at Benton land sells for $4.3M

Business news in brief

Shoppes at Benton land sells for $4.3M

Benton Investment Partners purchased 28.65 acres affiliated with the Shoppes at Benton on Friday for a combined $4.3 million.

Included in the transaction was a 23-acre parcel that was sold by Mt. Carmel Investment Co. for $3.4 million. A 5.65-acre tract was sold by MPE Properties Inc. for $910,000.

A T.J. Maxx/Homegoods store and Hobby Lobby are the planned anchor tenants for the Shoppes at Benton, a $30 million-plus development north of Interstate 30 on Alcoa Road. GBT Realty Corp. of Brentwood, Tenn., announced at a Feb. 22 City Council meeting in Benton that cosmetics retailer Ulta would also be part of the development along with a Texas Roadhouse restaurant.

The development is scheduled to open in early summer 2017.

Hank Kelley and Brooke Miller of Flake and Kelley represented T.J. Maxx and worked with developer Thom Hickman of GBT Realty Corp. and Benton Investment Partners. MPE Properties was represented by Dee Fiser, Wes Martin and John Hathaway worked on behalf of Mt. Carmel Investment.

— Chris Bahn, Business Reporter/Columnist

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette