Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy: Recent Episodes
Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy
Up in Your Business is a weekly radio show and podcast with Kerry McCoy, owner of FlagandBanner.com. Kerry interviews business owners and other professional leaders who share their story of ambition, entrepreneurship, and luck. It airs as a live radio show every Friday and as a podcast available for download. Guests inspire listeners with their insights and life experiences. Join Kerry for this personal, provocative, and candid hour of engaging conversation centered around business advice, entrepreneurship, failure, and success.
Chris Olsen: Local horticultural experts who turned their work into national gardening shows Joey Lauren Adams: Golden Globe-nominated Actress who broke into fame on films such as Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Big Daddy Susan McDougal: Gained famed during the Clinton Whitewater trials as 'The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk' Arlo Washington: Founder of Washington Barber College and People Trust Federal Credit Union and subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary Joe Kleine: Former NBA player for the Arkansas Razorbacks and basketball Olympian David Miller: Host of a national radio show about Big Band Music
Born in Akron, Ohio, Dr. Quinyatta Mumford has dedicated her life to bettering communities through environmental health research and family-focused educational programs. The women who raised her, in particular her grandmother, instilled in her the values of love and perseverance. With this foundation, Quinyatta earned degrees in biology, psychology, business administration, and public health - the first of her family to attend college. Her Doctorate in Public Health focused on community and addressing health disparity. That research ultimately evolved into Village Public Health, a youth-centered organization that seeks to create space for young people to thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a single mother of three, Dr. Mumford has the drive to create initiatives that approach public health not simply as a matter of personal care, but as a familial and communal responsibility, and her results speak volumes. Her work with the Arkansas Department of Health led to a reduction in cases of lead poisoning in children by prioritizing prevention and accountability. For all that her impressive resume paints the picture of a hyper-focused go-getter, Dr. Quinyatta insists on the importance of slowing down and finding moments to celebrate life. Her hobbies dovetail with her professional values, so Quinyatta spends her free time outdoors with her children or organizing community events around art and storytelling.
Dr. Kris Shewmake was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Hendrix College in Conway and a master’s degree in natural science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He received his medical degree from UAMS, where he also completed a residency in general surgery. He was president of his class and elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society (top 10% of the class). His eight years of surgical training after medical school included a General Surgery residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center and a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency in Dallas at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Shewmake then spent an extra year at UCLA working with children and adults affected by facial birth deformities. Upon completion of his fellowship in 1992, Dr. Shewmake returned to his native state of Arkansas as Chief of Plastic Surgery at UAMS and Arkansas Children‘s Hospital. In 1996 he left UAMS and entered private practice. In 1999 and in 2009 he was named best plastic surgeon in Arkansas by his colleagues. In 2017 he rejoined UAMS as the director of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and also serves as an associate professor there. He is married with three daughters.
Since co-founding Thoma with his wife Melissa in 1998, Martin has conceived, developed and implemented communications and marketing programs ranging from new product initiatives for global technology companies to public information and safety campaigns for state agencies. His roots in journalism and writing have equipped him to successfully conceive and lead multiple national award-winning communications for regional and national clients. Martin has represented local, state, regional and national organizations in the tourism, healthcare, energy, financial services, transportation, retail, hospitality, government, insurance and food service industries — including regional, national and international brands such as Entergy Corporation, Entergy Nuclear, MISO: Midwest Independent System Operator, SPP: Southwest Power Pool, MONI Smart Security, Aviagen, PotlatchDeltic, Comcast, Pizza Hut, Clarke-American, Jack Henry and Associates. Martin and his partner Melissa created the proprietary brand development process known as The Brand Navigator™ to help executive teams unleash the power of their brands to attract customers, engage and align employees, and drive revenues. Martin wrote the book, Branding Like the Big Boys: How to Grab Market Share, Improve Margins and Increase Loyalty In Your Small Business, available for purchase on Amazon. He is frequently sought out for comment on brands and branding by publications like Vice Sports, The Boston Globe, Arkansas Business and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His ideas and efforts have been showcased in publications as diverse as eHealthcare Strategies & Trends, The Journal of Accountancy and Transportation Industry News. Martin has criss-crossed the country speaking on the power of brand leadership, with appearances from Honolulu to Seattle to San Antonio. Martin is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English.
Former Razorback David Bazzel may be one of the most recognizable names in Arkansas. He played linebacker for the UofA in 1984 and had a total of 113 tackles. He was sidelined due to shoulder and back injures. “I think all of the football I played taught me a lot of discipline and taught me to grind and work hard,” says Bazzel. He created the Broyles Award, now going on 25 years, and the Touchdown Club, which brings in big names from all over the country. He is also responsible for the “Battle for the Boot,” and the Tusk Fund. For David, it’s all about giving recognition to those who deserve it, while putting Arkansas in the spotlight. In the fall of 1998, Bazzel wrote and starred in a one man play titled Football, Biceps, Biscuits and Gravy: Confessions of a Razorback. Due to lack of ticket sales, the show closed before opening night. “You win some, you lose some,” Bazzel said, adding he has “no problem eating a little humble pie.” You can find Bazzel on TV during Razorback football season as a pre-game host and commentator, as well as doing his full-time job at 103.7 The Buzz.
Joey Lauren Adams was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the youngest of three children. Her father was a lumber yard owner. Adams grew up in the Overbrook neighborhood of North Little Rock and graduated from North Little Rock Northeast High School in 1986. She announced her intention to pursue acting after one year as an exchange student in Australia. In 1991, Adams appeared in "Top of the Heap", the 100th episode of Married... with Children, and subsequently starred in its short-lived spinoff. In 1993, Adams landed her first major film role as Simone in Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. The same year, she appeared in the Saturday Night Live spinoff film Coneheads as one of Connie Conehead's friends. Two years later, Adams appeared in Mallrats, written and directed by Kevin Smith. The two started dating during the film's post-production, and their relationship provided the inspiration for Smith's next film, Chasing Amy. In 1997's Chasing Amy, Adams played the lead role of Alyssa Jones, a lesbian who falls in love with a man, played by Ben Affleck. In addition to her acting work on the film, Adams wrote and performed the song "Alive" for the film's soundtrack. Adams' performance in Chasing Amy earned her both the 1997 Chicago Film Critics Award and Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Most Promising Actress, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 1999, Adams appeared in her first big-budget Hollywood release, playing Adam Sandler's love interest in the successful comedy Big Daddy. She then went on to appear in many smaller films, including Beautiful and In the Shadows. In 2006, Adams released her directorial debut film, Come Early Morning, starring Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Diane Ladd, Tim Blake Nelson and Laura Prepon. The film, shot on location in Little Rock, Arkansas, was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Adams is also known for her distinctive voice which one film critic referred to as that of a "sex-kitten-on-helium". Regarding her voice, Adams commented: "It's not a normal voice. It doesn't fit into people's preconceptions about what a woman's voice should sound like. My mom doesn't think I have an unusual voice, though. I'm sure it's helped me get some roles. But Chasing Amy I almost didn't get. There was concern the voice would grate on some people, which some critics said it did." Another film critic said that whether viewers loved it or hated it, her voice had "the potential to hypnotize.”
"I’ve been an ardent fan of the big bands all my life. As a child growing up in New Jersey, I set my radio dial to WNEW, where "Make Believe Ballroom" featured a constant stream of recordings by big bands and their vocalists. Swing music went into hibernation for a while, as vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, and Perry Como stole the spotlight away. Determined to keep the old sound alive, I accumulated a collection of over 9,000 recordings. With such a rich resource at my fingertips, it was a natural next step to inaugurate a weekly radio program, which went on the air in 1983 and is now carried by over 40 National Public Radio stations."
With forty years of experience as a sports broadcaster, Steve Sullivan is one of the most well-known faces and voices in Arkansas news. Born in Massachusetts as one of six children, Sully moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas for his education and made the state his home. Steve is currently the Sports Director at KATV, where he has covered sports for over two decades. Among his accolades are a distinguished media member award from the Arkansas Activities Association, Arkansas Sportscaster of the year (five times!), and an induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. His most famous accomplishment is Friday Night Touchdowns, where Sullivan has delivered highlights from football games nearly every Friday evening since 1999. Despite having such a robust legacy, Sully is as humble as they come. He credits much of his success to luck, and freely insists that he is never the most talented person in the room - an observation which he finds energizing and inspiring.
Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Trey Reid is the Assistant Chief of Communications for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. His primary role is executive producer and host of Arkansas Wildlife TV, the AGFC’s weekly television show that documents The Natural State’s many outdoor recreational opportunities and AGFC’s myriad conservation work.Additionally, Trey is editor of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine and Strung Sporting Journal; and host of The Wild Side radio show on 103.7 The Buzz (which airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m.). He makes more than 250 radio and TV appearances per year representing the Commission and educating Arkansans on our natural states outdoor offerings.Prior to joining the AGFC staff in 2007, Trey was field reporter for ESPN2’s BassCenter, traveling the country to report on professional bass fishing, conservation issues and much more. His travels took him everywhere from post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans to bass fishing adventures in New York City’s Central Park. Trey was outdoor editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for four years.He started in the newspaper business as a sports writer and later as sports editor at his hometown newspaper, the Pine Bluff Commercial. He continues to work as a freelance writer and has had articles appear in local and national magazines and websites including Bassmaster, Greenhead, AY, Fish Arkansas, Arkansas Wild, Arkansas Money & Politics, ESPN.com, and more. Trey graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a B.A. in Liberal Arts.
Joe Kleine played basketball at a level very few people will ever play. The 7 foot tall center from Slater Missouri was a winner at every level, from high school, to college, the Olympics, and the NBA. As sportswriter Jon Goode once wrote, Kleine was never a star, but what made Kleine great was that he accepted his role and was ready to play every night. Sometimes a large part of being a legend, is making everyone else around you better. That's exactly what made Joe Kleine the kind of teammate every player wants to have. Kleine's first season at Arkansas, he helped the Razorbacks to a 26-4 record, finish second in the Southwest Conference (SWC), and make the second round the NCAA Tournament. His junior season, Kleine helped Arkansas to a record of 25-7, another second place finish in the SWC, and a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament. The biggest victory of the season came on February 12, 1984 at the Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, when Kleine helped the Razorbacks upset the #1 ranked North Carolina Tarheels, led by Michael Jordan, thanks to a basket by teammate Charles Balentine at the end of the game. It is considered one of the greatest victory's in Razorback basketball history. Kleine finished that game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kleine was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the sixth pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. Kleine went on to have a fifteen-year NBA career, playing with the Kings as well as the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Portland Trail Blazers. Kleine played on teams with legendary NBA players Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. He won an NBA championship in 1998, as a center, for a Chicago Bulls team that included Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr.
Aaron Reddin is the product of Booger Holler hillbillies coming down to the Arkansas River Valley and colliding with the Ouachita hillbillies at the foot of Danville Mountain. In his own words, Aaron "made some bad decisions" and wound up living out of his car and addicted to amphetamines at age 20. Seeking stability and discipline, he enlisted with the marines. Reddin was later discharged due to a bad knee, but he was sober and eager to help others. Aaron eventually landed in Central Arkansas, where he worked at various shelters and rehabilitation programs. Seeing people without coats and empty beds when the country is experiencing a housing crisis made Reddin realize that he could do a lot of good bringing help to people where they're at. He loaded up a vehicle with donated goods, and The Van was born. Founded in 2010, The Van is a mobile outreach program that seeks to meet the needs of unsheltered homeless in Central Arkansas. Its operations are supported by Back 5 Fields, a 10-acre farm in North Little Rock. These nonprofits are bundled under The One, Inc., which has launched further nonprofits across the state, including The Russ Bus in Russelville and Mission Machine in Searcy. Aaron lives in Little Rock with his wife and 3 old hound dogs. He battles Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in all 4 limbs and hopes to find a way to advocate for Arkansans who struggle to find or obtain treatment. He enjoys growing tomatoes and taking candid photos of his donkeys.
Born in 1952, Walter C. Coleman III was the 5th generation to run Coleman Dairy, in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2001 his family business was listed in Family Business Magazine as the United States 75th oldest family-run business, having been founded in 1862. In 2007, Coleman Dairy became a division of Hiland Dairy. Though he inherited a dairy juggernaut, Walt's greatest legacy is in the world of sports. In his 20's, Walt began a long career as a football referee. At the time of his retirement in 2018, he was the longest-running NFL referee in history. This is big money, on a big stage, with big egos, and your word, as the referee, is the final word…like it or lump it. The next day, everybody is talking about it, and everybody must live with it. And living with it is what our guest did for 30 years… the guts, the glory, and the criticism.
Chelsea Wakefield, Ph.D., LCSW is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist, couples therapist, dream worker, and workshop/retreat leader who works with individuals, couples and groups. For over twenty years, she has helped people move beyond the wounds of the past, access their archetypal potential, and live more vibrant and meaningful lives. Chelsea draws from a depth of training in clinical and transpersonal methods, helping people to integrate the insights of inner work into daily living. She has a passion for supporting women in developing their luminous potential.
Will Trice is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and has been since 2019. He has served as a producer for nearly 30 productions on Broadway, the West End, and National Tours. Trice is a three-time Tony Award winner for All The Way, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Porgy & Bess, though he gives away any credit to the fabulous actors, writers, and production crew. He is a five-time Tony nominee for Fiddler on the Roof, The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Wolf Hall, You Can’t Take It With You, The Glass Menagerie, and The Best Man. Other credits include: American Son, starring Kerry Washington; The Lifespan of A Fact, starring Daniel Radcliffe; American Buffalo; American Psycho; Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill, starring Audra McDonald (Broadway & West End); The Realistic Joneses, starring Toni Collette, Michael C. Hall, & Marisa Tomei; Blithe Spirit, starring Angela Lansbury (West End & National Tour); The Bridges of Madison County; and Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Al Pacino. Prior to his career in producing, Trice served as a Business Analyst with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, an Artistic Administration Associate with The Metropolitan Opera, and a Strategic Growth Associate with alternative asset managers D.E. Shaw & Company. He holds degrees from Southern Methodist and Northwestern Universities.
Christina Lecuyer is a confidence coach living in Conway, AR. Previously a professional golfer turned television personality, Christina soon realized that her wealth hadn't brought her happiness. After years of battling low self-confidence, an eating disorder, and tying her worth to external validation, Christina has created what she refers to as “the best life ever” which includes a business coaching clients from around the world. Through her signature “Decision, Faith & Action” framework Christina has helped thousands of clients curate their own “best life ever”. Christina is one of only a handful of coaches that specializes specifically in building confidence using a 1:1 coaching model, because she believes it's the long term accountability and support from working on both mindset and strategy that creates sustainable and enjoyable long term results of self trust and confidence.
Vicki Calhoun grew up in a military family then married into the military. She has lived in five different countries and six states. She was born into a military family. Her mother was from England U.K. and her father was from Kentucky. They met when he was in the Air Force and was stationed in England as an Air Traffic controller. Vicki began her freshman year of high school in Michigan, while her father was stationed in Vietnam. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina when he returned stateside and she finished high school in South Carolina. She attended the College of Charleston and received an Associate Degree before moving to Japan. While in Japan (1975-1979) Vicky worked as a model in Tokyo. When she returned to the United States, she went back to college and worked as a travel agent in Florida. For the following fifteen years, she was a travel agent. She enjoys pottery and reading. She was a volunteer for Heifer International and at her children’s school and, through her church, reaches out to the homeless population in Little Rock.
From the tender age of 12, Jamie McAfee knew he wanted to be a chef. Throughout his childhood, he frequently helped his father prepare food, and his first successful dish (a creamy gravy for sausage and biscuits) cemented his passion for cooking. Jamie learned to cook from the African American women who worked in his parent's kitchen at the Delta Country Club, and on that foundation he built a culinary career of 50+ years. Since his youth, Chef McAfee has earned two culinary degrees and donned many hats. He worked in distribution at a Nike warehouse for five years, giving him the management experience that he would bring with him when he returned to professional cooking. He has passed on his wisdom as culinary professor at the University of Arkansas' Pulaski Tech and held positions as executive chef and general manager at several country clubs, where Jamie enjoys the challenge of organizing and cooking meals for several hundred people. His work ethic extends beyond food prep: McAfee considers it a serious duty to give back to the world, training the next generation of chefs and raising millions of dollars for Arkansas charities. Chef Jamie has many accolades to show for his hard work. He participated in the 2019 Diamond Chef competition held by the U of A and was entered into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame as "Proprietor of the Year" for 2023. In July of that same year, Jamie earned the title of World Certified Master Chef from the World Association of Chefs' Societies, a distinction that few can claim.
Born and raised in South Carolina, Joe Booker is today one of the most well-known radio personalities in Arkansas and the Director of Programming for Little Rock's Cumulus Media syndicate. His love of music and his enthusiastic and nuanced vocal performance over his long career in broadcasting earned him the moniker "Broadway Joe". Experiencing the wanderlust familiar to any teenager, Joe joined the Air Force straight out of high school. While in Korea in 1976, Booker first got to experience the joys of radio performance. When his service ended, Joe jumped headlong into the broadcasting industry, and a legend was born. Joe Booker entered the scene as Black radio and hip hop were seeing a surge in popularity, and he made a place for himself the same way any big name does: By learning as he went, by being himself without apology, and by committing to his audience. As a performer, Booker has the skill to adjust his presentation without discarding his individuality, and his conversations focus on not just entertaining, but also educating his community.
Born in Skiatook, Oklahoma, Wena Supernaw spent much of her early life on the move with her parents, who she credits for the tenacity and commitment that Wena has demonstrated over her long career. Graduating from George Mason University with a Bachelor's in Accounting, Supernaw took graduate courses at both Virginia Tech and the University of Texas before opting to test her mettle in the world of business finance. The bulk of Wena's career was spent as the Vice President of MetLife, where she led teams embroiled in budgeting, investments, communications, contract negotiations, and more. After over 30 years in an incredibly technical and nuanced field, Wena retired and pursued public service with the Quapaw Nation. She has been elected to several committees, and currently serves as Vice Chairperson on the Inter-Tribal Council and as the QN Business Committee Chair, where she applies her experience to ensure the economic wellbeing of her people. Aware of how every great accomplishment is made on the shoulders of our ancestors, Wena Supernaw gets out of bed every morning asking herself what she can do to uplift those who follow in her footsteps.
Brad Close is President of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization. As NFIB’s chief executive officer, Brad focuses on advancing NFIB’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and through the organization’s unmatched 50-state network and grassroots operation.
Born in Little Rock, AR, Mike Poe's passion for filmmaking began at age 12 when his aunts gifted him a 35mm camera and enlarger. Mike earned a BA in Radio, TV, & Film from the University of Arkansas and has since worked on documentaries, short films, and hundreds of art events for film festivals across Arkansas. A few of his credits include: 45RPM (producer, music supervisor), Not Even God (producer), and West of Memphis (camera). Poe's most famous work is as director of Voices For Justice, a short documentary bringing attention to the wrongful convictions of The West Memphis Three in advance of their hearings with the Arkansas Supreme Court. Mike Poe's life took a sharp turn in 2014 when his best friend, TC Edwards, was murdered. The killer was never caught, and Mike has dedicated his years since to honoring the legendary rocker with a full-length documentary film, TC is Metal. Beyond his quest for justice and closure, Poe's goals involve creating and sharing Arkansas art with the world, and bringing in talent from around the globe to teach and inspire Arkansan artists.
Randy Hankins was born in 1950, growing up in Warren, AR. Going by his stage name, Craig O'Neill has spent 50 years in the broadcast business, with the last 24 of those being at Little Rock, Arkansas’s THV11. O’Neill officially signed off for the last time as news anchor on December 29, 2023. Before TV, Craig had a successful radio career on KKYK and then B98.5, where he was famous for his prank phone calls. Eventually, O'Neill made the transition from fun-loving radio personality to respected TV news anchor. Craig has since interviewed Presidents and music icon Dolly Parton alike. He has danced on the Ellen DeGeneres show, announced Razorback football games, emceed more than 9,000 charity events helping raise over $40 million dollars in Arkansas. His passion project, and probably his retirement career, is reading to grade school children through AR Kids Read. Using his acting skills, infectious personality, and unforgettable voice he hopes to ignite some lifetime readers. He also works with Hearts and Hooves — an organization that teaches children and adults with disabilities to ride and handle horses.
Raeann Wilson was born in Cabot, AR. As a breast cancer survivor, IV therapy was an integral part of Raeann’s recovery, and she became passionate about giving the same level of care to other post-operation patients. As the surgical coordinator at Shewmake Plastic Surgery, Raeann has extensive knowledge in surgical processes and patient care. This all gave her the skill and inspiration to create Zen Infusion, offering mobile, on-demand IV infusion therapy that serves a number of needs for the people of Central Arkansas.Kris Shewmake, M.D., FACS was born in Pine Bluff, AR. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Hendrix College in Conway and a master’s degree in natural science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He received his medical degree from UAMS, where he also completed a residency in general surgery. He was president of his class and elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society (top 10% of the class). His eight years of surgical training after medical school included a General Surgery residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center and a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency in Dallas at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Shewmake entered private practice in 1996 and was named Best Plastic Surgeon in Arkansas by his colleagues in 1999 and 2009.
Born in the small town of McGehee, Arkansas, Trent Montgomery has grown into a dancer, teacher, and drag queen with a long list of accolades. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Performance and Choreography from the University of Arkansas and a Master's in Performance and Choreography from Florida State. While living in Florida, he performed with The Tallahassee Ballet and served as the Associate Artistic Director at the Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee. In Arkansas, he has worked as a dancer and teacher with the Arkansas Festival Ballet, and continues to foster a love of dance through education. Trent's current claim to fame is his membership in Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a world famous, gender-skewing, comic ballet troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and classical ballet. In the 19th century, ballet came to be dominated by the ballerina, with plots and choreography that highlight flowery, feminine forms. As such, the ballerinos of Les Ballets Trockadero draw a lot humor from performing en travesti, every member taking on both male and female roles.
Born to blue collar workers in rural Illinois, Peggy McCall-Robertson inherited a strong work ethic, and from her father gained a love of tinkering and learning how things work. Peggy served as a Youth Director for the Methodist Church in central Arkansas for nearly 20 years, followed by retail work that gave her the experience needed to develop a business plan of her own. The first Miracle League was created in Georgia in 2000 with the goal of providing opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball, offering a huge boost to their physical and mental wellbeing. Inspired, Peggy partnered with the Little Rock Rotary Club 99 to bring the program to Arkansas. In 2006, the first Miracle League of AR season opened with Peggy as Executive Director. When she isn't organizing "the greatest game on turf", Peggy enjoys camping, cooking, and helping her husband with his own creative projects.
Susan Altrui has worked for the Little Rock Zoo since 2005, but it wasn’t until director Mr. Mike Blakely announced his retirement in 2020 that she moved from head of marketing to become the acting director. Later she cemented her role when the late City Manager Bruce Moore promoted Susan to the full-time position of Arkansas’s Little Rock Zoo director. Little Rock is lucky to have such an accredited Zoo. Interestingly, it is the largest family destination in Arkansas, conveniently located in the center of the State, and in the heart of the Capitol City. The Zoo not only cares for over 500 animals, but also provides inspiration, education, and conservation programs that grow a passion for animals and a respect for all living things. Update: In January 2025, Susan moved to the position of City Manager for Little Rock.
Witty actor and singer Jacob Keith Watson is making waves on the Broadway stages. He appeared as Enoch Snow in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of Carousel. Jacob has also been seen on Broadway in Hello, Dolly!, Brian Crawley’s Violet, Craig Lucas’ Amélie as Joseph Buquet, Monsieur Reyer in The Phantom of the Opera, Robert Livingston in the acclaimed Encores! revival of 1776, as well as Amos Hart in the National/International tour of Chicago the Musical. Regional and Opera credits include the title role in Shrek with the Sacramento Music Circus and roles in Benny & Joon at the Papermill Playhouse, La bohème, Pagliacci, Pirates of Penzance, Rigoletto, HMS Pinafore, Chicago, Bye Bye Birdie, Seussical, Six Characters in Search of an Author, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Othello, and The Doctor in Spite of Himself. Symphony engagements includes Kurt Weill on Broadway and New York, New York both with Maestro James Holmes and the Kurt Weill foundation and the tenor soloist in Elijah, Messiah, and Carmina Burana. Jacob is an Arkansas native and proud past winner of the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition, the NATS National Music Theatre Competition and a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
This week we revisit Kerry's two prior interviews with Arkansan painter and sculptor, Kevin Kresse. Kevin has exhibited his work around Arkansas, New York, Washington DC, Memphis, and Atlanta. His work has been featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Times, Soiree magazine, and more, and he has been featured in pieces produced by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS television, as well as a short film by Garret Lakin. The journey toward a career in art began with Kresse and his wife Bridget’s decision to pare down their lives financially. Both of the Kresses had “job-jobs,” as Bridget calls them. She was a financial planner, Kevin a newspaper art director. Work and money had been “all about accumulation.” The Kresses opted for a different road. They gave their employers a year’s notice, lived cheaply, and saved money. Then they took a four-month trip to Europe. The trip to Europe was priceless. It laid the foundation for their marriage, they say. It gave them time to reflect — something Kevin points out is growing increasingly scarce for workaholic Americans — and it pointed the way toward their future. It was on that trip, Bridget says, that “Kevin decided to do his art." "It's a kick knowing that my public work will still be there long after I'm gone," he said. "I never thought about that aspect too much until after my father died. It is also great hearing people interpret what they see in some of the work. It makes me realize that everyone sees art through their filter of life and that every interpretation is just as valid as the reason I did it."
Spring is finally here and there's no better way to kick-start the season than by hanging out with landscape designer and entrepreneur, Chris Olsen! He and Kerry talk all about his time at Oxford University, the challenges of running a seasonal business, and his renovation of the historic Edgemont House in North Little Rock.
Roy Dudley is one of those fortunate people that found his passion early in life. He was a mere boy in elementary school when he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and began treasure hunting at garage sales and reselling his finds in Aunt Hazel’s perpetual yard sale. Hear how Roy took his aunt’s sage advice and parlayed it into a successful business called Roy Dudley Estate Sales.When asked what his favorite find was, his answer was swift. Finding the papers of school children in Arkansas’ Japanese Internment camp, Rohwer. From 1942 and 1945, more than 8,000 Japanese Americans were interned at Rohwer—a 500-acre camp surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, in rural Arkansas.
Who doesn’t know the name Dale Carnegie, founder of the Dale Carnegie Courses? Born 1888 on a farm in Missouri, this farmboy-turned-salesman-turned-actor, teacher, author, and self-help guru has helped thousands of people through his teachings, and 100 years later, they are still relevant, and we are still remembering him. Part of the Dale Carnegie legacy are Mr. Jerry Wilson and Ms. Jessie Wilson (no relation). Jerry Wilson is the franchise owner for Dale Carnegie Training in Arkansas and other territories of the midwest. A certified trainer, Jerry has spent the past 30 years working with thousands of companies to develop effective management solutions, captivating audiences with his dynamic and enthusiastic speaking style. Jessie Wilson is the VP of Client Engagement and a Senior Trainer at Dale Carnegie. She has over 12 years of experience in sales leadership and as a certified coach who provides world-class training to organizations across the midwest. Jessie is acknowledged by Dale Carnegie and Associates as being one of the top consultants in North America.
Keith Jackson was born April 19, 1965 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He began playing football at the age of 9 with the Sunset Tigers in his hometown. His love of the game continued throughout junior high school on into high school at Little Rock Parkview, where he was Parade All-American and three-sport letterman. While in high school, Keith played the cello in the orchestra.Upon graduating from Parkview, Keith attended the University of Oklahoma (1984-1987) on a football scholarship as a tight end. During his college career, he assisted the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record and a national championship in 1985. He recorded a total of 62 receptions for 1,407 yards, an average of 23.7 yards per catch and was selected three times to the All Big Eight team and named two-time Athletic All-American. Keith graduated with academic honors and a BA in Communications in 3 ½ years.In 1988, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Keith as the thirteenth pick of the first round in the National Football League draft. Keith made an immediate impact on the Eagles’ team and the NFL during his rookie season. Keith recorded 81 receptions for 869 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first season, along with seven catches for 142 yards in the Eagles only playoff game that year, and was the NFC offensive rookie of the year and the only first-year player to be selected by the NFL for the Pro Bowl. In his nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay, Keith was selected to the Pro Bowl 6 times (1988-1990, 1992, 1994 - selected but did not attend, 1996) and 3-time All-Pro. In his final season, Keith recorded 40 receptions for 505 yards and career high 10 touchdowns, assisting the Packers to a 16-3 record and a win in Super Bowl XXXI.Keith finished his career with 441 receptions for 5,283 yards and 49 touchdowns.Keith Jackson has also combined his college degree in communications and his professional playing experience to become a broadcast analyst with TNT television for one year, the Oklahoma Sooner football radio network in 1998, Fox Sports Network in 1999 and the Arkansas Razorback Sports Network from 2000 - 2017. He has become one of the most dynamic and inspirational speakers in the country. His speaking engagements include churches, civic groups, corporations and schools.
Virgil Miller, Jr. has a long track-record of integrity and hard work across multiple banks, including Worthen Bank, Bank of America, Metropolitan National Bank, and more. As of 2024, Miller fills the role of Community Reinvestment Officer for Arvest Bank, where he works to meet the credit needs of low-income communities. Virgil's career in the banking industry dovetails well with his long-time commitment to community service that began as far back as 1981, when he was a Rally team member for the Boy Scouts of America. Since then, Mr. Miller has served on no less than 35 boards ranging from President of the Kawanis club to Daisy Bates Trustee; Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport commissioner to present day Director of Ward 1 for the City of Little Rock.
Originally Aired 6/24/2022This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we interview Mr. Arlo Washington, president of PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a financial institution offering small loans to neighbors in need.Arlo is a self-made man with a Cinderella story. He is the epitome of a hardworking, creative entrepreneur, who sees opportunities and listens to where life leads him, all with the heart of a teacher.Learn what the term “unbanked” means and how Arlo turned his barber’s chair into a barber school (Washington Barber School), and his school into a financial institution, eventually founding the PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a non-profit financial institution serving low-income communities.
Jim Guy Tucker, Jr was born on June 13, 1943, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to James Guy and Willie Maude (White) Tucker. His father was one of the first 50 employees of the newly formed Social Security Administration in February,1936. His family moved to Little Rock in February of 1945 when his father was relocated as the manager of the Arkansas Social Security Administration office. Jim Guy was educated in public schools. He graduated from Harvard with a BA in government in 1964, after which he enlisted in the marines. Despite two appeals, Tucker was discharged for health reasons after three months. Stints in 1965 and 1967 in Vietnam as a civilian war correspondent became a source of exposure for Tucker as he recorded them in his book, Arkansas Men at War. After finishing work in Vietnam, Tucker returned to Arkansas to pursue a political career. After receiving his law degree at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1968, he became an associate attorney with the Little Rock firm Rose, Barron, Nash, Williamson, Carroll, and Clay. He left in 1970 upon winning the race for prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial District. In 1972, he was elected to the first of two terms as state attorney general. On November 8, 1975, he married Betty Allen Alworth, who had two children from her previous marriage. The couple had two children together. In 1976, he was elected to represent the Second Congressional District and was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, the Social Security Subcommittee, and the Speaker’s Task Force on Welfare Reform. After eight years in public office, he returned to private law practice in 1979 and became a partner in the Tucker and Stafford firm. In 1982, he ran for governor in the Democratic primary, but came in third in a five-man race. After that loss, he began to engage in business enterprises, including real estate and condominium development. In 1983, he formed County Cable Limited Partnership with his wife, and the company provided cable TV service in rural Pulaski County. From modest beginnings, he expanded his cable TV operations to other areas of the country and acquired interests in cable companies in Texas, Florida, and Great Britain. In 1988, he traded County Cable to Falcon Cable Media of California in return for a Falcon Cable operation near Dallas, Texas. In 1990, Tucker prepared for another run for governor. When Clinton announced his reelection bid, Tucker opted instead to run for lieutenant governor. Both he and Clinton won their races. Once Clinton began to campaign for the presidency in 1991, Tucker became acting governor, and upon Clinton’s resignation in December 1992, Tucker became governor. In November 1994, he won a four-year term against Republican Sheffield Nelson. He became caught up in the Whitewater investigation surrounding Clinton. On May 28, 1996, he was convicted for misapplying funds for a $150,000 bank loan. The next day, he announced that he would step down as governor, even as he continued to protest his innocence. After briefly rescinding his resignation, he left office on July 15, 1996. He reentered the private sector to focus on his business enterprises. In 1996, Tucker was placed on a liver transplant waiting list (he had been diagnosed in 1984 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, which leads to blockage of the bile ducts). On Christmas Day, he received a transplant, which probably saved his life and kept him out of prison—he was sentenced to probation. Despite complications, the transplant restored his health. Since then, Tucker has served his probation and repaid the $150,000 loan. Edit: Jim Guy Tucker passed away on February 13, 2025
John Cain is program director of community radio station KABF-FM 88.3 and host of KUAR's 52nd Street Jazz for more than three decades. He has been on the air in some capacity for "51 years and counting." Cain got his start in the early 1960s working as an engineer and overnight disc jockey at Little Rock R&B station KALO-AM 1250. It was there that Cain developed his program niche. Cain said, “I featured material that you don’t hear normally. It was overnight radio that really gave me the opportunity to become a preservationist of sorts, a musicologist, a mixologist or whatever you want to call it." Chris James is a national award-winning poet. His plays include Dear Black People and The Odds Against US. He has been featured on the front cover of the Arkansas Times Newspaper for being one of Arkansas’ top visionaries. James is a member of Foreign Tongues poetry slam team, ranking second in the world’s second largest poetry competition in 2014. He is the founder of Arkansas’ only poetry venue and second black owned gallery, The House of Art. He hosts art integrated workshops and is a motivational speaker. Garbo Watson Hearne owns Hearne Fine Art and Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing/Hearne Fine Art, located in the historic Dunbar neighborhood in Little Rock, Arkansas. She developed Hearne Fine Art in the New York and Atlanta markets and expanded its services to include cataloging and fine art appraisals
Ann McCoy really needs no introduction because everyone knows her as either the successful million dollar club (when that meant something) real estate agent, or as the Governor’s Mansion Administrator for Governor Clinton, or as the Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Social Secretary and Director of Personal Correspondence for President Clinton’s administration.There was a time when she could have boasted that she had met all the leaders of the Free World and had her picture taken with every living US President, but she doesn’t. She is the most gracious and lovely person I have ever had the privilege to meet. Yes, she is my mother-n-law; and yes, it will soon to be time to sit down for a family dinner; and yes, I am getting brownie points for all these compliments! But I would never lie to my listeners for ill-gain.Tune in Today and hear this super interesting woman tell her story of how she went from a wife and mother to the personal assistant to the most powerful person in the world.
Born in Gould, Arkansas, Janis Kearney was one of eighteen children of parents Ethel V. Kearney and James Kearney. After graduating from Gould High School in 1971, Kearney attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, earning a B.A. in journalism in 1976. She continued on with her education while working, earning thirty hours towards a M.P.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. After earning her B.A. degree, Kearney was hired by the State of Arkansas in 1978, where she spent three years as a program manager for the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program, and another six years as the director of information for the national headquarters of the Migrant Student Records Transfer System. Leaving government work, Kearney purchased the Arkansas State Press newspaper from Daisey Bates in 1987. She published the weekly paper for five years before joining the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1992, where she served as director of minority media outreach. The following year, Kearney joined President Bill Clinton’s transition team. She began with the White House Media Affairs Office before being appointed as the director of public affairs and communications for the U.S. Small Business Administration, where she worked until 1995. That year, Kearney became the first presidential diarist in U.S. history, chronicling President Clinton’s day-to-day life. She remained in this capacity until President Clinton left office. Kearney came under scrutiny during the Starr Committee proceedings when her diary and testimony were subpoenaed. No wrongdoing was found. After President Clinton left office, Kearney was named a fellow at Harvard University’s W.E.B. DuBois Institute in 2001, where she began work on a book about President Clinton entitled Conversations: William Jefferson Clinton-From Hope to Harlem. Kearney and her husband, former White House director of presidential personnel Bob Nash, are no strangers to the issues of race that still plague America. They were racially profiled by police following a car-jacking of a vehicle similar to theirs while still employed at the White House. Kearney served as the Chancellor’s Lecturer at the City Colleges of Chicago and continued her DuBois Institute writing project, as well as her work on Cotton Field of Dreams: A Memoir until moving with her husband and son to Arkansas.
Originally from Oklahoma, Carlton Saffa fell in love with northwest Arkansas, graduating from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He currently lives in Little Rock with his wife and children, and serves as the chief market officer for the Quapaw Nation's Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Saffa was Saracen’s first employee and oversaw the licensure of the enterprise in all forums, including the property’s casino gaming license. In addition, he served as a representative in the construction of the Saracen Annex, a facility that features 300 slot machines and which was completed and operational in 100 days. Saracen’s main property was developed in parallel, and Saffa was onsite daily throughout. Today, as CMO, Saffa is directly responsible for all outward-facing functions of the property as well as day-to-day management of the property’s 800+ employees, which is co-managed by Saffa alongside two additional senior executives. Saffa has previously worked under Governor Asa Hutchinson and currently serves on the board of directors for a variety of organizations, including the Arkansas Symphony, the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, and the Historic Arkansas Museum.
Originally from Oklahoma, Carlton Saffa fell in love with northwest Arkansas, graduating from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He currently lives in Little Rock with his wife and children, and serves as the chief market officer for the Quapaw Nation's Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Saffa was Saracen’s first employee and oversaw the licensure of the enterprise in all forums, including the property’s casino gaming license. In addition, he served as a representative in the construction of the Saracen Annex, a facility that features 300 slot machines and which was completed and operational in 100 days. Saracen’s main property was developed in parallel, and Saffa was onsite daily throughout. Today, as CMO, Saffa is directly responsible for all outward-facing functions of the property as well as day-to-day management of the property’s 800+ employees, which is co-managed by Saffa alongside two additional senior executives. Saffa has previously worked under Governor Asa Hutchinson and currently serves on the board of directors for a variety of organizations, including the Arkansas Symphony, the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, and the Historic Arkansas Museum.
On this episode we look back at Kerry's interviews with guests who moved to Little Rock, fell in love, and chose to make the Natural State their home. For some it's the southern cuisine; others the rich ecosystems. Folks may stay for the bounty of history or for the earnest communities that thrive here to this day. Whatever the reason, plenty of people find cause to build a life here in central Arkansas.
Ruebel Funeral Home, the oldest funeral service establishment in the city of Little Rock, had its beginning in early 1901 on the corner of Sixth and Main Street. For over a hundred years, Ruebel Funeral Home has continually offered services of its facility, equipment and staff for immediate response to central Arkansas families of every religion preference, race and socioeconomic circumstances. George H. Wittenberg was acquired by Ruebel Funeral Home in 1953, becoming its Secretary and part owner. At the time, Jack Reed was made Vice-President and Treasurer, while Alfred Leymer held down the position of President. In 1978 Thomas C. Wittenberg, son of George, became associated with the firm and was made President in 1983. Following the deaths of Jack Reed and George Wittenberg in 1997, Tom Wittenberg became sole owner and Chief Executive Officer. “I’m now the third generation Wittenberg owner of Ruebel,” Justin Wittenberg said. “I tell my employees on a weekly basis, “Never tell a family NO. It doesn’t matter how difficult a request might be, we will always find a way to make it happen. We only get one take when helping our clients, and we have to make it happen when and how they want so that they can fully and effectively grieve the loss of their friend or family member. We are honored to continue to serve the great state of Arkansas, for more than 117 years now.”
Billy Mitch Chandler, Jr, was born in Little Rock, AR and raised in North Little Rock. Like his doctor father, Mitch is smart. But unlike his father, Mitch has been unable to settle on one career. In school he studied many areas of interest. In work, the same. In chronological order: His beginning career, and longest, was as program director and producer for local and regional TV news stations. Next, Director of business and public relations for Arkansas Economic Development Center (AEDC). Before becoming the director of Sales for Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, he tried his hand as an entrepreneur by being a founding partner of Martin-Wilbourn Ad Agency. His last full-time job was as Arkansas’s Director of Executive Communication for the Secretary of Commerce. As is often the case, he left when the administration changed. Today Mitch is writing full-time on his book, Bus Stop To Paris, an autobiography about “this hickory nut of the south” as he calls himself; and about a chance meeting in the Denver airport that would forever change his life and send him traveling the world. As one to never rest on his laurels, Billy Mitch still keeps his finger on the pulse of advertising and film by working with a few select clients, most notably the FBI Agents Association, with whom he has partnered for over a decade. Edit: Mitch Chandler passed away in November of 2024.
Kerry McCoy will speak with New York advertising executive Madonna Badger, creator of the We Are #WomenNotObjects ad that debuted at Cannes Film Festival and has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube. Badger left the advertising industry for more than a year after a tragic house fire on Christmas morning that claimed the lives of her three young daughters and both her parents. After the tragedy, Badger spent a few months in psychiatric hospitals for manic depression and suicidal ideation. Badger contacted her college roommate, Kate Askew of Little Rock, for refuge. During that year of recuperation, Badger began healing from the immense pain of losing so many loved ones at once. Assisted by the Askew family, Helen Porter, one of the founders of the Psychiatric Research Institute at the University of Arkansas and Dr. Richard Smith, director of the Institute and Institute staff, Badger recovered enough to return to New York. Before reestablishing her work routine, she accompanied another friend from Arkansas to an orphanage in Thailand, where she found additional healing through the stories and love of the orphaned girls there. Badger wrote in Vogue Magazine, “It’s never going to be easy. The pain is just so huge that sometimes it feels like a prison cell. But trying really hard to not feel sorry for myself makes me feel good. Being of service helps the pain to go away, if only for a little while, and giving and receiving love makes me feel good. Basically, I go to wherever the light is, because anything else is darkness, and it can be a deeply black darkness.” Her tragic, yet inspirational story, her business and her volunteer work and more will be discussed during the hour-long interview.
Born in Maryland, Colin MacKnight is an organist who has been described as "a stunning player of exceptional ability" by composer/conductor Bob Chilcott. A skilled composer and conductor in his own right, Colin learned his trade at The Juilliard School in New York, receiving a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree and writing a prize-winning dissertation on Johann Sebastian Bach's "Art of Fugue". With numerous accolades under his belt, Colin moved to Arkansas after landing a job at Little Rock's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where he is now the Director of Music. At Trinity, Colin oversees choral scholar programs, a concert series, and more. Additionally, Colin founded and directs The Trinitas Ensemble, Little Rock's only fully professional concert choir.
Arkansan native John Steven Clark was raised in Leachville, Arkansas watching his father dabble in local politics and decided early in life that he wanted to be a politician as well. He graduated from ASU and attended Law school in Fayetteville. In 1973, Clark became assistant dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law. It was there he met and became friends with Bill and Hillary Clinton. In 1976, Clark left the Law School to become chief of staff for Governor David Pryor. After Clinton was elected Governor, Clark became Arkansas’s Attorney General and was the longest serving attorney general in Arkansas history. Clark has argued eight cases before the US Supreme Court. His most famous state case was creationism v evolution education in schools. Although this was not argued at the Supreme Court level, it was followed internationally and Clark was publicly denounced by evangelist Pat Robertson on the 700 Club show. In 1990, Clark was accused and convicted of mishandling state funds and charged with felony theft by deception. He lost his law license and moved several times. He lived in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. In 2004, Governor Huckabee pardoned Clark. In 2007, he returned to Fayetteville and a year later became the president and chief executive officer of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.
You could call today’s show a “second coming” because this will be the second time Reverend Dr. Chris Keller has appeared on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy.Dr. Keller, III, is an Episcopal priest and theologian who, through his ministry and life, has blended scholarly pursuits with pop culture knowledge into an innovative leadership style. I liken him to EF Hutton because “When he speaks, people listen.”Today, we listen as he speaks about his new book, Getting On Toward Home, a thoughtful collection of funeral sermons written during his career as a priest and theologian. There are mountains of meaning is this heartfelt, 124-page book.Listen to hear Dr. Keller discuss why he chose the twelve homilies included in the book, including those written for late friends and family. We also discuss his ever-evolving opinions on hot button issues within the Episcopal Church and how you can get a signed copy of Getting On Toward Home at noon on Tuesday, October 24th at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, in downtown Little Rock.
Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Trey Reid is the Assistant Chief of Communications for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. His primary role is executive producer and host of Arkansas Wildlife TV, the AGFC’s weekly television show that documents The Natural State’s many outdoor recreational opportunities and AGFC’s myriad conservation work.Additionally, Trey is editor of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine and Strung Sporting Journal; and host of The Wild Side radio show on 103.7 The Buzz (which airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m.). He makes more than 250 radio and TV appearances per year representing the Commission and educating Arkansans on our natural states outdoor offerings.Prior to joining the AGFC staff in 2007, Trey was field reporter for ESPN2’s BassCenter, traveling the country to report on professional bass fishing, conservation issues and much more. His travels took him everywhere from post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans to bass fishing adventures in New York City’s Central Park. Trey was outdoor editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for four years.He started in the newspaper business as a sports writer and later as sports editor at his hometown newspaper, the Pine Bluff Commercial. He continues to work as a freelance writer and has had articles appear in local and national magazines and websites including Bassmaster, Greenhead, AY, Fish Arkansas, Arkansas Wild, Arkansas Money & Politics, ESPN.com, and more. Trey graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a B.A. in Liberal Arts.
This week on Up in Your Business I had the pleasure of interviewing (to quote from the Dos Equis ad campaign) “the most interesting man in the world,” Mr. Bob Traylor. If you are from North Little Rock, you will know exactly who and what I am talking about.My friend, Bob, is a 96-year-old man who sired 7 children, held the office of Arkansas state representative in 1971, made a living in real estate, smuggled gems out of Columbia, gave up alcohol in his 50’s and proudly became an early advocate of the healing powers of marijuana, all while exploring his talent for painting, discovering his love of art, and showing his works at the Arkansas Art Center’s Delta Exhibition.Listen to this interesting man recount his colorful life as part of Arkansas history.
UIYB with Alan Leveritt, Publisher of the Arkansas Times by Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy
Virgil Miller, Jr. has a long track-record of integrity and hard work across multiple banks, including Worthen Bank, Bank of America, Metropolitan National Bank, and more. As of 2024, Miller fills the role of Community Reinvestment Officer for Arvest Bank, where he works to meet the credit needs of low-income communities. Virgil's career in the banking industry dovetails well with his long-time commitment to community service that began as far back as 1981, when he was a Rally team member for the Boy Scouts of America. Since then, Mr. Miller has served on no less than 35 boards ranging from President of the Kawanis club to Daisy Bates Trustee; Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport commissioner to present day Director of Ward 1 for the City of Little Rock.
This week's guest is The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk, Susan McDougal. She and her ex-husband were part of the Whitewater prosecution during the Clinton Presidency. She went to prison on contempt charges for refusing to answer questions for a grand jury. President Clinton pardoned her during the final hours that he was in office.
This week's guest is The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk, Susan McDougal. She and her ex-husband were part of the Whitewater prosecution during the Clinton Presidency. She went to prison on contempt charges for refusing to answer questions for a grand jury. President Clinton pardoned her during the final hours that he was in office.
Deborah Troillett is the former executive director for the Arkansas House of Prayer. She also served 22 years as a Mount St. Mary Academy teacher and administrator, with the last 14 years as president, ending in 2011.
This week, tune in for Kerry’s conversation with long-time local TV and radio personality Lisa Fischer, who has become an integrative nutrition health coach, and host of her new show “Lisa Fischer Said.” Listen to learn how Lisa has overcome a lifetime of chronic illness and six autoimmune diseases by making adjustments to her diet; and how she’s helping listeners take control of their health by interviewing health experts and coaching on the benefits of intermittent fasting.
This week Kerry sits down with Talk Business and Politics host, Roby Brock, and learns all about his broadcasting career, his political start in the 1992 Clinton Presidential campaign, and his thoughts on the state of the media.
Born in Maryland, Colin MacKnight is an organist who has been described as "a stunning player of exceptional ability" by composer/conductor Bob Chilcott. A skilled composer and conductor in his own right, Colin learned his trade at The Juilliard School in New York, receiving a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree and writing a prize-winning dissertation on Johann Sebastian Bach's "Art of Fugue". With numerous accolades under his belt, Colin moved to Arkansas after landing a job at Little Rock's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where he is now the Director of Music. At Trinity, Colin oversees choral scholar programs, a concert series, and more. Additionally, Colin founded and directs The Trinitas Ensemble, Little Rock's only fully professional concert choir.
Former Razorback David Bazzel may be one of the most recognizable names in Arkansas. He played linebacker for the UofA in 1984 and had a total of 113 tackles. He was sidelined due to shoulder and back injures. “I think all of the football I played taught me a lot of discipline and taught me to grind and work hard,” says Bazzel. He created the Broyles Award, now going on 25 years, and the Touchdown Club, which brings in big names from all over the country. He is also responsible for the “Battle for the Boot,” and the Tusk Fund. For David, it’s all about giving recognition to those who deserve it, while putting Arkansas in the spotlight. In the fall of 1998, Bazzel wrote and starred in a one man play titled “Football, Biceps, Biscuits and Gravy: Confessions of a Razorback.” Due to lack of ticket sales, the show closed before opening night. “You win some, you lose some,” Bazzel said, adding he has “no problem eating a little humble pie.” You can find Bazzel on TV during Razorback football season as a pre-game host and commentator, as well as doing his full-time job at 103.7 The Buzz.
David Soos was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1949. A move to Arkansas during his Air Force enlistment from 1968 to 1972 started David on his path in stained glass. While stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, he spent most of his free time at the Arkansas Arts Center, enrolled in classes of many different media including, ceramics, sculpture, and glass blowing. The glass blowing experience led to his interest in stained glass. After his Air Force discharge, he returned to Cleveland and enrolled in classes at a local stained glass studio. He returned to Arkansas in 1974 and was self-employed in stained glass for a year, then worked for another studio, Mashburn Stained Glass, before opening his own business in 1979, a 5,000-square-foot studio with a full range of stained glass services. David was also a faculty member at the Arkansas Arts Center for five years and has had his work exhibited in many juried museum shows over the years.
Today on Up In Your Business you will be swept away as art history professor Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, teaches us about Arkansas’s history and culture.Gayle wrote the grant that led to the 60-year Central High Little Rock Nine reunion where President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker. We will hear how Gayle commissioned the Cuban born composer, Tania Leon, to score a dramatic opera about the “Little Rock Nine” and enlisted Henry Louis Gates to write the libretto (words). This project has been stalled due to the pandemic of 2020, but we will preview a little of the opera on today’s show.We will also learn about Japanese American Internment art and get an excerpt from its most famous Arkansas resident Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu, George Takei.Other areas of Gayle’s expertise inclued American art, Women in Art, and my favorite, Depression-era post office murals (think Norman Rockwell on a wall). Over 1400 murals were painted during the 1930’s and 40’s, as part of the New Deal, nineteen of which are located in Arkansas.And if that is not enough, she is an avid collector of antique Dolls!Listen and get a lesson on an array of interesting topics from this very interesting person.
JP Francoeur, owner of JP Fitness & Recovery returns to the show to talk about NeuFit, the revolutionary therapy and training technique that uses electrical stimulation. Join Kerry as they talk all things fitness.
Born and raised in Batesville, Cecelia Wilson graduated from Batesville High School and earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Cecelia lives in central Arkansas with her husband, Dennis, and has two children, a grown son and daughter, Cody and Cheyenne. For more than a decade, Cecelia has been the Feature Writer for Searcy Living magazine. Over the years, she has penned articles introducing readers to governors, senators, Grammy Award-winning musicians, and individuals from all walks of life. In addition to writing articles, books, and youth plays, Cecelia is a singer, pastor's wife, play director, and acts in community theaters, commercials, film, and television. Recently Cecelia was able to- in Edith's words- twist Edith's arm so she could write Edith Röpke Harris' amazing story. This harrowing tale ended up being a non-fiction book titled Back to Bremen which chronicles a mother and eight children navigating a back woods journey though Nazi Germany during WWII told from 5 year-old Edith's perspective.
This week we revisit Kerry's two prior interviews with Arkansan painter and sculptor, Kevin Kresse. Kevin has exhibited his work around Arkansas, New York, Washington DC, Memphis, and Atlanta. His work has been featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Times, Soiree magazine, and more, and he has been featured in pieces produced by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS television, as well as a short film by Garret Lakin. The journey toward a career in art began with Kresse and his wife Bridget’s decision to pare down their lives financially. Both of the Kresses had “job-jobs,” as Bridget calls them. She was a financial planner, Kevin a newspaper art director. Work and money had been “all about accumulation.” The Kresses opted for a different road. They gave their employers a year’s notice, lived cheaply, and saved money. Then they took a four-month trip to Europe. The trip to Europe was priceless. It laid the foundation for their marriage, they say. It gave them time to reflect — something Kevin points out is growing increasingly scarce for workaholic Americans — and it pointed the way toward their future. It was on that trip, Bridget says, that “Kevin decided to do his art." "It's a kick knowing that my public work will still be there long after I'm gone," he said. "I never thought about that aspect too much until after my father died. It is also great hearing people interpret what they see in some of the work. It makes me realize that everyone sees art through their filter of life and that every interpretation is just as valid as the reason I did it."
Billy Mitch Chandler, Jr, was born in Little Rock, AR and raised in North Little Rock. Like his doctor father, Mitch is smart. But unlike his father, Mitch has been unable to settle on one career. In school he studied many areas of interest. In work, the same.In chronological order: His beginning career, and longest, was as program director and producer for local and regional TV news stations. Next, Director of business and public relations for Arkansas Economic Development Center (AEDC). Before becoming the director of Sales for Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, he tried his hand as an entrepreneur by being a founding partner of Martin-Wilbourn Ad Agency. His last full-time job was as Arkansas’s Director of Executive Communication for the Secretary of Commerce. As is often the case, he left when the administration changed.Today Mitch is writing full-time on his book, Bus Stop To Paris, an autobiography about “this hickory nut of the south” as he calls himself; and about a chance meeting in the Denver airport that would forever change his life and send him traveling the world. As one to never rest on his laurels, Billy Mitch still keeps his finger on the pulse of advertising and film by working with a few select clients, most notably the FBI Agents Association, with whom he has partnered for over a decade.
Born in 1952, Walter C. Coleman III was the 5th generation to run Coleman Dairy, in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2001 his family business was listed in Family Business Magazine as the United States 75th oldest family-run business, having been founded in 1862. In 2007, Coleman Dairy became a division of Hiland Dairy. Though he inherited a dairy juggernaut, Walt's greatest legacy is in the world of sports. In his 20's, Walt began a long career as a football referee. At the time of his retirement in 2018, he was the longest-running NFL referee in history. This is big money, on a big stage, with big egos, and your word, as the referee, is the final word…like it or lump it. The next day, everybody is talking about it, and everybody must live with it. And living with it is what our guest did for 30 years… the guts, the glory, and the criticism.
Susan Altrui has worked for the Little Rock Zoo since 2005, but it wasn’t until director Mr. Mike Blakely announced his retirement in 2020 that she moved from head of marketing to become the acting director. Later she cemented her role when the late City Manager Bruce Moore promoted Susan to the full-time position of Arkansas’s Little Rock Zoo director. Little Rock is lucky to have such an accredited Zoo. Interestingly, it is the largest family destination in Arkansas, conveniently located in the center of the State, and in the heart of the Capitol City. The Zoo not only cares for over 500 animals, but also provides inspiration, education, and conservation programs that grow a passion for animals and a respect for all living things.
Steve Dean and Don Goodman sat down with Kerry McCoy to share how a dream can launch a career, how music facilitates healing, and how Operation Song reaches veterans with a creative way to conquer PTSD.
Excited and apprehensive describes how I felt while on my way to Russellville, Arkansas to speak to 400 bright Arkansas Governor’s School students. I didn’t know what to expect. Kids can be a tough audience. But, besides middle-aged men, they are also one of my favorite demographics and, early on in my speech, I told them so; for which I got a round of applause and realized they were going to be a fun group. For the next 40 minutes I told my 48-year entrepreneurial story; the failures, successes, and luck.
Christina Lecuyer is a confidence coach living in Conway, AR. Previously a professional golfer turned television personality, Christina soon realized that her wealth hadn't brought her happiness. After years of battling low self-confidence, an eating disorder, and tying her worth to external validation, Christina has created what she refers to as “the best life ever” which includes a business coaching clients from around the world. Through her signature “Decision, Faith & Action” framework Christina has helped thousands of clients curate their own “best life ever”. Christina is one of only a handful of coaches that specializes specifically in building confidence using a 1:1 coaching model, because she believes it's the long term accountability and support from working on both mindset and strategy that creates sustainable and enjoyable long term results of self trust and confidence.
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the First Lady of Arkansas, Susan Hutchinson. I loved hearing her recount the charming story of how she first met and courted Governor Asa Hutchinson at Bob Jones University in South Carolina.But don’t be fooled by Ms Hutchinson's demeanor. She is brilliant. She is also a classically trained pianist who believes it is important that every child be introduced to music and holds steadfast to the practice of music education in schools.Listen to hear Ms Hutchinson's passion for children as she tears up when talking about her work with the Children’s Advocacy Center and gives tips on how to recognize the signs of child abuse.
Tune in this week as Kerry trades tales of the lake with Bill Barnes, longtime owner and operator of Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa, located on the beautiful Lake Ouachita.
William Asa Hutchinson II was born in Bentonville, AR in 1950. Attending law school at the University of Arkansas, Asa practiced as an attorney and businessman for 21 years. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Hutchinson as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. At the age of 31, Hutchinson was the nation's youngest U.S. attorney. It wasn’t until 1997 that Asa became an elected politician to the Arkansas House of Representatives, occupying his brother Tim’s former seat, as a member of the Republican Party. In 2014, Mr. Hutchinson defeated his democratic opponent Mike Ross and became the 46th governor of Arkansas, serving from 2015 to 2023. Throughout his career, as has also served as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Undersecretary for the Border and Transportation Security division of the DHS under President George W. Bush. As a businessman, Asa has seen success with the founding of a consulting firm, Hutchinson Group, LLC., and through investments in an acquisition company in the homeland security industry.
Aired 5/21/2020Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, you’ll hear from a young man who is leading a double life, Mr. Samuel Ellis. Mr. Ellis is an environmental scientist by day, a fiddler in a country band by night and has turned his passion for rivers into a business by founding Rock Town River Outfitters, in Little Rock’s River Market District, on the Arkansas River.Rock Town River Outfitters rents bikes and kayaks for experiencing the Arkansas River from above on the 15-mile River Trail or afloat in the Arkansas River’s current (it is not as dangerous as it sounds).Today we’re going to dive (LOL, pun intended) into the risks and rewards of kayaking on the big river, talk about the downtown tours his company offers, get his take on the environmental impact we humans are having on mother earth and find out where his band The Cons of Formant play.
This week, Kerry talks with marketing expert, Martin Thoma, of Little Rock's Thoma Thoma. Listen to learn all about the ins and outs of advertising, how to navigate a potential recession, and the biggest little mistake business make.
This week, tune in for Kerry’s conversation with Janet Huckabee, political figure and former First Lady of Arkansas. Perhaps best known for spearheading the renovation of the Arkansas governor’s mansion, Janet has done it all; from campaign tours to jumping out of airplanes. Listen to hear a humorous, straight-forward reflection on her life, including how she overcame a cancer diagnosis at the age of 20, jet skied the length of the Arkansas River, and how she took the news when her daughter, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, told her she would be running for the position of Arkansas’s 47th Governor.
Raeann Wilson was born in Cabot, AR. As a breast cancer survivor, IV therapy was an integral part of Raeann’s recovery, and she became passionate about giving the same level of care to other post-operation patients. As the surgical coordinator at Shewmake Plastic Surgery, Raeann has extensive knowledge in surgical processes and patient care. This all gave her the skill and inspiration to create Zen Infusion, offering mobile, on-demand IV infusion therapy that serves a number of needs for the people of Central Arkansas.Kris Shewmake, M.D., FACS was born in Pine Bluff, AR. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Hendrix College in Conway and a master’s degree in natural science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He received his medical degree from UAMS, where he also completed a residency in general surgery. He was president of his class and elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society (top 10% of the class). His eight years of surgical training after medical school included a General Surgery residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center and a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency in Dallas at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Shewmake entered private practice in 1996 and was named Best Plastic Surgeon in Arkansas by his colleagues in 1999 and 2009.
Since starting Cooking in Bloom back in 2018, Denise Albert has given thousands of children hands-on cooking experience and nutritional education, imparting life skills contribute to their ongoing health and well-being throughout their lives.Even back in her days working in cardiac rehab, Denise knew that food is a powerful tool for learning. She started a nutrition education program that involved cooking meals with her patients, engaging taste, smell, and touch to great effect. When she and her family moved to Little Rock, she brought her pedagogy with her, founding Cooking in Bloom when she realized school curricula had gaps with regards to nutrition and sustainability. Denise's multi-sensory approach has since been put to use immersing pre-K through 12th-grade students in learning, using cooking to connect to many academic subjects like math, art, science, and history.The pandemic hit Denise's family-oriented business as hard as any, but she rallied and restructured to a mobile model, connecting through Zoom classrooms, allowing her to teach students in their own kitchens! Introducing people to thrilling new foods is the highlight of her job.When not in the classroom (virtual or otherwise), Denise likes to do outdoor activities with her family, such as gardening, biking, and taking their dogs to the park. Denise has an undergraduate degree in dietetics and a master's degree in public health.
Chelsea Wakefield, Ph.D., LCSW is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist, couples therapist, dream worker, and workshop/retreat leader who works with individuals, couples and groups. For over twenty years, she has helped people move beyond the wounds of the past, access their archetypal potential, and live more vibrant and meaningful lives. Chelsea draws from a depth of training in clinical and transpersonal methods, helping people to integrate the insights of inner work into daily living. She has a passion for supporting women in developing their luminous potential.
Bemis Family Farms is a family-owned and operated holding company for three Bemis Family businesses. In 1992, Tracey and Donna Bemis purchased a tree farm and established Bemis Tree Farm with their two sons, Nathan and Jeremy The tree farm specializes in a variety of residential and commercial shade trees, evergreen trees, ornamental trees and shrubs. In 2012, the family business expanded into professional stump removal with the purchase of Stump Busters which then became known as Bemis Stump Busters.What started as five hives and a means to pollinate their family's existing commercial tree farm, Jeremy and his wife Emily quickly realized there were no beekeeping suppliers in their area and very little sources for information. Not wanting other new beekeepers to have the same difficult experience in getting started, Jeremy and his wife established the Bemis Honey Bee Farm in 2013. As the bee farm’s number of colonies began to grow, so did their business and the demand for more education. Bemis Honey Bee Farm now provides honey bees and offers a wide variety of beekeeping supplies, resources and educational classes. The informative classes are offered year round and range from beginner to queen rearing. The classes are hands-on and taught by qualified and experienced instructors.Two admission free events are held at Bemis Honey Bee Farm each year that are geared to be educational and entertaining for all. Bee Day is held in the spring and focuses on teaching and bettering beekeeping practices. This is also the day that packaged bees are picked up. The day is filled with food, fun and information for all ages. The number of people attending the event has doubled each year. The Arkansas Honey Festival is held in the fall and focuses on products from the hive, as well as honey production. A honey contest is held and tastings are open to the public. Free classes and activities are offered along with food and information. Both events feature many live demonstrations in the bee yard.With three generations of farmers and entrepreneurs, Bemis Family Farms looks forward to providing Arkansans with quality products, quality supplies and exceptional services. All three companies are run with the help of friendly and invaluable employees, family members and friends. We invite you to take a drive through the tree farm, visit the Bee Store to pick up a few supplies, and meet new friends in the tree and beekeeping industries.
This week, Kerry sits down for an interview with Nate Coulter, the Executive Director of Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) to find out all about the public library system, and what makes it such a pillar to the central Arkansas community!
Hank Kelley grew up in Heber Springs, AR. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he graduated with honors. In the late 1970s he went to work in the northwest Arkansas real estate market and during that time met and married former Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey’s sister, Stephanie Dailey. In 1980 they moved to central Arkansas and Kelley got his MBA in Finance and a Commercial Real Estate Brokerage License. He has instructed Real Estate courses at University of Arkansas at Little Rock and created the Endowed Scholarship to enable students to attend the U of A. Kelley is the CEO of Flake and Kelley Commercial Real Estate firm and over the past 35 years has represented clients that include AT&T, Panera Bread, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Acxiom, City of Little Rock Parks & Recreation and the Pulaski County School District.
Born in a small delta town in Mississippi, Percy Malone has lived and understands the problems of the poor; those often overlooked and forgotten. That is why, while serving in both Arkansas houses (first as a representative and later as a senator) Malone sponsored no less than 50 bills with a focus on protecting children, caring for the sick or incapacitated, and helping those living below the poverty line. He is a successful businessman who in 1975, founded the first AllCare Pharmacy in Arkadelphia, AR with a #2 pencil, ledger book, and a typewriter. Today he has over 17 community pharmacy locations across Arkansas. At a time when monopolies and big business are bankrupting smaller companies, Percy has stayed true to himself. Over the last 5 decades he has seen radical change in the pharmaceutical industry: From mom-and-pop drug stores with soda shops in the back to "big pharma"; from pencil and paper accounting to computer pharmacy tracking systems. Percy Malone has successfully led his company, AllCare Pharmacy, through the ever-changing complexities of business and consumerism in the 21st century.
Paul Allen Smith Jr is the oldest of four children, was born on March 12, 1960, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He grew up in McMinnville, Tennessee, in the Cumberland Mountains, where his father’s family had farmed for several generations and also operated an ornamental plant business. Smith calls himself a fourth-generation nurseryman and horticulturist.The family moved back to Little Rock when Smith was twelve due to a career opportunity for his father, who unexpectedly died just three months later. To cope with his grief, Smith planted a small garden in the backyard and began raising chickens.After graduating from Little Rock’s McClellan High School in 1979, he attended Hendrix College in Conway to major in biology, with plans of becoming a veterinarian. After graduation in 1983, he earned a Rotary International scholarship to study ornamental horticulture, garden design, and history during an eighteen-month stay at the University of Manchester in England. After returning home to Little Rock, Smith entered the nursery and garden design business with his family. He also became a private tour guide to European gardens and began teaching gardening workshops at the nursery.Regular appearances on local radio led to a weekly gardening segment on Little Rock television station KATV’s Daybreak show in 1989. It soon led to a syndicated program starting in 2000, P. Allen Smith’s Gardens, which was largely shot at Smith’s historic home in Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter. The original Garden Home is a 1904 Colonial Revival cottage surrounded by a series of garden rooms designed by Smith. He purchased the house for one dollar and relocated it to a 15,000-square-foot vacant lot. Smith divides his time between that home and his 650-acre Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm in Roland, Arkansas, which overlooks the Arkansas River Valley.At Moss Mountain Farm, Smith promotes the local-food movement, organic gardening, and the preservation of heritage poultry breeds. Smith founded the Heritage Poultry Conservancy in 2009.Smith is a Certified Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society and a board member of the Royal Oak Foundation, the U.S. affiliate of the National Trust of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. His awards and recognitions include the 2009 Arkansas Cultural Enrichment Award from the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the 2011 4-H Celebration of Excellence Award, the Medal of Honor from the Garden Club of America, Garden Communicator Award from the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA), Horticultural Communicator Award from the American Horticultural Society (AHS), and the Odyssey Award from the Hendrix College Board of Trustees honoring the achievements of Hendrix College alumni.
This week Kerry sits down for an interview with Mr. Tommy Foltz, editorial writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Tune in to hear about the big business of natural gas, Tom's pivot from sports to politics to writing, and about the rocky journey of recovering from personal tragedy.
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I sit down for a conversation with a power couple that has deep roots in Arkansas: the 2019 Farm Family of the Year, Jamie Anderson and his wife Elizabeth Burns Anderson.There are not many businesses that last past the second generation, and certainly not the third. But Anderson Farms, a fish hatchery, and Farmers Bank and Trust in Magnolia are the exception.Founded in 1949 by his great grandfather, Jamie Anderson became the fourth generation to run their fish farm, made up of 3,300 acres of water with an 11,000 square foot fish hatchery. This makes them the largest producer of bait fish in the world.Elizabeth Burns Anderson is the fifth generation to run her family business, Farmers Bank and Trust, founded over 100 years ago by her great, great grandfathers.Listen for some fish and finance talk. Learn farm folklore: about how the Anderson Fish Farm began from fish caught in the Bayou Meto, the different types of bait fish available, and a debate over farm raised vs wild caught salmon.
In 2015, before Dr. Sybil Hampton’s mother died, she said to Sybil, “Your whole life has been being in these places that people don’t expect you to be.”Never truer words spoken about my guest Dr. Sybil Hampton, whose first unexpected claim to fame (and she has many) is being among the second group of African American students to integrate Central High School, on the heels of the Little Rock Nine.You would think such a traumatic experience at such a young age would have soured Ms. Hampton on any type of organized schooling. But No! Ms. Hampton has scores of higher learning degrees and has dedicated her life work to the field of education.Hearing glass ceiling breaker Sybil’s firsthand accounts will inspire you, broaden you, and forever change you for the better.Listen as we celebrate black history month and get a history lesson from this educator along with stories of hope from a woman with profound experiences.
This week, listen to Kerry’s conversation with Dr. David Montague, professor of criminology at UALR. Tune in as they dive into some of the most fascinating parts of his life and career, including the legacy of his mother, Raye Montague, his work busting white-collar drug crimes, and, perhaps most interestingly, his time on the JFK Assassination Records Review Board, when Kerry asks what we’re all thinking: Who killed JFK?
Originally Aired 6/24/2022This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we interview Mr. Arlo Washington, president of PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a financial institution offering small loans to neighbors in need.Arlo is a self-made man with a Cinderella story. He is the epitome of a hardworking, creative entrepreneur, who sees opportunities and listens to where life leads him, all with the heart of a teacher.Learn what the term “unbanked” means and how Arlo turned his barber’s chair into a barber school (Washington Barber School), and his school into a financial institution, eventually founding the PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a non-profit financial institution serving low-income communities.
Randy Hankins was born in 1950, growing up in Warren, AR. Going by his stage name, Craig O'Neill has spent 50 years in the broadcast business, with the last 24 of those being at Little Rock, Arkansas’s THV11. O’Neill officially signed off for the last time as news anchor on December 29, 2023. Before TV, Craig had a successful radio career on KKYK and then B98.5, where he was famous for his prank phone calls. Eventually, O'Neill made the transition from fun-loving radio personality to respected TV news anchor. Craig has since interviewed Presidents and music icon Dolly Parton alike. He has danced on the Ellen DeGeneres show, announced Razorback football games, emceed more than 9,000 charity events helping raise over $40 million dollars in Arkansas. His passion project, and probably his retirement career, is reading to grade school children through AR Kids Read. Using his acting skills, infectious personality, and unforgettable voice he hopes to ignite some lifetime readers. He also works with Hearts and Hooves — an organization that teaches children and adults with disabilities to ride and handle horses.
Born in landlocked Little Rock, AR, Olivia Wyatt moved to Rockaway Beach in New York after college and fell deeply in love with sailing. Today, she's captain to Juniper, a 34-ft haunted sailboat moored in the Soloman Islands of the Pacific Ocean, in addition to being an award-winning filmmaker, TV producer, and writer. Olivia has worked on racing boats, boat deliveries, and international charter voyages, with over 11,000 nautical miles to her credit. Along with her passion for the sea is her calling to meet and bring awareness of endangered, indigenous people through her sailing adventures, storytelling, and filmmaking. Her 2015 feature-length documentary Sailing the Sinking Sea is candy for the senses. You swim underwater, sail on turquoise seas, learn sea gods’ mythology and watch Moken couples fall in love. Today Olivia has set her sights on the 2026 Golden Globe race. Some of the rules are: Sailors must sail alone, non-stop, in retrofitted sailboats using 1968 technology. The race starts in France and sails from West to East around the Great Capes. Interestingly, more people have been to space than have rounded the Capes, and Olivia will be the first American woman to do so solo. Tune in to hear firsthand from the brilliant, brave, beautiful, ambitious, award-winning ethnographic filmmaker and sailor, Captain Oliva O Wyatt.
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I’ll be talking with a fellow North Little Rock, Ridge Road Junior High graduate, Mr. Val Hansen. If you grew up in North Little Rock, then you’ve eaten at what was once perhaps the only hamburger joint in town and Val’s family business, Hansen Hamburgers.Today, mom and pop burger joints have been replaced by corporate fast food chains and Val has moved from working the grill to a very successful real estate business, Val Hansen ReMax Properties, in the Capital City of Arkansas.Listen to Val and I talk about how he started and grew his successful business, the current real estate market, and what happened to Hansen Hamburger.
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we're looking back on my interview with Charles Morgan, the founder, chairman and CEO, from 1972 – 2008, of Acxiom, the pioneering and leading data base company headquartered in Central Arkansas. An extraordinary entrepreneur and visionary, he is also really fun, outspoken, and a racecar driver.While many of his colleagues have retired, he is going strong with his newest company, First Orion, a consumer protection app for phone privacy. If you have a T-Mobil device, than you are using his technology.These days, Charles serves on the board of INUVO, a publicly traded, technology company for internet advertisers, and more recently released his second book Now What which follows his tell-all-book, Matters of Life and Data.Listen to find out how this IBM engineer turned his company from a 25 employee start-up to a publicly-traded, billion-dollar tech giant in just 30 years, and managed to become an author, race car driver and so much more along the way.
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the renowned trumpeter, musician and performer, Mr. Rodney Block.If you live in Little Rock, or close by, then chances are you may have had the pleasure of hearing this gifted musician blow his horn, all while slipping in some of his encouraging and uplifting words about humanity and compassion for all peoples.This Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas, Arkansas has performed pop, jazz, hip hop, Latin, and even country music with legends like Earth, Wind and Fire, Bobby Brown, the Jazz royalty Ellis Marsalis, soul singer Lalah Hathaway, and the great R&B artists Johnny Gill, Eric Benet and Joe. And Rodney often plays with legendary hip-hop artist Doug E. Fresh.Listen to learn about the business of music, how Rodney has made a living in the music industry, how he came to perform on national and international stages, and why his greatest role models are still his mom and dad.
Chelsea Wakefield, PhD, LCSW is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist, couples therapist, dream worker, workshop and retreat leader who works with individuals, couples and groups. She has spent twenty five years facilitating people in moving beyond the wounds of the past, accessing their archetypal potential and living more vibrant and meaningful lives. Chelsea draws from a depth of training in clinical and transpersonal methods, helping people to integrate the insights of inner work into daily living. She has published two books, which are valued by both clinical professionals and educated lay audiences, Negotiating the Inner Peace Treaty and In Search of Aphrodite: Women, Archetypes and Sex Therapy.
This week Kerry talks with Jim Keet, and his son Jake, about their string of successful restaurant ventures from Wendy's, to Taziki's, to Cypress Social, and more! Learn what it takes to operate a franchise and hear their prediction about the future of fast food.
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Little Rock restaurant royalty, Mr. Louis Petit.Chef Petit’s Arkansas folklore began in 1975, when Jacque and Suzanne Treton decided to bring their European cuisine to Little Rock. Their restaurant was aptly, and now famously, called Jacque and Suzanne’s on the top floor of the First Commercial Bank Building in downtown Little Rock.The Treton’s first order of business was to hire restaurant manager Paul Bash, who wanted a European staff to run the restaurant. This is when he hired Mr. Louis Petit, a Belgian, as Jacque and Suzanne’s first maitre’d.But the Treton’s didn’t stay long. After just two years, they left and sold the up-scale restaurant to Mr. Bash, Mr. Petit, and Mr. Moore who, for the next 10 years, offered fine dining, elegant surroundings, and a view of Little Rock that was unmatched.Louis’ story is a foreigner’s dream. Hearing him speak of his life is a reminder of why America, with all its flaws, is still the land of opportunity, the greatest country in the world, and why the American Dream is still alive and well.Hear the culinary impact that Louis has had on all of our dining experiences and then learn about some of the restaurants he has inspired: Maison Louis, Café Prego, Graffiti’s, Alouettes, and now Petit & Keet and Cypress Social. And my favorite tip of this interview: why he thinks debt is an opportunity for success.
JP Francoeur, owner of JP Fitness & Recovery returns to the show to talk about NeuFit, the revolutionary therapy and training technique that uses electrical stimulation. Join Kerry as they talk all things fitness.
Vicki Calhoun grew up in a military family then married into the military. She has lived in five different countries and six states. She was born into a military family. Her mother was from England U.K. and her father was from Kentucky. They met when he was in the Air Force and was stationed in England as an Air Traffic controller.Vicki began her freshman year of high school in Michigan, while her father was stationed in Vietnam. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina when he returned stateside and she finished high school in South Carolina. She attended the College of Charleston and received an Associate Degree before moving to Japan.While in Japan (1975-1979) Vicky worked as a model in Tokyo. When she returned to the United States, she went back to college and worked as a travel agent in Florida. For the following fifteen years, she was a travel agent.She enjoys pottery and reading. She was a volunteer for Heifer International and at her children’s school and, through her church, reaches out to the homeless population in Little Rock.
Reprise | Col. Angela Ochoa, Air Force Commander by Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy
Kerry talked with General Wesley Clark, founder and CEO of Wesley K Clark & Associates. During his 38 years of service in the United States Army, Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. Since retiring from the military in 2000, he has become an investment banker, businessman, commentator, author and teacher. In September 2003, he answered the call to stand as a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, where his campaign won the state of Oklahoma and launched him to national prominence before he returned to the private sector in February 2004. Clark has chaired several public and private companies, and is a progressive leader in pursuing energy solutions.
This week Kerry sits down with Talk Business and Politics host, Roby Brock, and learns all about his broadcasting career, his political start in the 1992 Clinton Presidential campaign, and his thoughts on the state of the media.
This week on Up In Your Business we revisit my interview with Kate Askew, owner of the Yella Dog Press in Little Rock, AR. Kate is a native of Little Rock who graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985. She worked for many years as a book, paper, and ephemera specialist for estate sales, and in 2002, she started her own business buying and selling rare printed materials. Eventually, buying and collecting antique texts led her to a desire to create her own. Kate saw a printing press for sale in the classifieds of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and purchased it, along with several fonts of type. Using antique type fonts dating as far back as 1856, Kate creates posters, cards, coasters, and more on a 1903 Chandler & Price platen press and a 1940 Vandercook IV flatbed proof press.
Kerry hosted 2 guests on her radio show “Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy”. Kerry says, “Originally we just had Rett schedule but when his daughter Kathryn called Arkansas Flag and Banner to purchase some custom street pole banners for her up-coming Cinematic event, I thought, hmmmmm like father like daughter and invited her to join him on todays’ show. They are both self-starters and devoted to Arkansas. I look forward to speaking with the both of them.”
Join Kerry as Brandy Thomason McNair, of Little Rock's Bella Vita Jewelry & Gifts, returns to the show to discuss community involvement and Bella Vita's 15th anniversary.
This week Kerry speaks with Jerry Wilson & Jessie Wilson, of the world famous Dale Carnegie Courses.
This week, tune in for Kerry’s conversation with long-time local TV and radio personality Lisa Fischer, who has become an integrative nutrition health coach, and host of her new show “Lisa Fischer Said.” Listen to learn how Lisa has overcome a lifetime of chronic illness and six autoimmune diseases by making adjustments to her diet; and how she’s helping listeners take control of their health by interviewing health experts and coaching on the benefits of intermittent fasting.
Born in 1952, Walter C. Coleman III was the 5th generation to run Coleman Dairy, in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2001 his family business was listed in Family Business Magazine as the United States 75th oldest family-run business, having been founded in 1862. In 2007, Coleman Dairy became a division of Hiland Dairy. Though he inherited a dairy juggernaut, Walt's greatest legacy is in the world of sports. In his 20's, Walt began a long career as a football referee. At the time of his retirement in 2018, he was the longest-running NFL referee in history. This is big money, on a big stage, with big egos, and your word, as the referee, is the final word…like it or lump it. The next day, everybody is talking about it, and everybody must live with it. And living with it is what our guest did for 30 years… the guts, the glory, and the criticism.
his week on Up in Your Business I had the pleasure of interviewing (to quote from the Dos Equis ad campaign) “the most interesting man in the world,” Mr. Bob Traylor. If you are from North Little Rock, you will know exactly who and what I am talking about. My friend, Bob, is a 96-year-old man who sired 7 children, held the office of Arkansas state representative in 1971, made a living in real estate, smuggled gems out of Columbia, gave up alcohol in his 50’s and proudly became an early advocate of the healing powers of marijuana, all while exploring his talent for painting, discovering his love of art, and showing his works at the Arkansas Art Center’s Delta Exhibition.Listen to this interesting man recount his colorful life as part of Arkansas history.
This week, listen to Kerry’s conversation with Dr. David Montague, professor of criminology at UALR. Tune in as they dive into some of the most fascinating parts of his life and career, including the legacy of his mother, Raye Montague, his work busting white-collar drug crimes, and, perhaps most interestingly, his time on the JFK Assassination Records Review Board, when Kerry asks what we’re all thinking: Who killed JFK?
Our guests today on Up In Your Business are Renie Rule and Charlie Mack, from Arkansas Restore Hope: A non-profit founded in 2016 by Governor Asa Hutchinson to solve the problems of incarceration, recidivism, and over-abundance of children in foster care.
Having known Ms. Rule for years, I can think of no one more capable to execute such important societal duties. As Community Outreach Director, Renie is the perfect advocate for Arkansas’s Restore Hope. She has a degree in Social Work and a career that spans decades with reputable non-profits such as UAMS, Arkansas Hospice, and she is the founder of Arkansas’s very successful Paws In Prison program.
With her today is Mr. Charlie Mack, another success story who, with four other felons and gang leaders, started their own initiative called Empowering My Environment.
Listen and hear about Mr. Charlie Mack’s success story: what led to his imprisonment, his disturbing but fascinating statistics on crime, punishment, and foster care and, my favorite part, his REDEMPTION.
If, like me, you feel you are four or five degrees away from any of the aforementioned issues, or that these things don’t affect you, think again. Knowledge and dignity create better families, a broader workforce, lower crime, lower taxes, create stronger communities and economics that trickle up.
Tune in this week as Kerry revisits her interview with award-winning chef, Donnie Ferneau.
Tune in this week as Kerry trades tales of the lake with Bill Barnes, longtime owner and operator of Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa, located on the beautiful Lake Ouachita.
Tune in this week as we revisit one of Kerry’s very first interviews, a conversation with financial advisor and author Barry Corkern. Even now, much of the advice Barry gives in this interview on financial literacy, retirement savings, and unexpected circumstances still holds true. Listen to learn how to save for a long retirement, how to create a trust so you can leave your business, property, and wealth to future generations, and about his book, “Widowed”, which offers advice to newly widowed individuals so they can get back on their feet.
Billy Mitch Chandler, Jr, was born in Little Rock, AR and raised in North Little Rock. Like his doctor father, Mitch is smart. But unlike his father, Mitch has been unable to settle on one career. In school he studied many areas of interest. In work, the same.
In chronological order: His beginning career, and longest, was as program director and producer for local and regional TV news stations. Next, Director of business and public relations for Arkansas Economic Development Center (AEDC). Before becoming the director of Sales for Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, he tried his hand as an entrepreneur by being a founding partner of Martin-Wilbourn Ad Agency. His last full-time job was as Arkansas’s Director of Executive Communication for the Secretary of Commerce. As is often the case, he left when the administration changed.
Today Mitch is writing full-time on his book, Bus Stop To Paris, an autobiography about “this hickory nut of the south” as he calls himself; and about a chance meeting in the Denver airport that would forever change his life and send him traveling the world. As one to never rest on his laurels, Billy Mitch still keeps his finger on the pulse of advertising and film by working with a few select clients, most notably the FBI Agents Association, with whom he has partnered for over a decade.
This week Kerry talks with Helen Grace King and Leila King, the two sisters behind downtown Little Rock's popular @ The Corner Modern Diner.
This week Kerry sits down for an interview with Mr. Tommy Foltz, editorial writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Tune in to hear about the big business of natural gas, Tom's pivot from sports to politics to writing, and about the rocky journey of recovering from personal tragedy.
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy we are speaking with Chris Tanner, co-owner/operator with his wife of three successful Little Rock restaurants: Samantha’s Tap Room, Cheers Restaurant, and The Oyster Bar.
We will ask him what it has been like to be restauranteurs during the COVID -19 pandemic. How did they manage to successfully cope with the drastic changes in their industry? And how did they manage to hold a Grand Re-Opening of the newly revitalized Oyster Bar, a long-standing Little Rock institution, during the peak of the crisis?
Learn what it takes to run not one, not two, but three successful restaurants.
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Mr. Ray Rodgers: a boxer, coach, cutman, administrator, three-time Hall of Fame recipient and tireless community leader. If he wasn’t known as the world’s best cut man in the boxing industry, he’d probably be known as a standup comedian, because he is funny.
A “cutman” is the magic man in the corner of the boxing ring, administering trade secrets for healing his athlete. A bad cut above the eye or on the scalp can split open like a ripe tomato, creating a stream of blood, and making it almost impossible to see. This calamity can cost the boxer his fight. A good cutman is so important to a boxer’s success that Mr. Rodgers has been flown all over the world to aid and assist during boxing matches. You may remember him as the cutman for Little Rock’s former Olympic medalist, Jermain Taylor.
Find out what it means to be a cutman, how Ray went from being a college football player to a well-respected boxing coach, and why he thinks amateur boxing is the best way to teach young people confidence and self-discipline, both in life and in the boxing ring.
Brad Close is President of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization. As NFIB’s chief executive officer, Brad focuses on advancing NFIB’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and through the organization’s unmatched 50-state network and grassroots operation.
My guest this week on Up In Your Business is the radio voice and host of Swingin’ Down The Lane, Mr. David Miller.
Though David’s show is very successful and syndicated in over 40 markets and two countries, his career didn’t start in radio.
David grew up in New Jersey, loving the music of the big band era. But that is as far as he thought his love would go. It wasn’t until I interviewed Mr. Miller that I learned that, as a young man, he was a sought-after Adman, studying and analyzing social trends for big-time fortune 500 company’s marketing departments.
David’s corporate career was vast and led him and his family to move five times, living in five different states. But it was a chance meeting that would change his life forever.
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is business magnate and self-made millionaire, Mr. Frank Fletcher. If you have lived in or ever visited Arkansas, then chances are you have patronized one of Mr. Fletcher’s many businesses, from hotels and restaurants, to manufacturing, car lots and, yes, even a fur store.
Though young Frank had been a successful leader as far back as Junior High, when he made the All-State Basketball team, his big break came when he met Mr. Sam Walton at Walmart Store #2 and developed a lifelong working relationship with the retail genius.
Listen to hear a frank conversation with Mr. Frank Fletcher (sorry couldn’t resist the pun) about how his life went from farm boy to entrepreneur, and hear the advice he got from Sam Walton that would change his life forever. You’ll also find out about his love for owning racehorses, all of which are named Rocket, after his favorite dog.
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we revisit my conversation with retired Director of Arkansas Parks and Tourism, Mr. Joe David Rice. David is an author, photographer, and speaker. Having served under five Arkansas governors, Mr. Rice has been a longtime advocate for the Natural State. His intellect and trivia knowledge are deep; so much so, that he has published a series of books called Arkansas Backstories, which catalog the beauty, history, and quirks of his home state. Learn where you can find some of the best natural views in the state, about the unique history of Arkansas Post, and about his testimony before a US Senate committee on behalf of the Arkansas Wilderness Act.
Today on Up in Your Business, we’ll listen to my interview with Mr. Ernie Dumas, the unlikely country boy from small-town Arkansas, who became the associate editor of the Arkansas Gazette and one of Arkansas’s most prolific political experts.Ernie has been covering Arkansas politics since 1960 and recently wrote a book; a political memoir called The Education of Ernie Dumas. An apt title not just for him, but his readers, too.This chronological book begins with his youthful newspaper assignments and coverage of Orville Faubus and ends with Bill and Hillary Clinton. As Hank Kelley, a former UIYB guest says, “Reading this book is like peeking behind the curtain.” Some of the politician’s stories are outlandish, some sad, virtuous, and some downright criminal.Listen to hear Ernie give his “one word description” of every Arkansas governor, from Faubus to Clinton, and hear him recount a hilarious story about Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and his famous drinking habit.
I am fascinated by nuns and put them in a category all to their own, like royalty. That is why I am thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with Sister Deborah who is well-known for her 22-year career of excellence, as the teacher, principle, and president of Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy, an all-girls high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.Sister Deborah has traveled the world. As a young nun she met Sister Teresa in India and, in her travels, roamed with a Buddhist monk. After retirement she traveled serving as a Sister of Mercy for the Americas. Today Sister is back in Little Rock as the Executive Director of the Arkansas House of Prayer on the campus of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Set in nature and dedicated to contemplative prayer and meditation this haven is a quiet place for peoples of all faith, and of no faith at all. As Sister Deborah says. “… It’s the space that doesn’t have an agenda.”
This week Kerry talks with Jim Keet, and his son Jake, about their string of successful restaurant ventures from Wendy's, to Taziki's, to Cypress Social, and more! Learn what it takes to operate a franchise and hear their prediction about the future of fast food.
This week, Kerry sits down for an interview with Nate Coulter, the Executive Director of Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) to find out all about the public library system, and what makes it such a pillar to the central Arkansas community!
This week, Kerry talks with marketing expert, Martin Thoma, of Little Rock's Thoma Thoma. Listen to learn all about the ins and outs of advertising, how to navigate a potential recession, and the biggest little mistake business make.
Bemis Family Farms is a family-owned and operated holding company for three Bemis Family businesses. In 1992, Tracey and Donna Bemis purchased a tree farm and established Bemis Tree Farm with their two sons, Nathan and Jeremy The tree farm specializes in a variety of residential and commercial shade trees, evergreen trees, ornamental trees and shrubs. In 2012, the family business expanded into professional stump removal with the purchase of Stump Busters which then became known as Bemis Stump Busters.What started as five hives and a means to pollinate their family's existing commercial tree farm, Jeremy and his wife Emily quickly realized there were no beekeeping suppliers in their area and very little sources for information. Not wanting other new beekeepers to have the same difficult experience in getting started, Jeremy and his wife established the Bemis Honey Bee Farm in 2013. As the bee farm’s number of colonies began to grow, so did their business and the demand for more education. Bemis Honey Bee Farm now provides honey bees and offers a wide variety of beekeeping supplies, resources and educational classes. The informative classes are offered year round and range from beginner to queen rearing. The classes are hands-on and taught by qualified and experienced instructors.Two admission free events are held at Bemis Honey Bee Farm each year that are geared to be educational and entertaining for all. Bee Day is held in the spring and focuses on teaching and bettering beekeeping practices. This is also the day that packaged bees are picked up. The day is filled with food, fun and information for all ages. The number of people attending the event has doubled each year. The Arkansas Honey Festival is held in the fall and focuses on products from the hive, as well as honey production. A honey contest is held and tastings are open to the public. Free classes and activities are offered along with food and information. Both events feature many live demonstrations in the bee yard.With three generations of farmers and entrepreneurs, Bemis Family Farms looks forward to providing Arkansans with quality products, quality supplies and exceptional services. All three companies are run with the help of friendly and invaluable employees, family members and friends. We invite you to take a drive through the tree farm, visit the Bee Store to pick up a few supplies, and meet new friends in the tree and beekeeping industries.
Kerry learns all the sweet secrets to success as she talks with former Community Bakery owner, Joe Fox.
Spring is finally here and there's no better way to kick-start the season than by hanging out with landscape designer and entrepreneur, Chris Olsen! He and Kerry talk all about his time at Oxford University, the challenges of running a seasonal business, and his renovation of the historic Edgemont House in North Little Rock.
This week on Up In Your Business we’ve combined the Reverend Dr. Chris Keller’s 2017 interview, of when he was the Dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, in Little Rock, Arkansas, with his more recent interview in 2021 as the author of his book Getting On Toward Home.We chose Dr. Keller’s interviews for the obvious reason that it is Holy Week and he is a theologian. But also, because he is a deep thinker, smart, and easy to understand. Through his ministry and life, he has blended scholarly pursuits with pop culture knowledge into an innovative leadership style. I liken him to E.F. Hutton because “When he speaks, people listen.” This is not your typical priest. Tune in to hear his 21st century views on evolution and gay marriage. In all seriousness get ready to hear one of the smartest men I’ve ever met explain Christianity in the 21st Century. It's not what you think. Once he starts speaking you will want a pen and paper near for taking notes. And if you’re driving in your car, no worries, a podcast with transcript is available.
Ep 340 | Aired 3/17/2023 | Originally Aired 7/22/2022This week, on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I had the pleasure of talking basketball with one of Arkansas’ favorite sons, Mr. Joe Klein.We had a fun time reminiscing about all the “Greats” he played with and competed against, ie. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, and Magic Johnson, just to name a few. And some of the legendary coaches he played for too, Razorback coach Eddie Sutton and Phil Jackson of the Bulls.Now, this 7 ft. gentle giant, nicknamed Smokey Joe, has made a slam dunk with his award-winning BBQ as the co-owner of two Corky’s Barbeque in Central Arkansas.Listen to how young Joe won an Olympic gold medal, played center position for the Arkansas Razorbacks, got his first contract with the Sacramento Kings and his NBA career on the Boston Celtics, LA Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. He also discusses being on the “Last Dance” series and how being an ESPN sports commentator still keeps him in the game.
Ep 339 | Aired 3/10/2023 | Originally Aired 1/13/2021My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is one of the few men I know that really looks good in a puka shell necklace, the well-known and former Razorback football player, David Bazzel.David played linebacker for the University of Arkansas in the 1984 season and had a total of 113 tackles before he was sidelined with shoulder and back injuries. But his contribution to the sport did not stop there.David founded the nationally renowned Broyles Award that honors the best assistant coaches in college football. He is also a founding member of the popular Touchdown Club that during the football season has a weekly luncheon with guest speakers in Little Rock, Arkansas.In addition, what I found most interesting is that the “Battle for the Boot,” a football rivalry between Louisiana and Arkansas, is the brainchild of David!These days you can hear “The Bazz” weekday mornings on 103.7 The Buzz and on TV during the Razorback football season as a pre-game host and commentator.Listen to hear David’s take on Razorback football, hear his story of hard work and learn about his relationship with the late Athletic Director, Frank Broyles and what he learned.
You’ll recognize the name of my guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy because he is a long-time activist, businessman, and political figure in Arkansas; Mr. Sheffield Nelson.Born in the Arkansas Delta, Mr. Nelson studied and worked hard to overcome his geographic and socioeconomic station in life and became the president of ARKLA Gas by the age of 32.After a decade as CEO, Nelson resigned from his position at ARKLA and began to dabble in politics. In 1990, he switched from the Democratic Party to the struggling Republican Party to oppose Bill Clinton for the governorship. Unsuccessful at this first attempt, he ran again in 1994 against incumbent Jim Guy Tucker, who became Governor when Bill Clinton resigned for the Presidency of the United States.Though Nelson never held an elected office, he continued to work in Arkansas politics through appointments. He also proposed an increase to the natural gas severance tax to fund highway improvements and opposed the Game and Fish Commission’s attempts to exempt itself from the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act in regard to fiscal matters.
This week, listen to Kerry’s conversation with Dr. David Montague, professor of criminology at UALR. Tune in as they dive into some of the most fascinating parts of his life and career, including the legacy of his mother, Raye Montague, his work busting white-collar drug crimes for the FED, and, perhaps most interestingly, his time on the JFK Assassination Records Review Board, when Kerry asks what we’re all thinking: Who killed JFK?
Episode 336 | Aired 3/17/2023 | Originally Aired 3/18/2020Keith Jackson was born April 19, 1965 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He began playing football at the age of 9 with the Sunset Tigers in his hometown. His love of the game continued throughout junior high school on into high school at Little Rock Parkview, where he was Parade All-American and three-sport letterman. While in high school, Keith played the cello in the orchestra.Upon graduating from Parkview, Keith attended the University of Oklahoma (1984-1987) on a football scholarship as a tight end. During his college career, he assisted the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record and a national championship in 1985. He recorded a total of 62 receptions for 1,407 yards, an average of 23.7 yards per catch and was selected three times to the All Big Eight team and named two-time Athletic All-American. Keith graduated with academic honors and a BA in Communications in 3 ½ years.In 1988, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Keith as the thirteenth pick of the first round in the National Football League draft. Keith made an immediate impact on the Eagles’ team and the NFL during his rookie season. Keith recorded 81 receptions for 869 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first season, along with seven catches for 142 yards in the Eagles only playoff game that year, and was the NFC offensive rookie of the year and the only first-year player to be selected by the NFL for the Pro Bowl. In his nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay, Keith was selected to the Pro Bowl 6 times (1988-1990, 1992, 1994 - selected but did not attend, 1996) and 3-time All-Pro. In his final season, Keith recorded 40 receptions for 505 yards and career high 10 touchdowns, assisting the Packers to a 16-3 record and a win in Super Bowl XXXI.Keith finished his career with 441 receptions for 5,283 yards and 49 touchdowns.Keith Jackson has also combined his college degree in communications and his professional playing experience to become a broadcast analyst with TNT television for one year, the Oklahoma Sooner football radio network in 1998, Fox Sports Network in 1999 and the Arkansas Razorback Sports Network from 2000 - 2017. He has become one of the most dynamic and inspirational speakers in the country. His speaking engagements include churches, civic groups, corporations and schools.
Episode 335 | Aired 3/10/2023 | Originally Aired 12/9/2020Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I’ll be sitting down to visit with the non-profit Friends of Dreamland Ballroom director, Matthew McCoy, and board members Ryk St Vincent and Jeff Roper.Founded in 2009, the Friends of Dreamland’s mission has been to save the iconic Dreamland Ballroom atop the Taborian Hall in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. This board of everyday people is working hard to tell Dreamland’s unique story, share its rich music history and social importance, and unite people through a combination of community and 21st century marketing know-how.Listen to hear this lively, passionate show about the history of Dreamland, their future grand opening date, and how you can get involved or simply buy a personal, commemorative brick in the sidewalk that benefits these people’s good work. Hmm... Think Christmas gift.
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy replay our interview with Kevin Kresse, prolific sculptor and visual artists, back to the microphone.Kevin’s success continues to make big news. In recent years, he was commissioned to sculpt the bust of Helena, Arkansas’s homeboy, singer and drummer: Levon Helm. And, before that, Kresse chiseled a 7ft, 1,300 lb. bronze statue of the famed US Army Ranger and war hero Gen. William O. Darby of Ft. Smith, Arkansas. But he didn’t stop there.Since our last interview in 2017, Kevin’s captivating sculpture of Johnny Cash has been selected as one of two pieces that will represent Arkansas in the National Statuary Hall in the US Capitol.Learn about the extensive approval process Kevin’s statue had to endure in the Arkansas House and in Washington, the fascinating process of rendering a three-foot clay model into an 11-foot bronze statue, and where you can see more of Kevin’s artwork, from murals to sculptures, in central Arkansas.
This week, tune in for Kerry’s conversation with long-time local TV and radio personality Lisa Fischer, who has become an integrative nutrition health coach, and host of her new show “Lisa Fischer Said.” Listen to learn how Lisa has overcome a lifetime of chronic illness and six autoimmune diseases by making adjustments to her diet; and how she’s helping listeners take control of their health by interviewing health experts and coaching on the benefits of intermittent fasting.
Ep 332 | Aired 1/20/2023, Originally Aired 2/18/2018On this episode of Up In Your Business, Kerry sits down with acclaimed newspaper publisher Walter Hussman. We learn about Mr. Hussman's background in publishing, how he won the infamous newspaper war in Arkansas and what it takes to run a newspaper "in the black".
Ep 331 | Aired 1/13/2023, Originally Aired 2/17/2017Kerry talks workign with family in the restaurant business with the owners of At the Corner modern diner. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Happy New Year! We want to help motivate you to achieve everything you want this year, so in this compilation, we have 2 interviews to help light a spark in you! Cole Rodgers is the founder and President of The School of Man, and Hilary Downey is part of the mother daughter duo who brought us Balance by Hilary.
Ep 329 | Aired 12/30/2022, Originally Aired 6/24/2022This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we interview Mr. Arlo Washington, president of PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a financial institution offering small loans to neighbors in need.Arlo is a self-made man with a Cinderella story. He is the epitome of a hardworking, creative entrepreneur, who sees opportunities and listens to where life leads him, all with the heart of a teacher.Learn what the term “unbanked” means and how Arlo turned his barber’s chair into a barber school (Washington Barber School), and his school into a financial institution, eventually founding the PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a non-profit financial institution serving low-income communities.
Ep 328 | Aired 12/23/2022, Originally Aired 10/30/2019Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we're listening to an interview with radio personalities Leslie Singer and Phil Kaplan, the hilarious duo known by their followers as the Two Jewish Guys. It's one of the funniest interviews I've ever done; I was rolling on the floor laughing before the show even started (check out the YouTube video, below).Leslie, an adman, and Phil, a civil rights attorney, first met volunteering for an on-air fundraiser at KUAR radio station. They became fast friends. They learned that they both were from the north-east, that they both moved to Little Rock in the '70’s and both grew up Jewish. Their commonalities and dry humor, coupled with listeners' curiosity, made for great story telling and a growing-up-Jewish shtick. For years, they performed their annual, much anticipated Christmas charity event called the “Jewish Guys’ Chanukah Special.”Listen as they discuss a number of topics, from their careers as lawyers and authors, to Leslie’s obsession with toys, and the reason why Phil knows Greta Garbo’s shoe size. All that, plus a Yiddish lesson squeezed in the middle.
Tune in this week for Kerry’s interview with the owner of Little Rock’s oldest funeral home, Justin Wittenberg of Ruebel Funeral home, founded in 1901. Listen to learn how he helps families navigate the grieving process, and his advice for making end of life decisions.Ep 209 | Originally Aired 9/9/2020My guest today on Up in Your Business is the president of one of the oldest family businesses in Arkansas; Justin Wittenberg of Ruebel Funeral Home.Founded in 1901 on 6th and Main Streets, Ruebel is the oldest funeral home in Little Rock. It was in 1953 when Justin’s grandfather, Mr. George Wittenberg, hired on to the already established business as Secretary and eventually became part owner of Ruebel. Twenty years later, George’s son, Tom Wittenberg, would join the firm; becoming its president in 1983 and sole owner by 1997.Today the family legacy lives on in Justin.Listen to learn about the funeral business, tips for preparing for end of life care, how to navigate the grieving process, and how the Wittenbergs successfully transitioned their business from generation to generation.
Here at UIYB, it's Charity Week! Join us as we welcome Brian Marsh of Goodwill and Georgia Mjartan of Our House | Compilation
This week, Kerry sits down for an interview with Nate Coulter, the Executive Director of Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) to find out all about the public library system, and what makes it such a pillar to the central Arkansas community!
Ep 321 | Aired 11/18/2022
You may call it “No Shave November” but we call it “Military Month.” To that, Up in Your Business has melded together two of my guests: USAF Brigadier General, John Michel and Colonel Angela Ochoa.
Charged with leading and building an Afghanistan Air Force, General Michel had to think outside the norms to blend 14 nations into one working family. Having grown up in France working in his grandmother’s European restaurant, he knew something about hospitality and different cultures. Thus, the social media phenomenon known as the Gratitude Café was born in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Hired as the first female commander of the Little Rock Air Force Base, Colonel Ochoa has had to think outside the box, too. From breast feeding on the flight line, to flying over 3,000 hours in support of four different missions, she has done it all over the course of two decades.
Tune in to learn about life, leadership and legacy from some of our country’s best.
Ep 319 | Aired 11/4/2022
This week on Up In Your Business With Kerry McCoy is Part Two of my telling interview with Ms. Susan McDougal, known as The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk (also the title of her book), during Kenneth Starr’s 1994, media-circus trial of President Clinton and the Whitewater Investigation. If you missed Part One, go back and listen; her early life with Jim McDougal is fascinating!
Before the interview, I read her book and must shamefully confess that, even though I lived through the Whitewater era, I really knew no more than the sound bites I heard on TV.
In today’s Part Two episode, she recounts the widely televised trial and tears up as she speaks of her heartfelt concern for the lost women she meets in prison. And learn what the term “Diesel Therapy” means and how it was tortuously used against her by attorney Kenneth Starr and Judge Susan Webber Wright.
Tune in today to hear about Susan’s two year sentencing nightmare. This is a disheartening story; an eye opener into the abuse of judicial power, fake media, and corrupt politics.
Ep 259 | Aired 8/27/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Mr. Ray Rodgers: a boxer, coach, cutman, administrator, three-time Hall of Fame recipient and tireless community leader. If he wasn’t known as the world’s best cut man in the boxing industry, he’d probably be known as a standup comedian, because he is funny.
A “cutman” is the magic man in the corner of the boxing ring, administering trade secrets for healing his athlete. A bad cut above the eye or on the scalp can split open like a ripe tomato, creating a stream of blood, and making it almost impossible to see. This calamity can cost the boxer his fight. A good cutman is so important to a boxer’s success that Mr. Rodgers has been flown all over the world to aid and assist during boxing matches. You may remember him as the cutman for Little Rock’s former Olympic medalist, Jermain Taylor.
Find out what it means to be a cutman, how Ray went from being a college football player to a well-respected boxing coach, and why he thinks amateur boxing is the best way to teach young people confidence and self-discipline, both in life and in the boxing ring.
Ep 252 | Aired 7/9/2021
Today’s Up In Your Business With Kerry McCoy show is epic! So epic that it had to be edited into a 2-part series.
My guest is Ms. Susan McDougal who, in 1994, was the center of attention in Kenneth Starr’s media-frenzied trial of President Clinton and the Whitewater investigation.
Ms. McDougal’s story is a real-life Shakespearean tragedy; an eye opener into the abuse of judicial power, fake media, and corrupt politics.
Before the interview I read her book, The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk and must shamefully confess that, even though I lived through the Whitewater era, I really knew no more than the sound bites I heard on TV.
In today’s Part One interview, Susan speaks of her early life as a young lady from a small town who attended Ouachita Baptist College and was swept off her feet by the flamboyant, worldly, and well-read campus professor, Mr. Jim McDougal.
After a whirlwind courtship filled with impressive parties and introductions to important politicians and successful businessmen, Susan found herself married to Jim, a man much older than herself, who unknowingly to both of them at the time, suffered from a mental illness that would later be diagnosed as bipolar disorder.
In next week’s Part Two, you will listen as she describes jail life, tears up as she speaks of her heartfelt concern for the lost women in prison, and learn what the term “Diesel Therapy” means and how it was tortuously used against her.
This week, Up In Your Business editor Tom Wood sits down to turn the tables on Kerry, as she is the guest of the show that she hosts!
Ep 316 | Aired 10/14/2022
Originally Aired 3/4/2022
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I sit down for a conversation with a power couple that has deep roots in Arkansas: the 2019 Farm Family of the Year, Jamie Anderson and his wife Elizabeth Burns Anderson.
There are not many businesses that last past the second generation, and certainly not the third. But Anderson Farms, a fish hatchery, and Farmers Bank and Trust in Magnolia are the exception.
Founded in 1949 by his great grandfather, Jamie Anderson became the fourth generation to run their fish farm, made up of 3,300 acres of water with an 11,000 square foot fish hatchery. This makes them the largest producer of bait fish in the world.
Elizabeth Burns Anderson is the fifth generation to run her family business, Farmers Bank and Trust, founded over 100 years ago by her great, great grandfathers.
Listen for some fish and finance talk. Learn farm folklore: about how the Anderson Fish Farm began from fish caught in the Bayou Meto, the different types of bait fish available, and a debate over farm raised vs wild caught salmon.
My guest today is a self-proclaimed Arkansas craft beer evangelist and beer ambassador for Arkansas, Mr. Scott Parton. Scott is the author of Arkansas Beer Scene Blog, co-host of Tap Time on 103.7 The Buzz and as well-known by his Twitter handle, @WooPigBrewey. He has another heady job as a longtime employee and IT operations analyst at Stevens Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ep 260 | Aired 9/3/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is none other than the honorable Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mr. Frank Scott. His life demonstrates what I’ve seen time and time again on my show, and that is: “Successful people work hard, believe in a higher power, and are action oriented.”
Mayor Scott has had a very diverse career. He has been an executive at First Security Bank, a staffer for Governor Mike Beebe, a manager for a Target distribution center, a state highway commissioner, and a board member of the LR Port Authority and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Arkansas.
Although his credentials are impressive, what endeared Mayor Scott to me was his open mindedness and willingness to try new things. As a youth, he was a Horace Mann Bear Cat football player who, later, was not afraid to take ballet. I’m SOLD! Oh, did I mention he is a Baptist associate pastor? This man can preach!
After touching on his early life and career, the Mayor and I discuss the ins and outs of his renewed “Rebuild the Rock” campaign, aimed at revitalizing the City of Little Rock.
Hear how he feels the proposed sales tax would improve early childhood care, create a senior center, revitalize our parks and recreation facilities, and improve infrastructure, all while learning some interesting facts about our fast-growing city, along the way.
This week, Kerry catches up with the car-man Steve Landers, and gets to the bottom of why he decided to come out of retirement fo run for mayor!
This week, tune in for Kerry’s interview with this year’s Democratic candidate for Governor of Arkansas, Dr. Chris Jones. Listen to learn about the vision this scientist, engineer, family man and seventh-generation Arkansan has for his state, including expansion of teacher pay, bringing broadband internet to everyone, and keeping hospitals and healthcare services available to rural Arkansans.
Ep 310 | Aired 9/2/2022
I am fascinated by nuns and put them in a category all to their own, like royalty. That is why I am thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with Sister Deborah who is well-known for her 22-year career of excellence, as the teacher, principle, and president of Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy, an all-girls high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Sister Deborah has traveled the world. As a young nun she met Sister Teresa in India and, in her travels, roamed with a Buddhist monk. After retirement she traveled serving as a Sister of Mercy for the Americas. Today Sister is back in Little Rock as the Executive Director of the Arkansas House of Prayer on the campus of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Set in nature and dedicated to contemplative prayer and meditation this haven is a quiet place for peoples of all faith, and of no faith at all. As Sister Deborah says. “… It’s the space that doesn’t have an agenda.”
Ep 309 | Aired 8/26/2022
I was thrilled to interview Mr. Charles Morgan on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Most everyone knows Mr. Morgan as the Founder, Chairman and CEO, from 1972 – 2008, of Acxiom, the pioneering and leading data base company headquartered in Central Arkansas. He is, without a doubt, an extraordinary entrepreneur and visionary, but he is also fun, outspoken, and A RACE CAR DRIVER!
While many of Mr. Morgan’s colleagues have retired, Charles continues to leave a legacy that only a few can with his newest company, First Orion, a consumer protection app for phone privacy. And more recently Charles released his second book Now What which follows his tell-all-book, Matters of Life and Data.
Like so many successful people Charles finds business creative, he says he likes working and collaborating in groups, and he is a risk taker, evident by his love of racing. Along with Mr. Morgan’s need for speed, he builds RACE CARS too (of course).
Ep 308 | Aired 8/19/2022
This week, tune in for Kerry’s conversation with Janet Huckabee, political figure and former First Lady of Arkansas. Perhaps best known for spearheading the renovation of the Arkansas governor’s mansion, Janet has done it all; from campaign tours to jumping out of airplanes. Listen to hear a humorous, straight-forward reflection on her life, including how she overcame a cancer diagnosis at the age of 20, jet skied the length of the Arkansas River, and how she took the news when her daughter, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, told her she would be running for the position of Arkansas’s 47th Governor.
Ep 307 | Aired 8/12/2022
You know how, when you’re having a bad day and you say to your co-worker, “Well, at least it’s not brain surgery.” Well, my guest today can’t say that because HE IS A BRAIN SURGEON!
It’s not every day you get to visit with someone that has been inside the human brain, but today is a different kind of day. Join me on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, as I speak with retired neurosurgeon and past chair of the Arkansas State Medical Board, Dr. Steven Cathey.
Listen and find out if ‘size does matter.’ When this show originally broadcasted live, I learned the average brain weighs 3 lbs. and that the poet Lord Byron’s brain supposedly weighed over 10 lbs. I learned some interesting trivia about Einstein’s brain too, and its missing part.
In this interview we turned the tables on Dr. Cathey and picked his brain on Nature vs Nurture, head trauma recovery and trigeminal nerve pain relief.
Ep 306 | Aired 8/5/22
This week we will get some free life coaching from Aaron Lubin. As the president and founder of Executive Recruiters Agency in Little Rock Arkansas, he has years of experience as a professional consultant, trainer, speaker and executive coach.
I’ve long since been curious about guys who are named Aaron. I mean two “A”s in one name reminds me of a mother’s recipe for success. The very name says I’m a ‘Double A’ winner!
Anyway, Aaron’s website boasts that he will help us identify our strengths, clarify our life goals and teach us how to go after those goals with a memorable job interview or action plan. I am all about “action plans” and I hope yours will be to listen today at 2pm as Aaron and I outline the secrets of success and a life of fulfillment.
Ep 305 | Aired 7/29/22
we are replaying my interview with classically trained vocalist Ms. Stephanie Smittle and her partner Stephen Koch, founder and host of the syndicated radio show Arkansongs.
By day, Stephanie writes for the Arkansas Times Magazine but, in the night, you might see her performing with any number of ensembles, ranging from folk and jazz to performing with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Stephanie released a new, self-titled album with music she wrote using an autoharp and her alluring voice.
Mr. Stephen Koch’s love of music is wide, historical, and rooted in his Stuttgart DJ father’s love of ragtime. In 1998, Stephen and his co-host, Keith Merckx, began a two-hour radio program in Little Rock, where they dug deep into the history of the musical pioneers of Arkansas. They named the radio show Arkansongs. In addition, Stephen is a musician in his metal band Arkopolis.
Ep 304 | Aired 7/22/2022
This week, on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I had the pleasure of talking basketball with one of Arkansas’ favorite sons, Mr. Joe Klein.
We had a fun time reminiscing about all the “Greats” he played with and competed against, ie. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, and Magic Johnson, just to name a few. And some of the legendary coaches he played for too, Razorback coach Eddie Sutton and Phil Jackson of the Bulls.
Now, this 7 ft. gentle giant, nicknamed Smokey Joe, has made a slam dunk with his award-winning BBQ as the co-owner of two Corky’s Barbeque in Central Arkansas.
Listen to how young Joe won an Olympic gold medal, played center position for the Arkansas Razorbacks, got his first contract with the Sacramento Kings and his NBA career on the Boston Celtics, LA Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. He also discusses being on the “Last Dance” series and how being an ESPN sports commentator still keeps him in the game.
Ep 304 | Aired 7/8/2022
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, tune in for a conversation with Ms. Cecelia Wilson and her longtime friend, Frau Edith Ropke Harris.
Cecelia’s fascination with World War II was coupled with good luck when she met German-immigrant Edith, a WWII survivor.
After years of urging, Cecelia finally got permission from Edith to write her story. The book, called Back to Bremen (titled after Edith’s childhood hometown), is what movies are made of; displacement and famine as Edith walks across Europe with her family, carrying their baby sister and hiding from the Third Reich.
Hear Edith recount her childhood memories of nightly shelling in her small German village, how she and her family narrowly escaped the Nazi’s time and time again, and their escape from East Germany, reuniting with lost family members and, eventually, making her way to the US.
Ep 303 | Aired 7/1/2022
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we tune in for a tribute to two influential voices in the history of Arkansas news and publishing, Mr. Alan Leveritt, founder of the Arkansas Times, and Ms. Olivia Farrell, former CEO of Arkansas Business Publishing Group.
Leveritt started the Times as a rebuttal to the buyout and merger of the Arkansas Gazette with the conservative afternoon newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat, thus forming what we know today as the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
Farrell, a successful businesswoman, made her fame when she donned the cover of the 1977 Arkansas Times, “Living It Up in High Style” edition with a lit joint.
Learn how Olivia went from the cover to the corporate as CEO of Arkansas Business Publishing Group. And how Alan led the Times through the dotcom boom; a deadly era for many local papers.
Ep 302 | Aired 6/24/2022
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we interview Mr. Arlo Washington, president of PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a financial institution offering small loans to neighbors in need.
Arlo is a self-made man with a Cinderella story. He is the epitome of a hardworking, creative entrepreneur, who sees opportunities and listens to where life leads him, all with the heart of a teacher.
Learn what the term “unbanked” means and how Arlo turned his barber’s chair into a barber school (Washington Barber School), and his school into a financial institution, eventually founding the PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a non-profit financial institution serving low-income communities.
Ep 301 | Aired 6/17/2022
This week, on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we revisit our conversation with Lorre Moore-Parrish, co-owner of Sheridan White Rock near Sheridan, Arkansas. Did you know the white cement-like rock on the bottom of most swimming pools comes from Arkansas? In this interview Lorre talks about the ins, the outs, and the pitfalls (pun intended) of owning a family business, as well as what it's like being a female business owner in a male-dominated industry. Listen and learn about the fascinating process of mining quartz, the strategy behind mining and conservation, as well as its many uses from construction, interior design, and landscaping.
Ep 300 | Aired 6/10/2022
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we revisit my conversation with retired Director of Arkansas Parks and Tourism, Mr. Joe David Rice.
David is an author, photographer, and speaker. Having served under five Arkansas governors, Mr. Rice has been a longtime advocate for the Natural State. His intellect and trivia knowledge are deep; so much so, that he has published a series of books called Arkansas Backstories, which catalog the beauty, history, and quirks of his home state.
Learn where you can find some of the best natural views in the state, about the unique history of Arkansas Post, and about his testimony before a US Senate committee on behalf of the Arkansas Wilderness Act.
Ep 299 | Aired 6/3/2022
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we welcome Kevin Kresse, prolific sculptor and visual artists, back to the microphone.
Kevin’s success continues to make big news. In recent years, he was commissioned to sculpt the bust of Helena, Arkansas’s homeboy, singer and drummer: Levon Helm. And, before that, Kresse chiseled a 7ft, 1,300 lb. bronze statue of the famed US Army Ranger and war hero Gen. William O. Darby of Ft. Smith, Arkansas. But he didn’t stop there.
Since our last interview in 2017, Kevin’s captivating sculpture of Johnny Cash has been selected as one of two pieces that will represent Arkansas in the National Statuary Hall in the US Capitol.
Learn about the extensive approval process Kevin’s statue had to endure in the Arkansas House and in Washington, the fascinating process of rendering a three-foot clay model into an 11-foot bronze statue, and where you can see more of Kevin’s artwork, from murals to sculptures, in central Arkansas.
Ep 298 | Aired 5/27/22
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we revisit my interview with radio personality and local legend, the late Bob Robbins.
Bob’s life was long, and he was loved by many. His story is one of survival and compassion, evident by his radio personality that was the same on air as it was off.
Year after year on Flag Day, I would join Bob outside his radio station for live, on-air broadcasting. Together, we would give away American flags to passers-by and I would see the wide and varied fan base he garnered. His legacy as a country music lover, motorcycle rider, and military supporter will live on forever.
Hear Bob talk sentimentally about the brother that raised him in Morocco, after his parents died. Also: how he got in to the radio business, how he survived a hitman’s baseball-bat-attack outside his business, BJ’s Honky Tonk, and why he isn’t the original “Bob Robbins.”
Ep 296 | Aired 5/20/22
With my short attention span, I love shows like today’s Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Our podcast editor and local radio talent, Mr. Tom Wood, likes to find common themes between my past guests and mesh them together for one fun and fast-paced interview.
This week, he’s blended the interviews of our local radio DJ, Poolboy of Alice 107.7, and the former Razorback lineman and charismatic sportscaster, David Bazzel of 103.7 The Buzz.
Listen to hear how they both unexpectedly got into the radio business, what it was like for Poolboy to grow up on the Heather and DC morning radio show, and how David went from college athlete to one of the best-known Razorbacks in the state.
Ep 296 | Aired 5/13/2022
My guest today on Up In Your Business is known by all: Arkansas’s retired Governor Mike Beebe. Because of social distancing, this show was recorded as a telephone interview but, if I hadn’t told you, you wouldn’t know. Governor Beebe’s charm, intelligence, and likability (that made him our state’s most popular governor) came across as if we were sitting across the table from each other.
In our interview, the Governor talks about his impoverished and transient young life, his mother’s hardworking virtues, and his revolving door of stepfathers.
As they say, “Strife builds character,” and Governor Beebe has that in aces. His empathy, love of people, and willingness to work across the aisle made him an effective manager of our state and endeared him to all he worked with.
Hear Beebe’s reason for and bipartisan approach to adopting the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and how his methodology has now been replicated in almost all 50 states.
Ep 295 | Aired 5/6/2022
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Paula Dempsey, founder and owner of Dempsey Bakery. This unique bakery, located in downtown Little Rock, is the only gluten, soy, and nut free bakery within a 500-mile radius.
Some of you may remember Paula and her husband, Demp Dempsey, as the working owners and founders of Dempsey Film Group. In a 6-month freefall, the burgeoning digital age of video replaced the technology of filmmaking and Dempsey’s 11-year-old business, with all its expensive equipment, became obsolete. Dempsey Film Group closed the doors to its film production company in 2011.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, Paula turned her passion into a new business when she started Dempsey Bakery. Knowing nothing about the food business, she hired a baker and, together, they spent one year experimenting and creating recipes that she now “serves up” in her gluten, soy, and nut free bakery in downtown Little Rock. You can also find her food creations in local restaurants and grocery stores throughout Arkansas.
The mission of Dempsey Bakery is simple: “to feed and meet the rising needs of people with food sensitivities.” But the execution of this simple statement is very complex.
Hear how her family’s life and health have improved through a wheat-free diet. Paula believes in her product and has found her mission in life.
Ep 294 | Aired 4/29/2022
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I had the pleasure of talking (and guffawing!) with Mr. Jacob Keith Watson, a Broadway performer who is back in his home state of Arkansas to star in the Repertory Theatre’s production of Into the Woods by Steven Sondheim. Ticket information can be found at TheRep.org. Jacob, playing the kindhearted Baker, will sing his way into your heart during the performance.
In preparation for this interview, I read Jacob’s resume and it was fun. An actor’s resume is so unlike that of a traditional job application. At the top of the page, it lists his height, weight, eye color, hair color, and voice range. In no way could I ask any of those questions to a prospective hire at Flag and Banner!
In case you're wondering: Mr. Jacob Keith Watson is 5’9, 200 lbs., has blond hair, blue eyes, and is a "Baritenor" (sings a high C).
At my last count, Jacob has acted in 15 shows across the stages of Broadway, National Tours, and Regional Theatre. To name a few (and some you will easily recognize): Carousel, Hello Dolly, Phantom of the Opera, and Chicago.
Hear Jacob Keith Watson talk about why he loves theatre, how the pandemic affected his career in NYC, and share some advice for young actors looking to get into the business of acting.
Ep 293 | Aired 4/22/2022
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, our talented team has melded my past interviews of two ladies that have helped shape the fashion industry of Central Arkansas: Ms. Anita Davis, founder of the Esse Purse Museum, and Ms. Connie Fails, the fashion designer, boutique owner, and manager of the Clinton Museum store.
In her interview, Connie tells the story of how she came to be the designer of Hilary Clinton’s inaugural dress, including her infamous blue hat. And Anita shares her stories of growing up in a small town, her fascination with purses and their purpose, and how she came to establish the unique Esse Purse Museum.
Hear how they both are impacting women in their community through art, culture, and place-making.
Ep 292 | Aired 4/15/2022
Many of us think of restaurateurs as people who love to cook and, sometimes, people who don’t love school. But my guest today on Up in Your Business is quite the contraire. He is the highly educated, well-read owner of Community Bakery in Little Rock, Arkansas, Mr. Joe Fox.
Most people start a bakery to share their recipes and commune with others. But Mr. Fox started a bakery so he would have somewhere to buy and read the Sunday New York Times.
Community Bakery was founded in 1947 in Rose City of North Little Rock. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Joe bought it, relocating it to Little Rock’s Main Street, promptly setting up a New York Times newsstand in his new coffee shop.
Hear this Harvard Business graduate tell his story and share his ideas on employee stock ownership, inclusive hiring practices, Empowerment Zone tax benefits, transitioning to solar power for his bakery ovens and, last, about his decision to retire and the process of on-boarding a new partner.
Ep 291 | Aired 4/8/2022
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I have a man’s conversation with Mr. Cole Rodgers, founder of The School of Man.
Through his own experiences of admiring wrongly-stoic, masculine and confusing male role models, substance abuse, skewed career goals, and too many one-night stands, Cole hit rock bottom, so to speak. He felt empty.
This is when Cole went soul searching and, through hard work, discovered what was really missing in his life, what it really means to be a man, and how to manage his “warrior spirit.”
Thrilled with his newfound knowledge and self-awareness, he founded The School of Man, a man’s guide to living, loving, and legacy, and authored a book, available on Amazon.
Cole admits his techniques are simple, but it is the willingness to start and the execution that are difficult. This is where School of Man comes in; to support, motivate, and hold you accountable, both physically and emotionally.
Ep 290 | Aired 4/1/2022
Today’s Up In Your Business With Kerry McCoy is a rerun from our early days in broadcasting. My guest is Mr. Rex Nelson, one of the most high-profile writers and speakers in the state of Arkansas.
Rex knows a little bit about everything. He is a sportswriter, journalist, author, presidential appointee and one of Arkansas’s most prolific wordsmiths. He describes himself as “a mile long in knowledge but only 1 inch deep.”
Listen to find out how Rex got the job writing Hilary Clinton’s first biography, what it was like working for the Bush Administration, and why, more than anything else, Rex still loves writing about Arkansas and its people.
Be entertained by this author, editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and Southern Fried blogger as he shares his stories and interesting observations on bar-b-que, politics, fishing, horse racing, blues, sports, back roads and where’s the best eatin'.
Ep 289 | Aired 03/25/2022
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the First Lady of Arkansas, Susan Hutchinson. I loved hearing her recount the charming story of how she first met and courted Governor Asa Hutchinson at Bob Jones University in South Carolina.
But don’t be fooled by Ms Hutchinson's demeanor. She is brilliant. She is also a classically trained pianist who believes it is important that every child be introduced to music and holds steadfast to the practice of music education in schools.
Listen to hear Ms Hutchinson's passion for children as she tears up when talking about her work with the Children’s Advocacy Center and gives tips on how to recognize the signs of child abuse.
Ep 287 | Aired 03/11/2022
The Rev. Susan Sims Smith is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Center. Smith was a Jungian oriented psychotherapist for 25 years, and has been an Episcopal priest since 1999. She founded Seedwork, a project to teach people how to listen to wisdom from their dreams and from meditation. She spearheaded the foundation of the Arkansas House of Prayer, an interfaith center for prayer and meditation, and serves as a life-time board member. She started the Interfaith Center in 2011.
The mission of the Interfaith Center is to reduce the hatred and fear among the world religions. It is a part of the Institute for Theological Studies at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Arkansas. The first year was used to learn more about the current interfaith work in the community. They engaged in a series of one-on-one meetings with leaders in congregations, schools and organizations who were involved in or interested in being involved in interfaith work.
The Rt. Rev. Larry E. Maze, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, said, “Seldom have I known another person as dedicated to her own self-understanding and more willing to let that understanding be distilled into teaching in order to benefit others. She has remained a dedicated priest of the church even while pushing limits of belief and understandings. I heartily endorse her work.”
Ep 286 | Aired 3/4/2022
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I sit down for a conversation with a power couple that has deep roots in Arkansas: the 2019 Farm Family of the Year, Jamie Anderson and his wife Elizabeth Burns Anderson.
There are not many businesses that last past the second generation, and certainly not the third. But Anderson Farms, a fish hatchery, and Farmers Bank and Trust in Magnolia are the exception.
Founded in 1949 by his great grandfather, Jamie Anderson became the fourth generation to run their fish farm, made up of 3,300 acres of water with an 11,000 square foot fish hatchery. This makes them the largest producer of bait fish in the world.
Elizabeth Burns Anderson is the fifth generation to run her family business, Farmers Bank and Trust, founded over 100 years ago by her great, great grandfathers.
Listen for some fish and finance talk. Learn farm folklore: about how the Anderson Fish Farm began from fish caught in the Bayou Meto, the different types of bait fish available, and a debate over farm raised vs wild caught salmon.
Ep 285 | Aired 2/25/2022
Today’s Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is a compilation of three interesting and artistic African Americans, living and working in the Little Rock metropolis.
They are Mr. John Cain, long time manager of KABF radio station; Ms. Garbo Hearne, a nurse turned professional art curator; and Mr. Chris James, an inspiring poet who is bringing a voice to the voiceless. All tell their stories of encouragement, accomplishment, and hope.
Ep 283 | Aired 2/11/2022
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the renowned trumpeter, musician and performer, Mr. Rodney Block.
If you live in Little Rock, or close by, then chances are you may have had the pleasure of hearing this gifted musician blow his horn, all while slipping in some of his encouraging and uplifting words about humanity and compassion for all peoples.
This Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas, Arkansas has performed pop, jazz, hip hop, Latin, and even country music with legends like Earth, Wind and Fire, Bobby Brown, the Jazz royalty Ellis Marsalis, soul singer Lalah Hathaway, and the great R&B artists Johnny Gill, Eric Benet and Joe. And Rodney often plays with legendary hip-hop artist Doug E. Fresh.
Listen to learn about the business of music, how Rodney has made a living in the music industry, how he came to perform on national and international stages, and why his greatest role models are still his mom and dad.
Ep 282 | Aired 2/4/2022
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the well-known radio voice and host of Swingin’ Down The Lane, Dr. David Miller.
Though David’s show is very successful and syndicated in over 40 markets and two countries, his career didn’t start in radio.
David grew up in New Jersey, loving the music of the big band era. But that is as far as he thought his love would go. It wasn’t until I interviewed Mr. Miller that I learned that, as a young man, he was a sought-after Adman, studying and analyzing social trends for big-time fortune 500 company’s marketing departments.
David’s corporate career was vast and led him and his family to move five times, living in five different states. But it was a chance meeting that would change his life forever.
Ep 281 | Aired 1/2/2022
Today’s Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is a compilation of previous interviews. You will hear informative excerpts from Dr. Amy Beard, Dr. Jason Beck, and Dr. Henri Roca, all specialists in functional and integrative medicine.
You may be asking yourself, what is functional medicine?
Functional medicine is a movement towards focusing on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease rather than treating the symptoms.
Listen to discover how each of them came to understand that good health is more than just drugs and doctor’s visits, how they overcame chronic illness, and how diet and small, daily changes can lead to a healthier, fuller life.
Ep 280 | Aired 1/21/2022
My guests today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the health and fitness guru Jean Paul Francoeur, owner and operator of JP Fitness and Recovery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
With 30+ years in the fitness business, JP (as he is casually known) is a certified personal trainer, licensed massage therapist, and now a certified Neufit therapist and trainer.
Listen to this successful entrepreneur tell his story of how, at a young age, he built and sold his successful health club and became a featured fitness writer in Parade Magazine and USA Today. Now, he has refined his passion of helping both athletes and amateurs, alike, recover from injuries and chronic pain with specialized training using Neufit technology. On his website JP says:
“Often people find their way here as a last resort after months or even years of dealing with pain, to the point that they almost accept it as a part of "getting older"... We do not accept that! No one should live in daily pain. We approach things from a completely different angle than traditional therapy, and we get results far faster.”
Ep 280 | Aired 1/21/2022
My guests today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the health and fitness guru Jean Paul Francoeur, owner and operator of JP Fitness and Recovery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
With 30+ years in the fitness business, JP (as he is casually known) is a certified personal trainer, licensed massage therapist, and now a certified Neufit therapist and trainer.
Listen to this successful entrepreneur tell his story of how, at a young age, he built and sold his successful health club and became a featured fitness writer in Parade Magazine and USA Today. Now, he has refined his passion of helping both athletes and amateurs, alike, recover from injuries and chronic pain with specialized training using Neufit technology. On his website JP says:
“Often people find their way here as a last resort after months or even years of dealing with pain, to the point that they almost accept it as a part of "getting older"... We do not accept that! No one should live in daily pain. We approach things from a completely different angle than traditional therapy, and we get results far faster.”
Ep 279 | Aired 01/14/2022
My guests today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy are Bridget Shinn and her daughter Hilary Downey, who have been in the national spotlight for their successful weight loss program.
Their stories are those of countless other women: Mom, Bridget, calls herself a “chronic fad dieter,” while daughter, Hilary, found herself overweight and tired after her first pregnancy.
Though their struggle with weight loss is common, their methodology is different. So much so that they have been featured on the cover of Women’s World, the Today Show’s website, in People Magazine, and on Access Hollywood.
Now, as a certified nutritionist, Hilary shares her experience, knowledge, and education with the world on her website Balance by Hilary.
Ep 278 | Aired 1/7/2022
Colonel Angela Ochoa is the Commander, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. As the installation commander, Col. Ochoa leads the "Home of Herk Nation." She works in concert with the 314th Airlift Wing (AETC), 189th Airlift Wing (ANG), 913th Airlift Wing (AFRC), and 29th Weapons Squadron (ACC) in all aspects of C-130 training. Additionally, Col. Ochoa is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the personnel who operate, maintain, and sustain more than 62 C-130 aircraft. The wing provides combat-ready forces to meet combatant commanders' requirements globally. She ensures support for combat, contingency, and humanitarian requirements around the world while providing for the health and welfare of more than 10,000 personnel and families at Little Rock AFB. Col. Ochoa was commissioned in 2001 from the Air Force Academy. Throughout her career, Col. Ochoa has flown in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Resolute Support, Freedom’s Sentinel, and Volant Shogun. She served as a Joint Strategic Planner, Joint Exercises and Training Division, Directorate for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C. Col. Ochoa served as an Air Force Fellow in the McConn Public Policy Internship at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington D.C. She also served as the advisor to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, for senior leader management within the command. Prior to this assignment, she served as the Vice Commander, 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., where she led more than 3,100 personnel who provided aeromedical evacuation for patients, and operational support airlift for high priority passengers and cargo with a fleet of 14 C-21 aircraft.
Ep 277 | Aired 12/31/2021
It’s been another great year of listening and learning from my guests on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. When the show began in 2016, I had no idea how much I would learn from my interviewees. It has been an experience full of gratitude and inspiration, which has brought me to the theme of today’s show.
Looking back through 2021’s shows, my team and I found a common thread among the guests who relocated to Arkansas: they came for a job or for an opportunity, fell in love with Arkansas, and decided to stay.
Hear the impact Arkansas has had on them, the legacy they hope to leave, and their messages that will inspire and encourage you as you go forward into 2022.
Ep 276 | Aired 12/24/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the owner of one of the oldest family businesses in Arkansas: Justin Wittenberg of Ruebel Funeral Home, which was founded in 1901 on the corner of 6th and Main Streets in Little Rock.
It wasn’t until 1953 when Justin’s grandfather, George Wittenberg (who was hired on as a secretary), started the Wittenberg’s on the path to becoming part owners of the already established business. Twenty years later, George’s son, Tom Wittenberg, would join the firm, becoming its president in 1983 and sole owner by 1997.
Today, the family legacy lives on in Justin Wittenberg as the working owner, taking special care in helping clients navigate the grieving process and end of life decisions.
Learn about what it takes to be a funeral director, how to run an intergenerational business, and about the practice of “lying in state.” Is that still a thing?
Ep 275 | 12/17/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the recognizable retired meteorologist, artist, musician, and songwriter, Mr. Ned Perme.
In this interview, we talk about the events that lured Ned from the beaches of Mobile, Alabama, to the city of Little Rock, where he stayed. For 34 years, this KATV personality came into our home to report the weather. As a trained pianist, many may remember Ned kicking off each Advent Season with a piano performance of his award-winning Christmas song, “Christmas Time in Arkansas.”
Listen to learn why we now say “meteorologist” instead of “weatherman” and where you can find Ned’s art for sale. Just in time for Christmas.
Ep 274 | Aired 12/10/2021
With the boom in Zoom meetings comes the over-critical camera view of oneself. This, in turn, has created a boom in the beauty, cosmetology, and plastic surgery business.
So, my clever staff at Up In Your Business decided to replay my interview with Dr. Kris Shewmake, founder and plastic surgeon at Shewmake Plastic Surgery and Skin Retreat.
In this show, we talk about Shewmake’s early career treating children with facial deformities, as well as the ins and outs and nitty-gritty questions of cosmetic surgery: from skin tightening to tummy tucks, and whether to consider lipo-suction or cool sculpting.
And listen to hear Dr. Shewmake’s answer to Kerry’s question, “Are facelifts passe?”
Ep 273 | Aired 12/4/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Little Rock restaurant royalty, Mr. Louis Petit.
Chef Petit’s Arkansas folklore began in 1975, when Jacque and Suzanne Treton decided to bring their European cuisine to Little Rock. Their restaurant was aptly, and now famously, called Jacque and Suzanne’s on the top floor of the First Commercial Bank Building in downtown Little Rock.
The Treton’s first order of business was to hire restaurant manager Paul Bash, who wanted a European staff to run the restaurant. This is when he hired Mr. Louis Petit, a Belgian, as Jacque and Suzanne’s first maitre’d.
But the Treton’s didn’t stay long. After just two years, they left and sold the up-scale restaurant to Mr. Bash, Mr. Petit, and Mr. Moore who, for the next 10 years, offered fine dining, elegant surroundings, and a view of Little Rock that was unmatched.
Louis’ story is a foreigner’s dream. Hearing him speak of his life is a reminder of why America, with all its flaws, is still the land of opportunity, the greatest country in the world, and why the American Dream is still alive and well.
Hear the culinary impact that Louis has had on all of our dining experiences and then learn about some of the restaurants he has inspired: Maison Louis, Café Prego, Graffiti’s, Alouettes, and now Petit & Keet and Cypress Social. And my favorite tip of this interview: why he thinks debt is an opportunity for success.
Ep 272 | Aired 11/26/2021
Happy Turkey Week!
For some, it’s a lot of work to get the house ready, grocery shop and cook. But when the day arrives and everyone is together in a spirit of gratitude, if for nothing else, being born in the safety and security of the good ole USA makes it all seem worth it.
Working hard in the spirit of gratitude is exactly what today’s guests on Up in Your Business are all about. They’re two of Nashville’s most famous songwriters: Steve Dean and Don Goodman.
You may not know their names, but you know their songs. Steve Dean has co-written 6 number one country hits, including "Watching You" for Rodney Atkins, "It Takes A Little Rain" for The Oak Ridge Boys, "Southern Star" for Alabama, "Round About Way" for George Strait, "Hearts Aren't Made To Break" for Lee Greenwood, "Walk On" for Reba McEntire, and more.
Don Goodman has an extensive list of hits too, including, “Ol Red” sung by Blake Shelton.
In this interview, the songwriters talk about their more recent selfless, hardworking and most fulfilling collaboration ever, simply called Operation Song. Be forewarned: you may need a tissue for this show.
Based out of Nashville, this non-profit’s mission is to help heal and empower veterans, active-duty military, and their families from service-related health and mental issues. Through a collaborative song writing session, the service men and women open up and share their deepest thoughts and experiences. Since 2012, the organization has written 100’s of songs with veterans and their families, many you can hear at OperationSong.org.
Ep 271 | Aired 11/19/2021
It was pure happenstance that I met today’s Up in Your Business guest. Earlier this year, during my interview with Perry Smith (the new owner of the Minute Man Hamburger franchise) I met his business partner: USAF retired, Brigadier General John Michel. I found him interesting, so I invited him back for a one on one conversation that you will hear today.
What makes Michel interesting is his brainchild, the Gratitude Café, that he started while serving in Kabul, Afghanistan, and how this makeshift coffee shop lifted the GI’s spirits and built a high-morale community.
John found this experience to be so successful, rewarding and enlightening that, once retired from service, he decided to pay forward his learned leadership knowledge by founding The Avalon Institute.
Their mission statement says it all: The Avalon Institute was founded on the principle of Roundtable Leadership™ where individuals learn to effectively collaborate in order to tackle complex challenges together. We tap into the full potential of an organization’s collective intelligence, find sustainable solutions, and affect positive change.
Because of John’s success and unconventional work style, he has been featured in a wide variety of articles and journals including Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, National Geographic, Joint Forces Quarterly, Huffington Post, Switch and Shift, and Innovation Excellence.
Listen to hear this interesting man’s military story and get insight (and a free lesson) into how the Avalon Institute is building tomorrow’s leaders.
Ep 270 | Aired 11/12/2021
Today on Up in Your Business I have the pleasure of sitting down with one of the founders of Wendy’s restaurants in Arkansas; the prolific Little Rock restaurateur, Mr. Jim Keet, along with his son, Jake Keet.
Jim has accomplished much in his career but, when asked what he is most proud of, he quickly says working with his sons in their iconic eateries: Tatziki’s Mediterranean Cafe, Petit & Keet, and Cypress Social (the old Cock of the Walk).
On this show, Jim and Jake discuss what it takes to run a successful restaurant, why family is a great small business asset, and Jim’s hobby of piloting airplanes in his free time … and some of his less-than-perfect landings!
Listen to get insight in to how their restaurants took a different approach to managing the pandemic and how it paid off in the end.
Ep 269 | Aired 11/5/2021
Did you know November is Military Month?
We at Flag and Banner know it, and chose to celebrate on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy by playing an earlier interview with one of Arkansas’s favorite sons, the highly decorated, four-star General Wesley Clark.
I will always be grateful to General Clark when, in 2017, he lent his star power to my new radio show. In KABF’s non-profit radio station, with our first-generation equipment, we recorded our interview live with an amateur technician at the board. The energy was raw and the stories he told were harrowing.
I especially remember General Clark talking about the special bond between servicemen, about how he was almost mortally wounded on the battlefield, and why he thinks public service should be a requirement for all young adults.
Ep 268 | Aired 10/29/2021
We are having a Mayoral Roundtable today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Our super editor (and local celeb within his own right), Tom Wood, has put together a show with three previous guests, Past Mayor Mark Stodola, current Mayor Frank Scott, and former Arkansas Representative Warwick Sabin, who ran against Scott for mayor in the last election.
Listen to get insight into the business of running a city. In addition to each of their experiences in public office, they also share unique stories about their personal call to public service, how they came to Arkansas, and their passion for the city of Little Rock.
Ep 267 | Aired 10/22/2021
You could call today’s show a “second coming” because this will be the second time Reverend Dr. Chris Keller has appeared on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy.
Dr. Keller, III, is an Episcopal priest and theologian who, through his ministry and life, has blended scholarly pursuits with pop culture knowledge into an innovative leadership style. I liken him to EF Hutton because “When he speaks, people listen.”
Today, we listen as he speaks about his new book, Getting On Toward Home, a thoughtful collection of funeral sermons written during his career as a priest and theologian. There are mountains of meaning is this heartfelt, 124-page book.
Listen to hear Dr. Keller discuss why he chose the twelve homilies included in the book, including those written for late friends and family. We also discuss his ever-evolving opinions on hot button issues within the Episcopal Church and how you can get a signed copy of Getting On Toward Home at noon on Tuesday, October 24th at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, in downtown Little Rock.
Ep 266 | Aired 10/15/2021
Today, we tried something different and recorded Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy‘s interview with Mr. Roy Dudley, founder of Roy Dudley Estate Sales, from the Dreamland Ballroom.
Mr. Dudley is one of those fortunate people that found his passion early in life. He was a mere boy in elementary school when he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and began treasure hunting at garage sales and reselling his finds in Aunt Hazel’s perpetual yard sale. Hear how Roy took his aunt’s sage advice and parlayed it into a successful business called Roy Dudley Estate Sales.
When asked what his favorite find was, his answer was swift. Finding the papers of school children in Arkansas’ Japanese Internment camp, Rohwer. From 1942 and 1945, more than 8,000 Japanese Americans were interned at Rohwer—a 500-acre camp surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, in rural Arkansas.
Ep 265 | Aired 10/8/2021
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is my interview with Mr. Aaron Lubin, President of Executive Recruiters Agency, who has been consulting Fortune 500 and small businesses, alike, for over 40 years. Since the disrupter, Covid-19, it seems everyone is redefining their life and work plan. Before the term “life coach” was even invented, Aaron Lubin Consultants was helping individuals and corporations identify their strengths and build on them. This interview is not about textbook theory; it’s his experience speaking. get tips on how to interview for a job and hear how Aaron followed his own advice and went where life led him: from a business consultant to a TV and radio host, and even a sports announcer.
Ep 264 | Aired 10/1/2021
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is my interview with retired Honorable Judge, Mr. Robert L. Brown, a stalwart of Arkansas law and politics. Though you may not readily know his name, you know his work and are living by some of the rules and laws he studied, argued, and enacted while serving as associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court from 1991 until his retirement in 2012.
In 2010 Counselor Brown published his book, titled Defining Moments: Historic Decisions by Arkansas Governors from Sid McMath through Mike Huckabee, in which he writes about the ten consecutive governors of Arkansas during his tenure and the difficult choices they made about education, the environment, social justice, political corruption, and more. His perspective is more than just historical data, it is his personal experience with these Arkansas leaders, from whence came a US president, two US senators, and two presidential contenders.
And, in honor of the spooky season, we take a break from Justice Brown’s career to talk about a different passion of his: the history of the Salem Witch Trials.
Hear Justice Brown’s first-hand account of nine of the ten governors he personally knew and writes about in his book, as well as why the Salem Witch Trials were one of America’s earliest cases of mass hysteria run-amok.
Ep 263 | Aired 9/24/2021
Join me at today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy to hear my interview with Mr. Gary Lay, founder of GWL Advertising, SeeSpotRun Productions, and GWL Digital, all headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. You know his good works every time you see Steve Landers on TV. Yes, Gary is the man behind the man, in those commercials and others.
At first, you might think, “oh just another adman.” But wait! Mr. Gary Lay is also one of only two survivors of the 1965 Titan II Missile Disaster near Dardanelle, Arkansas. Over the past 20 years, he has had several brushes with his mortality and says, “I truly believe there is something special God wants me to do. I just need to figure it out.”
Listen to this successful, creative man share his secret sauce for breaking through the noise and clutter of advertising in order to build a brand and an image for his clients.
Ep 262 | Aired 09/17/2021
Where has this ‘guy,’ Mr. Jim Guy Tucker, been? Today on Up In Your Business we’ll find out what he has been up to and more.
In the autobiography The Education of Ernie Dumas, the author admiringly describes Jim Guy as a “swashbuckler.” I had to look it up: A swashbuckler is a heroic archetype in European adventure literature that is typified by the use of a sword, acrobatics and chivalric ideals.
After reading about today’s guest, I concur with Mr. Dumas’s summation of Arkansas’s 43rd Governor!
Jim Guy is tall, uncomfortably handsome, a Harvard graduate, a Marine, a Vietnam war correspondent, a politician turned international businessman and a felon. Yes, he was wrongly accused as part of the Kenneth Starr Whitewater Investigations. He settled to a lesser charge, whilst he received a liver transplant due to failing health caused by a life threatening, autoimmune disease. Years later, after finding nothing to charge him of, the case was dropped, and he received an apology letter and refund check from the United States government. The felony charge remains on his record.
And there’s even more interesting facts: young Jim Guy went undercover at the state penitentiary until then-Governor Rockefeller found out and ordered him out of there saying, “Get him out before he gets killed!” See … he is an American swashbuckler!
Ep 261 | Aired 9/10/2021
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we revisit a past interview with respect and remembrance of all those whose lives changed forever on 9/11.
We all remember where we were when, 20 years ago, two jet planes were hi-jacked and flown into the Twin Towers in New York City. My guest today does too.
Reverend Dr. Stuart Hoke emerged from the New York subway in the financial district to see the sky raining clothes and debris. He walked down the street and stood alongside many other onlookers and gawked upwardly, confused as the second plane hit the tower. He then ran for his life as jet fuel spilled into the streets.
Listen to him recount the next surreal hour and hear firsthand the true story of how the day unfolded as people found shelter and comfort in his company and church. The day of 9/11 would prove to be the largest naval evacuation in our history.
In addition to being a priest, he is an outspoken 12 stepper. No, that is not the name of a dance step, though it would be a good one. Revered Stuart Hoke has lived a life of sobriety for 20+ years and proudly shouts the good news from the roof top and the pulpit. Just hearing this eloquent man will make you want to be a better person and give thanks for all you have.
Ep 260 | Aired 9/3/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is none other than the honorable Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mr. Frank Scott. His life demonstrates what I’ve seen time and time again on my show, and that is: “Successful people work hard, believe in a higher power, and are action oriented.”
Mayor Scott has had a very diverse career. He has been an executive at First Security Bank, a staffer for Governor Mike Beebe, a manager for a Target distribution center, a state highway commissioner, and a board member of the LR Port Authority and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Arkansas.
Although his credentials are impressive, what endeared Mayor Scott to me was his open mindedness and willingness to try new things. As a youth, he was a Horace Mann Bear Cat football player who, later, was not afraid to take ballet. I’m SOLD! Oh, did I mention he is a Baptist associate pastor? This man can preach!
After touching on his early life and career, the Mayor and I discuss the ins and outs of his renewed “Rebuild the Rock” campaign, aimed at revitalizing the City of Little Rock.
Hear how he feels the proposed sales tax would improve early childhood care, create a senior center, revitalize our parks and recreation facilities, and improve infrastructure, all while learning some interesting facts about our fast-growing city, along the way.
Ep 259 | Aired 8/27/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Mr. Ray Rodgers: a boxer, coach, cutman, administrator, three-time Hall of Fame recipient and tireless community leader. If he wasn’t known as the world’s best cut man in the boxing industry, he’d probably be known as a standup comedian, because he is funny.
A “cutman” is the magic man in the corner of the boxing ring, administering trade secrets for healing his athlete. A bad cut above the eye or on the scalp can split open like a ripe tomato, creating a stream of blood, and making it almost impossible to see. This calamity can cost the boxer his fight. A good cutman is so important to a boxer’s success that Mr. Rodgers has been flown all over the world to aid and assist during boxing matches. You may remember him as the cutman for Little Rock’s former Olympic medalist, Jermain Taylor.
Find out what it means to be a cutman, how Ray went from being a college football player to a well-respected boxing coach, and why he thinks amateur boxing is the best way to teach young people confidence and self-discipline, both in life and in the boxing ring.
Ep 258 | Aired 8/20/2021
Today’s interview on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy is a replay with Executive Artistic Director Mr. William Trice, savior of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock, Arkansas who, at the time of the interview, was making big plans for a fall/winter season comeback, with no knowledge that a world-wide pandemic was looming just ahead.
Many of you may remember that ominous day, April 24, 2018, when The Rep announced its suspension of future productions, citing financial difficulties. The citizens of Arkansas were shocked and dismayed.
Since Cliff Baker’s 1976 founding of The Rep, we’ve all come to love and take for granted this mainstay in our community. It’s been a springboard for local thespians seeking a career in acting and brought exceptional talent to our state as it produced top notch dramas, musicals and comedies, 200 nights a year. In addition to entertaining us for over 40 years, The Rep has offered creative, educational classes to our youth.
Trice is an Arkansas native, Broadway play producer, three-time Tony award winner and five- time Tony Award nominee with a background in business analysis. What?! That’s both sides of the brain! If anybody has the chops to turn around our beloved theatre, it’s him.
learn why Will left his successful career in New York City, what he sees for the future of the Arkansas Rep and how he plans to turn it around and sustain it for years to come. Update: Will is doing just that with his outdoor theatre production at the Little Rock Zoo and other area parks. Keep an eye on The Rep’s website for an upcoming production schedule.
Ep 257 | Aired 8/13/2021
My two guests today on Up in Your Business not only share their lives, but also their creativity and love of music. Classically trained vocalist, Ms. Stephanie Smittle and her partner, Stephen Koch, founder and host of the syndicated radio show Arkansongs, take a deep dive into Arkansas music history, from the excavation of ancient instruments to stories about legends like Levon Helm, Louis Jordan, and Sister Rosetta Tharp.
By day, Stephanie writes as culture editor for the Arkansas Times Magazine. By night, she sings in The Smittle Band, a smooth, jazzy style of music. On the weekends, her side gigs include singing sacred music as a cantor and chorister, or you might find her sitting in with any number of bands, ranging from folk to heavy metal music, or performing with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Stephen Koch’s love of music is wide, historical, and rooted in his Stuttgart DJ father’s love of ragtime. In 1998, Stephen and his co-host, Keith Merckx, began a two-hour radio program in Little Rock, Arkansas, where they dug deep into the music pioneers of Arkansas. They named the radio show Arkansongs. In addition, Stephen is a musician in his band Arkopolis.
If you love music and, more specifically, the music of artists from Arkansas, then listen today as we discuss all things music and hear some of Stephanie's genre-bending, original music from The Smittle Band.
Ep 255 | Aired 8/6/2021
My guest today on Up in Your Business is Abbi Siler of Abbi’s Tea and Things. After a decade-long career in digital marketing and advertising, Abbi took her late father’s advice and, in February of 2018, opened her “little tea shop” and fulfilled a long-time dream of working for herself.
With an open heart, this family run operation serves up a delicious variety of teas, treats, and laughter, along with an ever-changing selection of gifts and local art. On any given day, you will find Abbi blending teas, Mom washing dishes, and her sister greeting customers (but only on Fridays!).
Before the pandemic, Abbi’s little tea room, located in the Historic Hillcrest District of Little Rock, Arkansas, was available to rent for small gatherings. Now, she runs a curbside tea stand outside her shop to fulfill all her customers’ needs.
We discuss all things tea; from its ingredients to its social and cultural history. Do they have medicinal purposes? What constitutes a black, white, green, or herbal tea? And what does "Rooibos" or "Yerba Mate" mean?
Ep 254 | Aired 7/23/2021
Today’s Up In Your Business With Kerry McCoy is a rerun from our early days in broadcasting, featuring my artist-friend and North Little Rock native, Mr. Kevin Kresse.
Kevin’s success, of late, has been making big news. In recent years he was commissioned to sculpt the bust of Helena, Arkansas’s homeboy: singer and drummer Levon Helm. And, before that, Kresse created a seven foot, 1300 lb. bronze statue of the famed US Army Ranger and war hero Gen. William O. Darby of Ft. Smith, Arkansas. But I think Kresse’s most recent commission may have him more excited than any other.
Kevin's sculpture of music legend Johnny Cash has been selected to represent Arkansas for the National Statuary Hall in Washington DC.
Kevin’s work has been featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Times, the North Little Rock Times, the Little Rock Free Press, Active Years magazine and Soiree magazine. He’s also been featured in pieces produced by the local affiliates of ABC, CBS and PBS television, as well as a short film by Garret Larkin.
Kresse has been awarded painting fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts – Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Arkansas Arts Council. He has also been the winner of several awards from the Arkansas Arts Center’s annual Delta competition.
Listen to hear how Kevin discovered his knack for painting and sculpture, how he and his wife left everything behind to begin careers as artists, and about the many sculptures of Arkansas legends that live in Kevin’s living room, such as Levon Helm, Al Green, and Sister Loretta Tharpe. See his work, you won’t believe it!
Ep 252 | Aired 7/16/2021
This week on Up In Your Business With Kerry McCoy is Part Two of my telling interview with Ms. Susan McDougal, known as The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk (also the title of her book), during Kenneth Starr’s 1994, media-circus trial of President Clinton and the Whitewater Investigation.
Before the interview, I read her book and must shamefully confess that, even though I lived through the Whitewater era, I really knew no more than the sound bites I heard on TV.
In today’s Part Two episode, she recounts the widely televised trial and tears up as she speaks of her heartfelt concern for the lost women she meets in prison. And learn what the term “Diesel Therapy” means and how it was tortuously used against her by attorney Kenneth Starr and Judge Susan Webber Wright.
In Part One, if you missed it, Susan speaks of her early life. A small town girl who attended Ouachita Baptist College and was swept off her feet by campus professor, Mr. Jim McDougal. She tells of their whirlwind courtship that was filled with impressive parties and introductions to important politicians and successful businessmen. She also discloses that, unknown to both the newlyweds at the time, Jim suffered from a mental illness that would later be diagnosed as bipolar disorder. Listen to hear about Susan’s two year sentencing nightmare. This is a disheartening story. An eye opener into the abuse of judicial power, fake media, and corrupt politics.
Ep 252 | Aired 7/9/2021
Today’s Up In Your Business With Kerry McCoy show is epic! So epic that it had to be edited into a 2-part series.
My guest is Ms. Susan McDougal who, in 1994, was the center of attention in Kenneth Starr’s media-frenzied trial of President Clinton and the Whitewater investigation.
Ms. McDougal’s story is a real-life Shakespearean tragedy; an eye opener into the abuse of judicial power, fake media, and corrupt politics.
Before the interview I read her book, The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk and must shamefully confess that, even though I lived through the Whitewater era, I really knew no more than the sound bites I heard on TV.
In today’s Part One interview, Susan speaks of her early life as a young lady from a small town who attended Ouachita Baptist College and was swept off her feet by the flamboyant, worldly, and well-read campus professor, Mr. Jim McDougal.
After a whirlwind courtship filled with impressive parties and introductions to important politicians and successful businessmen, Susan found herself married to Jim, a man much older than herself, who unknowingly to both of them at the time, suffered from a mental illness that would later be diagnosed as bipolar disorder.
In next week’s Part Two, you will listen as she describes jail life, tears up as she speaks of her heartfelt concern for the lost women in prison, and learn what the term “Diesel Therapy” means and how it was tortuously used against her.
Ep 251 | Aired 6/30/2021
News Flash…next week, we’re moving to Saturdays at 11:00 AM on 101.1 the Answer. But our regularly scheduled program at 2:00 PM, Friday on KABF will stay the same. Tonight will be our last show during the 6:00 PM time slot.
The staff of Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy have pulled all the stops out for our last show in this time slot, by combining two interviews of Arkansas River entrepreneurs into one fantastic listening experience.
Mr. John Burkhalter, engineer and developer of the new Rock City Yacht Club, talks about the amenities his new yacht club will bring to Little Rock along its Arkansas River shore; boat docks, apartments, recreational rentals and a restaurant.
Mr. Sam Ellis, owner and founder of Rock Town River Outfitters, shares his love of the River Market by offering bike and kayak rentals to out-of-towners and residents alike, with maps and tours so you can enjoy a sunset kayak tour of downtown Little Rock along the shores of the Arkansas River.
Ep 250 | Aired 06/23/2021
You’ll recognize the name of my guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy because he is a long-time activist, businessman, and political figure in Arkansas; Mr. Sheffield Nelson.
Born in the Arkansas Delta, Mr. Nelson studied and worked hard to overcome his geographic and socioeconomic station in life and became the president of ARKLA Gas by the age of 32.
After a decade as CEO, Nelson resigned from his position at ARKLA and began to dabble in politics. In 1990, he switched from the Democratic Party to the struggling Republican Party to oppose Bill Clinton for the governorship. Unsuccessful at this first attempt, he ran again in 1994 against incumbent Jim Guy Tucker, who became Governor when Bill Clinton resigned for the Presidency of the United States.
Though Nelson never held an elected office, he continued to work in Arkansas politics through appointments. He also proposed an increase to the natural gas severance tax to fund highway improvements and opposed the Game and Fish Commission’s attempts to exempt itself from the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act in regard to fiscal matters.
Ep 249 | Aired 6/16/2021
This week on Up in Your Business I had the pleasure of interviewing (to quote from the Dos Equis ad campaign) “the most interesting man in the world,” Mr. Bob Traylor. If you are from North Little Rock, you will know exactly who and what I am talking about.
My friend, Bob, is a 94-year-old man who sired 7 children, held the office of Arkansas state representative in 1971, made a living in real estate, smuggled gems out of Columbia, gave up alcohol in his 50’s and proudly became an early advocate of the healing powers of marijuana, all while exploring his talent for painting, discovering his love of art, and showing his works at the Arkansas Art Center’s Delta Exhibition.
Listen to this interesting man recount his colorful life as part of Arkansas history.
Ep 248 | Aired 6/9/2021
Question: What crazy person nearing retirement age would buy a small, struggling, neighborhood grocery store in Little Rock, Arkansas? Answer: Mr. Eric Herget.
A successful veteran of the insurance business, Eric tells the romantic story of how he followed his heart, changed his career, and came to own Terry’s Finer Foods (now known as Heights Corner Market).
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Also on the show, you’ll hear Eric’s son, Ryan Herget, tell his entrepreneurial story of how he established the widely popular food delivery service, Chef Shuttle.
Listen to this father-son duo, Eric and Ryan Herget, talk about the entrepreneurial spirit that built many small businesses.
Ep 247 | Aired 6/2/2021
This week, you will not only recognize the name of my guest on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy but also the voice of film actor, writer, and director, Joey Lauren Adams.
Lucky for us, this North Little Rock native was back in “dogtown,” social-distancing from her usual California residence, when we caught up with her.
Joey has had an illustrious career in film. She has acted in more than 40 films and 20 TV shows. In 2006, she wrote and directed her own film, “Come Early Morning.” She is not only a hardworking actress but an entrepreneur too, dabbling in booking bands and owning vacation rental property in Oxford, Mississippi.
Today, we will have one hour to narrow down some of Joey’s most exciting moments, embarrassing moments, and unravel the strife that has made her the independent and extraordinary woman she is today.
Ep 245 | Aired 5/26/2021
Today’s guest on Up In Your Business is Ms. Cecelia Wilson, whom I first met when she called and asked to interview me!
During our initial phone conversation, Cecelia described herself as a WWII history buff. She said that my parents' story in the fall edition of FlagandBanner.com’s BRAVE Magazine had whetted her appetite to learn more about my family and specifically my father, a Purple Heart recipient.
A few weeks later we met. As she was leaving, she gave me a copy of the book she had recently written, Back to Bremen. It is a memoir of her 80-year-old, longtime friend who lived in Germany during WWII and survived Nazi rule led by the madman, Adolf Hitler. Though I am not an avid reader, this book--told from the eyes of a 5-year-old German girl, Edith--I could not put down.
In the book, Edith recalls her mother’s courage and self-determination to keep her 7 children safe, fed, and together as they walked, rode, and scurried across Germany, foraging for food, sleeping under the stars, and hiding from Russians and Germans alike. No one could be trusted, except Americans.
Ep 244 | Aired 5/19/2021
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy is a conversation with two Giants in Arkansas publishing: Mr. Walter Hussman and Mr. Alan Leveritt.
Walter Hussman’s skills as an extraordinary newspaperman are legendary. He won the infamous newspaper war between the Gazette (a morning paper) and the Democrat (his afternoon paper) that lasted through the 1970’s. Then, after overseeing the two papers’ merger, he navigated his paper, now called the Democrat Gazette, through the crippling dot-com boom of the 90’s.
Alan Leveritt, as an upcoming writer and entrepreneur, saw this legendary newspaper merger as an opportunity. With the loss of the Gazette, so went the loss of the liberal voice in Arkansas. So, young Alan Leveritt began publishing his alternative newspaper: the Arkansas Times. Like Walter, he successfully kept his publishing company afloat during the dot-com boom and its negative effect on newspaper publication.
Ep 244 | Aired 5/12/2021
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy we are speaking with Chris Tanner, co-owner/operator with his wife of three successful Little Rock restaurants: Samantha’s Tap Room, Cheers Restaurant, and The Oyster Bar.
We will ask him what it has been like to be restauranteurs during the COVID -19 pandemic. How did they manage to successfully cope with the drastic changes in their industry? And how did they manage to hold a Grand Re-Opening of the newly revitalized Oyster Bar, a long-standing Little Rock institution, during the peak of the crisis?
Learn what it takes to run not one, not two, but three successful restaurants.
Ep 243 | Aired 5/5/2021
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, it is Parks and Tourism day! We will listen to three special public servants share interesting tales about some special places in Arkansas.
You will hear excerpts from Kerry’s previous interviews with long running Director of Arkansas State Tourism and author of Arkansas Backstories: Quirks, Characters, and Curiosities of the Natural State, Joe David Rice, his replacement after retirement and former Little Rock Mayor, Mr. Jim Dailey; and Terry Hardwick, North Little Rock’s current Mayor and once Director of North Little Rock Parks and Recreation.
Listen to learn from three authorities about the great parks of Arkansas and why tourism money is important to the state.
Ep 241 | Aired 4/28/2021
This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy we are replaying my interview with the well-known TV personality and gardener, P. Allen Smith.
We talk about his home, Moss Mountain Farm, his involvement in the local food movement, organic gardening, and his passion: the Heritage Poultry Conservancy that he founded in 2009 to educate the public and preserve endangered poultry breeds.
Like so many successful people, Allen has turned strife into success. Overcoming his shy demeanor, he has parlayed himself into a national phenomenon with not one but two nationally syndicated PBS TV shows: P Allen Smith’s Garden Home and P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table. He is also the author of five best-selling books.
Listen to learn about his long family history in farming and horticulture and about his childhood passion for urban farming “before it was cool."
Scott Parton, known as Arkansas’ Beer Ambassador, was born and raised in the small town of Piggott, Arkansas and attended Arkansas State University in the neighboring city, Jonesboro.
He's worked for Stephens as an Operations Analyst for the past 25 years, but his claim to fame has nothing to with computers but craft beer. Scott does not yet own a brewery, though he has dabbled in making his own beer. No, Scott's claim to fame is through enlightening people about different types of beers and being the liaison between local breweries and beer enthusiasts.
He co-hosts a show on 103.7 The Buzz called Tap Time that explores the growth of Arkansas' craft beer scene and what it takes to make a good beer. Scott has a passion for writing and has often written articles for various magazines and websites.
He runs arkbeerscene.com, a blog all about beer which he uses to keep his readers informed about what is going on in Arkansas' craft beer scene. Scott is also very active on Twitter, and you might follow him and not even know it. His handle isn't his name but instead is @WooPigBrewie.
Ep. 240 | Aired 1/14/2021
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we get some gardening know-how from two experts: Master Gardener Janet Carson of Planit Janet and Plantopia owner and landscape designer, Chris Olsen.
These two aficionados cover everything from lawn care tips to the best time to prune your crepe myrtle.
Listen to hear Janet Carson educate us on how to become a Master Gardener, while Chris Olsen teaches us how to “Jhemajang.”
https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/carson-olsen-240.asp
Ep 239 | Aired 4/7/2021
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we pay homage to last weekend’s Easter Celebration by revisiting past conversations from four of Arkansas’s religious leaders: Father Fred Ball, Dean Amy Meaux, Dr. Chris Keller, and Rev. Susan Sims Smith.
Each of these deep thinkers tell their story and personal inspiration for choosing a faith-filled life of service. In addition, they tackle the tough topics: church attendance, evolution, the LGBTQ community, and aligning their beliefs with the other varying faiths in America.
Listen and hear encouraging words, expand your world religion knowledge, and learn the meaning behind each of the days in Holy Week that leads up to Easter.
Ep 238 | Aired 3/31/2021
Our guests today on Up In Your Business are Ms. Renie Rule and Mr. Charlie Mack from Arkansas Restore Hope: A non-profit founded in 2016 by Governor Asa Hutchinson to solve the problems of incarceration, recidivism, and over-abundance of children in foster care.
Having known Ms. Rule for years, I can think of no one more capable to execute such important societal duties. As Community Outreach Director, Renie is the perfect advocate for Arkansas’s Restore Hope. She has a degree in Social Work and a career that spans decades with reputable non-profits such as UAMS, Arkansas Hospice, and she is the founder of Arkansas’s very successful Paws In Prison program.
With her today is Mr. Charlie Mack, another success story who, with four other felons and gang leaders, started their own initiative called Empowering My Environment.
Listen and hear about Mr. Charlie Mack’s success story: what led to his imprisonment, his disturbing but fascinating statistics on crime, punishment, and foster care and, my favorite part, his REDEMPTION.
If, like me, you feel you are four or five degrees away from any of the aforementioned issues, or that these things don’t affect you, think again. Knowledge and dignity create better families, a broader workforce, lower crime, lower taxes, create stronger communities and economics that trickle up.
Ep 238 | Aired 03/31/2021
Our guests today on Up In Your Business are Ms. Renie Rule and Mr. Charlie Mack from Arkansas Restore Hope: A non-profit founded in 2016 by Governor Asa Hutchinson to solve the problems of incarceration, recidivism, and over-abundance of children in foster care.
Having known Ms. Rule for years, I can think of no one more capable to execute such important societal duties. As Community Outreach Director, Renie is the perfect advocate for Arkansas’s Restore Hope. She has a degree in Social Work and a career that spans decades with reputable non-profits such as UAMS, Arkansas Hospice, and she is the founder of Arkansas’s very successful Paws In Prison program.
With her today is Mr. Charlie Mack, another success story who, with four other felons and gang leaders, started their own initiative called Empowering My Environment.
Listen and hear about Mr. Charlie Mack’s success story: what led to his imprisonment, his disturbing but fascinating statistics on crime, punishment, and foster care and, my favorite part, his REDEMPTION.
If, like me, you feel you are four or five degrees away from any of the aforementioned issues, or that these things don’t affect you, think again. Knowledge and dignity create better families, a broader workforce, lower crime, lower taxes, create stronger communities and economics that trickle up.
Ep 237 | Aired 3/24/2021
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we are celebrating local eateries by replaying segments from past interviews with Little Rock restaurateurs.
Listen to hear Don Dugan of Dugan’s Pub, Sami from Star of India, Sally Mengel of Loblolly Creamery, and others share their start-up stories, successes, and failures in an industry that has seen an exceptionally challenging year.
Listen and be reminded of why small business owners are part of what makes America great and why we love our restaurants. And remember to support them in the coming months.
Ep 236 | Aired 3/17/2021
Today on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I have the pleasure of interviewing the youngest indie comic book publishers in America, Mitch Breitweiser.
Though we may all feel like comic book characters are everywhere in our blockbuster movies and video games, the truth is that very few new characters are being made and especially not being printed, published, and distributed in the old-fashioned comic book style and business model.
In the year of Covid, which we will all remember, this young, brave couple launched Allegiance Art, made a Shark-Tank-like presentation to Walmart and, after a 20-year absence in the comic book industry, Walmart began selling and distributing the Breitweiser’s titles “Norah’s Saga,” “The Futurists,” “Red Rooster” and the Arkansas based “Bass Reeves” in their 3,000+ stores.
Listen to find out how Mitch literally broke into the comic business by sneaking into Marvel Comics headquarters, how he and his wife started Allegiance Art, and how they got their best-selling comics on Walmart shelves.
Ep 235 | Aired 3/10/2021
Today on Up In Your Business you will be swept away as art history professor Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, teaches us about Arkansas’s history and culture.
Gayle wrote the grant that led to the 60-year Central High Little Rock Nine reunion where President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker.
We will hear how Gayle commissioned the Cuban born composer, Tania Leon, to score a dramatic opera about the “Little Rock Nine” and enlisted Henry Louis Gates to write the libretto (words). This project has been stalled due to the pandemic of 2020, but we will preview a little of the opera on today’s show.
We will also learn about Japanese American Internment art and get an excerpt from its most famous Arkansas resident Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu, George Takei.
Other areas of Gayle’s expertise inclued American art, Women in Art, and my favorite, Depression-era post office murals (think Norman Rockwell on a wall). Over 1400 murals were painted during the 1930’s and 40’s, as part of the New Deal, nineteen of which are located in Arkansas.
And if that is not enough, she is an avid collector of antique Dolls!
Listen and get a lesson on an array of interesting topics from this very interesting person.
Ep 234 | Aired 3/3/2021
Our guest today on Up In Your Business is Mr. David Soos of Soos Stained Glass in North Little Rock, AR.
Mr. Soos has done what many an artist long to do: turn their art into an income producing business.
Soos Stained Glass, founded in 1979, creates products that are hand-made and rooted in history and tradition by craftsmen and their apprentices. Their products are designed to last 100’s of years and provide enjoyment for generations to come. All these qualities are a rarity in our current Capitalist economy that rewards short-term gains and disposable consumerism.
Today we will talk about the technique of glass blowing, find out if Soos is still teaching at the Arkansas Art Center, and of course, about the business of art making.
Listen and learn first-hand about some of the projects David is most proud of and their prestigious places of display.
Ep 233 | Aired 2/24/2021
Today on Up In Your Business, we opened the vault and are revisiting one of my earliest interviews: Allen Engstrom, Founder and Managing Directory of CFO Network in North Little Rock, AR.
Though our show recording, style, and my interviewing skills have improved over the past 5 years, this show is still worth a listen for all budding entrepreneurs and want-to-be entrepreneurs.
Allen received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Before starting his company, CFO Network, he held impressive finance positions for both Motorola Semiconductor and Intel Corporation, where he was promoted again and again.
In 2004, he decided to move home to North Little Rock and start his own business, CFO Network, which offers creative accounting solutions and support. They are also business consultants and advisors to both small and medium sized companies alike.
Listen to get a business 101 lesson, as Allen shares his big business experience with us.
Ep 231 | Aired 2/10/2021
In keeping with black history month, the guests on today’s Up In Your Business show are some influencers in Little Rock, Arkansas’s African American art scene.
With over 200 broadcasts, my staff has amassed a library full of great interviews. And so, as we await the distribution and saturation of the Covid-19 vaccine, they decided to take advantage of our historical collection. Our skilled audio master, DJ Tom Wood, made a compilation of three segments from three past shows.
Today’s show features Mr. John Cain, long-time broadcaster and Jazz history enthusiast, Mr. Chris James, the motivational speaker and poet inspiring Arkansas’ young artists, and Ms. Garbo Hearne, the fine art appraiser and owner of Hearne Fine Art.
Listen as we celebrate Black History Month and broadcast some of the best of the best of past shows.
Ep 230 | Aired 2/3/2021
In 2015, before Dr. Sybil Hampton’s mother died, she said to Sybil, “Your whole life has been being in these places that people don’t expect you to be.”
Never truer words spoken about my guest Dr. Sybil Hampton, whose first unexpected claim to fame (and she has many) is being among the second group of African American students to integrate Central High School, on the heels of the Little Rock Nine.
You would think such a traumatic experience at such a young age would have soured Ms. Hampton on any type of organized schooling. But No! Ms. Hampton has scores of higher learning degrees and has dedicated her life work to the field of education.
Hearing glass ceiling breaker Sybil’s firsthand accounts will inspire you, broaden you, and forever change you for the better.
Listen as we celebrate black history month and get a history lesson from this educator along with stories of hope from a woman with profound experiences.
Ep 229 | Aired 1/27/2021
Just being a surgeon is quite an accomplishment, but my guest today on Up In Your Business is more than that.
Dr. C. Lowry Barnes is an orthopedic surgeon who is also a businessman and inventor. This good doctor holds numerous patents on orthopedic devices and hip and knee implants that are all developed and designed to improve surgery success and patient wellness.
Barnes, of course, is an expert in his field and lectures nationally and internationally on joint replacement surgery. He established the HipKnee Arkansas Foundation, a non-profit and research center, that further studies patient’s with arthritis. He is a prolific writer and on the editorial board of numerous medical journals.
Listen to hear this orthopedic surgeon, inventor and creative businessman talk about how healthcare technology has improved, how to take better care of your joints, and why he considers “Operation Walk” to be one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.
Ep 228 | Aired 1/20/2021
Today on Up in Your Business, we’ll listen to my interview with Mr. Ernie Dumas, the unlikely country boy from small-town Arkansas, who became the associate editor of the Arkansas Gazette and one of Arkansas’s most prolific political experts.
Ernie has been covering Arkansas politics since 1960 and recently wrote a book; a political memoir called The Education of Ernie Dumas. An apt title not just for him, but his readers, too.
This chronological book begins with his youthful newspaper assignments and coverage of Orville Faubus and ends with Bill and Hillary Clinton. As Hank Kelley, a former UIYB guest says, “Reading this book is like peeking behind the curtain.” Some of the politician’s stories are outlandish, some sad, virtuous, and some downright criminal.
Listen to hear Ernie give his “one word description” of every Arkansas governor, from Faubus to Clinton, and hear him recount a hilarious story about Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and his famous drinking habit.
Ep 227 | Aired 1/13/2021
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is one of the few men I know that really looks good in a puka shell necklace, the well-known and former Razorback football player, David Bazzel.
David played linebacker for the University of Arkansas in the 1984 season and had a total of 113 tackles before he was sidelined with shoulder and back injuries. But his contribution to the sport did not stop there.
David founded the nationally renowned Broyles Award that honors the best assistant coaches in college football. He is also a founding member of the popular Touchdown Club that during the football season has a weekly luncheon with guest speakers in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In addition, what I found most interesting is that the “Battle for the Boot,” a football rivalry between Louisiana and Arkansas, is the brainchild of David!
These days you can hear “The Bazz” weekday mornings on 103.7 The Buzz and on TV during the Razorback football season as a pre-game host and commentator.
Listen to hear David’s take on Razorback football, hear his story of hard work and learn about his relationship with the late Athletic Director, Frank Broyles and what he learned.
Ep 226 | Aired 1/6/2020
During my Up In Your Business interview with Perry Smith, the new owner of the Minute Man Hamburger franchise, I met his business partner, Brigadier General John Michel.
Mr. Michel was in town on business and decided to accompany Perry to our interview. Though the interview’s focus was the rebirth of Minute Man, we did stray off topic a bit and talked about these two gentlemen’s other venture, the Avalon Institute.
This is when I learned about John Michel’s interesting life as the Brigadier General of the US Air Force. During his stint in Kabul, Afghanistan, he founded The Gratitude Café, a makeshift coffee shop with the goal of lifting GI’s spirits and building a high morale community.
John found this experience to be so rewarding and enlightening that, once retired from service, he decided to pay forward his learned leadership knowledge by founding The Avalon Institute.
Their mission statement says it all: The Avalon Institute was founded on the principle of Roundtable Leadership™ where individuals learn to effectively collaborate in order to tackle complex challenges together. We tap into the full potential of an organization’s collective intelligence, find sustainable solutions, and affect positive change.
In addition to the Avalon Institute, John’s unconventional work has been featured in a wide variety of articles and journals including Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, National Geographic, Joint Forces Quarterly, Huffington Post, Switch and Shift, and Innovation Excellence.
Listen to hear this interesting man’s military story and get insight (and a free lesson) into how the Avalon Institute is building tomorrow’s leaders.
Ep 225 | Aired 12/30/2020
Do you know who coined the phrase “Outrageous Service?” If you do, then you are familiar with my guest today on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy: the outrageously successful Mr. Greg Hatcher, founder of The Hatcher Insurance Agency and author of 55 Steps to Outrageous Service.
Greg is one of those guys who, from an early age, was destined for success. He was the student body president at Alma College, a private liberal arts school in Michigan, he was captain of the wrestling team, and named top national fraternity man for TKE.
In addition to his success as an author and entrepreneur, he also had an early career as coach for the Duke Blue Devils baseball team!
Mr. Hatcher’s work ethic has made him successful at many things and he has shared his success with the good people of Arkansas in numerous ways. One of my favorites is his personal commitment to making the sport of wrestling available for all. Hatcher founded The Arkansas Wrestling Association (AWA) and purchased mats for 60 high schools and 4 colleges to help get their wrestling programs started. Today, over 4,000 kids now wrestle in Arkansas.
Ep 224 | Aired 12/23/2020
Christmas is a time of reflection and gratitude. There is no interview I have ever done on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy that drives that message home more than the one we are replaying today.
In 2011, on Christmas morning, New York City advertising executive Madonna Badger lost her three daughters and both parents in a house fire. You probably remember seeing it on the news, and your heart probably broke for her. Madonna Badger’s epic life story has many chapters. You will undoubtedly be touched as she shares her tragedies and triumphs with us.
Madonna is a fighter and worker. She has overcome sexual molestation, drug and alcohol addiction, survived a family holocaust, built a highly successful New York advertising firm, Badger and Winters, and started the international anti-objectification of women advertising campaign #womennotobjects before the #metoo movement was even heard of. She is a cutting- edge thinker.
Listeners, we are so very lucky to have Madonna visit with us and you will not want to miss hearing how her special connection to Arkansas helped her heal.
Ep 223 | Aired 12/16/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I’ll be visiting with Trinity Episcopal Cathedral’s newly elected Dean and Rector Amy Dafler Meaux.
Trinity Episcopal is the seat of the Diocese Bishop and on the National Register of Historic Places. It was founded in 1884 by the Right Reverend Henry Pierce, who lobbied for donations and mortgaged his home to build the Cathedral and later became the first Diocesan Bishop of Arkansas.
In light of all that history, petite 5’2” Dean Amy Meaux, has some big shoes to fill-- and fill she does. Meaux is making history by being Trinity Episcopal Cathedral’s first female Dean in its 136-year history.
Listen as we ask Mother Meaux the hard questions: How to celebrate Christmas in 2020; how she aligns science and religion; and what is faith and how do you attain it.
Ep 222 | Aired 12/9/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I’ll be sitting down to visit with the non-profit Friends of Dreamland Ballroom director, Matthew McCoy, and board members Ryk St Vincent and Jeff Roper.
Founded in 2009, the Friends of Dreamland’s mission has been to save the iconic Dreamland Ballroom atop the Taborian Hall in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. This board of everyday people is working hard to tell Dreamland’s unique story, share its rich music history and social importance, and unite people through a combination of community and 21st century marketing know-how.
Listen to hear this lively, passionate show about the history of Dreamland, their future grand opening date, and how you can get involved or simply buy a personal, commemorative brick in the sidewalk that benefits these people’s good work. Hmm ... Think Christmas gift.
Ep 219 | Aired 11/18/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Perry Smith, the man who is bringing back the much loved Arkansas restaurant, Minute Man.
Mr. Smith is interesting. Some of his more notable accomplishments include being a champion pole vault athlete, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a self-made millionaire, and an entrepreneur. He is founder of the Matchbox Food Group, the Avalon Leadership Institute and now, thankfully, he has set his radar on reviving the Minute Man Hamburger brand.
Listen as I find out how Perry turned Matchbox Food Group into a $50 million dollar business, what leadership tips he teaches at his Avalon Institute, and his plans for Minute Man Hamburgers. We will also get a fast food history lesson about Wes Hall, founder of Minute Man in 1948, who pioneered the use of the Radarange (microwave) in his restaurants to make his famous Radar Deep Dish Pies, and gave Magic Meals to kids before McDonalds had thought of it.
Ep 221 | Aired 12/2/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy I’ll be talking with a fellow North Little Rock, Ridge Road Junior High graduate, Mr. Val Hansen. If you grew up in North Little Rock, then you’ve eaten at what was once perhaps the only hamburger joint in town and Val’s family business, Hansen Hamburgers.
Today, mom and pop burger joints have been replaced by corporate fast food chains and Val has moved from working the grill to a very successful real estate business, Val Hansen ReMax Properties, in the Capital City of Arkansas.
Listen to Val and I talk about how he started and grew his successful business, the current real estate market, and what happened to Hansen Hamburger.
Ep 220 | Aired 11/25/2020
Who doesn’t want to live the romantic life of an artist, who travels and paints the beauty of nature? That’s what romance novels are written about and what my guests today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy actually do. Husband and wife team, Tracee and Pat Matthews, are never seen without some hint of paint on their clothes. And they love it!
Pat Matthews, born to the prominent Matthews family of North Little Rock, has grown into a renowned oil painter of flags and barky, impressionistic trees. And Tracee Matthews … I like to say paints outside the lines. Her colorful oil paintings are known for their wine bottles, hearts, and cityscapes. Together, Pat and Tracee exude a passion for painting.
Listen and learn how Pat Matthews left a successful career in architecture to become a full-time painter and hear the story of how this outdoorsman began painting solely with a knife. And Tracee has been a full-time mother and artist on her own for over 18 years.
Ep 218 | Aired 11/11/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I have the pleasure of interviewing the youngest indie comic book publishers in America, the creative husband and wife team, Mitch and Elizabeth Breitweiser.
Though we may all feel like comic book characters are everywhere in our block buster movies and video games, the truth is very few new ones are being made and especially not being printed, published, and distributed in the old-fashioned comic book style or business model.
In the year of COVID-19, which we will all remember, this young brave couple launched Allegiance Art, made a Shark Tank-like presentation to Walmart and, after a 20 year absence in the comic book industry, Walmart began selling and distributing the Breitweiser’s titles and heros, including “Norah’s Saga,” “The Futurists,” “Red Rooster” and the Arkansan-based “Bass Reeves” in their 3,000+ stores.
Listen to hear how the ballsy, busy Breitweiser’s did it.
Ep 217 | Aired 11/4/2020
After years of community service and an illustrious political career, my guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, Mr. Skip Rutherford, has decided to step out of the limelight this December and retire from his role as Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service.
It was 1978 when Mr. Rutherford became interested in politics and volunteered to work on David Pryor’s first Senate run. Ten years later, Skip was named chairman for the Democratic Party of Arkansas and went on to assimilate an impressive resume spanning four decades.
On today’s show, Mr. Rutherford talks about his first meeting and lifelong friendship with President Bill Clinton; what he said when he was asked to work on Governor Clinton’s presidential campaign; and why he chose, unlike his peers, to stay in Little Rock when President Clinton went to Washington.
Listen to hear Skip’s story about what he mistakenly overlooked on the Clinton Library’s grand opening weekend in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ep 216 | Aired 10/28/2020
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is someone that has been in the news a lot lately: Congressman French Hill of the US House of Representatives. The first time I had the pleasure of interviewing Congressman Hill was in 2016, when he graciously accepted my invitation to appear on my radio show. French, as I have come to call him, was only my 6th interview.
It happened one day when the Congressman was in my store at Flagandbanner.com, buying his annual US and POW replacement flags. I saw him at the checkout counter and nervously asked this very busy man if he would consider joining me on the radio. When he agreed, I thought I had hit the big time.
Mr. Hill is well known for his success at founding and chairing Delta Trust & Bank in 1999. Many of us, myself included, think his political career began when he ran for Arkansas’s 2nd congressional seat in 2015. But in truth, French was a senior policy advisor to President George H.W. Bush, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, and senior advisor to Governor Mike Huckabee and has worked on momentous economic policies between the US and Japan, called the Structural Impediments Initiative, and with Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Today, Congressman Hill is in a tight race with Arkansas Senator Joyce Elliot. Listen to hear more than a sound bite from Congressman French Hill. And if you want to get some back history on how and why he founded Delta Trust and Bank, his opinion of international free trade (which he is in favor of), why he thinks minimum wage should be handled state by state, and his favorable opinion of specialized trade schools, check out his past interview. It is fun!
Ep 215 | Aired 10/22/2020
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I’ll be sitting down with Arkansas Senator Joyce Elliott, who is running for Congress against the incumbent Congressman French Hill.
If you live in Arkansas, you have seen the hundreds of commercials being aired by both contenders and know that, in her youth, Ms. Elliott was a pioneer in integration and a longtime schoolteacher of teenagers. But what else is there to know?
Today we will have one hour to find out. Listen to hear more than just a sound bite from Ms. Elliott. Why did she decide to run for office, what is she passionate about, and is there a story behind her signature hairstyle?
Ep 214 | Aired 10/14/2020
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I’ll be sitting down with Ms. Olivia Farrell, a woman that has broken the rules and the glass ceiling over and over again; first at the Arkansas Times, when she donned the cover of their 1977 Living It UP In High Style edition with a lit joint, then again in 1995 by becoming CEO and principal owner of Arkansas Business Publishing Group (ABPG).
More recently, Ms. Farrell has successfully and thoughtfully sold her business conglomerate and become only the 4th woman to be inducted into the University of Arkansas Walton Business College’s Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.
Listen to hear how this woman, who makes no excuses for her gender, worked hard, used her unique business sense to grow ABPG from $100,000 in revenue to $8 million, and what she sees for the future of publishing.
Ep 213 | Aired 10/7/2020
This week on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, I’ll be sitting down with the retired Honorable Judge Mr. Robert L. Brown. You may not readily know his name, but you know his work and are living by some of the rules and laws he studied, argued, and enacted while serving as associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court from 1991 until his retirement in 2012.
This man of law and literature is well educated, thoughtful, and a prolific writer. Currently, he is counsel to Little Rock law firm Friday, Eldredge & Clark.
In 2010 Counselor Brown published his own book, titled Defining Moments: Historic Decisions by Arkansas Governors from Sid McMath through Mike Huckabee. In his book, he writes about the 10 consecutive governors of Arkansas that, during their tenure, made difficult choices in education, environment, social justice, political corruption, creationism and more.
Listen to hear first-hand accounts of Arkansas folklore from Mr. Brown, who personally knew and worked with nine of the ten governors he writes about in his book. His perspective is more than just historical data, it comes from his personal experience and knowledge of these Arkansas leaders, some of which later became a US president, two US senators, and two presidential contenders.
Ep 212 | Aired 9/30/2020
Today, it’s a family affair on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Our show editor, Tom Wood, has meshed two previous interviews with then-Representative Mr. Clarke Tucker, his father, Rett Tucker, and his sister Kathryn Tucker, to bring us a single, one hour, “best of” show.
The Tucker family comes from a long line of over achievers and public servants. Clarke is the great, great, great, great, grandson of Arkansas’s 18th Governor, James P. Clarke (his namesake) who took office in 1894 and later served as a US Senator until his death in 1916. Clarke was the class president of the famous Central High School and is a Harvard graduate, an award-winning lawyer, a cancer survivor, and a husband and father of two.
Clarke’s father, Rett Tucker, is a commercial real estate developer whose company, Moses Tucker Real Estate, has been influential in the revitalization of downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. Clarke’s sister, Kathryn, also a graduate of the famous Central High School, is a filmmaker. Her resume is impressive, having worked on TV shows and films such as Bones, Glee, Kill Bill, Gangs of New York, Frida, and Chicago. More recently, she helped with the start-up of the Arkansas Cinema Society, whose mission is “to build a film community in Arkansas where film lovers can watch films, share ideas, connect with each other and nurture the new and existing film talent within our state.”
Ep 211 | Aired 9/23/2020
In the autobiography of The Education of Ernie Dumas, the author admiringly describes Jim Guy as a “swashbuckler.” I had to look it up.
"A swashbuckler is a heroic archetype in European adventure literature that is typified by the use of a sword, acrobatics and chivalric ideals."
After reading about today’s guest, I concur with Mr. Dumas’s summation of Arkansas’s 43rd Governor!
Jim Guy is tall, uncomfortably handsome, Harvard graduate. Also a Marine, a Vietnam war correspondent, a politician-turned-international-businessman, and a felon. Yes, he was wrongly accused as part of the Kenneth Starr Whitewater Investigations. He settled to a lesser charge, whilst he received a liver transplant due to failing health caused by a life-threatening autoimmune disease. Years later, after finding nothing to charge him of, the case was dropped, and he received an apology letter and refund check from the United States government. The felony charge remains on his record.
And there’s even more interesting facts! For instance, young Jim Guy went undercover at the state penitentiary until then-Governor Rockefeller found out and ordered him out of there, saying, “Get him out before he gets killed!” See? He is an American swashbuckler!
Listen to hear how Governor Tucker became embroiled in the infamous Whitewater Scandal, about his time working undercover in the Arkansas prison system, and his time as a civilian war correspondent during the Vietnam War.
Ep 209 | Aired 9/9/2020
My guest today on Up in Your Business is the president of one of the oldest family businesses in Arkansas; Justin Wittenberg of Ruebel Funeral Home.
Founded in 1901 on 6th and Main Streets, Ruebel is the oldest funeral home in Little Rock. It was in 1953 when Justin’s grandfather, Mr. George Wittenberg, hired on to the already established business as Secretary and eventually became part owner of Ruebel. Twenty years later, George’s son, Tom Wittenberg, would join the firm; becoming its president in 1983 and sole owner by 1997.
Today the family legacy lives on in Justin.
Listen to learn about the funeral business, tips for preparing for end of life care, how to navigate the grieving process, and how the Wittenbergs successfully transitioned their business from generation to generation.
Ep 208 | Aired 9/2/2020
What an upheaval this year has been to everyone’s routine, including ours at Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Though we have really enjoyed hearing replays of some of our past interviews, it is exciting to get back into the studio with our newest guest, Mr. John Burkhalter.
Mr. Burkhalter is an inventor. After one of his patents (and he has many) became monetarily successful, he parlayed his newfound wealth and civil engineering background into becoming a real estate investor in some of the largest developments around Arkansas.
His current project, Rock City Yacht Club, is located on the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock and has a minimum price tag of $100 million dollars to develop. In Rock City Yacht Club’s site plan, you see Burkhalter’s plan for a what looks like a small village; complete with apartments, marina, outdoor dining, entertainment areas, restaurant, mechanics shop, storefront, and boat docks that are already housing ocean-going yachts and party barges for day rental.
You may also recognize Burkhalter's name from when he opposed Tim Griffin in the race for Lieutenant Governor, from when he served on the Arkansas State Highway Commission, or from being an avid supporter of the nonprofit Pathfinders, Inc.
Listen to hear Burkhalter’s rags-to-riches story, how he has overcome setbacks, what his secret to success is, and to find out if the rumors are true- was he really once a Chippendale dancer?!
Ep 207 | Aired 8/26/2020
Are you ready to be inspired?
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is a licensed minister, life strategist coach, talk show host, and motivational speaker, Ms. Arnessa Bennett, MDiv, CDP, who says on her website, “Living a blessed life is a choice, there are so many things to be grateful for. Let your focus be on what’s good in your life.”
Boy, do we need to hear that now.
Ms. Bennett is an expert in human behavior, evidenced by her 25 years of experience in helping others and by her dedication to learning. Arnessa has an AA in theology, BA in Religious Arts, MA in Divinity, is a certified Dementia Practitioner, and is currently a PhD candidate.
I first met Arnessa when she chaired a Salvation Army luncheon and introduced me to the good people and volunteers of this worthy organization as a guest speaker. She is always giving and empowering people. Today, we’re going to hear the good news and, as she says, “claim it!”
Listen to hear what is right with America. Arnessa’s work ethic and commitment to empowering others is inspiring.
Ep 206 | Aired 8/19/2020
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is business magnate and self-made millionaire, Mr. Frank Fletcher. If you have lived in or ever visited Arkansas, then chances are you have patronized one of Mr. Fletcher’s many businesses, from hotels and restaurants, to manufacturing, car lots and, yes, even a fur store.
Though young Frank had been a successful leader as far back as Junior High, when he made the All-State Basketball team, his big break came when he met Mr. Sam Walton at Walmart Store #2 and developed a lifelong working relationship with the retail genius.
Listen to hear a frank conversation with Mr. Frank Fletcher (sorry couldn’t resist the pun) about how his life went from farm boy to entrepreneur, and hear the advice he got from Sam Walton that would change his life forever. You’ll also find out about his love for owning racehorses, all of which are named Rocket, after his favorite dog.
Ep 205 | Aired 8/12/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we're listening to an interview with radio personalities Leslie Singer and Phil Kaplan, the hilarious duo known by their followers as the Two Jewish Guys. It's one of the funniest interviews I've ever done; I was rolling on the floor laughing before the show even started (check out the YouTube video, below).
Leslie, an adman, and Phil, a civil rights attorney, first met volunteering for an on-air fundraiser at KUAR radio station. They became fast friends. They learned that they both were from the north-east, that they both moved to Little Rock in the '70’s and both grew up Jewish. Their commonalities and dry humor, coupled with listeners' curiosity, made for great story telling and a growing-up-Jewish shtick. For years, they performed their annual, much anticipated Christmas charity event called the “Jewish Guys’ Chanukah Special.”
Listen as they discuss a number of topics, from their careers as lawyers and authors, to Leslie’s obsession with toys, and the reason why Phil knows Greta Garbo’s shoe size. All that, plus a Yiddish lesson squeezed in the middle.
Ep 204 | Aired 8/5/2020
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is Paula Dempsey, founder and owner of Dempsey Bakery. This unique bakery is the only gluten, soy, and nut free bakery within a 500-mile radius of downtown Little Rock.
Some of you may remember Paula and her husband, Demp Dempsey, as the working owners and founders of Dempsey Film Group. In a 6-month freefall, the burgeoning age of digital video replaced the technology of film making and the Dempsey’s 11 year old business, with all its expensive equipment, became obsolete. Dempsey Film Group closed the doors to its film production company in 2011.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, Paula, who was frustrated with the difficulty of accommodating her family’s food sensitivities, turned her problem into a new business idea. Knowing nothing about the food business, she hired a baker and, together, they spent one year experimenting and creating recipes that she now “serves up” in her Gluten, Soy, and Nut Free Bakery. You can also find her food creations in local restaurants and grocery stores throughout Arkansas.
The mission of Dempsey Bakery is simple: “to feed and meet the rising needs of people with food sensitives.” But the execution of this simple statement is very complex.
Listen to hear how her family’s life and health have improved through a wheat-free diet.
Ep 203 | Aired 7/29/2020
The guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is my longtime acquaintance, successful businessman and attorney, Mr. Gary Green.
I first met Gary when we each rented a small apartment in a rundown house on Kavanaugh Blvd. It was the late 70’s and the Hillcrest neighborhood was still suffering the aftermath of white flight to the suburbs. The rent in this part of town was cheap enough for Gary, a starving law student, and me, who was peddling flags by day and cocktail waitress-ing by night. Oh, the good ole days…NOT!
Who knew that one day this studious young man would grow up to be a name and face we all know? Don’t be fooled by Green’s outward appearance. This successful man is shy by nature and enjoys many weekends tending his wine vineyard up Interstate 40.
Listen to hear the story of Counselor Green’s rise to success and learn as he explains the “rule of three”; a powerful persuasion technique used by lawyers and world leaders that can help you with emphasis, memory, and public speaking.
Ep 202 | Aired 7/22/2020
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the First Lady of Arkansas, Susan Hutchinson. I loved hearing her recount the charming story of how she first met and courted Governor Asa Hutchinson at Bob Jones University in South Carolina.
But don’t be fooled by Ms Hutchinson demeanor. She is brilliant. She is also a classically trained pianist who believes it is important that every child be introduced to music and holds steadfast about music education in schools.
Listen to hear Ms Hutchinson's passion for children as she tears up when talking about her work with the Children’s Advocacy Center and gives tips on how to recognize the signs of child abuse.
Ep 201 | Aired 7/15/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy we're looking back on my interview with Charles Morgan, the founder, chairman and CEO, from 1972 – 2008, of Acxiom, the pioneering and leading data base company headquartered in Central Arkansas. An extraordinary entrepreneur and visionary, he is also really fun, outspoken, and a racecar driver.
While many of his colleagues have retired, he is going strong with his newest company, First Orion, a consumer protection app for phone privacy. If you have a T-Mobil device, than you are using his technology.
These days, Charles serves on the board of INUVO, a publicly traded, technology company for internet advertisers, and more recently released his second book Now What which follows his tell-all-book, Matters of Life and Data.
Listen to find out how this IBM engineer turned his company from a 25 employee start-up to a publicly-traded, billion-dollar tech giant in just 30 years, and managed to become an author, race car driver and so much more along the way.
Ep 200 | Aired 7/8/2020
My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is a jack-of-all-trades: Dr. Henri Roca. This big-brained medical doctor’s first degree was in geoengineering and his first successful career was working for big oil and gas companies.
Somewhere in his 30’s, he had what I’d call an identity crisis and went soul searching in California. While there, he became a masseuse, a Shaman and came to the realization that helping people is what he really wanted to do and that the best way to do that was to get a medical license.
It was in 1997 that Dr. Henri Roca graduated from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and began his family practice. Dr. Roca is among the few (but growing) number of physicians in the nation who practice integrative, functional medicine. He understands there is little separation between the mind, the emotions, the spirit, and the body.
He says, “Everything that has ever happened to you, every choice you have ever made, brings you to the health you have today.”
This Louisiana transplant is now working at the VA in Little Rock, Arkansas and has opened a private practice in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ep 199 | Aired 7/1/2020
Join me today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, as I speak with entrepreneur, longtime friend, and clothing designer for the stars, Ms. Connie Fails. Fails has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Vanity Fair, People, Today Show, and on Good Morning America.
I first met Connie while she sat sewing in her small shop above "Run of The Mill," a times-past boutique in the Hillcrest neighborhood. She was a hippy of sorts -- artsy, creative and different; married to another interesting person - a New Yorker - Leslie Fails.
She would later move her business into a store front that was simply called "Connie Fails" and begin her retail and design career in earnest. And what a career it has been!
One of Connie’s designs was Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first Gubernatorial inaugural gown worn in 1979, and is on permanent display at the Old State House Museum in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. When Bill Clinton was elected President, Connie designed the First Lady’s inaugural patterned suit and famous blue hat.
When the Clinton Museum Retail Store was founded in the River Market district of Little Rock, Hillary naturally called upon Connie - with her years of experience in retail, design and a good eye for buying - to execute the opening and manage the new store.
Today, Connie, a forever fashion designer, is most proud of her work developing and managing a fashion show called Curbside Couture. This innovative concept is a student mentoring program where youths design fashion out of recycled materials, culminating in a gala runway show at the Clinton Center.
Ep 198 | Aired 6/24/2020
This week on Up in Your Business, we’ll listen back to a local legend; retired meteorologist, artist, musician and songwriter, Mr. Ned Perme.
On the show, Ned talks about his 40-year career as a nightly weatherman and how the industry has changed from paper graphics to green screens, remote broadcasting, and meteorologists with credentials. And he tells the endearing story of how he came to live in Little Rock from the beaches of Mobile, AL, and why he fell in love with our city.
Most of us know Ned is a talented piano player, but did you know he is an Emmy nominated songwriter and that he paints? Yes, he’s been painting and selling his work for years.
Ep 197 | Aired 6/17/2020
Joey Lauren Adams was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the youngest of three children. Her father was a lumber yard owner. Adams grew up in the Overbrook neighborhood of North Little Rock and graduated from North Little Rock Northeast High School in 1986. She announced her intention to pursue acting after one year as an exchange student in Australia.
In 1991, Adams appeared in "Top of the Heap", the 100th episode of Married... with Children, and subsequently starred in its short-lived spinoff. In 1993, Adams landed her first major film role as Simone in Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. The same year, she appeared in the Saturday Night Live spinoff film Coneheads as one of Connie Conehead's friends.
Two years later, Adams appeared in Mallrats, written and directed by Kevin Smith. The two started dating during the film's post-production, and their relationship provided the inspiration for Smith's next film, Chasing Amy.
In 1997's Chasing Amy, Adams played the lead role of Alyssa Jones, a lesbian who falls in love with a man, played by Ben Affleck. In addition to her acting work on the film, Adams wrote and performed the song "Alive" for the film's soundtrack.
Adams' performance in Chasing Amy earned her both the 1997 Chicago Film Critics Award and Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Most Promising Actress, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
In 1999, Adams appeared in her first big-budget Hollywood release, playing Adam Sandler's love interest in the successful comedy Big Daddy. She then went on to appear in many smaller films, including Beautiful and In the Shadows.
In 2006, Adams released her directorial debut film, Come Early Morning, starring Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Diane Ladd, Tim Blake Nelson and Laura Prepon. The film, shot on location in Little Rock, Arkansas, was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Adams is also known for her distinctive voice which one film critic referred to as that of a "sex-kitten-on-helium". Regarding her voice, Adams commented: "It's not a normal voice. It doesn't fit into people's preconceptions about what a woman's voice should sound like. My mom doesn't think I have an unusual voice, though. I'm sure it's helped me get some roles. But Chasing Amy I almost didn't get. There was concern the voice would grate on some people, which some critics said it did." Another film critic said that whether viewers loved it or hated it, her voice had "the potential to hypnotize.”
Adams married Brian Vilim in 2014. She currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.
Ep 196 | Aired 6/10/2020
Sheffield Nelson was born in Keevil near Brinkley in eastern Arkansas. He graduated from Brinkley High School and received his undergraduate degree in mathematics education from the University of Central Arkansas at Conway, where he was the student body president. He obtained a law degree in 1969 from the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From 1973 through 1984, Nelson was the CEO of Arkansas Louisiana Gas Company, since known as CenterPoint Energy. Nelson has served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights and from 2000 to 2007 on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission under appointment from Governor Mike Huckabee. From 1990 to 1992, he was chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party. From 1992 to 2000, he was the Arkansas Republican National Committeeman, a position formerly held by Winthrop Rockefeller, the father of the GOP resurgence in Arkansas who was elected governor in 1966 and 1968. In 1990, Nelson won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in a divisive race against Tommy Robinson. Nelson lost in the fall to Clinton. In 1994, he sought the governorship again and was again defeated in the general election, 59 to 41 percent by Democratic Governor Jim Guy Tucker. Nelson had openly predicted that Tucker would be indicted before the end of his elected term. Tucker was forced to resign in 1996 after his conviction in the Whitewater investigation. Nelson has remained a prominent part of Arkansas' political scene, promoting a proposal to raise the natural gas severance tax to fund highway improvements and openly attacking the attempts of the Game and Fish Commission to exempt itself from the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act in regard to fiscal matters. In 2015, Nelson was named by Governor Asa Hutchinson, with whom he once served as GOP co-chair, to the University of Arkansas board of trustees. Nelson and his wife, Mary Lynn McCastlain, an artist originally from Brinkley, reside in Little Rock. They have two daughters and thirteen grandchildren. He is currently a partner in the Little Rock law firm of Jack Nelson Jones & Bryant.
Ep 195 | Aired 6/3/2020
This week, we’ll listen back to two interviews; one with local public radio legend John Cain, and the other with Wade Rathke, founder of ACORN. Listen to hear two inspiring individuals talk about jazz history, social justice reform, and dealing with racism in the early days of public radio.
Ep 194 | Aired 5/27/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, you’ll hear one of my early interviews with newspaper man, entrepreneur and second generation farmer, Mr. Alan Leveritt.
In this interview, Alan tells the story of how, in 1974, with only a few friends, he launched the Arkansas Times; a grass roots, alternative monthly magazine about political and cultural news in Arkansas.
Alan reminisces about a time when newspapers ruled and recounts stories that are now Arkansas folklore. It is hard to believe, but many people living in Arkansas today don’t know that there was once a nationally publicized, 13-years-long newspaper war between the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat newspapers, which resulted in the closing of the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River, the Gazette, in 1991. The winner of that war, the Arkansas Democrat, re-branded itself to what is now the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Alan also speaks to his respect for his competitor, Mr. Walter Hussman, publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and expresses why he thinks it was - and still is - important to have more than one newspaper voice in a city.
Ep 193 | Aired 5/21/2020
Today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, you’ll hear from a young man who is leading a double life, Mr. Samuel Ellis. Mr. Ellis is an environmental scientist by day, a fiddler in a country band by night and has turned his passion for rivers into a business by founding Rock Town River Outfitters, in Little Rock’s River Market District, on the Arkansas River.
Rock Town River Outfitters rents bikes and kayaks for experiencing the Arkansas River from above on the 15-mile River Trail or afloat in the Arkansas River’s current (it is not as dangerous as it sounds).
Today we’re going to dive (LOL, pun intended) into the risks and rewards of kayaking on the big river, talk about the downtown tours his company offers, get his take on the environmental impact we humans are having on mother earth and find out where his band The Cons of Formant play.
Ep 192 | Aired 5/13/2020
Eric Chesher received a BA in Music Performance degrees in vocal performance and piano performance and a B.S. pre-med in Biology and Psychology from Heidelberg University, located in Tiffin Ohio. He is a Producer/Engineer with over 25 years experience in the Music Industry in performance, writing, producing, management, and marketing. His resume’ includes Capital Records, Bunker Studios, RCA, sales training and event marketing for Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Steinway, and event marketing for dealers across the United States. He presently works as manager of Steinway Piano Gallery Little Rock and as producer at Infrared Studio Productions.
Brian Brown was born in Maine. He was lucky enough to have a father that loved Music, especially Jazz. At 14 Brian had his first gig. Over his teen years he was exposed to a number of truly great players and performed with many of them, including Louis Armstrong, Howard McGhee, Charlie Mariano, Benny Golson and many others. Over his career, he has played with a wide variety of musicians; he performed with Lightnin’ Hopkins in the 1970’s as a duo. At the same time, he was involved with a fusion band that was an opening act for Weather Report and Ramsey Lewis.
He moved to Arkansas in 1983. He has performed with local and touring musicians for concerts and musical theater. He recently performed with Herbie Hancock. He has been part of the Ted Ludwig Trio since 2005.
Show Page: www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/eric-chesher-192.asp
Ep 191 | Aired 5/6/2020
Stephen Wirges is a piano tuner, technician, and owner of Steinway Piano Gallery Little Rock, LLC. He tunes for numerous private individuals, churches, schools, studios, piano teachers, professional pianists, and performing art centers. “I’ve been working on pianos for about eighteen years and I started as an apprentice and did about an eight-year apprenticeship and started a service company where I just service pianos, tune pianos, rebuilt pianos,” Wirges said. He has been the exclusive technician for the music department at the University of Central Arkansas since 2015, for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock since 2014, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra since 2012. After serving area universities and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, he trained at the Steinway factory in New York. “Steinway approached me and asked me if I wanted to partner with them and open a Steinway Gallery for Arkansas, and it was overwhelming to be able to have that opportunity, so I couldn’t say no to that. I definitely just wanted to do it,” Wirges said. “There’s about 60 Steinway Galleries across the entire world. There’s only 200 dealers,” Wirges said.
Ep 190 | Aired 4/29/2020
Question: What crazy person nearing retirement age would buy a small, struggling, neighborhood grocery store in Little Rock, Arkansas? Answer: Mr. Eric Herget.
A successful veteran of the insurance business, Eric tells the romantic story of how he followed his heart, changed his career, and came to own Terry’s Finer Foods (now known as Heights Corner Market).
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Also on the show, you’ll hear Eric’s son, Ryan Herget, tell his entrepreneurial story of how he established the widely popular food delivery service, Chef Shuttle.
Listen to this father-son duo, Eric and Ryan Herget, talk about the entrepreneurial spirit that built many small businesses.
Ep 189 | Aired 4/22/2020
If you love music and, more specifically, the music of artists from Arkansas, then tune in to Up In Your Business today. We have two guests who not only share their lives, but also their creativity and love of music: operatically trained vocalist and editor at the Arkansas Times Stephanie Smittle, and her partner, Stephen Koch, founder and host of the syndicated radio show Arkansongs and also a contributor to the Arkansas Times.
Ms. Stephanie Smittle’s love of music is wide, evident by her list of work and performances. In The Smittle Band, she sings a smooth jazzy style of music. On the weekends she sings sacred music as a cantor and chorister at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and on her side gigs you might find her sitting in with any number of bands, ranging from folk to performing with the Arkansas Symphony and other operatic productions.
Mr. Stephen Koch’s love of music is wide, historical and rooted in his Stuttgart DJ father’s love of ragtime. In 1998, Stephen and his co-host, Keith Merckx, began a two-hour radio program in Little Rock, Arkansas where they dug deep into the musical pioneers of Arkansas. They named the radio show Arkansongs. In addition, Stephen is a musician in his band Arkopolis.
Listen for an Arkansas music education class. We’ll have Stephen share his deep knowledge of such legendary Arkansas artists as Levon Helm, Sister Rosetta Tharp, Louis Jordan and more. And we’ll play an original song from Stephanie’s genre jumping album and another original song from Stephen’s rock album.
Ep 187 | Aired 4/15/2020
Governor Mike Beebe (aka Mickey Dale Beebe) was born in Amagon, Arkansas in 1946. He graduated Arkansas State University in in 1968 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He was elected to the Arkansas State Senate in 1982 and served there for the next 20 years. In 2003, Beebe was elected Attorney General of Arkansas. In 2006, Beebe won the Governor’s race and served for 2 terms. He left office on January 13, 2015 and currently serves on the Governors’ Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC.
This week, join us for a special interview with the Director of the Arkansas Small Business Administration, Edward Haddock. Mr. Haddock is returning to Up In Your Business to talk about what the SBA is doing to help small businesses, and giving answers to your questions about navigating the application process for grants and loans during this public health and economic crisis.
What You Need to Apply for Payroll Protection Program – CARES Act.
Your Online Banking login credentials 2019 Payroll Cost and YTD Payroll Cost through February 15, 2020 Number of employees as of December 31, 2019 Number of employees as of February 15, 2020 Industry or business classification (NAICS Code which can be found on tax return) IRS Form 940 Employers Annual Federal Unemployment Tax Return (FUTA) IRS Form 941 Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return Payroll Summary Report 2019 with corresponding bank statements W2 Summary List of employees earning more than $100,000 in compensation (salary, wages, commission and tips) 1099 Summary Breakdown of payroll benefits (vacation, allowance for dismissal, group healthcare benefits, retirement benefits, etc.)
On today’s Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, you’ll hear radiologist and lifestyle medicine specialist, Dr. Jason Beck, talk about living longer, eating better, and managing stress.
“Dr. Vegan,” as his friends call him, has a passion for spreading the healing powers and nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet. So much so, that he recently became board certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr. Beck, along with being a book-smart academic, who is passionate about the healing powers of diet, is a creative, third-generation entrepreneur; having founded Arkansas Specialty Radiology and Onsite Imaging Solutions. This self-made millionaire couldn’t resist helping and learning about other business opportunities so in 2015, along with his sister Monica, he founded Tricore Capital, LLC. listen to the facts, statistics, and a hopeful message from this well-informed doctor about cures for chronic disease, treatments for diabetes and cancer, and about the commonalities of people who live in so-called “blue zones” and why they frequently live to be 100.
Ep 185 | Aired 3/25/2020
Originally from Connecticut, Landscape Designer Chris Olsen’s family moved to Little Rock where he spent a few years before moving to San Diego, then back to Arkansas in 1992. Olsen attended Oxford University in England, studying landscape architecture, landscape principals, and philosophy and also graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in business. Chris has over 25 years of landscape architecture and interior design experience. In partnership with his father, Chris obtained a landscape maintenance company called Doramus and established the Horticare Landscape Company. After only ten years, the company grew into five divisions: chemical, maintenance, landscape, nursery, and irrigation. In 2003, Chris opened his second home and garden store called Botanica Gardens on Rebsamen Park Road. Olsen bought the Edgemont House in June of 2016 and after extensive renovations, lives there and operates it as an event center.
Chris’ design works have been featured in several of the Symphony Design Houses, At Home in Arkansas, The Arkansas Times, AY Magazine, Health and Living, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Real Living Magazine, Soirée, Inviting Arkansas, the Abode Magazine, Southern Living Magazine, and several times in Better Homes and Gardens.
Ep 184 | Aired 3/18/2020
Keith Jackson was born April 19, 1965 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He began playing football at the age of 9 with the Sunset Tigers in his hometown. His love of the game continued throughout junior high school on into high school at Little Rock Parkview, where he was Parade All-American and three-sport letterman. While in high school, Keith played the cello in the orchestra.
Upon graduating from Parkview, Keith attended the University of Oklahoma (1984-1987) on a football scholarship as a tight end. During his college career, he assisted the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record and a national championship in 1985. He recorded a total of 62 receptions for 1,407 yards, an average of 23.7 yards per catch and was selected three times to the All Big Eight team and named two-time Athletic All-American. Keith graduated with academic honors and a BA in Communications in 3 ½ years.
In 1988, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Keith as the thirteenth pick of the first round in the National Football League draft. Keith made an immediate impact on the Eagles’ team and the NFL during his rookie season. Keith recorded 81 receptions for 869 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first season, along with seven catches for 142 yards in the Eagles only playoff game that year, and was the NFC offensive rookie of the year and the only first-year player to be selected by the NFL for the Pro Bowl. In his nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay, Keith was selected to the Pro Bowl 6 times (1988-1990, 1992, 1994 - selected but did not attend, 1996) and 3-time All-Pro. In his final season, Keith recorded 40 receptions for 505 yards and career high 10 touchdowns, assisting the Packers to a 16-3 record and a win in Super Bowl XXXI.
Keith finished his career with 441 receptions for 5,283 yards and 49 touchdowns. Keith Jackson has also combined his college degree in communications and his professional playing experience to become a broadcast analyst with TNT television for one year, the Oklahoma Sooner football radio network in 1998, Fox Sports Network in 1999 and the Arkansas Razorback Sports Network from 2000 - 2017. He has become one of the most dynamic and inspirational speakers in the country. His speaking engagements include churches, civic groups, corporations and schools.
Ep 183 | Originally Aired 09/25/19, Re-Aired 3/11/2020
Change of plans, the governor just called an emergency task force meeting about the coronavirus so Mr. Frank Scott had to cancel, understandably. Instead, we will be replaying our Special SoMa show. The Up in Your Business creative team pulled out all the stops for this show. DJ legend, Tom Wood, put his editing skills to the test when he cut, pasted and compiled four different guest interviews that spanned three years for your listening enjoyment.
What is the common thread that holds them all together? They’re all located in Little Rock, Arkansas’s revitalized downtown neighborhood called SoMa, South Main Street.
Visionary Anita Davis reflects on the importance of “placemaking” in your community. Jack Sundell talks about his Peace Corp experience and how it inspired him to open Root Café. Loblolly’s ice cream is made in small batches by its founder Sally Mengel and has been featured in Savoir Magazine, and current Club 99 Rotary President and real estate developer, Hank Kelley, adds his two cents to the importance of neighborhoods like SoMa.
Ep 182 | Aired 3/4/2020
I’m currently in Atlanta, GA, speaking to the Future Farmers of America about what I have learned are the qualities of good leadership.
So, today on Up In Your Business, we are rerunning one of my favorite interviews from January 2018 with the Very Reverend Father and retired Dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Dr. Chris Keller. Get ready to hear some pearls of wisdom and rationale. This is not your typical priest.
In this interview, I don’t let this preacher-man off easy. We delve into gay marriage, science and religion (you’re not going to believe what his views are on evolution) and since it is a business show, we talk a little about the balance of running the business office, the outreach programs, the services, the sick and caring for congregation’s individual needs. A BIG job for anyone.
Ep 181 | Aired 2/26/2020
The word of the day on Up In Your Business today is ‘consortium,’ because that is what my guest, Ms. Garbo Hearne, has created on 12th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. Garbo is the founder and visionary of Hearne Fine Art Gallery, Hearne Fine Art Consulting and Appraisal Services and Pyramid Art, Books and Custom Framing. Before taking the entrepreneurial leap, Garbo was a pediatric intensive care nurse at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She received her BSN in nursing from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and her appraisal studies certificate from New York University. Ms. Hearne and her husband, Dr. Archie Hearne, are busy proprietors. Their side by side businesses, Hearne Family Clinic, Pyramid Art, Books and Framing and Hearne Fine Art Gallery, are all nestled together in the historic Dunbar neighborhood in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. Oh, and if that is not enough, she and her husband co-wrote Two Decades of African American Art: Hearne Fine Art 1988 – 2008. Listen to learn how a doctor and nurse filled a void in the Little Rock art market and how Garbo’s nursing strategies aided her in starting a business.
Ep 180 | Aired 2/19/2020
In keeping with our black history month theme, my team at Up In Your Business has created a special show with interviews of two prior guests, Ms. Janice Kearney, presidential diarist for President Bill Clinton, and Mr. Edmond Davis, author, historian and teacher at Arkansas Baptist College.
Born in Gould, Arkansas, Janis Kearney was one of eighteen children of parents Ethel V. Kearney and James Kearney. After graduating from Gould High School in 1971, Kearney attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, earning a B.A. in journalism in 1976. She continued on with her education while working, earning thirty hours towards a M.P.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. After earning her B.A. degree, Kearney was hired by the State of Arkansas in 1978, where she spent three years as a program manager for the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program, and another six years as the director of information for the national headquarters of the Migrant Student Records Transfer System. Leaving government work, Kearney purchased the Arkansas State Press newspaper from Daisey Bates in 1987. She published the weekly paper for five years before joining the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1992, where she served as director of minority media outreach. The following year, Kearney joined President Bill Clinton’s transition team. She began with the White House Media Affairs Office before being appointed as the director of public affairs and communications for the U.S. Small Business Administration, where she worked until 1995. That year, Kearney became the first presidential diarist in U.S. history, chronicling President Clinton’s day-to-day life. She remained in this capacity until President Clinton left office. Kearney came under scrutiny during the Starr Committee proceedings when her diary and testimony were subpoenaed. No wrongdoing was found. Edmond Davis is currently a history professor at Arkansas Baptist College and was educated at Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University. His work in education includes facilitator and program coordinator for a pilot program at Covenant Keepers Charter School called RESPOND-I-BILITY targeting 6th-8th grade students to help them understand how to respond to law enforcement in the 21st century. Davis has also taught history at the University of Phoenix (Little Rock main campus) and at Pulaski Technical College as well as worked with various other mentoring and workshop programs for students from grade 6 through college aimed at helping students excel in the classroom and beyond.
Listen to Learn: How the church influenced Dr. Hampton’s civic involvement The myriad of tests that African Americans had to pass in order to be considered for integration History of the Little Rock Nine What she learned after traveling through Arkansas about the population she sees as at the most economic risk.
Sybil Jordan (Hampton) was born on September 1, 1944 in Springfield, Missouri to Lorraine H. Jordan and Leslie W. Jordan. Hampton grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she was among the second group of African American students to attend Central High School in 1959, two years after the Little Rock Nine integrated the school. Hampton graduated in 1962, and received her B.A. degree in English literature from Earlham College in 1966. She then earned her M.S.T. degree in elementary education from the University of Chicago in 1968, her M.Ed. degree in higher education from Columbia University Teacher’s College in 1982, and her Ed.D. degree, also from Columbia, in 1991.
Hampton worked as an elementary school teacher at the Louis Champlain School in Chicago, Illinois, and as an academic administrator at Iona College and served as director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program in New Rochelle, New York. In 1985, she became the contributions manager of education and culture at the GTE Corporate Foundation in Stamford, Connecticut. She then worked as the assistant dean of student academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Family Resources and Consumer Sciences from 1987 to 1993, when she became the special assistant to the president at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. From 1996 to 2006, Hampton served as president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Little Rock. She was the general manager of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for the 2006-2007 season. In 2007, she founded her own business consulting firm, Sybil Jordan Hampton and Associates.
Ep 178 | Aired 2/5/2020
Join us this week as we revisit Kerry’s conversation with two influential local restaurateurs; Chef Matt Bell - who will be leaving his position at South on Main this month - and Don Dugan of Dugan’s Pub, who is stepping in to fill Matt’s big shoes at the iconic Main Street restaurant and performance venue. Both share their take on the ups and downs of running a restaurant, what they love most about it, and what they least expected.
Ep 176 | Originally Aired 1/22/2020
Jim Guy Tucker was born on June 13, 1943, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to James Guy and Willie Maude (White) Tucker. His father was one of the first 50 employees of the newly formed Social Security Administration in February,1936.His family moved to Little Rock in February of 1945 when his father was relocated as the manager of the Arkansas Social Security Administration office. Jim Guy was educated in public schools. He graduated from Harvard with a BA in government in 1964, after which he enlisted in the marines. Despite two appeals, Tucker was discharged for health reasons after three months. Stints in 1965 and 1967 in Vietnam as a civilian war correspondent became a source of exposure for Tucker as he recorded them in his book, Arkansas Men at War. After finishing work in Vietnam, Tucker returned to Arkansas to pursue a political career.
After receiving his law degree at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1968, he became an associate attorney with the Little Rock firm Rose, Barron, Nash, Williamson, Carroll, and Clay. He left in 1970 upon winning the race for prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial District. In 1972, he was elected to the first of two terms as state attorney general. On November 8, 1975, he married Betty Allen Alworth, who had two children from her previous marriage. The couple had two children together.
In 1976, he was elected to represent the Second Congressional District and was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, the Social Security Subcommittee, and the Speaker’s Task Force on Welfare Reform.
After eight years in public office, he returned to private law practice in 1979 and became a partner in the Tucker and Stafford firm. In 1982, he ran for governor in the Democratic primary, but came in third in a five-man race. After that loss, he began to engage in business enterprises, including real estate and condominium development. In 1983, he formed County Cable Limited Partnership with his wife, and the company provided cable TV service in rural Pulaski County. From modest beginnings, he expanded his cable TV operations to other areas of the country and acquired interests in cable companies in Texas, Florida, and Great Britain. In 1988, he traded County Cable to Falcon Cable Media of California in return for a Falcon Cable operation near Dallas, Texas.
In 1990, Tucker prepared for another run for governor. When Clinton announced his reelection bid, Tucker opted instead to run for lieutenant governor. Both he and Clinton won their races. Once Clinton began to campaign for the presidency in 1991, Tucker became acting governor, and upon Clinton’s resignation in December 1992, Tucker became governor.
In November 1994, he won a four-year term against Republican Sheffield Nelson. He became caught up in the Whitewater investigation surrounding Clinton. On May 28, 1996, he was convicted for misapplying funds for a $150,000 bank loan. The next day, he announced that he would step down as governor, even as he continued to protest his innocence. After briefly rescinding his resignation, he left office on July 15, 1996. He reentered the private sector to focus on his business enterprises.
In 1996, Tucker was placed on a liver transplant waiting list (he had been diagnosed in 1984 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, which leads to blockage of the bile ducts). On Christmas Day, he received a transplant, which probably saved his life and kept him out of prison—he was sentenced to probation. Despite complications, the transplant restored his health. Since then, Tucker has served his probation and repaid the $150,000 loan.
Ep 175 | Originally Aired 4/21/17
Jean-Paul Francoeur: Jean-Paul built a thriving personal-training business and he owned the a high-end heath club called JP Fitness for 16 years before he sold it in 2008. He was the “Golf Performance and Functional Training Specialist” at Alotian Golf Club several years and now is a certified ARPwave therapist helping people with injuries and chronic pain get back to living life to the fullest. Clients range from professional athletes from all over the country who fly in just for his specialized method, to senior citizens struggling with chronic pain or arthritis, to weekend warriors who tweak something. He also still maintains a small personal training clientele.
History: Jean-Paul has been training athletes and people from all walks of life for over 30 years. He has been featured in Parade Magazine twice, as well as in USA Today. As a freelance writer, he's been published in Men's Health, Best Life, and numerous strength-focused magazines and websites.He was a top fitness advisor to former Governor, Mike Huckabee during the governor’s well-publicized weight loss (garnering an acknowledgement in his best-seller, Stop Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork), and served as chairman of the Arkansas Governor's Council on Fitness for nearly eight years, as well as sitting on over a half-a-dozen other boards and committees (local, statewide, and national) dedicated to improving public health.
Training Philosophy: JP’s philosophy and training style are based on training the body for “random acts of fitness,” teaching reactive and functional strength in all planes of movement using unconventional, ground-based exercises. It is this wonderful culmination of knowledge and experiences that sets Francoeur apart from others in the industry, and continues to promote the growth of his business as one of the top fitness authorities in Arkansas and beyond.
Ep 174 | Air Date 1/8/2020
Joe David Rice was born and grew up in northeast Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and earned his master’s degree in environmental Planning from the University of Illinois. He returned to Arkansas and became the co-owner of an outfitting business on the Buffalo National River. He left that position to become the state of Arkansas tourism director. He served the state in that position for thirty years.
Rice has testified before a US Senate committee on behalf of the Arkansas Wilderness Act, has been published in the American Photographer magazine and written two books: Arkansas Backstories, Volume One and Two.
Ep 173 | Aired 1/1/2020
Time for another throwback Up in Your Business!
This week, we’ll be broadcasting Part II of a two-part compilation of the “Best of 2019." As I mentioned, my behind the scenes production team, Tom and Ashley, have been laboriously and lovingly listening to past interviews and have picked their favorite excerpts.
Like you, it’s a surprise to me, too. Last week I listened to excerpts from Hank Kelley, Steve Landers, Sofia Said, Will Trice, First Lady of Arkansas Susan Hutchinson, and more.
I can’t wait to hear what the team has chosen for this week’s show. Hope you will join me today.
Ep 172 | Aired 12/25/2019
It’s “Throw Back Wednesday and Friday!”
"Wait? What? That doesn’t work," you're probably saying.
Oh, yes it does. For the next 2 weeks on UIYB we’ll be broadcasting a compilation of the “Best of 2019.” My behind the scenes production team, Tom and Ashley, have been laboriously and lovingly listening to past interviews and have picked their favorite excerpts. Even I don’t know who or what they are.
I can’t wait to listen! Hope you will join me.
Ep # 171 | Aired 12/18/2019
Vicki Calhoun grew up in a military family then married into the military. She has lived in five different countries and six states. She was born into a military family. Her mother was from England U.K. and her father was from Kentucky. They met when he was in the Air Force and was stationed in England as an Air Traffic controller.
Vicki began her freshman year of high school in Michigan, while her father was stationed in Vietnam. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina when he returned stateside and she finished high school in South Carolina. She attended the College of Charleston and received an Associate Degree before moving to Japan.
While in Japan (1975-1979) Vicky worked as a model in Tokyo. When she returned to the United States, she went back to college and worked as a travel agent in Florida. For the following fifteen years, she was a travel agent.
She enjoys pottery and reading. She was a volunteer for Heifer International and at her children’s school and, through her church, reaches out to the homeless population in Little Rock.
Ep 170 | Aired 12/11/2019
Chris James, is a national award-winning poet. His plays include Dear Black People and The Odds Against US. He has been featured on the front cover of the Arkansas Times Newspaper for being one of Arkansas’ top visionaries. James is a member of Foreign Tongues poetry slam team, ranking second in the world’s second largest poetry competition in 2014. He is the founder of Arkansas’ only poetry venue and second black owned gallery, The House of Art. He hosts art integrated workshops and is a motivational speaker.
Ep 169 | Aired 12/4/2019
Ernie Dumas, 82, is one of the state's most highly regarded journalists. He spent more than 30 years with the Arkansas Gazette, primarily as a political and state government reporter. He was also an associate editor, an editorial writer and a columnist until the newspaper folded in 1991. Since then, he has continued to write for several publications, including the Arkansas Times.
His recent book -- The Education of Ernie Dumas: Chronicles of the Arkansas Political Mind -- covers the post-World War II era of Arkansas, from the election of Gov. Orval Faubus, who resisted school desegregation, to the election of Gov. Bill Clinton, who later became the nation's 42nd president.
Ep 168 | Aired 11/27/2019
Steve Dean and Don Goodman sat down with Kerry McCoy to share how a dream can launch a career, how music facilitates healing, and how Operation Song reaches veterans with a creative way to conquer PTSD.
Ep 167 | Aired 11/20/2019
Will Trice is the newly appointed Executive Artistic Director of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
He has served as a producer for nearly 30 productions on Broadway, the West End, and National Tours, and is a three-time Tony Award winner for All The Way, starring Bryan Cranston; the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; and The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess, starring Audra McDonald.
He is a five-time Tony nominee for Fiddler on the Roof; The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Wolf Hall; You Can’t Take It With You, starring James Earl Jones & Rose Byrne; The Glass Menagerie starring Cherry Jones & Zachary Quinto; and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, starring John Larroquette & Candice Bergen. Other credits include: American Son, starring Kerry Washington; The Lifespan of A Fact, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones, & Bobby Cannavale; American Buffalo, starring Damien Lewis & John Goodman (West End); American Psycho; Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill, starring Audra McDonald (Broadway & West End); The Realistic Joneses, starring Toni Collette, Michael C. Hall, & Marisa Tomei; Blithe Spirit, starring Angela Lansbury (West End & National Tour); The Bridges of Madison County; and Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Al Pacino.
Prior to his career in producing, Trice served as a Business Analyst with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, an Artistic Administration Associate with The Metropolitan Opera, and a Strategic Growth Associate with alternative asset managers D.E. Shaw & Company. He holds degrees from Southern Methodist and Northwestern Universities.
The time has finally arrived for 2019’s Dancing Into Dreamland Tournament of Champions event. It’s like birthing a baby with a scheduled C-section. It begins with the act of picking the event night followed by nine months of preparation. It all culminates this Friday night, November 15, atop the Taborian Hall, aka home of Arkansas Flag and Banner.
In honor of this event, Up In Your Business will be playing a Special Dancing Into Dreamland Compilation of Alice 107.7’s Poolboy, who will MC the event, and Ryk St Vincent, performer and board member of the Friends of Dreamland Ballroom.
Along with talking about their respective lives and careers, each guest talks about the Dreamland Ballroom, too. Friend of the show and long time, local radio personality Tom Wood has done a great job of editing and choosing the “best of” these interviews for today’s airing.
Listen to learn about these two local celebrities, about Dreamland Ballroom and its (open to the public!) Dancing Into Dreamland event this week, and to give Tom Wood’s editing skills a grade.
Ep 165 | Aired 11/6/2019
During his 38 years of service in the United States Army, Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. Since retiring from the military in 2000, he has become an investment banker, businessman, commentator, author and teacher. In September 2003, he answered the call to stand as a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, where his campaign won the state of Oklahoma and launched him to national prominence before he returned to the private sector in February 2004. Clark has chaired several public and private companies, and is a progressive leader in pursuing energy solutions.
Clark graduated first in his class at West Point and completed degrees in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. While serving in Vietnam, he commanded an infantry company in combat, where he was severely wounded and evacuated home on a stretcher. He commanded at the battalion, brigade and division level, and served in a number of significant staff positions, including service as the Director Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5). Clark finished his career as NATO commander and Supreme Allied Commander Europe where he led NATO forces to victory in Operation Allied Force, saving 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing.
His awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, silver star, bronze star, purple heart, honorary knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments, and numerous other awards from other governments, including award of Commander of the Legion of Honor (France).
Clark joined UCLA as a senior fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations in UCLA’s International Institute in 2006, where he teaches seminars, publishes through the Burkle Center, and hosts an annual conference of government, corporate and opinion leaders from around the world on national security. He currently serves in leadership positions with a number of non-profit public service organizations, including City Year Little Rock/North Little Rock, the International Crisis Group, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for American Progress, the United States Institute of Peace, VoteVets, and the General Accountability Office. He also serves as a founding member of the Clinton Global Initiative’s Energy & Climate Change Advisory Board and ACORE’s Advisory Board.
Clark has written 4 books and also serves as Chairman/CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic consulting firm, and Co-Chairman of Growth Energy. He founded Wesley K. Clark & Associates in 2004, which uses his expertise, relationships, and extensive international reputation and experience in the fields of energy, alternative energy, corporate and national security, logistics, aerospace and defense, and investment banking. He applies his experience and skills in strategic leadership, high technology, training and organizational development to the challenges facing the corporate world – offering a singularly informed and dynamic view of leadership based on honor, conviction and action.
Ep 164 | Aired 10/30/2019
Two Jewish Guys With an estimated 1,500 Jews in Little Rock and 500 or so more living elsewhere throughout Arkansas, the percentage of Jews in Arkansas is less than 0.001%. It is unusual, then, that a couple of Jewish men (Leslie Singer and Phil Kaplan) would be the must-see comedy act during the Christmas season in Little Rock. Singer grew up in the Bronx and on Long Island and moved to Little Rock in 1972, soon getting into advertising. Kaplan moved to Little Rock in 1968 to work as an attorney. They first teamed up on KUAR in 1995 as volunteer on-air fundraisers for KUAR radio station. At that time, the co-hosts were barely acquainted. Singer recalls only that “we found ourselves doing the same fundraisers and with the same complaint: They were terribly boring. I said to [Kaplan] before we went on, let’s do it as a radio show, ‘The Two Jewish Guys on Public Radio.’ We’ll tell jokes and do shtick and stories about growing up Jewish. It really caught on.” Besides the Hanukkah special (which began in 2001), they suspended their fundraising shtick a couple of years ago.
Philip Kaplan was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, on January 4, 1938, and grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, with his parents and one brother. He studied government at Harvard University and graduated in 1959. He graduated from the University of Michigan with an LLB degree in 1962. He was licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts but soon relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, to become field attorney for the National Labor Relations Board. He remained there until 1967. Influenced in his youth by the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis, Kaplan moved to Little Rock in 1968 to practice law with McMath, Leatherman, Woods & Youngdahl. He left after a year to start Walker, Kaplan & Mays as a principal, staying until the end of 1977. As a nationally known attorney focusing on civil and human rights, he helped inmates in the Arkansas prison system fight unjust treatment. He also argued cases against the teaching of creationism in Arkansas’s public schools and in support of a professor who lost his job for being a communist. He was also lead counsel for the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) and its board of trustees in Richardson v. Sugg in 2006. UA head basketball coach Nolan Richardson had been terminated after the university decided that a comment he had made during a game was inappropriate. The decision was upheld in favor of UA, another victory for Kaplan and his firm.
Leslie Singer grew up in Long Beach, Long Island. He studied psychology at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan. After graduation, he played drums in several bands, recorded two singles and two albums for United Artists and Atlantic Records. He wrote his first album in the 60s, while visiting a commune in Arkansas. After touring the Northeast promoting the album, he returned to Arkansas where he got a job with ad agency as a copywriter. Homesick for New York, he moved back only to discover very limited job opportunities. He worked for a short time at Bergdorf-Goodman selling women’s shoes – and sold a pair to the great Greta Garbo! Singer again returned to Little Rock and rejoined the ad agency where he worked for the next thirteen years. He was hired away from them by Fairfield Communities, becoming the Vice President of Advertising. He is a vintage toy enthusiast and has authored two books, ZAP! Ray Gun Classics and Do You Read Me? Vintage Communication Toys. He also collects authentic NASA used space equipment and vintage sci-fi pulp art.
Ep 163 | Aired 10/23/2019 Listen to Learn: How military service instills confidence and commitment The team expertise required to run a tank How military personnel deal with change of Commander in Chief Three reasons soldiers re-enlist What AUSA is, what it does, how you can help family challenges of serving in the military
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston served as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army from January 15, 2004, to March 1, 2011. He retired as the longest-serving Sergeant Major of the Army, with more than seven years in the position.
As Sergeant Major of the Army, Preston served as the Army Chief of Staff’s personal adviser on all Soldier and Family-related matters, particularly areas affecting Soldier training and quality of life. He devoted the majority of his time to traveling throughout the Army serving as a force provider, overseeing Soldier and unit training, manning and equipping challenges, and talking to Soldiers and their Families to understand their personal hardships and challenges.
Episode 162 | Aired 10/16/2019
Listen to Learn: How your lifestyle contributes to chronic disease How treating symptoms will not cure chronic disease What functional medicine is How an elimination/reintroduction diet is used to unmask root causes of symptoms What a health coach does What "leaky gut" is and what symptoms it causes
Dr. Amy Beard runs a completely online Functional Medicine practice, Amy Beard MD.com. She is one of only four MD Dietician Certified Functional Medicine Practitioners in the country. Dr. Beard states: Much of my education and training focused on using pharmaceuticals and procedures to treat symptoms. While treating symptoms is necessary and much appreciated by patients, what’s more important is treating the underlying root causes that are contributing to those symptoms. Functional Medicine doctors with Dr. Beard's qualifications are normally in only the largest cities and can be very expensive. Her online model was created to make Functional Medicine accessible to the whole country, as well as some patients outside of the US. She uses video conferencing which allows her to consult with patients anywhere in the world. This allows her to achieve an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients to address the underlying causes of disease and address the specific manifestations of disease related to a patient’s genetic, biochemical and lifestyle factors.
Beau Renfro is a member of the Rock-a-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tennessee. He is an entertainer, song writer and singer. Beau's music career started in a church in Forrest City, Arkansas. He learned to sing by listening to his mother and sisters sing old Gospel songs. All nine of his sisters played a role in the evolution of Beau’s music. His sister Jean paid for his first guitar and sisters Lou, Joyce, Naomi and Helen made sure he paid attention as they worked out the songs for Sunday service and his little sister Martha was the audience.
Beau grew up listening to the great sounds out of Nashville play from his radio. After moving to east Texas, Beau formed a country band called Beau & the Bandits. He worked at a radio station (KROZ) as the morning DJ by day and he and the Bandits played his music at night in some of Texas' most famous night clubs including the Sawmill Club, the Oil Palace, The Rio and The Tropicana. He also played back up for many of the country stars out of Nashville including T.G. Shepard, Moe Bandy, Jerry Reed, Charlie Rich, Faron Young and Joe Stampley.
Beau was hired to play in the David Houston Band and in 1976 released his first album. The single “There’s No More Gold” went to number 85 on the country charts and was chosen as ‘pick hit of the week’ by Billboard Magazine.
Beau also promoted songs for Cedarwood Publishing Company in Nashville and was responsible for pitching the song “Red Wine” to Epic Records. The song went to #5 for Joe Stampley. After his first album, Beau fell off the charts. He returned to the familiar Texas nightclub venue. The required travel began to interfere in his family life, so he accepted a job in Branson, MO as the MC for the Ozark Jubilee. Finding the 200 show per year schedule as time consuming as the nightclub travel, Beau decided to retire from the music business.
Beau and his family moved to Tucson, Arizona where he got a job in the car industry. Unable to stay away from music, he formed a new band, Beau Renfro and his Clear Country Band and began playing in Tucson clubs and casinos.
After many years, Beau and his wife Brenda moved back to a small town in the foothills of the Ozarks where he currently resides.
Ep #160 | Aired 10/2/2019
Bill Eginton opened Arkansas Record-CD Exchange 35 years ago in 1985 at 4212 MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock, AR. Three years later, a fire destroyed the store. After a temporary move, the store was rebuilt and has grown from a record collector’s dream. It now houses the state’s largest vinyl retail outlet. For over three decades, Eginton has been selling, buying & trading vinyl records, CDs, cassettes; even 78s, 8-tracks & reel-to-reel tapes. More recently, as big box stores closed or drastically scaled back on music, Arkansas Record-CD Exchange took up the slack, & easily carries the widest selection of new, original & re-issued titles on both vinyl & CD. “When someone shops here & tells me our store is as good or better than anywhere else they’ve been from New York to San Francisco or even Germany, I know we’re doing it right & I’m proud to be doing it here in North Little Rock, Arkansas”, Eginton said.
Episode 159 | Aired 9/25/2019 You are in for a real treat! The Up in Your Business creative team pulled out all the stops for this show. DJ legend, Tom Wood, put his editing skills to the test when he cut, pasted and compiled four different guest interviews that spanned three years for your listening enjoyment. What is the common thread that holds them all together? They’re all located in Little Rock, Arkansas’s revitalized downtown neighborhood called SoMa, South Main Street.
Visionary Anita Davis reflects on the importance of “placemaking” in your community. Jack Sundell talks about his Peace Corp experience and how it inspired him to open Root Café. Loblolly’s ice cream is made in small batches by its founder Sally Mengel and has been featured in Savoir Magazine, and current Club 99 Rotary President and real estate developer, Hank Kelley, adds his two cents to the importance of neighborhoods like SoMa.
Ep #159 | Aired 9/18/2019
C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. is one of Arkansas’ and the region’s foremost joint replacement experts. He was named chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in August, 2014 and holds the Carl L. Nelson, M.D. Chair in Orthopedic Surgery.
Barnes graduated with honors from the UAMS College of Medicine in 1986. He went on to complete his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at UAMS. Barnes completed a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction Surgery and Arthritis Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Barnes is a member of the Knee Society and Hip Society, the only Arkansas member of either. He is past president of the Arkansas Orthopedic Society, the Southern Orthopedic Association, Mid-America Orthopedic Association, and the Society for Arthritic Joint Surgery. He serves as First Vice-President of The American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and has been named the Distinguished Southern Orthopedist by the Southern Orthopedic Association.
Barnes lectures nationally and internationally on total joint replacement surgery and has been active in research focusing on the hip and knee. He established HipKnee Arkansas Foundation, a non-profit research foundation and motion detection laboratory to further study patients with arthritis. He has published extensively and is on the editorial board for a number of journals. He holds numerous patents for orthopedic surgery devices that he developed, and he has designed numerous hip and knee implants. Barnes is also known nationally for his expertise in health care quality, efficiency and new payment structures that were ushered in with health system reform. He has participated in Operation Walk trips with chapters from Los Angeles, Boston, Maryland and Little Rock and considers this involvement as one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.
Episode #157 | Aired 9/11/2019 Join us this week for a special Patriot Day episode, where we revisit conversations with two guests who were deeply affected by the events of 9/11; the Reverend Doctor Stuart Hoke who recounts his experience at Trinity Wall Street on the day the towers came down, and Sophia Said, who's life as a Muslim was changed forever.
Community Bakery owner, Joe Fox, is a well-educated man. He attended UA Little Rock for his undergraduate degree in Engineering Technology, then studied Economics at Stanford University and earned an MBA from Harvard. His time in Boston coupled with his love of business led to his weekly habit of reading the Sunday New York Times.
When he returned to Little Rock from Boston, he found there were no bagel and coffee shops that carried the Sunday edition of the Times. This inspired him to become a distributor and ultimately led to him buying Community Bakery.
The original Community bakery was started by Ralph Hinson in 1947 in Rose City North Little Rock. It changed hands in the late 1970s and was sold to Mr. Fox in 1986. In 1993, Fox relocated the bakery to its current location at 12th and Main.
He employs 65 people. Recently Fox partnered with John Brandenberger, whom Fox is grooming to take over the business. In October, 2018, it was announced that Community Bakery would transition over to solar power. They have another location on Shackleford in West Little Rock.
Episode #155 | Aired 8/28/2019
Hank Kelley grew up in Heber Springs, AR. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he graduated with honors. In the late 1970s he went to work in the northwest Arkansas real estate market and during that time met and married former Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey’s sister, Stephanie Dailey. In 1980 they moved to central Arkansas and Kelley got his MBA in Finance and a Commercial Real Estate Brokerage License. He has instructed Real Estate courses at University of Arkansas at Little Rock and created the Endowed Scholarship to enable students to attend the U of A. Kelley is the CEO of Flake and Kelley Commercial Real Estate firm and over the past 35 years has represented clients that include AT&T, Panera Bread, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Acxiom, City of Little Rock Parks & Recreation and the Pulaski County School District.
Episode 0154 | Aired 8/21/2019 Sophia Said was born and educated in Pakistan. At 20, she married Qayyim Said. The marriage was arranged by her parents. The first time she ever saw her groom was the night before their wedding. They moved to Utah in 1996 and she received her second Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Utah in 2007. Said, who had the highest GPA among economics majors, spoke at the University of Utah commencement. Later that year, the couple moved to Little Rock so Qayyim Said could teach health economics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. After coming to Little Rock, Sophia attended and graduated from the Clinton School of Public Service and became an American citizen in 2012. In 2015, she was named Peacemaker of the Year by the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice, and earlier this year, Said was presented with Just Communities of Arkansas’ Humanitarian Award. Currently she is the Program Director at the Interfaith Center located at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
Episode 153 | Aired 8 - 14 - 19
Arkansas Native Jason Beck MD graduated UAMS in 1999. He did his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of South Alabama in Mobile where he was Chief Resident during his final year. In 2004, he returned to Little Rock and in 2006 opened Arkansas Specialty Radiology, PLLC. In 2010, Beck and his sister started Onsite Imaging Solutions. Their business started with the purchase of a small mobile radiology company in south Arkansas, and along with expanding services, they created proprietary software that allows for the management of a mobile business. By 2015, Onsite Imaging Solutions had 65 employees across the state providing onsite radiological services to 85 percent of the long-term care market in Arkansas.
He once again partnered with his sister, Monica, in 2015 to found Tricore Capital, LLC. They leveraged their prior success in the business world to help other businesses grow and succeed. Since Tricore’s inception, they have invested in and consulted with a number of start-up and growth state companies. They are third generation entrepreneurs.
With all his success in the business world, Beck present focus is on Lifestyle Medicine and using a whole food plant based diet to prevent and heal chronic diseases. He has recently become board certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Episode 0152 | Aired 8/7/2019
orn in Little Rock,Frank Fletcher was adopted by Frank and Aline Fletcher as a baby. He was raised on a farm in Tamo, AR., which at that time had a population of five. Frank went to grade school in Grady, where he was named to the All State basketball team in 8th and 9th grades. At 6-foot-4 when he was 14 years old, Frank went on to play for the Pine Bluff High School team. Three years after earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Arkansas, Frank Fletcher started as a salesman for DuPont Paint Co. in 1967, calling on Walmart founder Sam Walton. Walton persuaded Fletcher to become a manufacturers’ representative for the young retail company and then later advised Fletcher to start a company and begin manufacturing his own goods. Fletcher took that advice and began building Cheyenne/Silverwood Industries, a business that is now the largest manufacturer of lamps and distributor of bar stools in the United States. Fletcher expanded manufacturing into Taiwan and then China before selling the company in December 2010. Recognizing the value of diversifying, Fletcher is now chairman and chief executive officer of Frank Fletcher Companies, a North Little Rock holding company with interests in 13 auto dealerships, commercial real estate, a hotel and three restaurants and a retail fur store. Frank Fletcher has built a still-growing string of 20 ultra-successful enterprises in a variety of industries by recognizing the potential in a wide range of situations and anticipating trends to pioneer new businesses. Frank Fletcher and his family own several race horses. All are named after his dog, Rocket.
Lance Turner joined Arkansas Business as a reporter in 1999 and became online editor in 2000. In that role, he oversees all Web content for Arkansas Business Publishing Group of Little Rock, which produces websites, magazines and newspapers in Arkansas, including Arkansas Business, Little Rock Soirée, Little Rock Family, Arkansas Bride, Guest Guide to Greater Little Rock, Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School and Greenhead. Arkansas Business Publishing Group has more than 70 employees in Little Rock.
Much of Turner’s time is spent writing and editing daily news at ArkansasBusiness.com, which includes the Daily Report and Morning Roundup e-newsletters.
Turner also produces the Arkansas Business news report that airs at weekdays on “THV 11 This Morning.” And, from time to time, he's a panelist on AETN’s weekly public affairs program, “Arkansas Week.”
Not sure what episode to listen to? Kerry McCoy has sat down with some very interesting people. Listen to our Best Of Highlight Reel to hear guests Steve Landers, Rex Nelson, Arkansas First Lady Susan Hutchinson, Bob Robbins, Ann McCoy and Janet Carson.
People who love restaurants want to know the chefs and hear their stories. Listen to this highlight reel to get a taste of some of our notable chefs like Donnie Ferneau, Mark Abernathy, Don Dugan and the Bruno brothers.
Dancer Amy Bramlett Turner sat down with Kerry McCoy to share how Ballet has embraced diversity, how dance improves confidence through body acceptance, how somatic practice builds mind/body connection and how dance can be implemented across the curriculum.
Dr. Steve Cathey grew up “all over Arkansas,” spending time in Smackover, Whitehall, Fayetteville, Little Rock and graduated from Monticello High School while his father was the head basketball coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Steve stayed in Monticello and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. In 1989, he returned to Monticello, where he was honored as the Distinguished Alumni.
Tech leader Charles Morgan sat down with Kerry McCoy to discuss his business legacy. Listen to learn how dreaming can open opportunities, the importance of a good training program and how forward thinking is an essential role in business.
Kerry sat down with local Jeopardy! contestant Josh Hill. Listen to learn how to apply and win on the popular game show Jeopardy, how to put an engineering degree to work for you and how furries can help the community and get paid.
Gary Lay sat down with Kerry McCoy to recall his story of surviving the 1965 Titan II Missile Crisis and moving on to become a successful "adman".
CEO Brian Marsh sits down with Kerry McCoy to share the services and opportunities within Goodwill Industries while giving us the history of Goodwill and how it grew in Arkansas.
Master Gardener Janet Carson sat down with Kerry McCoy to talk about the changes in horticulture education and industry, the different types of gardens and how you can become a Master Gardener.
Ned Perme sits down with Kerry McCoy to talk about how the television industry has changed over the past four decades, the lure of Little Rock, and his dip into abstract art.
Ep 105 | September 14, 2018 Steve Landers of the Steve Landers Auto Group stopped by to sit down with Kerry to discuss how he worked to make his business an enterprise.
Kerry sat down with the First Lady of Arkansas Susan Hutchinson to talk about Susan's early life, the importance of music for growing minds, and some tips on how to
The ever humble Ann McCoy joined us for a second time to tell us more stories of living in the White House and her extensive job details. She also regaled us with stories of he human side of Bill and Hillary Clinton, the evolution of Chelsea Clinton from precocious child to poised adult, and the nuances and importance of seating assignments at a White House State Dinner.
Kerry McCoy sits down with Rock Town River Outfitters Samuel Ellis to discuss how tour guides train for white water rafting, how you can create a business out of your passion and a niche in the market, and when it is safe and dangerous to kayak in the Arkansas River. He also plays a song from his band The Cons of Formant
Steve Dean and Don Goodman sat down with Kerry McCoy to share how a dream can launch a career, how music facilitates healing, and how Operation Song reaches veterans with a creative way to conquer PTSD.
Dr. Kris Shewmake is one of the country's top plastic surgeons. Dr. Shewmake sat down with Kerry to discuss how plastic surgery can be a life changing experience and how to choose between liposuction, cool sculpting or a tummy tuck.
If you’re a crossword puzzle worker or have ever contested a Little Rock traffic ticket, then you’ve probably met or know the man I interviewed back in April 2018, Judge Vic Fleming and crossword puzzle-solver extraordinaire.
In college, young Vic was asked at the end of class to jot down what he thought an ideal legal career would look like. He wrote, “1/3 trial practice, 1/3 judge and 1/3 professor.” And he did exactly that.
For 15 years he was a trial lawyer. In 1996, he was elected district judge for the City of Little Rock (how this came to be, is a good story). In 2004, he became a Bowen adjunct teacher at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. And my personal favorite, he’s a published crossword puzzle maker.
Vic began working crossword puzzles at a young age. As a young man he laid down his crossword puzzle pencil to focus more time on his career. I know from experience, working crossword puzzles is akin to playing video games, you look up and the day is gone! For 25 years his love of puzzles lay dormant; until one day, he gave himself permission to resume his old habit. He didn’t just resume the solving of puzzles, he now wanted to create them. Today his crossword creations appear in the New York Times, Random House and many more. He is now PAID and commissioned to create 65 crossword puzzles a year. Fun trivia, Vic appeared in the 2006 documentary Wordplay, which also featured a song that he wrote and plays on the guitar.
Episode #0008 | Aired 11/4/2016
Ryk St. Vincent, Rychy to some, has been in entertainment since the age of 10 with puppets he made and took to school to give shows in the fifth grade.
Since then Rychy has broadcast on 17 radio stations in 11 different cities across the United States. You can find his name on at least 12 movies, like "A Time to Kill", "Top Cop", "God's Not Dead 2" and "Faith" as well as TV commercials, theatre programs, and in the cast of several documentaries. Ryk is also a talented Jazz musician and performs regularly in the Little Rock area.
Not only is Ryk a performing artist and entertainer but he is also a talented woodworker and hand makes cabinetry and artistic storage solutions. This multi-talented modern "Renaissance Man" will talk about many aspects of his career and building a business around your creative pursuits with Kerry and her call in audience
Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Trey Reid is the Assistant Chief of Communications for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. His primary role is executive producer and host of Arkansas Wildlife TV, the AGFC’s weekly television show that documents The Natural State’s many outdoor recreational opportunities and AGFC’s myriad conservation work. Trey makes more than 250 radio and TV appearances per year representing the Commission and educating Arkansans on our natural states outdoor offerings. Outside of his professional life, Trey is also part of the five-time World Cheese Dip Championship winners: The ConcheeZtadors.
Ep 0028 | 3-24-2017 On this episode of Best of Up In Your Business, Kerry interviews personal jeweler Laura Stanley. Laura reinvented herself professionally after her family's business, Stanley Jewelers Gemologists, closed.
On this episode of Up In Your Business, Kerry sits down with acclaimed newspaper publisher Walter Hussman. We learn about Mr. Hussman's background in publishing, how he won the infamous newspaper war in Arkansas and what it takes to run a newspaper "in the black".
Ep 0078 | 3/9/2018 On this episode of Best Of Up In Your Business, the tables are turned on Kerry. Longtime FlagandBanner.com friend, Wilson Kannady took the interviewer chair. We find out what prompted Kerry McCoy to start her business over 40 years ago, how she deals with the challenges business owners face and the growing pains of a small business.
On this episode of Best Of Up In Your Business, Kerry sits down with Rev. Dr. Chris Keller. He discusses his views on science and evolution co-exisiting with religion, the Episcopal Churchs view on gay marriage, and what it takes to run a church.
Ep 0085 | 4/27/18 On this episode of Best Of Up In Your Business, Madonna Badger tells us how she coped with life after tragedy, about treatment at UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, and how #womennotobjects is helping modern advertising.
Ep 0021 | 02/03/2017 On this episode of Best Of Up In Your Business, Kerry sits down with Georgia Mjartan of Our House. Mrs. Mjartan discusses her service work with domestic abuse survivors at Our House, the homeless prevention program called the Central Arkansas Family Stability Institute, and juggling raising her children with her career.
On this emotional Best Of Up In Your Business, Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke tells us what the Irish Ghetto taught him, the differing reactions of those that sought shelter in the church during the attacks on the World Trade Center, about a historical naval evacuation, how a 240 mph dust ball couldn't stop him and how the EPA finally came clean.
Ep 0041 | June 23, 2017 Geo and Vinny indulge us into the Legacy of Bruno's Little Italy, passed down from generation to generation, and how they became one of the best Italian restaurants in Little Rock. We take a journey into the making of one of Americas favorite eats. From Ellis Island to Chicago and eventually settling in Arkansas, The Bruno Brothers paint a picture of a lifetime of Neapolitan cuisine. Vinny explains how perseverance and passion can create a lasting impression on a community
Congressman French Hill sat down with Kerry early on in Up In Your Business history - her 6th show! Congressman Hill discuss business and the relationship of business and government plus starting and running a business, naming a business and much more in this informative episode!
Warwick Sabin has spent his professional life bringing energy and ideas to improve the lives of people. During his time in the state legislature, he worked with Democrats and Republicans to reform Arkansas’ ethics laws, promote cleaner energy, and encourage public/private partnerships to create economic growth.
He was named one of the top ten legislators of 2013, and the Arkansas Times called him the "Freshman of the session." In 2014, he was one of only 24 national leaders awarded the Rodel Fellowship by the Aspen Institute for his "outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse."
Read more: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/warwick-sabin-04-27-18.asp
Best of Up In Your Business - Ann McCoy, really needs no introduction because everyone (in Arkansas) knows her as either the successful million dollar club (when that meant something) real estate agent, or as the Governor’s Mansion Administrator for Governor Clinton, or as the Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Social Secretary and Director of Personal Correspondence for President Clinton’s administration. There was a time when she could have boasted that she had met all the leaders of the Free World and had her picture taken with every living US President, but she doesn’t. www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/ann…y-12-22-17.asp
Dr. Henri Roca, graduated from Louisiana State University School Of Medicine-New Orleans in 1997 and specializes in family medicine. Dr Roca is among the very few physicians in the nation who practice holistic, integrative, functional medicine. Listen to the podcast to learn how integrative, holistic, and functional medicine works, how and why the opioid crisis began and grew, how early childhood trauma presents later in life as chronic pain, and how prayer and laughter diminish pain. Read more: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/dr-henri-roca-131.asp
Ray Rodgers, of Ray Rodgers Boxing Club in West Little Rock, is a former Conway High football and University of Central Arkansas football player who is internationally known as one of the best cut men in the business as well as a longtime coach and national official with the Golden Gloves and Silver Gloves, the first person ever to run both organizations at the same time. Rodgers was inducted into the Silver Gloves Hall of Fame in 2001, the Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
He has boxed, coached boxing, officiated boxing and served as an boxing administrator for almost half a century, most recently as the cut man for Little Rock’s Jermain Taylor during his run toward a light heavyweight championship.
Read more: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/ray-rodgers-130.asp
Chef Matt Bell opened the restaurant and bar South on Main in the Oxford American magazine’s venue of the same name at 1300 Main Street. Bell describes the South on Main menu as “Refined Southern.”
Kerry McCoy sits down with Garbo Watson Hearne, who owns Hearne Fine Art and Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing/Hearne Fine Art, located in the historic Dunbar neighborhood in Little Rock, Arkansas. Listen to the podcast to learn: Stages of the Art Business, How a doctor and nurse filled a void in the Little Rock art market, How nursing strategies can aid in starting a business
Tim Zimmerman of First Choice Drug Testing sits down with Kerry McCoy to discuss the importance of Gross Margin, what an ESOP is and how it works, Professions that require drug testing and how SCORE can help you start a business
Christine Littlejohn, CEO of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, joins Kerry McCoy on Up In Your Business. Littlejohn shares how to adjust your business budget to avoid bankruptcy, the importance of teamwork and the role music plays in academic achievement. Learn more at https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/christina-littlejohn-125.asp.
Ep. 124
Community Bakery owner Joe Fox discusses the bakery business including how perishable inventory dictates hours of operation, different types of employee owned business models, the benefits of Empowerment Zones for business, and how remote solar panels can feed your business or home electricity as well as the benefits of changing over to solar energy for businesses in particular. Learn more at www.flagandbanner.com. Click on Radio Show.
Ep 0123 | 1/18/2019
Kerry McCoy speaks with Hoops Green, who joined the Harlem Globetrotters in 2017 becoming only the 15th woman to ever don the red, white and blue uniform in the team’s 93-year history.
The now 5-foot-9 guard first started pursuing basketball at age 4. She was introduced to the sport by her older brother who has served as one of her greatest mentors. “I always looked up to my big brother, who was always playing basketball. Growing up I always wanted to follow his lead,” she said. “He’s now my biggest fan, supporter, and best friend.”
Read more at https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/hoops-green-123.asp
| Ep. 122 | 1 - 11 - 19 The Rev. Susan Sims Smith is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Center. Smith was a Jungian oriented psychotherapist for 25 years, and has been an Episcopal priest since 1999. She founded Seedwork, a project to teach people how to listen to wisdom from their dreams and from meditation. She spearheaded the foundation of the Arkansas House of Prayer, an interfaith center for prayer and meditation, and serves as a life-time board member. She started the Interfaith Center in 2011. Learn more at https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/susan-sims-smith-122.asp
Ep 118 | 12/14/18 Eric Herget was born in Paragould and attended Catholic High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Eric has a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Eric's father may have taught him the most important lesson of business. "You have to give to the community," Herget said. You have to work hard for the community you live in." That philosophy led him to success in business - such as when he finally nailed down the account for a Fortune 200 utility company after seven years. Last year Herget purchased Terry's Finer Foods and recently renamed it Heights Corner Market.
Read more: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/eric-herget-episode-118.asp
Episode 115 | 11/30/18 Harold Joyner is the president of the 43 year old company, Fence World. Their website boasts, “We love our community and enjoy giving back whenever we can.” Most recently, Fence World provided fence rebuilding services to the Central Arkansas Boys and Girls Club. Each year, they donate over a mile of temporary fencing product to the Little Rock Marathon. Most recently, they donated custom, iron fencing to the Little Rock Junior League.
Harold and his wife, Jeannie, are big believers in community service. This past year, for the University of Arkansas, they created “The Joyner Family Endowed Scholarship” for incoming students who have demonstrated volunteer and community service. Special preference is given to applicants who’ve been involved in the Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas. Harold Joyner has been a volunteer coach for the Boys & Girls Club for years.
Pat Matthews and Tracee Gentry Matthews share their passion for painting on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Episode 112 was recorded on November 2, 2018.
Ep 112 | November 2, 2018 Clarke Tucker is a 7th generation Arkansan, business attorney, husband, and father of two. A lifelong member deeply rooted in our community, Clarke has dedicated his career to advancing Central Arkansas, serving as a State Representative since 2014 while working with non-profits and charities to make Little Rock Metro Area a better home for our families. Public service has been a life-long calling for Clarke, and now he is running for Congress in Arkansas’s 2nd District.
Being raised in Central Arkansas, Clarke’s family taught him that while you may disagree with others, you only have one chance to prove your character and protect your community. These are the values that led Clarke to serve in pivotal leadership roles such as Central High Student Body President, President of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, Editor-In-Chief for the University of Arkansas Law Review, and most recently, in Arkansas’s State Legislature.
In the legislature Clarke wrote and helped pass critical legislation to protect Arkansan families including expanding access to healthcare through Arkansas Works, leading the fight for paid maternity leave for State employees, increasing funding for Pre-K education, and cutting taxes on middle class Arkansans. He fought for these bills by collaborating and building trust with Republican colleagues, rather than through the political gamesmanship that riddles our government today.
But last year, Clarke’s life changed forever. His fight for affordable, quality healthcare became a personal reality when he was diagnosed with cancer. No longer could he stand-by and let the Washington elites destroy our healthcare system and strip away protections for thousands of Arkansans with pre-existing conditions.
Arkansas needs leaders who believe that hard work should lead to opportunity, not just for the benefit of the elite. Arkansas needs leaders who understand what is at stake for all families.
Ep 108 | October 5, 2018 Kerry McCoy sits down with P. Allen Smith on Up In Your Business
Paul Allen Smith Jr., the oldest of four children, was born on March 12, 1960, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He grew up in McMinnville, Tennessee, in the Cumberland Mountains, where his father’s family had farmed for several generations and also operated an ornamental plant business. Smith calls himself a fourth-generation nurseryman and horticulturist.
Regular appearances on local radio led to a weekly gardening segment on Little Rock television station KATV’s Daybreak show in 1989. It soon led to a syndicated program starting in 2000, P. Allen Smith’s Gardens, which was largely shot at Smith’s historic home in Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter. The original Garden Home is a 1904 Colonial Revival cottage surrounded by a series of garden rooms designed by Smith. He purchased the house for one dollar and relocated it to a 15,000-square-foot vacant lot. Smith divides his time between that home and his 650-acre Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm in Roland, Arkansas, which overlooks the Arkansas River Valley.
At Moss Mountain Farm, Smith promotes the local-food movement, organic gardening, and the preservation of heritage poultry breeds. Smith founded the Heritage Poultry Conservancy in 2009.
Smith is a Certified Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society and a board member of the Royal Oak Foundation, the U.S. affiliate of the National Trust of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. His awards and recognition's include the 2009 Arkansas Cultural Enrichment Award from the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the 2011 4-H Celebration of Excellence Award, the Medal of Honor from the Garden Club of America, Garden Communicator Award from the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA), Horticultural Communicator Award from the American Horticultural Society (AHS), and the Odyssey Award from the Hendrix College Board of Trustees honoring the achievements of Hendrix College alumni.
Ep 0107 | 9/28/18 Ryan Harris, originally from St. Louis, Mo., graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing and Human Resources from Washington University. He took a job as a financial adviser at Equity Financial Services selling insurance. After two years, he realized music was his passion and went to work for New Music Circle and then Sheldon Arts Foundation, both in St. Louis. While there, he produced concerts with a number of local, national, and international artists and organizations.
In 2013, Harris joined the Oxford American Literary Project as Program Director. He has helped establish regular programs at South on Main (the restaurant and cultural venue owned and operated by Matthew and Amy Bell in Little Rock, Arkansas) and in the Oxford American’s annex space.
Along with free outreach programming to support local and regional musicians, writers, and visual artists, Harris has brought both renowned and emerging artists to Little Rock through the ticketed Oxford American Concert Series. The experiences created through this series have helped enhance the cultural offerings in the region and established South on Main as a desirable stop for touring artists.
Josh Hill is a networking engineer and recent MBA graduate. He resides in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he has been active in the Central Arkansas Furs Association since its inception in 2005.
His alter ego "Bucktown Tiger" is well known among "furry convention" goers. He is a lyricist, keyboardist, and comedian who specializes in furry-themed hip-hop songs, voice overs, and freestyles, as lead shopwrecker of Paw Recognize Paw Studios.
Earlier this year, Hill appeared on the game show Jeopardy and was a seven day winner, with a prize total of $163,721. Oddly enough, the category that dethroned him as reigning champion was Entertainment!
Ep 105 | September 14, 2018 Steve Landers was born in Benton on September 23, 1953 and began selling (newspapers) at 5 years old. He got his first car sales job in 1970, graduated from Benton High school in 1971 (after attending summer school) and married in 1972. He went in with his father and began his own car dealership later that year. By the early 90’s, Landers Auto Group included three separate dealerships. In 1995, Landers sold to United Auto Group for 40 million dollars.
In 1998, the United Auto Group hired Steve Landers to be president of the south-central US region. He stepped down in 2003. In 2005, Landers partnered with McLarty and purchased another 20 dealerships.
Presently, Landers is CEO of the Steve Landers Auto Group, which includes all dealerships under the Landers name in Arkansas. He also has a partial interest in McClarty Automotive. In addition to his automotive dealerships, he is involved in the horse-racing community.
In 2016, he was appointed to the Arkansas Racing Commission. Once a week during football season each year, KATV’s sports staff selects a student athlete to receive the Landers Award and scholarship, which is given to a high school athlete for exemplifying “the spirit of courage and dedication that all student athletes must master to be the best in the State.” The Steve Landers Family Foundation also funds various charitable works throughout Arkansas.
Ep 104 Legendary Arkansas DJ Bob Robbins discuss his long history on the airwaves. Robbins has been a fixture of Arkansas radio since 1967, when he began working for KAAY in Little Rock and in 1979 moved to KSSN 96 FM. Today he hosts the morning show on the WOLF 105.1 “Home of country legends” where he aptly fits. In 2013, he was named Broadcast Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association, the people behind the CMT Awards.
Bob’s life is that of which books are written. He was born in Florida, orphaned at age 10, and broadcasting on the radio in Morocco, Africa, by age 14. In addition to his radio career, he has been a Navy man, an entrepreneur and owner of BJ Star Studded Honkey Tonk where he cheated death, when he was attacked and almost beaten to death with a baseball bat.
You won’t want to miss hearing the illustrious Bob Robbins speak about his colorful and often trying life.
Ep 103 | 8/31/2018 Michele Towne has worked in several sales jobs including office equipment and medical sales and advertising sales. Prompted by the magazine RSVP Memphis, in September 2001, she began Inviting Arkansas. It was the first Little Rock publication that covered the city’s social and philanthropic life. She then sold ads for the magazine and assembled a staff of industry people that were stay-at-home moms. Her staff is still all woman.
She attributes her success to Willie Oates and Cindy Murphy, both businesswomen and philanthropists. Because Inviting Arkansas covers non-profits, Michele is often in attendance of fundraiser. She has noticed an increase of young people at these events that reinforces the perception that the millennials are a service oriented generation. She was awarded the Hope Award from the Twentieth Century Club, which provides housing for cancer patients in central Arkansas.
Ep 102 | 8/24/18 Creighton Ralls, of Little Rock, Arkansas, graduated from Walton College of Business, UofA Fayetteville. His first job was at Ray Winder Field. He has held a variety of jobs including waiting tables, taking white water photos, starting multiple businesses and working in a storage freezer before settling into his present career at The Pyramid Building in downtown Little Rock located at 221 W. 2nd St. Here he oversees condominium sales and rentals and manages the different retail venues on the first floor. Creighton is also known for his love of Razorback football. He and four of his friends have transformed an old ambulance into the “Hambulance”, a tailgaters dream.
Ep 101 | August 17, 2018 Dr. Steve Cathey joins Kerry to discuss the topic of brain surgery. Listen to hear if he will donate his brain to science, how an aneurysm foiled a perfect surgery, and his prediction on the cure for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Ep 0057 | 10/13/17 Chelsea Wakefield, PhD, LCSW is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist, couples therapist, dream worker, workshop and retreat leader who works with individuals, couples and groups. She has spent twenty five years facilitating people in moving beyond the wounds of the past, accessing their archetypal potential and living more vibrant and meaningful lives. Chelsea draws from a depth of training in clinical and transpersonal methods, helping people to integrate the insights of inner work into daily living. She has published two books, which are valued by both clinical professionals and educated lay audiences, Negotiating the Inner Peace Treaty and In Search of Aphrodite: Women, Archetypes and Sex Therapy. https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/chealsea-wakefield-10-13-2017.asp
Roy Dudley, Recorded Live from the Dreamland Ballroom | Ep 0097 | 7-20-18 Kerry talks with Roy Dudley live from the Dreamland Ballroom. Roy Dudley has been in the antiques business his entire life. As a child, growing up in Northwest Arkansas, he accompanied his parents to auctions, and he started selling some of his finds while still in elementary school. Over the years he has expanded the business to include both showroom sales and house-based estate sales. In addition, to conducting sales, Roy Dudley Estate Sales provides estate appraisals and estate mediation services.
Ep 0099 | 8-3-2018 Kerry talks with Connie Fails who made Hillary Clinton’s first Gubernatorial inaugural gown that is now on permanent display in Arkansas' historic Old State House. Twelve years later, Bill Clinton was elected president and Connie designed Mrs. Clinton’s inaugural pants suit. Mrs. Clinton also wore several other Connie Fails designs for the inaugural ball and other festivities that week.
Ep 0098 | 7-27-2018 Kerry speaks with Jim Dailey who serves as the Tourism Director for the State of Arkansas. A Little Rock native, Dailey graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and served for more than 20 years as an elected official, 14 of those as mayor of Little Rock from 1993 to 2006. He worked to expand the Statehouse Convention Center, build Verizon Arena and create the River Rail and Big Dam Bridge projects. After serving as mayor, he worked as a broker/consultant with Flake & Kelley Commercial Real Estate.
Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke was in NY near ground zero on 911, hear him talk about the moments after and how it changed his life for the better.
Up in Your Business is a weekly radio show and podcast with Kerry McCoy, owner of FlagandBanner.com. Kerry interviews business owners and other professional leaders who share their story of ambition, entrepreneurship, and luck. It airs as a live radio show every Friday and as a podcast available for download. Guests inspire listeners with their insights and life experiences. Join Kerry for this personal, provocative, and candid hour of engaging conversation centered around business advice, entrepreneurship, failure, and success.
The Divine Feminine comes up naturally as Anita shares the essence of what a purse is, and how their history is actually a history of women. Learn from her about the practice of place-making urban areas and the partnerships she made along the way.
Beau Renfro, Rockabilly Hall of Famer Beau Renfro is a member of the Rock-a-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tennessee. He is an entertainer, song writer and singer. Beau's music career started in a church in Forrest City, Arkansas. He learned to sing by listening to his mother and sisters sing old Gospel songs. All nine of his sisters played a role in the evolution of Beau’s music. His sister Jean paid for his first guitar and sisters Lou, Joyce, Naomi and Helen made sure he paid attention as they worked out the songs for Sunday service and his little sister Martha was the audience.
Beau grew up listening to the great sounds out of Nashville play from his radio. After moving to east Texas, Beau formed a country band called Beau & the Bandits. He worked at a radio station (KROZ) as the morning DJ by day and he and the Bandits played his music at night in some of Texas' most famous night clubs including the Sawmill Club, the Oil Palace, The Rio and The Tropicana. He also played back up for many of the country stars out of Nashville including T.G. Shepard, Moe Bandy, Jerry Reed, Charlie Rich, Faron Young and Joe Stampley.
Beau was hired to play in the David Houston Band and in 1976 released his first album. The single “There’s No More Gold” went to number 85 on the country charts and was chosen as ‘pick hit of the week’ by Billboard Magazine.
Beau also promoted songs for Cedarwood Publishing Company in Nashville and was responsible for pitching the song “Red Wine” to Epic Records. The song went to #5 for Joe Stampley. After his first album, Beau fell off the charts. He returned to the familiar Texas nightclub venue. The required travel began to interfere in his family life, so he accepted a job in Branson, MO as the MC for the Ozark Jubilee. Finding the 200 show per year schedule as time consuming as the nightclub travel, Beau decided to retire from the music business.
Beau and his family moved to Tucson, Arizona where he got a job in the car industry. Unable to stay away from music, he formed a new band, Beau Renfro and his Clear Country Band and began playing in Tucson clubs and casinos.
After many years, Beau and his wife Brenda moved back to a small town in the foothills of the Ozarks where he currently resides.
Ep 0089 | 5/25/18 Arnessa Bennett has been a nationally and internationally life coach, motivational/inspirational speaker and talk show host. She is the executive director and founder of the Arnessa Bennett Personal and Professional Development Institute (ABPPDI), based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Its mission is to offer specialized training, educational programs and health awareness that empowers and inspires individuals youth and adults to personally navigate through life and develop professionally, while providing a network of support.
Arnessa Bennett says, “When you finally get... how powerful you and your mind truly are, and declare, claim and decide to own it, then you will start seeing your desires in life start manifesting.”
Through Arnessa’s commitment, experiences, and expertise she is truly living her dreams and purpose in life. Arnessa Bennett said. “I have made it my mission to help shift the mindset from an archaic way of thinking to a new true direction…” Arnessa Bennett has associated with some of the nation’s most successful and influential people in her field.
She is the former 18-year veteran talk show host of a Comcast Cablevision show "Arnessa and Company." She has shifted gears to encompass more multi-media ventures. Some of Arnessa’s signature seminars are: Your Life Movie Seminar, W.A.Y.S (Women Attracting Yearly Success) and the Esther Experience Enlightenment Event. She will be launching a new podcast talk show “Your Life Movie with Arnessa Bennett” and a YouTube Channel, named Arnessa Bennett.
Ep 0088 | 5/18/18 Dreamer and History Maker Janis Kearney talks with Kerry about being the first Presidential Diarist.
Born in Gould, Arkansas, Janis Kearney was one of eighteen children of parents Ethel V. Kearney and James Kearney. After graduating from Gould High School in 1971, Kearney attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, earning a B.A. in journalism in 1976. She continued on with her education while working, earning thirty hours towards a M.P.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
After earning her B.A. degree, Kearney was hired by the State of Arkansas in 1978, where she spent three years as a program manager for the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program, and another six years as the director of information for the national headquarters of the Migrant Student Records Transfer System. Leaving government work, Kearney purchased the Arkansas State Press newspaper from Daisy Bates in 1987. She published the weekly paper for five years before joining the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1992, where she served as director of minority media outreach. The following year, Kearney joined President Bill Clinton’s transition team. She began with the White House Media Affairs Office before being appointed as the director of public affairs and communications for the U.S. Small Business Administration, where she worked until 1995. That year, Kearney became the first presidential diarist in U.S. history, chronicling President Clinton’s day-to-day life. She remained in this capacity until President Clinton left office. Kearney came under scrutiny during the Starr Committee proceedings when her diary and testimony were subpoenaed. No wrongdoing was found.
Warwick Sabin has spent his professional life bringing energy and ideas to improve the lives of people. During his time in the state legislature, he worked with Democrats and Republicans to reform Arkansas’ ethics laws, promote cleaner energy, and encourage public/private partnerships to create economic growth.
He was named one of the top ten legislators of 2013, and the Arkansas Times called him the "Freshman of the session." In 2014, he was one of only 24 national leaders awarded the Rodel Fellowship by the Aspen Institute for his "outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse."
Warwick serves as the Senior Director, U.S. Programs at Winrock International, where he studies and implements programs aimed at helping rural America. He has also served as Director of Development for the William J. Clinton Foundation, and founded the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. This is a cutting-edge facility that supports those who want to create new businesses, invent new products, and acquire new job skills. Earlier, Warwick served as a press secretary for U.S. Rep. Marion Berry. He was also a writer and publisher at the Arkansas Times and the Oxford American magazine
Kerry McCoy will speak with New York advertising executive Madonna Badger, creator of the We Are #WomenNotObjects ad that debuted at Cannes Film Festival and has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube.
Badger left the advertising industry for more than a year after a tragic house fire on Christmas morning that claimed the lives of her three young daughters and both her parents. After the tragedy, Badger spent a few months in psychiatric hospitals for manic depression and suicidal ideation.
Badger contacted her college roommate, Kate Askew of Little Rock, for refuge. During that year of recuperation, Badger began healing from the immense pain of losing so many loved ones at once. Assisted by the Askew family, Helen Porter, one of the founders of the Psychiatric Research Institute at the University of Arkansas and Dr. Richard Smith, director of the Institute and Institute staff, Badger recovered enough to return to New York.
Before reestablishing her work routine, she accompanied another friend from Arkansas to an orphanage in Thailand, where she found additional healing through the stories and love of the orphaned girls there.
Badger wrote in Vogue Magazine, “It’s never going to be easy. The pain is just so huge that sometimes it feels like a prison cell. But trying really hard to not feel sorry for myself makes me feel good. Being of service helps the pain to go away, if only for a little while, and giving and receiving love makes me feel good. Basically, I go to wherever the light is, because anything else is darkness, and it can be a deeply black darkness.”
Her tragic, yet inspirational story, her business and her volunteer work and more will be discussed during the hour-long interview.
Ep 0084 | 4/20/2018 Dr. Brandon Thornton is Co-Owner & CEO of Steep Hill Arkansas a cannabis science company with a focus on analytical testing. He also provides pharmacist consultant solutions to cannabis businesses, including development of formulations, staff training on compounding methods, and creation of educational materials for patients.
He formerly served as the Vice President of Pharmacy Operations for Custom Pharmacy Solutions in Birmingham, AL from 2009-2017. While originally hired as the Director of Pharmacy Operations, his responsibilities expanded to managing the sales force, leading accreditation efforts, and serving as the compliance officer. He managed all aspects of a compounding pharmacy with a national licensed in 43 states with annual sales that have exceeded $15M.
He also served as the Pharmacist in Charge for Pharmacy South in Birmingham, AL from 2007-2009. His duties at Pharmacy South included supervision of pharmacy operations, developing and implementing policy and procedure, and addressing patient issues.
He was the Director of Pharmacy Operations for CHD Meridian Healthcare in Nashville, TN from 2005-2007. Selected to supervise pharmacy operations for a publicly traded, industry leading on-site health care provider, he managed 12 on-site pharmacies with staffing needs exceeding 100 employees. He was a voting member and medication discussion facilitator of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee, and assisted the pharmaceutical purchasing department with Pharmacy Benefit Manager contracting.
Dr. Thornton also has experience working in the Food and Drug Administration MedWatch program in Rockville, MD in 1999. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University and is licensed to practice pharmacy in seven states included Arkansas. He is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and has completed detailed cannabis training through their TCMI program. He serves on the Board of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association. He resides in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Up In Your Business is a Radio Show by FlagandBanner.com
In September of 1990, with a bank loan, an assistant and 500 square feet of office space, Greg Hatcher started The Hatcher Agency. He signed a 3 year lease on that 500 square feet of office space thinking it would be all he would ever need. At the end of the first year, he had already outgrown his office space and had grown to 7 employees, producing more insurance in his first year of business than any agent in the state of Arkansas. Three years later in 1993, The Hatcher Agency was named Arkansas' Small Business of the Year by Arkansas Business and The Hatcher Agency was the largest health insurance agency in the state of Arkansas. Greg and The Hatcher Agency have been the number one producer since, leading the state of Arkansas in health insurance sales every year since they started business in 1990.
Greg graduated in 1983 from Alma College with a degree in Public Relations. While at Alma, he was President of the Student Body, and lettered in soccer, wrestling and baseball. Greg was named the schools Outstanding Graduate and the TKE Fraternity's Top Fraternity Man for his local Chapter and Nationwide. Greg was also a nine-letter winner and one of the last athletes to play three varsity sports for four years at Alma College. He was captain of the wrestling team and was named first-team all-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1982-83. Hatcher helped the wrestling and baseball teams each capture three MIAA titles while also lettering in soccer. Hatcher was president of his junior class and served as president of the student body as a senior. He co-founded and was president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and also served as sports information director from 1981-83. Following graduation, he coached baseball at Notre Dame University for one year before going to work for Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. In Greg's seven years at Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, he was named the Account Executive of the Year, a record six consecutive times, before leaving to start his own agency in 1990. In 1999, Greg wrote the book 55 Steps to Outrageous Service, which is a book outlining the service that The Hatcher Agency delivers every day to their clients. This book has sold over 15,000 copies to date and in 2011 a publisher purchased the rights to the book and is now printing over 100,000 in paperback. The Hatcher Agency has grown to a business with 50 employees, over 650 group clients, and over 180,000 insured's. Because of his Outrageous Service philosophy, Greg and The Hatcher Agency have earned numerous awards and recognitions, including lifetime status in the Million Dollar Roundtable, recognizing the top 3 % of life insurance producers in the country and a lifetime Golden Eagle Award winner by the National Association of Health Underwriters, recognizing the top 1% of health insurance producers nationwide.
His greatest joy has come from his work in getting wrestling started in Arkansas. Hatcher founded The Arkansas Wrestling Association (AWA) and has purchased the mats for 60 high schools and 4 colleges to help get new programs started at these schools. For his efforts, he has been honored with the “Dan Gable America Needs Wrestling Award,” named WIN Magazines Man of the Year and awarded The Certificate of Merit by The Arkansas Activities Association. Greg is most pleased that over 4,000 kids now wrestle in Arkansas.
Judge Vic Fleming was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Greenville, Mississippi. He holds a B.A. in English from Davidson College and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. He has taught at Bowen as an adjunct faculty member since 2003. He was elected as a district judge for the City of Little Rock in 1996, and reelected in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 without opposition. The position is now officially known as State District Court Judge, Little Rock, Division 2. Fleming has written two books of legal humor, including Real Lawyers Do Change Their Briefs; edited five other books, including three volumes of crossword puzzles; and published a collection of crossword puzzles entitled I Swear. His crossword puzzles have appeared in the New York Times and many other newspapers; several magazines, including Games Magazine, The Rotarian, and The American Lawyer; and several books, including the Simon & Schuster Mega Crossword series and Random House Casual Crosswords; and in other venues. He appeared in the 2006 documentary Wordplay, which also featured a song that he wrote.
Brandy McNair | Ep 0081 | 3-30-18 Listen to this podcast to learn: How Brandy Thomason McNair's lifelong love of beads transformed into Bella Vita Jewelry How Bella Vita Jewelry began as a truly grass roots business How she started her passion project Boss Lady
Brandy McNair comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Born and raised in Harrison Arkansas, she observed the art and struggle of owning a business on both sides of her family from her maternal and paternal grandparents. That same spirit was passed to her father and now she carries the trail blazing torch with her business Bella Vita Jewelry. Brandy founded Bella Vita in 2008 and opened a store in 2014.
No stranger to hard work, Brandy began working for her aunt at age 12. She swept the floors, cleaned and ran the register at the sandwich shop her aunt managed. At 14 she began bussing tables at her family’s restaurant. Working her way up to waitress, she stayed there for about 10 years. In the fall of 1996, she got a job at Crescent Moon Beads in Eureka Springs and dabbled with her love of design and antique jewelry. In 2003, she began the U of A and in 2007 graduated with a degree in Interior Design.
Like most entrepreneurs, she held a slew of jobs while building her own business. In 2013, she was completely self-employed. She volunteers at 2nd Friday Art Night in Downtown Little Rock and supports women starting businesses in a blog called Boss Lady.
Ep. 0079 | 3-16-18
My guest today, Mr. Rex Nelson, is one of the most high-profile writers and speakers in the state of Arkansas….Chances are you’ve read some of his columns or essays in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. And I believe his day job is that of senior vice president and director of corporate communications for Simmons First National Corp. He's the author of three books -- the first full-length biography ever written about Hillary Rodham Clinton, another biography of Arkansas educator Ben Elrod, past president of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia and Rex’s alma mater and last a book with a collection of his essays on Arkansas. He's also the author of a popular blog “Rex Nelson's Southern Fried.com.
This week the tables are turned on Up in Your Business when Wilson Kanaday interviews host Kerry McCoy! Wilson Kanaday has been a good friend of Arkansas Flag & Banner for nearly a decade. He and Kerry became friends through Wilson's various roles working with the e-commerce team at FlagandBanner.com. Wilson is passionate about the American Dream and loves hearing and telling the stories of people who have lived it. So, naturally Wilson and Kerry formed a bond. She originally thought she would interview him about his business helping others succeed online but he decided to counter her offer and interview her about her more than 40 years in business. Wilson cut his teeth on Internet Marketing and Technology during his two-year tenure at Stephens Inc. where he worked in Equity Research and Sales & Trading with a focus on the Digital Media industry. Since leaving Stephens, Wilson has worked with companies ranging from Dillard's, WESCO/Carlton Bates, Pandora Jewelry and the WWE along with numerous other small businesses to help them make more money through their websites. Their discussion is likely to be lively and interesting to listeners. https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/wilson-kanaday-3-9-18.asp
Ep 0077 | 3-2-18 Maxi Dominguez appeared on our December 9, 2016 show and discussed developing and building a fledgling startup business in today's marketplace. Raiz Apparel was described as a self-started project mixed with hard work and entrepreneur mindset. Dominguez has utilized the internet and edgy photography aimed at a specific demographic as a selling and marketing platform for their clothing line with a website hosted by Square Space, along with Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube and other online media accounts. Read More: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/maxi-dominguez-3-2-18.asp
Mark Abernathy is an idea man, a founder, an owner and the chef of many restaurants; some you may recognize and some you may not: Abernathy’s, The Bijou, Juanita’s, Blue Mesa Grill, Red Door, Bene Vita and Loca Luna. During his 46 years’ experience in the restaurant industry, he has had the distinction of many ‘firsts.’
Mark introduced the first White Cheese dip in America at his restaurant, Blue Mesa Grill. He served Arkansas’ first fajita dish and had the state’s first Wood Fired Brick Oven pizza.
Abernathy has produced or hosted over 450 televised cooking demonstrations, and been recognized by the New York Times, Bon Appetite, Southern Living, Gourmet Magazine, Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels, the Washington Post, Food Arts and many other notable publications. In 2016, Mark was listed as one of the Most Influential Chefs in the United States.
Ep 0075 | 2-16-18 John Burgess and Mark McClelland, co-founders and President and Vice President, respectively, of Mainstream Technologies went from promising careers as Financial Application Managers at Dillard to starting a new tech business in 1996. Although the internet was young and internet support businesses were few at that time, these two mavericks were brave enough to take that entrepreneurial leap of faith and visionary enough to know their futures would be bright. Mainstream Technologies began with only three employees and has grown to over 50 employees today. Read More at: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/john-and-mark-mainstream-2-16-2018.asp
Ep 0074 | 2-9-18 Bob Bidewell is the founder, Resident Music Director, and Executive Director of The Studio Theatre in Little Rock. He has worked on over one hundred productions with community theatres in Jonesboro, Paragould, Little Rock and North Little Rock.
Prior to The Studio Theatre, Bidewell taught public school music for ten years and has served as a church musician for almost forty years. He holds both Bachelor and Master Degrees in Music from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Read more: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/bob-bidewell-2-9-2018.asp
Ep 0073 | 2-2-18 Alese Stroud is an Arkansas woman through and through. She was born in Jonesboro and grew up in Pine Bluff. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Commercial Art. As a young mother and single parent she realized she needed more education and earned a Data Processing Diploma. With this new degree, she landed a job with a little startup company called Systematics. By the time she left, her responsibilities included coding, support and project leadership experience with the Systematics applications. She opened Stroud Consulting Group where she served as a Senior Systems Consultant and Project Manager converting financial systems, installing upgrades and developing and testing software... Read More https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/alese-stroud-2-2-2018.asp
Trey Reid of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Ep 0072 | 1-26-18
Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Trey Reid is the Assistant Chief of Communications for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. His primary role is executive producer and host of Arkansas Wildlife TV, the AGFC’s weekly television show that documents The Natural State’s many outdoor recreational opportunities and AGFC’s myriad conservation work. Trey makes more than 250 radio and TV appearances per year representing the Commission and educating Arkansans on our natural states outdoor offerings.
Prior to joining the AGFC staff 11 years ago, Trey was field reporter for ESPN2’s BassCenter, traveling the country to report on professional bass fishing, conservation issues and much more. His travels took him everywhere from post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans to bass fishing adventures in New York City’s Central Park. Trey was outdoor editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for four years. Read more at https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/trey-reid-1-26-18.asp
Walter Hussman, Newspaper Publisher Air Date: Jan. 19. 2018
Walter Hussman has been involved in the newspaper business in Arkansas for all of his adult life. He earned his bachelor of journalism from the University of North Carolina and his master’s in business administration from Columbia University. In 1973, he moved to Hot Springs as vice president and general manager of Palmer Newspapers, which is a division of WEHCO Media. WEHCO Media purchased the Arkansas Democrat newspaper in 1974 and Hussman moved to Little Rock to manage the new acquisition. As circulation for the Democrat newspaper dwindled, Hussman reached out to The Gazette publisher Hugh Patterson request a merger of the two papers. When Patterson refused, Hussman vowed to bring back The Democrat. Learn more at: Walter Hussman, Newspaper Publisher Air Date: Jan. 19. 2018
Walter Hussman has been involved in the newspaper business in Arkansas for all of his adult life. He earned his bachelor of journalism from the University of North Carolina and his master’s in business administration from Columbia University. In 1973, he moved to Hot Springs as vice president and general manager of Palmer Newspapers, which is a division of WEHCO Media. WEHCO Media purchased the Arkansas Democrat newspaper in 1974 and Hussman moved to Little Rock to manage the new acquisition. As circulation for the Democrat newspaper dwindled, Hussman reached out to The Gazette publisher Hugh Patterson request a merger of the two papers. When Patterson refused, Hussman vowed to bring back The Democrat.
Dr. Chris Keller, Dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral discusses the role of science and religion and how they can co-exist and also gay marriage and welcoming the LGBT community in the the church.
Donnie Ferneau | Ep 0069 | 1-5-17 Executive Chef Donnie Ferneau is a critically acclaimed and nationally recognized award-winning chef. This past fall he competed on the Food Network's Great American Food Truck Race. The ‘Southern Frenchie’ truck came in fourth, remaining in the competition until the Nashville round. Read more at: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/donnie-ferneau-1-5-18.asp
This episode is a rebroadcast of Kerry's interview with Tommy Jameson, who was recently featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s High Profile section. We knew Tommy was a big deal – glad the #DemGazcaught on! Tommy’s architectural firm focuses on the development of thoughtful, creative solutions for preserving historic structures. A cause that Kerry can certainly identify with.And for even more proof of how great this guy is, on January 19, 2018 the Arkansas Preservaton Awards will present Tommy the Parker Westbrook Award for lifetime achievement in historic preservation. https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/tommy-jameson-rebroadcast.asp
Ann McCoy, really needs no introduction because everyone (in Arkansas) knows her as either the successful million dollar club (when that meant something) real estate agent, or as the Governor’s Mansion Administrator for Governor Clinton, or as the Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Social Secretary and Director of Personal Correspondence for President Clinton’s administration. There was a time when she could have boasted that she had met all the leaders of the Free World and had her picture taken with every living US President, but she doesn’t. https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/ann-mccoy-12-22-17.asp
Ep 0066 | 12-22-2017 Our guest is Kate Askew, owner of Yella Dog Press in Little Rock, Arkansas. Kate is a native of Little Rock who graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985. She worked for many years as a book, paper, and ephemera specialist for estate sales, and in 2002, she started her own business buying and selling rare printed materials. Eventually, buying and collecting antique texts led her to a desire to create her own. Kate saw a printing press for sale in the classifieds of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and purchased it, along with several fonts of type.
Ep 0065 | 12-8-17 Edmond Davis, history professor at Arkansas Baptist College and business owner talks with Kerry McCoy about the Tuskegee Airmen, Arkansas history, African American History during World War II and his small business with his wife making graphic t-shirts for couples.
Ep 0044 | 7/14/17 Re-run of the interview with General Wesley Clark from this summer where he talks about his life in the military, the present state of the world and his thoughts on the future.
Ep 0063 | 11-24-17 Dr. Gayle Seymour received her Ph.D. in art history from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1986. She teaches upper-division courses in American art and Women in Art. Her specific research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including Pre-Raphaelite art, American Depression-era post office murals, Japanese American Internment art, and women artists. In 2005, for instance, she contributed the lead essay to the exhibition catalogue Love Revealed: Simeon Solomon and the Pre-Raphaelites for a centenary exhibition that toured Birmingham (England), Munich, and London. Read More https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/gayle-seymour.asp
Ep 0053 | 9-15-17 Susie Cowen, executive director of Legends of Arkansas, was the featured guest Friday, September 15 on KABF 88.3 radio broadcast of Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. The show airs weekly at 2 p.m. Cowan led the beginnings of Local First Arkansas, which is a support organization for independent business in the state. Local First was a direct result of the connections and relationships formed from Legends of Arkansas and has over 100 active business members. “I am a founding member, event planner and executive director of LoA Inc,” Cowan said. “We formed this organization to help educate our community on how easy it can be to live local and shop small.”
Ep 0062 | 11-17-2017 Aaron Lubin is President of Executive Recruiters Agency, Inc, Outplacement Consultants, and Aaron Lubin Consultants. Aaron also works as a consultant, trainer, speaker and executive coach working with individuals and organizations in helping them grow their businesses. He has almost 40 years experience in the recruiting industry helping organizations from Fortune 500 to small business owners. https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/aaron-lubin-11-17-17.asp
Ep 0061 | 11-10-17 Retired Lieutenant Colonel David Cooper of the United States Army joined Kerry on the Friday before Veteran's Day to talk about his service.
Colonel Cooper was a Medivac Helicopter Pilot in the Vietnam DMZ. After watching the recent AETN Vietnam War documentary, I understand just how dangerous helicopter missions were. The Colonel continues to live a life of danger and risk, by recently migrating from California to Arkansas in pursuit of his college sweetheart. Now that is living dangerously!
The interview includes war stories about Vietnam from his time flying DUSTOFF and get David’s take on the challenges facing our returning veterans now and find out what he sees for the future of our military personnel.
Even in retirement David is still serving his country through his advocacy work as President of the Arkansas Association of the United States Army.
Up In Your Business is a Radio Show by https://www.flagandbanner.com/up-in-your-business-radio-show/main.asp
Ep 0060 | 11-3-17 Arkansas Small Business Administration Director, Edward Haddock, talks business information, ideas and legalities with Kerry McCoy.
Ep 0059 | 10-27-2017 Adam Dunaway better known as Poolboy is a graduate of Little Rock’s Catholic High and the University of Arkansas. Pool Boy has been a part of mornings on Alice 107.7 since 2005. Dunaway said, “My alarm goes off at 3:20 I get to the radio station at 4:15, then I plan for the day’s show. At 6:00, the ‘Heather and Poolboy’ show begins, and we go from there. Most people listen for about 10 to 15 minutes during their commute. My job is to make you laugh and get listeners into a good mood for work.” Learn more: https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/adam-dunaway-10-27-2017.asp
Ep 0058 | 10-20-2017 Insurance expert, Robbie Davis, helps us untangle the healthcare issues facing Americans today. We’ll talk about the future of Obamacare, Medicare supplements, drug plans and Advantage plans. Learn more at https://www.flagandbanner.com/up-in-your-business-radio-show/main.asp
Chelsea Wakefield, PhD, LCSW is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist, couples therapist, dream worker, workshop and retreat leader who works with individuals, couples and groups. She has spent twenty five years facilitating people in moving beyond the wounds of the past, accessing their archetypal potential and living more vibrant and meaningful lives. Chelsea draws from a depth of training in clinical and transpersonal methods, helping people to integrate the insights of inner work into daily living. She has published two books, which are valued by both clinical professionals and educated lay audiences, Negotiating the Inner Peace Treaty and In Search of Aphrodite: Women, Archetypes and Sex Therapy. https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/chealsea-wakefield-10-13-2017.asp
Ep 0056 | 10 - 6-17 Marla Johnson is co-founder and CEO of Aristotle Internet and a renowned Internet marketing keynote speaker. Johnson is known for delivering captivating and constructive keynote addresses, breakout sessions and half-day sessions to companies, industries and associations across the nation. Her topics include search marketing strategy, mobile innovation, strategic branding and design, social networking, trends, online analytics, market segmentation and integrated PR and advertising just to name a few. Johnson began her career in commercial production and marketing for technology firms when she and a group of computer-oriented friends became fed up with the quality of their Internet access service. Together, members of the group realized, they had all the expertise needed to run an Internet access company, Aristotle. Read More at https://www.flagandbanner.com/radio-show/marla-johnson-10-6-2017.asp
Ep 0055 | 9 - 29 - 17 Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola discusses the business of running a city, the most challenging issues facing the City of Little Rock and how to deal with different pressures of the job of being a mayor of a large city.
Ep 0054 | 9-22-17 Terry Hartwick, director of the North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department is interviewed by Kerry McCoy on the Up in Your Business Radio Show.
Ep 0052 | 9-8-17 Little Rock attorney Gary Green appears on Up In Your Business hosted by Flag and Banner owner Kerry McCoy. Green is best known for his promise of no recovery, no fee - find out why he chose this style of personal injury law.
Ep 0051 | 9/1/17 Local Little Rock artist Kevin Kresse is a guest on Up In Your Business hosted by Flag and Banner owner Kerry McCoy.
EP 0050 | 8-25-17 Kerry interviews Little Rock Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy. This 50th episode of the show is a great blend of business, public safety and information about Buckner.
Ep 0049 | 8-18-17 Kerry interviews Rivka Kuperman of the Arkansas Children's Theatre about the upcoming season, summer and yearly programs for youth actors and those interested in all aspects of theatre arts. They discuss her beginnings in the theatre arts and how theatre can help child development. Leasrn more at www.upyourbusiness.org
EP 0048 | 8-11-17 Kerry hosted 2 guests on her radio show “Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy”. Kerry says, “Originally we just had Rett schedule but when his daughter Kathryn called Arkansas Flag and Banner to purchase some custom street pole banners for her up-coming Cinematic event, I thought, hmmmmm like father like daughter and invited her to join him on todays’ show. They are both self-starters and devoted to Arkansas. I look forward to speaking with the both of them.”
This episode on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, Kerry speaks with Yella Dog Press owner Kate Askew about the history of typesetting, letterpress resurgence, old books and how to become an appraiser.
Kerry talked with General Wesley Clark, founder and CEO of Wesley K Clark & Associates. During his 38 years of service in the United States Army, Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. Since retiring from the military in 2000, he has become an investment banker, businessman, commentator, author and teacher. In September 2003, he answered the call to stand as a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, where his campaign won the state of Oklahoma and launched him to national prominence before he returned to the private sector in February 2004. Clark has chaired several public and private companies, and is a progressive leader in pursuing energy solutions.
Ep 0043 | 7-7-17 Kerry and her guest Michele Fincher talk traditional Chinese Medicine and more Listen to this podcast to find out: How to become certified in alternative medicine Learn what cupping therapy is Herbs, vitamins and minerals for various ailments Michele Fincher is the owner of Healing Points Acupuncture clinic. Fincher is dedicated to bringing relief and healthy vitality to individuals, children, and families of all ages throughout the Natural State via traditional Chinese Medicine. Fincher is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in Arkansas and California, and is a nationally certified Diplomat of Oriental Medicine. She earned her Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, CA, and received advanced clinical training in Hangzhou, China from the Zhejiang Medical University.
Bruno’s is a classic family business with brothers and sons working together to carry out the traditions created by their father and grandfather when they first immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. The Bruno family history itself is legendary in Italian American cuisine. Brothers Gennaro and Giovanni Bruno, introduced pizza as a commercial product in the United States by opening one of the first pizzerias in New York City shortly after their arrival on Ellis Island. Vincent “Jimmy” Bruno, Giovanni’s son was considered an extraordinary chef and baker. Jimmy worked in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant and bakery as a child and later during World War II he joined the military and was stationed in North Little Rock at Camp Robinson, introducing him to Arkansas.
Ep 0040 | 6-16-17 Richard Deutsch, Owner of Piano Kraft is interviewed by FlagandBanner.com owner Kerry McCoy. Deutsch came to the Natural State after selling pianos for many years in Dallas, Texas. He and his family made the move and have been committed to the Little Rock community ever since. As a business owner, Deutsch uses Piano Kraft to not only serve customers but also the community at large by helping to improve lives through the art of music.
Ep 0039 | 6-9-17 John Cain Joins Kerry McCoy to discuss his more than 50 years in radio Air Date: June 9, 2017 - John Cain, is a man who experienced the south go through Jim Crow to desegregation and has been a familiar radio voice for half a century in central Arkansas. He is also known for his efforts to preserve African-American culture in Arkansas. Cain is program director of community radio station KABF-FM 88.3 and host of KUAR's 52nd Street Jazz for more than three decades.
Ep 0038 | 6-2-17 Tommy Jameson of Jameson Architects P.A. is a native Arkansan who graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1977, and has lived in Little Rock since that time. After becoming interested in historic architecture during his senior year of college, Tommy purchased his first historic home shortly after graduation. Since that time, he and his wife have rehabilitated three more historic homes.
Ep 0037 | 5-26-17 Kerry’s guest last week was James “Skip” Rutherford. He is a long-standing figure in Arkansas politics, working as a key adviser on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and later serving as president of the Clinton Foundation and as dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Rutherford also led the effort to plan the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, which would garner him several awards. Listen to this week's podcast to find out: The Clinton School's course offerings, degrees and how to apply His favorite success story from the Clinton School of Public Service His views on the future of downtown Little Rock His opinion on why Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election
Ep 0036 | 05-19-2017 Kerry talks with Riverfest organizers DeAnna Korte and Stephen Bentley
Ep 0035 | 5-12-17 Kerry talks with restaurateur Don Dugan of Dugan's Pub, Skye Bistro and Stratton’s Market in downtown Little Rock. Dugan discusses what it takes to run a restaurant and growing a business.
In 1974, Alan Leveritt and a few friends launched the Arkansas Times, an alternative monthly magazine that provided political and cultural news to the state. Leveritt had gotten his start in the media business during his college days in the early 1970s at Little Rock University, now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). He founded and operated an independent student newspaper, Essence. On its editorial page, Essence supported Leveritt’s personal politics, which embraced the ideas of libertarianism and the Young Americans for Freedom party. Using a $200 donation from a local bookstore, Leveritt and his associates published the first edition of the Union Station Times on September 5, 1974, so named because it was headquartered near Union Station in Little Rock. In July 1975, the name of the monthly publication was changed to Arkansas Times.
Ep 0033 | 4-28-17 Kerry speaks with Larry Graham who helped facilitate the donation of paintings by artist Edwin Brewer to the Dreamland Ballroom. She also spoke with preservationist Ann Ballard Bryan about art and historic preservation. Find out more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0032 | 4-21-17 Jean Paul Francoeur President of JP Fitness built a thriving personal-training business. Kerry talks to him about how he got started in personal training and how he grew his business, sold it and is now working with a new ARP Wave technology to help people relieve pain without drugs. Find out more information and links to helpful documents at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0031 | 4-14-17 This week, Kerry talks political and social activism with ACORN founder and activist Wade Rathke. They discuss workers rights, his past as a community organizer, his work with ACORN and other community activist groups. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0030 | 4-7-17 This week on Up in Your Business, Kerry discusses Holy Week and starting a new church with Father Fred Ball of the San Damiano Catholic Ecumenical Church. To learn more visit www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0029 | 3-31-17 Kerry interviews attorney Joe Calhoun about intellectual property rights, copyrights, trademarks and patents for businesses and individuals. This show is packed with great information from an active attorney and expert on patent and intellectual property law. Find out more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Kerry talks with jewelry store owner and gemologist Laura Stanley of Stanley Jewelers. Learn more and find links and resources for entrepreneurs at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0027 | 3-17-17 Kerry speaks with guests from AETN and the "Dream Land" documentary. Her guests include: DeWayne Wilbur- AETN Director of Operations, Tanisha Joe- AETN Creative Director, Gabe Mayhan- Director of Photography for Dream Land and Casey Sanders- AETN Senior Producer. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0026 | 3-10-17 Kerry visits with Lorre Parrish of Sheridan White Rock, Inc. Parrish has operated this second-generation family business with her sister for the past 14 years. They have 40 employees in the mining, sizing and processing of bag specialty aggregates that are shipped nationally. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
This week Kerry presents a round up of past guests, financial expert Barry Corkern, artist Matt McLeod and Ryan Herget founder of Chef Shuttle. Learn more and find links and resources at www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0023 | 2-17-17 Kerry talks workign with family in the restaurant business with the owners of At the Corner modern diner. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0022 | 2-10-17 Kerry talks business development with Blake Norman of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC)and special guest Corey Boelkens, RaftUp boating app developer. Learn more at www.upyourbuisness.org.
Kerry interviews Georgia Mjartan of Little Rock's Our House, a local homeless shelter garnering national attention for their services and programs. To learn more visit www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0020 | 1-27-17 This week Kerry interviews Rich Cosgrove of the Whole Hog Cafe North Little Rock. They discuss the challenges of running a restaurant in today's marketplace. Find great resources and learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0019 | 1-20-17 Kerry discusses the new album by The Wildflower Revue with the producers Kim Swink and Chris Spencer owners of This Machine Inc,, To learn more visit www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0018 | 1-13-17 Guest host R.J. Martino fills in for Kerry this week with guest MMA Fighter and Gym owner Rolando (Roli) Delgado. They talk about the challenges of opening a gym and hiring issues, employment issues, balancing work and his own training with his business, working with a business partner and more. Get resources and information at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0017 | 1-6-17 Kerry discusses employment and hiring best practices with Debra Finney of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Find out more information and resources at www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0016 | 12-30-16 Kerry's guest today is Jack Sundell of The Root Cafe, a locally sourced restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas. Jack discusses how he developed the idea of The Root Cafe along with information on the various grants and awards the restaurant has received since opening in 2011.
Kerry hosts a holiday show roundup for Christmas. The guests were Barry Corkern of Barry M. Corkern and Co., Inc. a professional financial adviser and artist Matt McLeod owner of Matt McLeod Fine Arts Gallery. Find resources, information and more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0014 | 12-16-16 This week's guests are Eric Herget of HUB International and Ryan Herget of Chef Shuttle. They discuss the challenges of start ups, selling a business, working with 3rd party providers and more. Find business resources and more information at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0013 | 12-9-16 Kerry interviews young entrepreneur Maxi Dominguez who started his business while still in college and the president of Pulaski Technical College, Dr. Margaret Ellibee about how the college works with young entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. Learn more and find resources for this episode and others at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0012 | 12-2-16 Kerry discusses family business succession, asset management, trusts and retirement savings with expert Barry Corkern. Find more resources and information at www.upyourbusiness.org.
On this holiday edition, Kerry returns to 3 previous shows for interesting clips and advice for small business owners from other business owners and experts. Clips include Paula Dempsey of Dempsey Bakery, Congressman French Hill former owner of Delta Trust and Bank, and Al Hodge head of lending for Arkansas Capital Group. Learn more at www.upyourbuisness.org.
Ep 0010 | 11-18-16 Kerry McCoy welcomes guest Allen Engstrom of CFO Net to discuss business in the digital economy. Learn more and find resources from this show on www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0009 | 11-11-16 Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy Episode 9 featuring David Rosen of Rosen Music. David talks about his past in the music industry and running a family musicial instrument business. Get more information and resources at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0008 | 11-4-16
Kerry McCoy interviews entertainer Ryk St. Vincent, actor, comedian, singer and artisan wood worker about his various talents and how that correlates to business. How a creative is their product and how to market yourself as the product. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0007 | 10-28-16 Kerry's guest this week was Paula Dempsey of Dempsey Bakery, a gluten free, soy free, nut free bakery located in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dempsey discusses buisness, opening a bakery, working out specialty recipes for gluten free certification and other business advice and talks about health benefits of her products. Learn more about the weekly show at www.upyourbusiness.org
Ep 0006 | 10-21-16 Kerry McCoy visits with guest Congressman French Hill, founder of Delta Trust and Bank. They discuss a variety of topics concerning business, starting a business and the role of government and buisness. Listen weekly to Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy on KABF 88.3 FM in Central Arkansas or online at www.upyourbuisness.org.
Guest host R.J. Martino of iProv Online and guest Randy Clifton of RCX Solutions Inc. discuss logistics, freight shipping and more on this week's show. Visit http://www.upyourbusiness.org for more information and links to business resources discussed during the episode!
Ep 0003 | 9-30-16 This episode of Up Your Business with Kerry McCoy features artist and entrepreneur Matt McLeod of Matt McLeod Fine Art Gallery in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. Kerry and Matt discuss various issues on how to start a business, opening an art gallery and more. Learn more at www.upyourbusiness.org.
Ep 0002 | 9-23-16 Today’s guests with Kerry were Sara Slimp owner of Chunky Dunk food truck in Fayetteville and Sally Mengel of Loblolly Creamery in Little Rock. Kerry and her guests cover social media marketing, renting verses buying a food truck, how to ask for help as a small business owner and offer resources for tax help and more. Listen every Friday at 2 pm central online via live streaming at www.upyourbusiness.og.
Ep 0001 | 9-16-16 Kerry McCoy, owner of FlagandBanner.com and guest R.J. Martino, owner of iProvOnline.com, discuss owning a business, growing your business, hiring, growth and much more in this informative weekly radio show. Originally broadcast live on KABF Radio 88.3 FM in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each week, Kerry hosts a guest business owner to offer real buisness advice and insights from real business owners, It is a weekly hour long call in show, callers are encouraged to ask anything business related they need to know or to offer their own experience and insights. Learn more at http://www.upyourbuisness.org.