The Bentonville Beacon

Summary The NWA Tech Summit is the Heartland’s premier technology conference and serves to enhance, prepare, and diversify the local Northwest Arkansas economy. In its ninth year, the NWA Tech Summit came back with 1,700 registered attendees when it returned in-person to downtown Bentonville. The NWA Tech Summit is an event hosted by the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and it is supp...

Summary In this episode of The Bentonville Beacon , host James Bell sits down with Sterling Smith, Managing Director of Atento Capital’s Northwest Arkansas hub. Sterling spent time as a computer program analyst and software engineer before starting his journey as a serial entrepreneur and VC. His experience in operations has shaped his entrepreneurial and VC development, but ultimately, his drive...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon , host James Bell sits down with Joshua Saffran, Director of Plug and Play Northwest Arkansas. Plug and Play is an open innovation platform that connects its corporate partners with startups to fill needs and drive innovation forward. Originally based in Silicon Valley, Plug and Play added a hub in Northwest Arkansas to serve its corporate partners...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Phil Libin, a software engineer turned serial entrepreneur. Phil’s currently the Founder and CEO of All Turtles, an early-stage product studio, as well as the startup mmhmm, a video software business that aims to create more sustainable and joyful ways to work and collaborate. With a long history of success, Phil has e...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Matthew Ward, the Director of Fuel Accelerator, an enterprise-ready accelerator that matches growth-stage startups with key enterprise partners. Along with his role as Director at Fuel, Matthew is also a Senior Associate at Cadron Capital Partners and a Consultant for Startup Junkie. Throughout the episode, James and M...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jeff Amerine, founder and managing director of Startup Junkie, a consulting service that supports, inspires, and educates entrepreneurs at no cost. With thirty years of experience, Jeff has an extensive background in business leadership and early-stage investments. Throughout the episode, James and Jeff discuss the sta...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jessica Head, marketing director at Endeavor NWA, a global organization helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses to transform economies. With over ten years of experience, Jessica is a passionate and creative strategist specializing in experiential marketing, branding, and digital campaigns. Throughout the episode,...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Josh Kyles, the mastermind and developer behind Ledger, and Mary Best, the director of operations at Ledger. As the first bikeable building, Ledger is cultivating working environments that everyone can thrive in while elevating an individual’s desire for movement and well-being. Throughout the episode, James, Josh, and...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes, and John Paul Shaffer, the Northwest Arkansas business innovative director for PeopleForBikes. PeopleForBikes is a non-profit organization focused on uniting individuals and businesses to make bike riding better for everyone. They accomplish this by helping communities qu...

Summary: Welcome to a special episode of The Bentonville Beacon Podcast . This week, we’re taking a break from our regular episodes to highlight why Bentonville is so amazing. We’ve chosen a few clips from some of our favorite moments of The Bentonville Beacon Podcast so far. Sit back and enjoy these clips, and check out Bentonville, where you get more of what you want, and less of what you don’t!...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Josh Richards, COO at Game Composites LLC, an aviation and aerospace components manufacturer. Josh’s background is rooted in technical excellence, with experience in highly-regulated industries such as aerospace and nuclear power. Throughout the episode, James and Josh discuss Game Composites, the GB1 GameBird, and why...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Gary Vernon, a seasoned Sr. Program Officer at the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group. Gary, a key person behind OZ Trails, is the main reason for the explosion of the mountain bike trails in NWA. Throughout the episode, James and Gary discuss the large expansion of trails and what that has meant for the culture and ec...

Summary On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Dr. Richard Ham, a seasoned transportation executive with four decades of experience in security safety operations and administration compliance and enforcement. Dr. Ham’s list of expertise and accomplishments is long and includes but is not limited to the associate director of the Department of Industrial Engineering...

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell was joined by Rob Mahler, founder and lead tech for Naz-T’s FloaT Shop, a local onewheel rental and repair shop that specializes in repairing and customizing PEV vehicles. James and Rob talked about the vision, challenges, and future of building Naz-T’s FloaT Shop, the development of NWA, and the growth of onewheels. Thanks for turning in!...

Show Notes (1:33) Introducing Morgan and Tyler (2:41) All about Encore Bike Rentals (9:22) How the Baumgardners Came to Bentonville (19:44) The Baumgardners’ GORP Experience (26:53) Morgan’s and Tyler’s Favorite Trails (31:42) How Companies Should Be Capitalizing on Bentonville (40:45) What’s Next for Encore Bike Rentals (45:00) Because Bentonville  (49:26) Morgan’s and Tyler’s Favorite Lesson Lea...

Show Notes (1:45) Introducing Rich Drew (4:45) How Rich Ended Up in Bentonville (6:59) Rich’s Ride Series (18:55) Mountain Biking and the Brain (34:00) Nutrition and Riding  (41:04) Rich’s Favorite Trails (47:55) How Cycling Companies Should Be Taking Advantage of Bentonville (57:13) What’s Next for Rich and The Ride Series (1:04:55) Rich’s Favorite Lesson Learned This Year (1:09:00) Because Bento...

Show Notes (2:47) Introducing John Walker and Tom Vernon (4:39) Learning about DroneUp and What They Do  (6:04) What Challenges DroneUp Has Faced to Get Where They Are Today (9:17) The Benefits and Practicality of Drones (15:01) All about the Safety Measures and Best Practices of Drones  (31:09) What Made NWA Ideal to Build DroneUp (35:53) What’s to Come for DroneUp (48:58) Because Bentonville (55...

Show Notes (2:07) Introducing Cyrus Sigari (3:35) Deep Dive into Up Partners and Everything They Do (18:21) All about Flying Cars (24:40) Future Mobility Council of Arkansas (32:59) Arkansas as a Major Player in the Future of Mobility (42:37) Because Bentonville (46:05) Cyrus’ Favorite Lesson Learned this Year and Closing Thoughts Links James Bell   Cyrus Sigari Up Partners Future Mobility Council...

Show Notes (1:24) Introducing Kris Adams (2:07) Kris’ Passion for Technology and His Role in It (3:01) All about the NWA Technology Summit (13:32) Pitch Competition Information (20:48) Kris’ Journey to the Summit (25:16) Because Bentonville (32:02) How to Sign Up for the NWA Technology Summit (33:30) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts Links James Bell   Kris Adams NWA Tech Summit Quotes “[The NWA Te...

Show Notes (1:12) Introducing Pedro Somarriba (2:21) Pedro’s Passion for Climbing (7:42) The Climbing Scene in Arkansas (12:14) Introducing Lacaida Ropes (17:02) Lacaida Ropes Product Launch Announcement (18:10) All about Tarps and Their Upcoming Interform Collaboration (22:02) Plug for GORP: Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (23:31) Pedro’s #BecauseBentonville Moment (29:16) Superpowers and C...

Show Notes (0:47) Introducing Scott Holley (2:31) All about Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (7:23) Deeper Look at Eddyline Kayaks (9:20) Exploring the Technological Aspect of Making Kayaks (17:15) Scott and Eddyline Kayaks’ Connection to Bentonville (26:20) Scott’s Vision for Kayaking’s Impact on Northwest Arkansas (28:34) Scott’s NWA Kayaking Bucket List (39:23) How Bentonville Can Help  (42...

Shownotes (0:42) Episode 1 | Helping Entrepreneurs Define and Launch Their Businesses | Phil Shellhammer of GORP (2:31) Episode 2 | Why Outdoor Rec Businesses Should Consider Bentonville | Andrew Gibbs-Dabney of LIVSN (7:40) Episode 3 | Why Should Business Leaders Care about Bentonville? | Nicole Dougan of Strider Bikes (13:25) Episode 10 | How Technology is Improving Bentonville's Mountain Biking...

Show Notes (0:53) Introducing Bonnie Adams (7:25) Introduction to Swim OZ and Joys of Swimming (12:35) Plugging the Upcoming Walmart OZ Mile Swim Race (13:56) How to Prepare for an Open Water Swim (20:25) The Importance of All-Over Fitness in Training (27:15) Why Bentonville? (30:47) How Everyone Can Capitalize on Bentonville Outdoors (36:06) Bonnie’s #BecauseBentonville Story (46:21) Superpowers...

Show Notes (0:50) Introducing Katherine Andrews (3:12) A History of the Office of Outdoor Recreation (11:43) How Companies Today Are Choosing Locations for Their Businesses (14:11) How Katherine’s Office Is Helping Businesses Say Yes to Arkansas (18:05) Northwest Arkansas’s Competitive Advantages (20:37) Why Bentonville? (21:22) How Outdoor Companies Can Capitalize on Bentonville (24:22) Katherine...

Show Notes (0:36) Introducing Drew Medlock (2:09) A Taste of What Allied Cycle Works Is All About (5:23) Making Bikes in the USA vs. Asia (8:24) What Brought Allied Cycle Works to Bentonville (14:40) Why Bentonville? (16:47) How Businesses Can Capitalize on Bentonville (17:55) What’s Next for Allied Cycle Works? (18:45) Why USA-Made? (19:57) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts Links James Bell   Drew...