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CONWAY — Home BancShares Chairman Johnny Allison is the keynote speaker for the Davis Family Lecture Series on Oct. 30 at the UCA College of Business.

His talk will begin at 1:40 p.m. in the College of Business Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Allison has more than three decades experience in the banking industry. He co-founded Home BancShares, Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, in 1998 with Robert H. “Bunny” Adcock Jr., vice chairman of Home BancShares and University of Central Arkansas trustee, and established First State Bank.

After a series of acquisitions in Arkansas and Florida, the bank charters were combined into one in 2009: Centennial Bank. Today, Centennial Bank has locations in Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and New York.

Home BancShares, which has nearly $15 billion in assets, was the top-ranked bank in Forbes’ 2018 Best Banks in America list. The banks are rated on 10 metrics related to growth, profitability, capital adequacy and asset quality.

Allison serves as chairman of the board of Home BancShares. Prior to Home BancShares, Allison was chairman of First National Bank of Conway from 1983 to 1998 and director of First Commercial Corporation from 1985 to 1998.

The Davis Family Lecture Series was established in 2010 through a gift from Granger and Jan Davis, and Milton and Claudia Davis. The series features prominent business leaders who have made a significant impact in an industry. Past speakers include John W. Bachmann, Steve Williams, Hank Henderson, Reynie Rutledge, Marcy Doderer and Millie Ward.

The UCA College of Business is the fastest-growing college at the University of Central Arkansas with more than 1,650 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students. It offers 13 baccalaureate degrees, two master’s and one graduate certificate across four academic departments and houses the state’s only insurance and risk management program. Visit uca.edu/business for more.

 CONWAY — Greg and Sherri Pillow have pledged $25,000 to establish the Pillow Family Finance Endowed Scholarship in the UCA College of Business.

The scholarship will be awarded annually, beginning in 2023, to a finance major in the college.

“The University of Central Arkansas is an important institution in our family,” said Pillow. “My wife and I went to school here and met many lifelong friends here; we love UCA. We wanted to be an encouragement to future UCA students and support their education.”

Pillow is the owner of Conway Wealth Management, which offers assistance in investments, financial planning, and insurance.

Pillow said he hopes the scholarship will encourage more students to pursue financial advising. According to Cerulli Associates, the average financial advisor is more than 50 years old.

“This has been a great career for me and there is plenty of opportunity for the next generation,” said Pillow. “If there is not a generation of financial advisors behind this one, there will be a void.”

The scholarship will give special preference to fifth-year students.

“My wife and I were both fifth-year students and sometimes aid is not as readily available to those students,” said Pillow. “We wanted to be able to encourage them to finish what they started.”

Pillow graduated from UCA in 1996 and has been a financial advisor since 1999.

The UCA College of Business is the fastest-growing college at the University of Central Arkansas with more than 1,650 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students. It offers 13 baccalaureate degrees, two master’s and one graduate certificate across four academic departments, and houses the state’s only insurance and risk management program. Visit uca.edu/business to learn more.

Greenway Equipment president Marshall Stewart met with a Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship class Sept. 27 to share the story of his company and how its developed into a regional leader in agricultural equipment and services companies. Stewart, a College of Business alumnus, is the latest speaker in the Johnny Allison Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, which brings business leaders, executives and entrepreneurs to the College of Business to share with students.

The Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) presented three College of Business students with scholarships for the fall semester Sept. 26. Dusty Mikula, Uyanga Tsogtbaatar and Paul Torres each received a $1,000 scholarship from TIDA.

The first Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club meeting of the semester welcomed College of Business alumnus Paul Bradley. Bradley is now the Conway market leader at Edafio Technology Partners. Bradley shared what Edafio does and talked with students about the type of employees they’re looking to hire.

UCA College of Business accounting students had the opportunity to interact with potential employers on campus Sept. 17 at Meet The Firms. The annual event attracts firms and companies from across the state for a chance to meet with students about accounting careers and opportunities.

The ad agency experience is one not fully understood or appreciated until it is inhabited, which is why the College of Business and Eric Rob & Isaac are giving students an inside look.

The new course, the brainchild of Rob Bell, a principal at Eric Rob & Isaac, and Stephanie Watson, chair of the College of Business’ Department of Accounting, shows students the inner workings of the agency world.

“I was an English major without any public relations or advertising classes,” said Bell. “I had no idea what it was like to be in an agency, but then I talked to people with those classes and they still didn’t really have a taste for what it is.”

Bell said he sees this course as a real-life experience for students where they’re given genuine tasks they would complete at an agency while also learning how an agency is structured, as well as how it functions, earns revenue and completes projects.

“This is an intentional way to let them see what goes on behind the agency doors,” said Bell. “Many don’t understand the business side of it and we wanted to give them an opportunity to see it.”

The course, taught by Ashley Phillips, is divided into five modules with three weeks in each module. The students, in groups of two and three, are assigned industries picked by ERI including banking, health care, and public universities.

“Each module helps students gain an overall perspective of their industry,” said Phillips.

Module topics include industry analysis, profitability, information management, and success measurement.

“We’re looking at what makes a business successful and seeing what that looks like in the real world,” said Watson. “For a student to get an opportunity like that is pretty cool.”

After a week of research, students present their findings to College of Business staff and receive feedback. During the third week, students present to ERI principals and staff, ask and answer questions and receive feedback.

“We saw this as having the potential to be a Q&A for students with people in the trenches every day,” said Bell. “It provides us an opportunity to share the struggles we face on a daily basis and be a sounding board for them.”

So far, students have presented once at ERI. Emily Ketchum, a senior marketing major who is one of nine students in the class, said it was interesting to see the professional side of a business while enrolled in a class.

Ketchum is an intern at a local insurance agency and said this class appealed to her because it seemed like another internship that would allow her to learn about another possible career field.

“I wanted to know if the ad agency world was something I was interested in,” she said. “I graduate in the spring and am still trying to decide how I want to use my degree and thought this could be helpful in that process.”

Ketchum’s reasoning is the exact purpose Bell saw for this class.

“They can get a taste and see if they love it or if it is not something they want to do,” he said. “Making that realization before getting into it, saves them time, as well as the prospective agency’s time and investment. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

It also potentially serves the added bonus of being an extended job interview.

“Our business is weird, we could be completely full one day, gain a new client and then need to hire three new people,” said Bell. “If we’re working with these students over a period of time and identify potential, that’s the first place we’re going in that situation.”

Those opportunities do not stop at ERI, said Bell.

“We get asked all the time from clients and others in the industry about potential writers, designers or marketing types,” he said. “It’s good for us to have an arsenal of those we’ve seen that show potential and get beyond just a resume we might have on file. I’ll be able to see these students in action. It’s definitely a foot in the door.”

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Brandi Mikula felt better prepared to begin her career because of the type of education she received at the UCA College of Business.

Her experience in the College of Business went beyond the didactic learning that is crucial to any worthwhile education and extended into real-world experiences and assignments. One of those opportunities was her class splitting off into groups and providing a local dentist with a fresh marketing strategy.

As a double-major in marketing and management, the assignment gave her a chance to see what a day in her career might look like.

“I really appreciated that type of experience in the classroom,” said Mikula. “It prepared me more for jobs after college.”

Having meaningful relationships with faculty like Joe Cangelosi helped Mikula navigate her college career and the many things students juggle while in school including coursework, studying, projects, internships, and the future.

“Dr. Cangelosi loves his students and wants to build that relationship with you,” said Mikula. “He’s so approachable and willing to help whether you’re dealing with something at school or contemplating the future.”

Mikula said he was more than willing to help her find jobs, and she found his class during her senior year helped calm a lot of angst she felt as she prepared to leave college to begin her career.

“Brandi was an excellent student, very cooperative with good leadership and analytical skills,” said Cangelosi. “She can do anything she wants.”

Since graduating in 2014, it has been a whirlwind for Mikula. She was among the first class of Arkansas Fellows, and the first Arkansas Fellow from UCA.

As part of the fellowship, she spent two years immediately after college working for Hayseed Ventures, a startup company in Fayetteville. The fellowship provides a two-year experience for recent graduates that includes a salaried position, a mentorship program, and professional development and networking.

Related: If you’re interested in being an Arkansas Fellow, click here

“Those years were so valuable,” said Mikula. “You’re in a fast-paced, fast-growing company and gain access to upper-level management for mentorship, and you’re able to see all aspects of the company.”

Mikula spent a good portion of her fellowship running her own company with Hayseed Ventures serving as a parent company. For a person who’s had entrepreneurial aspirations since childhood, it was an incredible experience.

“Being put in that role, it’s not an experience you normally get a job,” said Mikula. “It is an amazing program for anyone interested in entrepreneurship.”

Mikula now serves on the Arkansas Fellowship board and remains involved in the organization. The Arkansas Fellowship is currently accepting applications through Oct. 26. Click here to apply.

Mikula works at OneStone, an e-commerce agency in Rogers. As content and digital assets team lead, she services online retailer clients, including Amazon and Walmart, to optimize their pages. It includes managing a staff of contract writers and photographers to make sure the end product meets the client’s satisfaction.

She still harbors the same entrepreneurial spirit she’s always had and hopes to harness it moving forward.

“I’ve always wanted to run my own business,” she said. “I’ve been entrepreneurial minded since I was 5 or 6 years old. I hope to be able to start pursuing that soon, but I am still figuring out what that business will look like.”