Strategic Planning
Contact
Regional Program Coordinators
Ozark Foothills (Fulton, Izard, Sharp)
Brandon Mathews
bmathews@uada.edu
(501) 671-2072
Hazelle Whited
hwhited@uada.edu
(870) 710-7081
3Cs (Howard, Little River, Sevier)
Murriel Wiley
mwiley@uada.edu
(501) 671-2072
Arkansas Small Business: Big Rural Impact Podcast
The Create Bridges Arkansas Small Business Big Rural Impact podcast highlights products and services of businesses in their respective regions. We discuss ways business owners address workforce development, technology, infrastructure, and more.
The purpose of our podcast is to foster collaboration between local business owners through the sharing of ideas and best practices.
You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify, Buzzsprout, and iTunes through our partner Spring River Innovation Hub. Episodes will be posted every other Thursday.
Read more on the Community, Professional, and Economic Development blog.
Episode 15: Extra! Extra! Read All About It: Newspaper Is Not Dead
Featured guest: Kim Break of Areawide Media.
Brandon Mathews is joined by Kim Break of Areawide Media to share how partnering with
local media to for advertising is still beneficial especially in rural Arkansas. From
a business success story to ideas on how local media is relevant to helping distribute
information for workforce development and skills training in the area, there is much
to talk about in this episode. Also, Kim encourages businesses and individuals to
call the local paper even if they are not sure if what they have to say is newsworthy.
Download Audio Podcast Transcript
Episode 14: Operation Communication
Featured guest: Smart Phone EMT owner Esteban Ochoa with one of his "co-workers" Kelly Goins. Murriel Wiley and Hazelle Whited team up in Sevier County to talk with the folks of Smart Phone EMT about the importance of communication across different generations, and different languages. It also provides some insight and inspiration to making a business successful through caring about employees first so they can genuinely care about people. (We even get a couple great sound effects from Kelly's child from time to time AND a quote from the movie Joe Dirt ;-) We think you will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.
Download Audio Podcast Transcript
Episode 13: Cuttin Up at the Barbershop
Featured guest: Dylan Smith of Stateline Barbershop. Brandon Mathews talks with Small Business Owner and Entrepreneur, Dylan Smith, founder and owner of Stateline Barbershop located on Main Street in Mammoth Spring Arkansas. Years in the making, Dylan thought owning a barbershop would stay a dream. Yet, now he has been open for more than a year and business is good, despite the pandemic.
Dylan shares what it’s like to start a business, the process to getting funding and literally building from the ground up. He discusses some of the ways he markets himself and taps into the local and tourist economies. And, just like all businesses, Dylan speaks about some of the challenges he has faced and what he would have done differently knowing what he knows now.
Download Audio Podcast Transcript
Episode 12: A Regional Approach to Promoting Your Business
Featured guests: Keisha McKinney of McKinney Media Solutions Hazelle Whited interviews Keisha McKinney - 3Cs Region Steering Committee (RSC) member, CREATE LIFT contributor, and fan of the CREATE BRIDGES podcast. Here we explore further into the background of CREATE BRIDGES, the work behind the workforce training certificate program, and why listening to this podcast benefits owners, employees, and anyone just wanting to know more about rural Arkansas.
Episode 11: A Regional Approach to Promoting Your Business
Featured guests: Cathy Drew, Executive Director of Ozark Gateway Tourist Council, and Gloria Sanders, Executive Director of the Calico Rock Community Foundation and Museum and Visitors Center. Brandon Mathews interviews Cathy Drew and Gloria Sanders on a host of topics including the benefits of being a member of Ozark Gateway, why the whole community needs to be on board when it comes to promoting an area; opportunities for reaching markets outside of Arkansas, and some new programming launching in the region soon.
Episode 10: The Three Amigos of CREATE BRIDGES
Featured guests: Hazelle Whited and Brandon Mathews of CREATE BRIDGES Ozark Foothills region (Sharp, Izard, Fulton), and Murriel Wiley of CREATE BRIDGES 3C's region (Howard, Little River, Sevier).
Episode 9: Sparks and Recreation in a Small Town
Featured guest: Director Mark Dale of City of Nashville Parks and Recreation.
Episode 8: Going Pro Ain't No Bull, Part 2
Featured guest: Cline Hall and Cody Whitten of Generations Pro Rodeo.
Episode 7: Going Pro Ain't No Bull, Part 1
Featured guest: Cline Hall and Cody Whitten of Generations Pro Rodeo.
Download Audio Podcast Transcript
Episode 6: Connecting Communities
Featured guest: Mallory Bailey of Red River Oil.
Episode 5: Realtors - A Source of the Source
Featured guest: Laura Sackett Clute, principal broker and owner of Ozark Gateway Realty.
Episode 4: Not a Jonas Brother, but still a Rock Star
Featured guest: Mayor Jonas Anderson of Cave City, Arkansas.
Episode 3: Barbeque and Branding!
Featured guests: Matt Gilley of Big Gilley's Smokehouse in Ashdown, AR and Loren Hinton of UA Cossatot.
Episode 2: Lights...Camera...Crickets
Featured guests: Marc herring of Ozark Classic Craft Mall in Hardy, AR & Jeff Penn of Chow on the Square in Cherokee Village, AR
We want to hear from rural business owners!
If you're a business owner in the Ozark Foothills (Izard, Sharp, and Fulton counties) or the 3Cs (Little River, Howard, and Sevier counties) reach out to Julianne Dunn at jbdunn@uada.edu or (501) 671-2158.