Be EPIC Podcast

This week on the podcast, Matt sits down with venture capitalist Earnest Sweat. The conversation begins with Earnest discussing his journey from traditional investments to alternative investments and how he became interested in venture capital. Earnest then dives into how he became an investor in FreightWaves and Platform Science by going through his process for deciding where to invest. The conversation concludes with Earnest walk...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Marc de Beer, President of Aviagen North America. They begin by diving into how Marc got involved with animal science and nutrition and how Aviagen uses genetics in the boiler breeding business to supply the best breeding stock to poultry companies around the world. They continue by discussing Marc’s journey from scientist to president of the North America division of the company and how...

This week on the podcast, Matt sits down with Chuck Bauer, partner and head of investor relations for EnCap Investments. The episode begins with Chuck walking through what EnCap does as a private investment firm focused on North American energy markets. Matt and Chuck then dive into what alternative investments are as well as the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships in this industry. The conversation concludes w...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Tracy Rosser, current Strategic Advisor at NewRoad Capital Partners and previous EVP of Operations at Transplace (now Uber Freight) and SVP of Transportation and Supply Chain at Walmart. Tracy and Matt begin by discussing Tracy’s experiences in logistics, operations, and supply chain: specifically Tracy’s journey from managing a Walmart Distribution Center to SVP of Transportation and Su...

This week on the podcast, Matt sits down with Jason Ridge, Taryn Mead, and Matthew Myers with the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Jason is the Chair of the Department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Venture Innovation (SEVI), Taryn is an Assistant Professor of Product Design, Innovation, and Management, and Matthew is the program manager for Outdoor Industries. Matt and Jason begin by discussing why the SEVI Department was de...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Mike Malone, Vice Chancellor for Economic Development at the University of Arkansas. Mike has been very involved in the growth of Northwest Arkansas, serving previously as the VP of Community and Corporate Affairs at Runway Group and President and CEO of Northwest Arkansas Council. The discussion begins with Mike explaining what economic development at the University of Arkansas is and h...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Barbara Marchini-Ellis, Partner at EY. They begin the episode with Barbara discussing her journey through the accounting field, from her diverse background in Silicon Valley to leading EY’s work with Walmart in Northwest Arkansas. Barbara then walks through how the accounting industry has changed during her 35 years of experience, touching on the importance of business ethics and integri...

This week on the podcast, Matt sits down with Jared Greer and Spencer Jones to discuss their entrepreneurial ventures in the medical space at Lapovations, Jared is the Co-Founder and CEO and Spencer is the Chief Technology Officer and VP of Sales at Lapovations. They begin with the story of how Lapovations came to be with a problem that needed to be solved for surgeons who perform laparoscopic procedures. Spencer also touches ...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Tom Ward, EVP and Chief eCommerce Officer of Walmart U.S. They discuss a variety of topics starting with what Tom does in his current role and his past experience in customer product management. They then delve deeper into product management with the idea that product management is really problem solving at the deepest level. Tom touches on how Walmart is solving a variety of problems fo...

On this week’s episode, Matt sits down with Quentin Smith, Jr. Quentin has over 40 years of experience providing management service to publicly and privately held businesses and is Chairman of the Board of Banner Health, and President of Cadre Business Advisors, LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on strategic planning, performance improvement and crisis management. This episode begins with a detailed description on Quentin’s ...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Allie Hazelwood, Walton College alum and Senior Vice President, Fulfillment Operations at Walmart U.S. The podcast starts with Allie recapping how she came to Walmart after graduation and her involvement at the University when she was on campus including being a member of the women's tennis team, student ambassadors and Walton Honors. Matt and Allie discuss that experience and the import...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Wes Schroll, CEO and founder of Fetch Rewards, Inc. They begin the episode with an overview of Fetch Rewards, which is a mobile shopping platform that rewards shoppers for buying the brands they love. Wes shares insight into how they utilize consumer data from the app to help consumers connect with brands, retailers and restaurants. He also shares how brands work with the company and how...

This week on the Be Epic Podcast Matt sits down with Dan Andrews, Managing Partner and CEO at Tempus Realty Partners, a real estate investment firm specializing in commercial property in the Southeast and Midwest. Dan shares how he finds good opportunities to invest in and the variables that are considered in that equation. He also touches on the benefits of working in the Southeast and Midwest for the real estate market in the lon...

This week on the podcast Matt wraps up the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame series with Ross M. Whipple, 2023 Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Inductee, President and CEO - Horizon Capital Partners, LLLP, President - Horizon Timber Services, Inc. and Chairman of the Board - The Ross Foundation. During the episode Ross dives into how he got his start in the banking and timber industry and highlights the importance of his early mentor, J...

This week on the Be Epic Podcast Matt sits down with E. Fletcher Lord, Jr., Chairman of the Board for Bumper-to-Bumper/Crow Burlingame Company and 2023 inductee to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. During the episode, they discuss the history of the company that Fletcher’s grandfather founded with J.G. Burlingame in 1919 along with their growth across a 12 state market area. The company started in Little Rock, Arkansas and contin...

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Inductee Curt Bradbury, Chief Operating Officer of Stephens, Inc. Curt begins the episode by walking through the beginning of his career working with Jack Stephens and how he was given the opportunity to turn around a struggling bank at the age of 35. Based upon that experience, Curt highlights the importance of change management and he walks through how he...

This week on the Be Epic podcast we are kicking off a short series of conversations with the 2023 Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Inductees. We begin the series with Judy McReynolds, Chairman, President and CEO at ArcBest. ArcBest is an integrated logistics provider based in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They are celebrating their 100 year anniversary of being in business in 2023. We begin the episode with Judy providing an overview of ArcB...

This week on the podcast to wrap up the CEO Series, Matt sits down with Kim Eskew, Chairman & CEO of Harps Food Stores. Kim has been with Harps for 46 years, working his way up from an entry level position as a cashier and stocker to CEO. During the episode they discuss Kim’s journey through the company and how the grocery landscape has shifted over the years, especially in Northwest Arkansas. They also touch on how Kim made th...