February 17, 2026 • 44 mins
A double alum with a double take on impact. We’re joined by Alexa Williams, president of Celebrate Arkansas, to explore how a regional magazine became a precision PR platform that connects businesses, nonprofits, and culture across Northwest Arkansas, without losing the soul of print. Alexa’s path runs from HR to tech to graphic design, then into entrepreneurship with Glass Ivy, and ultimately into leading a brand known for standout covers and community-first storytelling.
We dig into the practical playbook: why internships in HR and marketing gave Alexa an edge, how a hybrid MBA unlocked momentum while working full time, and what it takes to build a client base that lasts a decade. She shares the moment a cold call turned into her first long-term account, the strategy behind Celebrate’s year-ahead editorial calendar, and why “print is dead” misses the point when distribution is targeted and the audience is crystal clear. Expect insights on brand trust, targeted media, and the power of return on relationship in a region dense with nonprofits.
Beyond business, Alexa gets honest about leading while parenting: choosing non-negotiables like school drop-offs, embracing an unpredictable schedule with a shared digital calendar, and finding reset time through weekly rock climbing. We also spotlight recent cover wins, from a food and beverage issue with Feeding America’s Claire Babineaux-Fontenot to a culture-jolting Nelly cover with Walton Arts Center, showing how local teams can deliver national-quality storytelling.
If you care about Northwest Arkansas growth, UCA roots, entrepreneurship, or the future of regional media, this conversation delivers practical takeaways and fresh energy. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Arkansas stories, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show.
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SPEAKER_01 (00:01):
This is Central to NWA, a UCA podcast.
I'm your host, Paul Gatling, andwe are bringing the University
of Central Arkansas to NorthwestArkansas.
Each episode, we will talk withleaders, alumni, and innovators
driving this region forward.
People who are shapingindustries and defining what is
next for our state.
(00:22):
Let's get started.
All right, we're back now.
Time for another edition ofCentral to NWA, a UCA podcast.
Paul Gatling here with you.
And with me today is a guest whohas a distinction that is very
unique among this podcastalready.
You ready for this?
I guess so.
You know what I'm going to say?
Yes, I think so.
All right.
(00:42):
So this is our seventh episode.
And for the first time, my guestdoes not have just one but two
degrees from the University ofCentral Arkansas, which
officially makes her unoverqualified to sit here next
to me on this podcast.
Of course, I'm talking aboutAlexa Williams.
She is the president ofCelebrate Arkansas Magazine, UCA
(01:02):
double alum and an entrepreneurto boot.
So Alexa, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (01:07):
Thank you, Paul, for having me.
I'm excited to be here today.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Okay, so two UCA degrees, business degree in
2014, MBA in 2018.
You must have really liked it inConway, right?
SPEAKER_00 (01:18):
I did.
You know, my family, I graduatedhigh school in Cabot, so it's
close to home.
And also, I know we're going todive into a little bit deeper,
but both times whenever I wastrying to choose where to
continue my education, I lookedaround a lot and just always
felt that UCA was the best placefor me.
So went back a second time.
SPEAKER_01 (01:38):
Yeah.
Well, so how does that feel nowsitting where you are today to
hear double UCA alum?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:45):
A little bit crazy.
You know, I didn't think oneoriginally, I didn't think I was
going to go into businesswhenever I first went to UCA.
That wasn't my original plan.
And so deciding to go back andcontinue my business education
there was something that I wasvery excited to do, but not
necessarily what I planned forfrom day one.
(02:05):
So looking back now and seeingthat I have two degrees from the
same university, a smalleruniversity in Arkansas, is
pretty exciting.
SPEAKER_01 (02:13):
Right.
Well, very good.
Well, we're glad to have youhere.
I'm glad to have you here andexcited to keep this podcast uh
rolling with a great UCA alumhere in Northwest Arkansas.
So um, for people who may behearing your name for the first
time, you know, how do youintroduce yourself when you when
you meet people?
You meet a lot of people andcome into contact with a lot of
business owners and businessleaders and entrepreneurs at the
(02:33):
magazine.
How do you introduce yourself tothem?
SPEAKER_00 (02:36):
Usually I say hello.
My name's Alexa, like Amazon.
That usually breaks the ice, nowthat that's a very common word.
Um, and then I say I'm thepresident at Celebrate Arkansas.
I'm also a wife and a mother totwo, and I enjoy outdoor
recreation, and I live inFayetteville.
I'm a big razorback baseballfan, all of those things.
SPEAKER_01 (02:58):
You have checked all the boxes in Northwest Arkansas,
uh, outdoor recreation,especially, razorback baseball,
which are coming up on thatpretty soon.
So when someone hears celebrateArkansas for the first time, um,
what do you want them to knowimmediately about what that
brand and that company is andwhat does it represent?
SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
So, whenever people initially hear celebrate
Arkansas, especially if you'refrom the Northwest Arkansas
region, you think of a magazine,right?
And that is what we are at ourbread and butter is we are a
monthly publication.
However, what I like toarticulate to people is that
we're much more than that.
We would consider ourselves apublic relations entity.
(03:36):
We like to be at theintersection of community and
business, which is a very uniqueaspect of what makes Northwest
Arkansas so vibrant and what hascontributed to its growth over
the past few years.
So being able to coincide ourmessaging and our publication
with that is really what makesus unique.
SPEAKER_01 (03:55):
Yeah.
And you, you know, based inBentonville, of course, but with
a statewide reach to yourwebsite and subscriptions,
several subscribers throughoutthe state.
So not just Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_00 (04:06):
Right.
Not just Northwest Arkansas, andactually not just Arkansas
itself.
You know, many of our clientsand our partners are doing
business on a national level.
So we do have some reach, notjust in the state, but where
other companies areheadquartered that we may
partner with here in a regionalcapacity.
SPEAKER_01 (04:24):
All right.
So let's rewind a bit.
Uh, and we we talked about UCA,the path from Cabot to Conway
and University of CentralArkansas.
What originally um brought youto Conway?
You said con you said UCA umchecked a lot of boxes for you.
Why did why did you trust thatUCA was going to be the place
for you uh to kick off yourprofessional career after high
(04:44):
school?
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
So I knew I wanted to stay in Arkansas.
Both of my parents graduatedfrom high schools in Arkansas.
We moved around a lot because mydad was in the army.
And then I got to graduate fromCabot.
So I wanted to stay in thestate, but I didn't exactly know
where I wanted to go.
So, as any good senior in highschool does, I went and toured a
lot of places with my family.
(05:06):
And I really liked theclose-knit atmosphere of UCA.
Plus, the campus was verywalkable.
It's very beautiful.
And then to boot, I also wasgiven a scholarship opportunity
that kind of sealed the deal forme to go there.
SPEAKER_01 (05:20):
When did you move to Cabot?
You said the military career,you moved around a lot.
When did you move to clear?
SPEAKER_00 (05:25):
I was fortunate to be in Cabot from fourth grade
until I graduated high school.
SPEAKER_01 (05:29):
Okay, not too bad.
So um, where are some otherplaces that you lived?
What was the most exoticlocation that you lived in
America or outside of America?
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
No, no, I never got to live abroad, unfortunately,
but probably the most exoticplace would be Washington, D.C.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
Okay.
Yeah.
And the reason I asked that oneof my best friends, he was a
military kid, and he actuallyuh, and I met him at uh Milder,
Henderson State.
He went to high school inGermany.
Okay.
He l he's from upstate New Yorkand um, you know, really lived
all over the place and nowsubsequently has high school
buddies from all over the worldbecause they all congregated
there in Germany.
So uh you studied business,right?
SPEAKER_00 (06:05):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (06:06):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
Yeah.
Originally I went into UCAstudying biology.
Um and then but yes, but aftertwo years and going through
organic chemistry, I decidedthat I wanted to change course.
And at that time was reallytrying to evaluate what I really
wanted to do, what I waspassionate about, and what fit
(06:28):
for me long term.
And the two things that kind ofreally came to mind is I've
always been a people person.
I've always been involved inorganizations, I've always had a
lot of friends.
And so business kind of reallycoincided with that aspect of my
life.
And then with the thought that Ialso love creativity and
innovation and things like that.
(06:50):
And so I felt that business wasa good fit.
And so transitioned after twoyears into the business program
there.
SPEAKER_01 (06:56):
And so, how did that uh that personality of yours,
how did that uh translate thereat UCA?
Describe your undergraduatecareer.
What were you involved in?
How would you uh remember yourum undergrad experience at UCA?
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
Yeah, so I was very involved in various
organizations.
I was involved in Greek life,um, I was involved in the
Business and InformationTechnology Club.
I was also a member of theAssociation of Future Alumni and
did a lot of other activities oncampus, but that would probably
be the biggest things that Ispent time in.
SPEAKER_01 (07:30):
What gave you the biggest boost?
I mean, what confidence boost?
What were you most excited to bearound?
Was it a professor or a class ora moment or the Greek life?
I mean, what would you say youuh would be the top line on your
uh your resume there?
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
I think Greek life introduced me to the widest
variety of professionals.
I got to see a lot of advisorsfrom not just my organization,
but others as well that have hadstrong career paths and got to
see how that translated fromgraduating UCA to making an
impact in their professionallife.
Outside of that, um, one of theprofessors that made an impact
(08:05):
on me was Doug Voss, who Ibelieve is still at the
business.
Um, oddly enough, I have anemphasis in my undergrad in
supply chain and logisticsbecause of Professor Voss.
That is not something that Iever would have considered.
Um, but his class was veryintriguing and very interesting.
And he was able to articulatereal world, real world scenarios
(08:30):
and how that would relate.
SPEAKER_01 (08:32):
Yeah, those are two words I would use to describe uh
Doug as well.
Interesting and intriguing.
Yeah, you'd probably agree.
So um you came back for yourMBA, I think.
You graduate in 2014, startedyour career, then you came back
in 2017.
What changed uh for you thesecond time around?
What was that experience like asyou're I kicked you out into the
world, but you went back to getthat uh secondary degree?
SPEAKER_00 (08:54):
Yes.
So I decided that I wanted tocontinue my education for
several reasons.
Partially because, you know, Iwas young in my career and I
felt that there was still a lotthat I wanted to learn, a lot
that I wanted to refine in mybusiness knowledge.
Outside of that, I also feltthat an additional degree would
give me credibility as somebodywho was very young and early on
(09:15):
in their career.
Whenever I was trying to decidewhere to get my MBA from, I was
once again in Arkansas and wastrying to figure out which
program was a good fit.
And I ultimately decided thatUCA was the best fit for me
because of their flexibility forpeople that are working
full-time.
(09:35):
At the time, I was workingfull-time, but I did not want an
only online program.
I did not want something thatwas classified as an executive
MBA or a professional MBA.
I wanted a true MBA that I couldget while also working
full-time.
And I found that UCA's Collegeof Business was able to allow me
(09:58):
to take classes in the eveningas well as online.
So I had a hybrid model thatworked for me so I could work
full-time, get the MBA degreethat I wanted, but also maintain
my career.
SPEAKER_01 (10:10):
Yeah, and and part of your um undergrad experience
too, I don't want to gloss overbecause I think we've we've
talked about this.
You you did some internships aswell.
You did some HR internships andmarketing internships and some
of that business experience.
How valuable was that to you,uh, especially maybe looking
back on it now, how importantwas you for you to go through
that while you were anundergrad?
SPEAKER_00 (10:31):
Very important.
Um, like you said, I did an HRinternship and a marketing
internship, and both were vastlydifferent.
Whenever I was doing the HRinternship, the company at the
time had just acquired anothercompany.
So we were redoing everyemployee's benefits, payroll,
all of that.
So I got a lot of first minuteexperience there on what the
(10:53):
inner workings of a businesslook like.
And then alternatively, with mymarketing internship, it was for
Moe's Southwest Grill in Conway.
And so I got to do a lot ofboots on the ground marketing, a
lot of activations, a lot ofin-person networking
opportunities.
So both of those really shapedmy understanding of how
(11:14):
businesses worked from differentfacets, but also gave me an
opportunity to get my feet wetin a few different areas.
SPEAKER_01 (11:20):
Yeah, and just get a head start.
I mean, really give you thatextra baseline of knowledge, uh,
besides the you know, theclassroom theory from UCA.
All right.
So after graduation, you know,tell me what your um your early
career looked like uh after thefirst few years.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
So whenever I started my career outside of
college at a UCA the first time,um, I went into HR.
That's what I had experience in.
That's what my first job was in.
And while I loved the aspect ofgetting to deal with people
every day, I was kind of lackingthat innovation piece, that
creativity piece that wasn'treally present in most HR
(11:59):
departments.
So an opportunity internallyopened up for what was called an
associate producer, um, which isa very unique role, is was at a
tech company.
And so it was kind of a hybridof customer support, app
building, a little bit ofdesign, and then working with
app stores like the Apple Storeand Google Play Store.
(12:21):
So there was a learning curve,but I really got to work
one-on-one with the businesses,specifically with people in the
finance industry that werelooking for like a way to get
into technology, a way to buildan app at an affordable price.
And so I got to try out graphicdesign for the first time.
(12:42):
I got to spend more time workingwith small businesses, which
really shaped the rest of mycareer.
And from there, I kind of workedmy way up through the company
and transitioned into graphicdesign, which was a personal
passion of mine.
I had great teammates thathelped train me along the way.
It was very much a hands-onlearning experience.
(13:03):
I was very fortunate to get towork for some major corporations
for the first time in that role,like Microsoft and Sirius XM.
And so that was my first kind ofexperience working for those
top-tier level companies thathave really high expectations,
very rigorous guides and rulesand things like that.
(13:24):
And so that was fun.
And then from there, I reallykind of started getting my feet
wet with the whole entrepreneurthing.
Um, at the time, the company Iwas working for had acquired a
marketing agency.
And so I was sitting down withsome of those new team members,
and I was like, you know, Ithink that this company would
(13:45):
benefit from having design andmarketing services as its own
unit of offering rather than asa secondary service to support
development.
And so that was the first timeI'd ever kind of pitched a new
business idea or business model,and it was accepted.
And I was able to help drivewhat that would look like for
(14:06):
the company and shape that.
Um, and that really was probablythe most impactful turning point
in my career was getting tostart that division and kind of
grow it and shape it into what Ithought would be beneficial for
our customers or potentialcustomers.
SPEAKER_01 (14:24):
And so all of this is um in central Arkansas.
You're still there?
SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (14:28):
So explain the situation the circumstances of
coming to Northwest Arkansasthrough all of that.
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
Yes.
So at the time, whenever I was agraphic designer, transitioning
into this marketing and strategyrole, the company I was working
for decided to open an office inFayetteville on the Fayetteville
Square.
And they were looking for peoplethat were willing to relocate to
that location.
And we had an office in Conway.
We had an office outside ofNashville in Franklin,
(14:56):
Tennessee.
So there was a conglomerate ofpeople that were coming from the
other offices to relocate toFayetteville to get that one off
the ground.
And so my husband is also fromArkansas.
His family's from the RiverValley area.
We'd been in Conway for a while.
And so we didn't have kids.
And we were like, yeah, let's goto Northwest Arkansas.
Let's see what it's about.
(15:16):
So that was the first time Ilived in Fayetteville and worked
out of that office, helped getthat office off of the ground.
And then through all of that,was relocated back to Conway
after some time, which is thenwhen I started the MBA program.
SPEAKER_01 (15:31):
Right.
And so being an entrepreneur,uh, entrepreneur uh means
different things to differentpeople, but I think universally
to everybody, that can be alittle scary.
Right.
And so um, what was the firstmoment though through that and
starting your own business thatyou thought, hey, I I think this
works.
I think I can do this, I thinkthis is something that I can do.
(15:52):
Was there a was there an ahamoment when you form your own
business?
SPEAKER_00 (15:57):
Yes.
So after I stepped away from mynine to five and went full
entrepreneur mode, things likeyou said were a little scary at
first.
I was building thisinfrastructure for a business
model, trying to make it lookexactly how I wanted, while also
staying in contact with peopleI'd met through my career thus
(16:17):
far to kind of build a networkof customers or at least people
that were willing to share myname in a room.
And I'll never forget, I was inConway and my husband and I were
going out to dinner or somethingof like that.
And we stopped at a gas stationand I got a phone call from a
number I didn't recognize, whichback then wasn't spam, but could
(16:39):
have been so it's kind of a50-50.
And the things have changed.
Exactly.
I went ahead and answered it,and it was a gentleman named
Lee, and he was with a companycalled Unified Payment Group out
of Nashville.
And he was reaching out becausethey were in need of a new
marketing and design agency.
(17:00):
They were unhappy with theircurrent setup.
And they had heard through wordof mouth business from my
previous employer that that issomething that I might be able
to do.
And for me, that was the firstmoment that I was like, oh my
gosh, maybe I can actually dothis.
Maybe this is actually gonnawork.
And Unified Payments Group isactually someone that I still
(17:21):
work with today.
And so I've worked with themnow, ooh, about 10 years.
Yeah, well.
SPEAKER_01 (17:41):
Sure.
And for those who don't know,your company is called Glass
Ivy.
Right.
And still something that you youpay attention to, something
that's a going concern in inFayetteville.
SPEAKER_00 (17:50):
Yes.
Yeah.
So for a while we did have abrick and mortar office in
Fayetteville through mytransition into president at
Celebrate.
That's something that I've kindof backed off a little bit.
And so I do have a few clientsthat I regularly maintain, some
of their digital marketinginfrastructure or just on a
consulting basis.
SPEAKER_01 (18:10):
So keep that hat on then for a minute, then.
What matters the most today interms of you know digital
marketing and technology?
Is it the platforms in thetools, or is it the um the
trust, the relationship, theclarity of message?
Which of those things would yougive more weight to?
SPEAKER_00 (18:29):
I'd say you have to have a healthy mixture first.
You can't just have this greatrelationship and be naive to the
technology and platformsavailable, but also vice versa.
You can't be up to date with thelatest technology and tools, but
then not pay attention to whatyour customer is actually
wanting and what they need.
So I think that you have to haveboth.
(18:51):
Um, especially in my time atCelebrate, though, I have
learned that the relationshipand understanding what your
customer actually needs, even ifthey don't really understand
what they need, is probably themost important, that relational
aspect.
SPEAKER_01 (19:05):
Yeah.
I know you said you're you'repulling back a little bit of
that from from glass ivy, but doyou do you still actively try
and uh gain new clients, newcustomers, or more is it more
about just uh taking care of thecustomer base, the longtime
customer base that you have?
SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
At this time, it's definitely just taking care of
the customer base that I have.
Not that in a perfect world, Iwould be able to focus more time
on that entity issue in someday.
Sure.
But for now, that's what itlooks like.
SPEAKER_01 (19:31):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Not going to throw it away afterlike you've 10 years now, not
gonna get rid of it.
All right.
So let's go to the celebrateArkansas years.
Of course, uh, those of us,especially Northwest Arkansas,
know what a recognizable brandthat is.
I think um 2003 was the foundingyear over over 25 years, almost
25 years, depending on how youwant to switch that.
How did you come to join thatcompany and then later move into
(19:54):
the leadership role that you'rein right now?
SPEAKER_00 (19:56):
Yeah, so at the time I was running Glass IV full-time
at our brick and mortar locationin Fayetteville.
And I'd been approached thatCelebrate was in the process of
changing leadership over thenext few years, and they were
looking for somebody to step inthat understood Northwest
Arkansas, was good at the personrelational aspect of business,
(20:18):
but they wanted somebody thatcould bring in another side to
the business, somebody likemyself who had experience in
other media formats, othermarketing formats, rather than
just print to make sure that thecompany was going to be
well-rounded and innovativemoving forward.
And so they were looking forkind of a special person, asked
if I was be interested.
(20:40):
And at the time I wasinterested, but I was still
doing this other thingfull-time, right?
So what I decided to do wasstart part-time and part-time
capacity, understand what thebusiness was about.
Um, so I started as an accountexecutive in 2023 and kind of
got my feet wet withunderstanding what Celebrate's
(21:03):
brand stood for in thecommunity, right?
Like you said, those that are inNorthwest Arkansas probably
recognized the name CelebrateArkansas, at least in some
capacity, as did I, but I didn'ttruly understand the intricacies
of kind of matching thecommunity aspect with the
business aspect.
And it's very unique.
(21:23):
And it was really exciting tolearn that sort of business that
is very return on relationshipand very engaged in what
nonprofits are doing and thingsof that nature.
So it's been a lot of fun.
I got to work with majorcorporations again, which is
something that I hadn't beendoing at Glass Ivy since my
(21:44):
emphasis was primarily small tomedium enterprises and startup.
And so that was kind of how Igot into celebrate.
And then over the past fewyears, as former leadership
retired, then I was able to stepinto the role of president.
And it's been great.
SPEAKER_01 (22:01):
Yeah, you mentioned the the corporations and the the
ones that you get to work with.
I mean, of course, the the thebig household names that we all
know, the legacy companies here,but I mean there are
corporations from all over thecountry that have a presence
here that that show up in yourmagazine to one degree or the
other.
You also mentioned that P word,the print word.
I mean, you you work in um in anenvironment where you hear
(22:22):
often, I'm sure, as I did in myformer life at the business
journal, a quote, print is dead.
Now, that's not me saying that.
That's what people say to me.
Print is dead.
Does print really matter?
What what do you say when whenyou hear that?
How do you push back againstthat?
SPEAKER_00 (22:34):
Well, in this day and age, I would say one, that
print is not dead.
I think that if you've beenfollowing marketing trends, one,
even in TV advertisements, onsocial media, things like that,
you see that nostalgia is reallyhaving a heyday.
People are really wanting tofind something that they trust,
something that makes them feelgood.
(22:56):
And sometimes a printpublication does just that.
I personally read magazines thataren't just celebrate, right?
I have other print publicationsthat I really enjoy.
But I think too, whenever youtake a step back and you look at
what is the core of marketing,right?
What are you trying to do with amarketing initiative, a public
relations initiative?
(23:17):
You're trying to have thosetouch points and tell a story
for a specific audience.
And whereas some printpublications are mass-produced,
celebrates is very, very uniquein the way that it is probably
one of the most targeted waysthat you can do print media.
(23:38):
We have a very specificaudience.
We distribute primarily toenterprise locations, um, retail
locations in the region,national headquarters, Walmart's
home office in some capacity.
And so we're able to really honein on what our messaging is
(23:58):
because we know exactly who'sreading our magazine, which in
the marketing world is verybeneficial, but also not very
common.
SPEAKER_01 (24:07):
Yeah, right.
And you come out once a month,right?
Publish once a month.
So, and this may be a betterquestion for your editorial
team, but I'll ask you anyway.
I'm sure you can explain it tome.
So, your editorial calendar asyou go throughout the year, when
I think of Celebrate Arkansas, Ithink of great covers.
I think of great people on yourcover, notable people,
celebrities, nationalcelebrities from athletics and
(24:28):
entertainment and uh certainlythe world of business.
But uh take me through thatplanning process.
I mean, you identify what youwant your month-to-month to be,
and then how do you go aboutsecuring, you know, the person
or the or the topic or what youwant?
What is how far out do you planfor that?
And how easy or not easy is thatto come together?
SPEAKER_00 (24:48):
Well, we plan about a year in advance.
Um, so quite a ways out.
So every year around latesummer, August-ish, we have a
meeting where we evaluate whatthe theme of every publication
for the following year is goingto be.
There are some themes that aregonna be legacy things that we
stay true to year over year.
(25:09):
And then there's some that weadjust or we tweak.
And then once we decide whatevery 12-month theme is going to
be, then we take a look and see,okay, well, what kind of covers
would we want to have for thosepublications?
What would most resonate withour audience?
And then kind of go through thatmethodically as to how to make
that happen.
SPEAKER_01 (25:30):
What cover or what issue has resonated the most
with you in the past two orthree years?
Is there is there a single issueor two that uh immediately come
to mind?
SPEAKER_00 (25:38):
So two issues immediately come to mind.
The first issue I ever got tosit in the room during the cover
story interview would be the2023 October issue, which is our
food and beverage issuehistorically, and it featured uh
Kent Eikenberry of the NorthwestArkansas Food Bank alongside
(26:02):
Claire Babineau Fontener ofFeeding America.
And so she is, you know, makingtremendous change on a national
level.
And I was able to sit there in aroom at the old warehouse for
the Northwest Arkansas Food Bankand hear her story of how she
came to be in the position thatshe is today.
(26:24):
And that was probably the mostimpactful for me because one,
Claire's doing amazing thingsand Kent has done amazing things
for the region.
And two, I got to see that onefrom beginning to end.
I got to be there whenever theywere shooting the pictures,
doing the interview, all ofthose things.
The second one that's probablythe most impactful to me is the
(26:44):
first time that I was a part ofa celebrity cover or what I
would consider a big celebritycover, which would have been the
2024 August issue, whichfeatured Nellie on the cover.
Oh.
Um with Amp Up the Arts and theWalton Arts Center.
And that was something that wegot to do from an exclusive
(27:04):
capacity through our partnershipwith the Walton Arts Center.
And so that was the first time Igot to be a part of putting a
really big household nationalcelebrity on the cover of a
publication that is printedthrough a team of seven here in
Bennville, Arkansas.
And so that was really fun.
SPEAKER_01 (27:21):
Yeah, that's certainly going to catch some
attention.
I think when they when you seethe magazine and people see uh,
you know, Nellie on the cover ofyou mentioned some of your
partners there, of course, theWalt Arts Center and and and
others.
You know, people see thosepartnerships on the surface,
right?
But what are they, is there amisconception misconception
about those partnerships thatyou have with the magazine?
And and what is the biggest onethat you hear and why is it a
(27:43):
misconception?
SPEAKER_00 (27:44):
Um, I think that one of the things that I like to
keep in mind with NorthwestArkansas in general is we have
one of the highest nonprofitsper capita of anywhere else in
the US, right?
Which is one of the reasons thatthis community has grown and
thrived like it has.
Celebrate is in a uniqueposition that we partner with a
(28:04):
lot of those nonprofitorganizations.
As a public relations entitythat wants to be a pillar of
things happening in thecommunity, we recognize what
those organizations are doingand we want to be a part of that
in a supportive way.
So, for instance, last yearalone, we partnered with over 30
nonprofit organizations and didsome sort of in-kind work,
(28:27):
whether that's throughsponsorship of their events and
covering those events by takingphotos, whether that's editorial
features or in-kindadvertisements to promote either
an initiative or an event thatthey have going.
We do that very regularly.
That's a core pillar of ourbusiness, is making sure that we
are supporting those communityorganizations.
(28:49):
And then on top of that, we alsodo some advertising give back
programs where we are able tobring in national household
names that are some of ourpartners, and we allow them to
participate in an advertisingprogram where they not only get
to showcase their products ortheir people or what they're
doing in the community, but aportion of those advertising
(29:10):
dollars are donated directly toan organization in the
community.
So that's a way that we areputting our money where our
mouth is, right?
We're not just saying that we'reinvolved in the community.
We're actually out there givingaway in kind work and we're also
donating cash and bringing insponsors, bringing in other
organizations to help supportthese causes and organizations.
SPEAKER_01 (29:33):
And doesn't it feel good to give back and support
all those causes because they'rearound every corner up here?
Um that there's so muchopportunity to do that.
Absolutely.
Right.
So all right.
Well, let's talk about uh yourfamily.
You talked about your you andyour husband, um, Taylor, also a
University of Central Arkansasgraduate, the two of you raising
raising your family in Fayville.
(29:53):
So how do you how do younavigate this this season of
life?
You're in a you know aleadership position uh with the
company, but also uh there'sthat that you know work-life
ballast that we hear so muchabout.
How do you navigate that?
SPEAKER_00 (30:05):
Well, first, I think navigate is a good way to
describe that.
There's definitely somenavigating going on, especially
this week as we've had snow inthe area, right?
So I think that there what firstI think there's a misconception
of balance, right?
I don't think that there evertruly is a balance whenever
(30:27):
you're a working parent.
I think that you have toprioritize and you have to be
able to give and take.
Um, for instance, I prioritizetaking my kids to school.
That's something that's veryimportant to me.
So I make sure that my officehours are going to be
accommodating so that way I cando that at least 90% of the
(30:49):
time.
Um, one of the ways I'm able tohave this career and do things
like that is through a supportsystem.
And I'm very fortunate that myhusband is able to work from
home.
And so he does have a flexiblejob as well.
And so we definitely divide andconquer whenever it comes to
household items.
(31:10):
And then outside of that, I dohave friends and family in the
area that are very supportive ofnot only my family and my
children, but also of my career.
SPEAKER_01 (31:20):
Yeah.
So the non-negotiable is takingyour kids to school.
Understandable.
I think anybody would feel thesame way.
Are there some trade-offs thatyou've had to accept?
SPEAKER_00 (31:30):
Yes.
So part of my role at Celebrateis attending a lot of events.
A lot of events.
Yes.
We talked about all of thosenonprofits and they have amazing
charitable events.
And so part of my job isattending quite a few of those.
With that comes the fact thatsometimes on Fridays, Saturdays,
(31:51):
any day of the week, that theremay be a time where I'm not able
to be home for dinner or bedtimeor things like that.
And so that is something that Ihave had to adjust to and just
be mindful of whenever I do havetime or I do have a day where
I'm working from home, that Ican adjust my work schedule to
(32:11):
be mindful of quality time withboth of my kids and with my
family.
SPEAKER_01 (32:16):
So to me, in other words, it sounds like there's
not a normal week for you.
Correct.
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (32:20):
I mean, yes, we are very big on a digital calendar
that has everybody'sappointments, events, everything
mapped out.
So that way we try to planahead.
But no, I would say in myhousehold at least, we do not
have a typical Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (32:35):
So so to k to to take your kids to school, let's
say for example, that is athat's a tangible thing that you
can control that would maybeinject some normalcy into your
week, right?
To hold on to this.
Is there anything else that youthat you strive to do or want to
do each week to just give yousomething that's I know this is
not going to change from day today to week to week?
SPEAKER_00 (32:55):
Yeah, in our household, we do Sunday night
pizza nights as a family.
And so that's something that wedo every week if we can.
Outside of that, I love reading.
And so I like to read with mychildren.
And then my husband and I areboth rock climbers, and so we
like to try to rock climb eitherin a gym or outside once a week.
SPEAKER_01 (33:16):
Okay, then.
Um, a couple questions then.
Uh, so what's your favoritepizza?
SPEAKER_00 (33:21):
Um, that is a good one.
SPEAKER_01 (33:23):
That is this homemade pizza, you do it at the
kitchen, you're going out toplaces.
So I won't ask you your favoriteplace and put you on the spot.
SPEAKER_00 (33:29):
Okay, well, my favorite place is pizzeria ruby.
Okay.
And Junpson.
Okay.
And my favorite pizza from thereis the vodka pie.
So I highly recommend that one.
SPEAKER_01 (33:39):
Okay, pizzeria ruby vodka pie.
Okay.
And rock climbing.
Where has that been somethingyou've done since you were 10
years old?
Did you pick this up later inlife?
How did you come to uh to thatoutdoor recreation activity?
SPEAKER_00 (33:51):
So I've been rock climbing for a little over three
years now.
And I was introduced to it by afriend who actually introduced
me to the owner of a climbinggym through my work at Glass
Ivy.
And so that was the first time Iever stepped foot in a rock
climbing gym and just reallytook to it.
I've always been a verycompetitive person.
(34:13):
And I liked the aspect of withrock climbing, you either
complete the route or you don't.
There's a very clear, likewin-lose scenario there.
And so being able to combinethat aspect with just staying
physically active and thengetting to tie in being outdoors
in Arkansas.
It's been great.
SPEAKER_01 (34:31):
I I think if it's a completed or don't, I definitely
want to be inside, not outsidetrying to climb up the the face
of the of the Buffalo River oranything like that.
Do you climb outside or is thisokay?
Yeah.
Any um any accident, any heroictales?
SPEAKER_00 (34:46):
Any uh No, not to date, thankfully.
Um, my favorite place to climboutside right now is probably
Horseshoe Canine Ranch outsideof Jasper.
And my family, we like to all gocamp out there and then go climb
together.
So that's really fun.
But there's a lot of greatplaces out here in Northwest
Arkansas to get outdoors andclimb.
SPEAKER_01 (35:06):
Yeah, sure.
Okay.
Um, you mentioned storytellingearlier, and um, you know,
there's a balance of what uh anyany media company does and what
a publication does.
But tell me why do you thinkthat Arkansas stories, you know,
of entrepreneurs, of businessesuh up here, what you do, why do
those stories uh matter so muchright now?
SPEAKER_00 (35:27):
I think that anytime you think of Arkansas,
especially whenever you'redealing with clients on a
national level, there's amisconception about what is
available in the area, what typeof businesses are in the area,
what type of people are in thearea.
And so I think that it'simportant to combat that with
some of those amazing stories ofpeople that are successful and
(35:49):
are doing great things in thecommunity, whether from a
personal standpoint, a communityorganization, or in their
professional career.
SPEAKER_01 (35:57):
Yeah, because there's people who are coming
here from all over the world,right?
They're they're bringing theirbusinesses here and also
bringing their families here uhto grow their companies.
And it's not misconception aboutwhat people think it is.
It's not solely retail or it'snot solely, you know, those
legacy companies.
There's such a uh an environmentthat continues to evolve around
(36:18):
here, healthcare just being oneexample of things that are going
to have a huge runway uh formany, many years to come.
Um, so in thinking of UCA thenand and your alma mater, um, you
know, what role uh do highereducation institutions play in
um in strengthening theconnection between uh central
Arkansas, where you uh were,I'll say raised since you moved
(36:41):
in fourth grade.
You were raised in centralArkansas, went to school there,
started your career, but nowyou're in northwest Arkansas.
What role do colleges play in inbridging the gap, the
connectivity gap between CentralArkansas and Northwest Arkansas?
SPEAKER_00 (36:55):
I think that my time at UCA and in Central Arkansas
specifically really helped meunderstand what I wanted, right?
The things that I loved aboutConway specifically since I
lived there and went to schoolthere twice, was the aspect of
community and how the city as awhole was trying to grow,
(37:16):
whether from an infrastructurestandpoint, you know, adding
more parks, more bike trails,having activities downtown,
things like that.
Those were all things that werevery attractive to me.
And so I learned through that,through my time at UCA and
through my time in Conway, thatthat is something that I wanted
for me and my family.
And then also businessopportunities, because I saw
(37:39):
that being from a small town incentral Arkansas, that there
was, you know, there's thecompanies that you think of that
are headquartered in Little Rockor headquartered in Conway.
But but until you're part ofthat community, you don't really
understand all of the othersmall businesses that are part
of that ecosystem.
And so I think that it reallyhelped set my expectations for
(38:00):
not only what I wanted out of anarea to raise a family, but also
helped me understand the greaterpicture of a business ecosystem
that is not just the majorcorporations, the household
names, but also includes thosesmall to medium enterprises and
those startups that are maybefamily-owned or maybe owned by
one or two people, that it's avery well-rounded ecosystem and
(38:23):
community.
And that's kind of what I waslooking for.
And so Northwest Arkansas wasanother perfect example of that.
And I really enjoy living here.
SPEAKER_01 (38:33):
Well, and you see a lot of that up close because um,
you know, the ecosystem that youwork in is in downtown
Bittenville.
So you get to see a lot of that.
Uh, a lot of the people andplaces and things that that
sprout up there is trulymind-boggling, uh, but you can
just run into around everycorner, right?
Yeah.
So um what's I'm gonna give you,since you're uh our first double
(38:54):
alum, uh you you are uh a lotmore accomplished than my uh you
know previous guests.
I'm just kidding, previousguests, but I'm gonna throw some
lightning.
I'm gonna throw some lightningaround questions uh at you uh
and see what um some of yourreflections are.
All right, what's the bestadvice you've ever received?
SPEAKER_00 (39:10):
That you can be good at anything, but you can't be
good at everything.
Um, I think that that issomething that I've stayed true
to.
You know, I love graphic design,for example, and I've done that
for a long time.
I'm never gonna be the bestgraphic designer in the world.
And so understanding that thereare things that I'm really,
(39:30):
really good at.
And just because I love itdoesn't mean that that's what I
have to do.
SPEAKER_01 (39:35):
What is a tool, a habit, or a system that you
genuinely swear by?
SPEAKER_00 (39:40):
I genuinely think that everybody should have a
hobby or activity that istotally separate from work that
is something that is personal toyou that you really enjoy.
So that way you have that outletfor whenever you're starting to
feel burned out or you need timeto yourself.
And for me, that's rockclimbing.
SPEAKER_01 (39:59):
Yeah, that's right.
All right.
What is a uh an entrepreneurshipmyth that you would love to
retire for good?
SPEAKER_00 (40:05):
I think my favorite entrepreneurship myth that I
would love to retire for good isthat you have to have a large
investment to get off theground.
I started my company, Glass Ivy,with no investment.
It was just me, myself, and whatI was able to put in personally.
And then, like we've talkedabout, I still have that
business open and operatingtoday.
SPEAKER_01 (40:27):
Is there a story behind that name, Glass Ivy?
SPEAKER_00 (40:29):
So a little bit, yes.
Um, one, I was trying to thinkof something that was really
cool, really catchy, um, thatwould be recognizable.
And then I was trying to thinkof what I really liked
personally and what kind ofresonated with my business
mission.
And the glass part istransparency.
I feel like whenever you talk toa marketing agency, a lot of
(40:51):
times you don't really know whatyou're gonna get.
There's a lot of behind theclosed doors of what services
they offer, what their pricingis, what results you're gonna
get, all of that.
And I wanted to eliminate that.
And then the IV portion was thegrowth aspect of helping small
businesses grow and bonus pointsbecause I like plants.
SPEAKER_01 (41:13):
Okay, very good.
All right, so you're approachingum, I think three years at
Celebrate, Arkansas.
You've got a great product,you've got a great team.
What is next for that magazineand that company?
SPEAKER_00 (41:23):
I think twofold.
I think that we're going to staytrue to what our brand mission
is.
You know, we've had longevity inthe community because of that
aspect.
We've stayed true to whatCelebrate wants to do, which is
tell stories about people andbusinesses and community and
kind of be at a crossroads ofthose three aspects.
Alternatively, I think that weare going to continue to grow
(41:46):
and innovate in a way that meetsour customers where they are.
I'd love to introduce moreomni-channel opportunities for
public relations and reallybridge that gap between what
we're able to do and Crent andelevate other tools and other
opportunities as well.
SPEAKER_01 (42:01):
Okay.
And so what's next for AlexaWilliams, five years from now,
uh, when people think about youor run into you, what do you
hope they they say that youhelped build with that company?
SPEAKER_00 (42:12):
I hope that they see the growth of maintaining the
celebrate brand trust and nameand see the progress that we've
made towards bridging the gapbetween print and omnichannel
opportunities for our clients.
I'd also love if they saw howmuch we were able to put back
into the community and how muchwe were able to do with the
(42:34):
nonprofit organizations that arereally making a change in
Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_01 (42:39):
All right, very good.
Great stuff.
All right, where's the bestplace for people to find
Celebrate Arkansas online andkeep up and follow the word
Pekin D?
SPEAKER_00 (42:45):
Absolutely.
I would encourage you to visitcelebratearkans.com.
All of our publications areavailable in a digital format
there.
I'd also encourage you to followus on Instagram at Celebrate
Arkansas, where we do a lot ofour boots on the ground behind
the scenes of making themagazine as well as community
initiatives and involvement.
SPEAKER_01 (43:07):
You mentioned Instagram.
Do you have a favorite socialmedia platform or one that you
you find more useful than theothers?
SPEAKER_00 (43:15):
I think personally I spend the most time on Instagram
as far as engaging with othersin the community.
However, from a professionalstandpoint, I have found
LinkedIn to be the most helpfulin my professional career and in
business trying to connect withpeople.
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (43:31):
Love LinkedIn.
I don't I don't know why peoplesleep on LinkedIn.
I think it's fantastic.
I got to get on Instagram,though.
That's I'm uh I'm lacking there.
All right.
So, Alexa, thanks very much forbeing here.
Thanks for representing UCA andfor Arkansas so well.
Really appreciate you.
SPEAKER_00 (43:46):
Thank you for having me, Paul.
SPEAKER_01 (43:48):
All right, very good.
And that's it for this editionof Central to NWA.
We appreciate you tuning in.
Until next time, go Bears.
That's it for this episode ofCentral to NWA, a UCA.
Podcast.
I'm Paul Gatling, SeniorDirector of Northwest Arkansas
Engagement for the University ofCentral Arkansas.
Be sure to subscribe to the showand follow UCA on all the
(44:10):
appropriate social media.
I'll see you next time onCentral to NWA.
This is Central to NWA, a UCA podcast.
I'm your host, Paul Gatling, andwe are bringing the University
of Central Arkansas to NorthwestArkansas.
Each episode, we will talk withleaders, alumni, and innovators
driving this region forward.
People who are shapingindustries and defining what is
next for our state.
(00:22):
Let's get started.
All right, we're back now.
Time for another edition ofCentral to NWA, a UCA podcast.
Paul Gatling here with you.
And with me today is a guest whohas a distinction that is very
unique among this podcastalready.
You ready for this?
I guess so.
You know what I'm going to say?
Yes, I think so.
All right.
(00:42):
So this is our seventh episode.
And for the first time, my guestdoes not have just one but two
degrees from the University ofCentral Arkansas, which
officially makes her unoverqualified to sit here next
to me on this podcast.
Of course, I'm talking aboutAlexa Williams.
She is the president ofCelebrate Arkansas Magazine, UCA
(01:02):
double alum and an entrepreneurto boot.
So Alexa, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_00 (01:07):
Thank you, Paul, for having me.
I'm excited to be here today.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Okay, so two UCA degrees, business degree in
2014, MBA in 2018.
You must have really liked it inConway, right?
SPEAKER_00 (01:18):
I did.
You know, my family, I graduatedhigh school in Cabot, so it's
close to home.
And also, I know we're going todive into a little bit deeper,
but both times whenever I wastrying to choose where to
continue my education, I lookedaround a lot and just always
felt that UCA was the best placefor me.
So went back a second time.
SPEAKER_01 (01:38):
Yeah.
Well, so how does that feel nowsitting where you are today to
hear double UCA alum?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:45):
A little bit crazy.
You know, I didn't think oneoriginally, I didn't think I was
going to go into businesswhenever I first went to UCA.
That wasn't my original plan.
And so deciding to go back andcontinue my business education
there was something that I wasvery excited to do, but not
necessarily what I planned forfrom day one.
(02:05):
So looking back now and seeingthat I have two degrees from the
same university, a smalleruniversity in Arkansas, is
pretty exciting.
SPEAKER_01 (02:13):
Right.
Well, very good.
Well, we're glad to have youhere.
I'm glad to have you here andexcited to keep this podcast uh
rolling with a great UCA alumhere in Northwest Arkansas.
So um, for people who may behearing your name for the first
time, you know, how do youintroduce yourself when you when
you meet people?
You meet a lot of people andcome into contact with a lot of
business owners and businessleaders and entrepreneurs at the
(02:33):
magazine.
How do you introduce yourself tothem?
SPEAKER_00 (02:36):
Usually I say hello.
My name's Alexa, like Amazon.
That usually breaks the ice, nowthat that's a very common word.
Um, and then I say I'm thepresident at Celebrate Arkansas.
I'm also a wife and a mother totwo, and I enjoy outdoor
recreation, and I live inFayetteville.
I'm a big razorback baseballfan, all of those things.
SPEAKER_01 (02:58):
You have checked all the boxes in Northwest Arkansas,
uh, outdoor recreation,especially, razorback baseball,
which are coming up on thatpretty soon.
So when someone hears celebrateArkansas for the first time, um,
what do you want them to knowimmediately about what that
brand and that company is andwhat does it represent?
SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
So, whenever people initially hear celebrate
Arkansas, especially if you'refrom the Northwest Arkansas
region, you think of a magazine,right?
And that is what we are at ourbread and butter is we are a
monthly publication.
However, what I like toarticulate to people is that
we're much more than that.
We would consider ourselves apublic relations entity.
(03:36):
We like to be at theintersection of community and
business, which is a very uniqueaspect of what makes Northwest
Arkansas so vibrant and what hascontributed to its growth over
the past few years.
So being able to coincide ourmessaging and our publication
with that is really what makesus unique.
SPEAKER_01 (03:55):
Yeah.
And you, you know, based inBentonville, of course, but with
a statewide reach to yourwebsite and subscriptions,
several subscribers throughoutthe state.
So not just Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_00 (04:06):
Right.
Not just Northwest Arkansas, andactually not just Arkansas
itself.
You know, many of our clientsand our partners are doing
business on a national level.
So we do have some reach, notjust in the state, but where
other companies areheadquartered that we may
partner with here in a regionalcapacity.
SPEAKER_01 (04:24):
All right.
So let's rewind a bit.
Uh, and we we talked about UCA,the path from Cabot to Conway
and University of CentralArkansas.
What originally um brought youto Conway?
You said con you said UCA umchecked a lot of boxes for you.
Why did why did you trust thatUCA was going to be the place
for you uh to kick off yourprofessional career after high
(04:44):
school?
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
So I knew I wanted to stay in Arkansas.
Both of my parents graduatedfrom high schools in Arkansas.
We moved around a lot because mydad was in the army.
And then I got to graduate fromCabot.
So I wanted to stay in thestate, but I didn't exactly know
where I wanted to go.
So, as any good senior in highschool does, I went and toured a
lot of places with my family.
(05:06):
And I really liked theclose-knit atmosphere of UCA.
Plus, the campus was verywalkable.
It's very beautiful.
And then to boot, I also wasgiven a scholarship opportunity
that kind of sealed the deal forme to go there.
SPEAKER_01 (05:20):
When did you move to Cabot?
You said the military career,you moved around a lot.
When did you move to clear?
SPEAKER_00 (05:25):
I was fortunate to be in Cabot from fourth grade
until I graduated high school.
SPEAKER_01 (05:29):
Okay, not too bad.
So um, where are some otherplaces that you lived?
What was the most exoticlocation that you lived in
America or outside of America?
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
No, no, I never got to live abroad, unfortunately,
but probably the most exoticplace would be Washington, D.C.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
Okay.
Yeah.
And the reason I asked that oneof my best friends, he was a
military kid, and he actuallyuh, and I met him at uh Milder,
Henderson State.
He went to high school inGermany.
Okay.
He l he's from upstate New Yorkand um, you know, really lived
all over the place and nowsubsequently has high school
buddies from all over the worldbecause they all congregated
there in Germany.
So uh you studied business,right?
SPEAKER_00 (06:05):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (06:06):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
Yeah.
Originally I went into UCAstudying biology.
Um and then but yes, but aftertwo years and going through
organic chemistry, I decidedthat I wanted to change course.
And at that time was reallytrying to evaluate what I really
wanted to do, what I waspassionate about, and what fit
(06:28):
for me long term.
And the two things that kind ofreally came to mind is I've
always been a people person.
I've always been involved inorganizations, I've always had a
lot of friends.
And so business kind of reallycoincided with that aspect of my
life.
And then with the thought that Ialso love creativity and
innovation and things like that.
(06:50):
And so I felt that business wasa good fit.
And so transitioned after twoyears into the business program
there.
SPEAKER_01 (06:56):
And so, how did that uh that personality of yours,
how did that uh translate thereat UCA?
Describe your undergraduatecareer.
What were you involved in?
How would you uh remember yourum undergrad experience at UCA?
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
Yeah, so I was very involved in various
organizations.
I was involved in Greek life,um, I was involved in the
Business and InformationTechnology Club.
I was also a member of theAssociation of Future Alumni and
did a lot of other activities oncampus, but that would probably
be the biggest things that Ispent time in.
SPEAKER_01 (07:30):
What gave you the biggest boost?
I mean, what confidence boost?
What were you most excited to bearound?
Was it a professor or a class ora moment or the Greek life?
I mean, what would you say youuh would be the top line on your
uh your resume there?
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
I think Greek life introduced me to the widest
variety of professionals.
I got to see a lot of advisorsfrom not just my organization,
but others as well that have hadstrong career paths and got to
see how that translated fromgraduating UCA to making an
impact in their professionallife.
Outside of that, um, one of theprofessors that made an impact
(08:05):
on me was Doug Voss, who Ibelieve is still at the
business.
Um, oddly enough, I have anemphasis in my undergrad in
supply chain and logisticsbecause of Professor Voss.
That is not something that Iever would have considered.
Um, but his class was veryintriguing and very interesting.
And he was able to articulatereal world, real world scenarios
(08:30):
and how that would relate.
SPEAKER_01 (08:32):
Yeah, those are two words I would use to describe uh
Doug as well.
Interesting and intriguing.
Yeah, you'd probably agree.
So um you came back for yourMBA, I think.
You graduate in 2014, startedyour career, then you came back
in 2017.
What changed uh for you thesecond time around?
What was that experience like asyou're I kicked you out into the
world, but you went back to getthat uh secondary degree?
SPEAKER_00 (08:54):
Yes.
So I decided that I wanted tocontinue my education for
several reasons.
Partially because, you know, Iwas young in my career and I
felt that there was still a lotthat I wanted to learn, a lot
that I wanted to refine in mybusiness knowledge.
Outside of that, I also feltthat an additional degree would
give me credibility as somebodywho was very young and early on
(09:15):
in their career.
Whenever I was trying to decidewhere to get my MBA from, I was
once again in Arkansas and wastrying to figure out which
program was a good fit.
And I ultimately decided thatUCA was the best fit for me
because of their flexibility forpeople that are working
full-time.
(09:35):
At the time, I was workingfull-time, but I did not want an
only online program.
I did not want something thatwas classified as an executive
MBA or a professional MBA.
I wanted a true MBA that I couldget while also working
full-time.
And I found that UCA's Collegeof Business was able to allow me
(09:58):
to take classes in the eveningas well as online.
So I had a hybrid model thatworked for me so I could work
full-time, get the MBA degreethat I wanted, but also maintain
my career.
SPEAKER_01 (10:10):
Yeah, and and part of your um undergrad experience
too, I don't want to gloss overbecause I think we've we've
talked about this.
You you did some internships aswell.
You did some HR internships andmarketing internships and some
of that business experience.
How valuable was that to you,uh, especially maybe looking
back on it now, how importantwas you for you to go through
that while you were anundergrad?
SPEAKER_00 (10:31):
Very important.
Um, like you said, I did an HRinternship and a marketing
internship, and both were vastlydifferent.
Whenever I was doing the HRinternship, the company at the
time had just acquired anothercompany.
So we were redoing everyemployee's benefits, payroll,
all of that.
So I got a lot of first minuteexperience there on what the
(10:53):
inner workings of a businesslook like.
And then alternatively, with mymarketing internship, it was for
Moe's Southwest Grill in Conway.
And so I got to do a lot ofboots on the ground marketing, a
lot of activations, a lot ofin-person networking
opportunities.
So both of those really shapedmy understanding of how
(11:14):
businesses worked from differentfacets, but also gave me an
opportunity to get my feet wetin a few different areas.
SPEAKER_01 (11:20):
Yeah, and just get a head start.
I mean, really give you thatextra baseline of knowledge, uh,
besides the you know, theclassroom theory from UCA.
All right.
So after graduation, you know,tell me what your um your early
career looked like uh after thefirst few years.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
So whenever I started my career outside of
college at a UCA the first time,um, I went into HR.
That's what I had experience in.
That's what my first job was in.
And while I loved the aspect ofgetting to deal with people
every day, I was kind of lackingthat innovation piece, that
creativity piece that wasn'treally present in most HR
(11:59):
departments.
So an opportunity internallyopened up for what was called an
associate producer, um, which isa very unique role, is was at a
tech company.
And so it was kind of a hybridof customer support, app
building, a little bit ofdesign, and then working with
app stores like the Apple Storeand Google Play Store.
(12:21):
So there was a learning curve,but I really got to work
one-on-one with the businesses,specifically with people in the
finance industry that werelooking for like a way to get
into technology, a way to buildan app at an affordable price.
And so I got to try out graphicdesign for the first time.
(12:42):
I got to spend more time workingwith small businesses, which
really shaped the rest of mycareer.
And from there, I kind of workedmy way up through the company
and transitioned into graphicdesign, which was a personal
passion of mine.
I had great teammates thathelped train me along the way.
It was very much a hands-onlearning experience.
(13:03):
I was very fortunate to get towork for some major corporations
for the first time in that role,like Microsoft and Sirius XM.
And so that was my first kind ofexperience working for those
top-tier level companies thathave really high expectations,
very rigorous guides and rulesand things like that.
(13:24):
And so that was fun.
And then from there, I reallykind of started getting my feet
wet with the whole entrepreneurthing.
Um, at the time, the company Iwas working for had acquired a
marketing agency.
And so I was sitting down withsome of those new team members,
and I was like, you know, Ithink that this company would
(13:45):
benefit from having design andmarketing services as its own
unit of offering rather than asa secondary service to support
development.
And so that was the first timeI'd ever kind of pitched a new
business idea or business model,and it was accepted.
And I was able to help drivewhat that would look like for
(14:06):
the company and shape that.
Um, and that really was probablythe most impactful turning point
in my career was getting tostart that division and kind of
grow it and shape it into what Ithought would be beneficial for
our customers or potentialcustomers.
SPEAKER_01 (14:24):
And so all of this is um in central Arkansas.
You're still there?
SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (14:28):
So explain the situation the circumstances of
coming to Northwest Arkansasthrough all of that.
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
Yes.
So at the time, whenever I was agraphic designer, transitioning
into this marketing and strategyrole, the company I was working
for decided to open an office inFayetteville on the Fayetteville
Square.
And they were looking for peoplethat were willing to relocate to
that location.
And we had an office in Conway.
We had an office outside ofNashville in Franklin,
(14:56):
Tennessee.
So there was a conglomerate ofpeople that were coming from the
other offices to relocate toFayetteville to get that one off
the ground.
And so my husband is also fromArkansas.
His family's from the RiverValley area.
We'd been in Conway for a while.
And so we didn't have kids.
And we were like, yeah, let's goto Northwest Arkansas.
Let's see what it's about.
(15:16):
So that was the first time Ilived in Fayetteville and worked
out of that office, helped getthat office off of the ground.
And then through all of that,was relocated back to Conway
after some time, which is thenwhen I started the MBA program.
SPEAKER_01 (15:31):
Right.
And so being an entrepreneur,uh, entrepreneur uh means
different things to differentpeople, but I think universally
to everybody, that can be alittle scary.
Right.
And so um, what was the firstmoment though through that and
starting your own business thatyou thought, hey, I I think this
works.
I think I can do this, I thinkthis is something that I can do.
(15:52):
Was there a was there an ahamoment when you form your own
business?
SPEAKER_00 (15:57):
Yes.
So after I stepped away from mynine to five and went full
entrepreneur mode, things likeyou said were a little scary at
first.
I was building thisinfrastructure for a business
model, trying to make it lookexactly how I wanted, while also
staying in contact with peopleI'd met through my career thus
(16:17):
far to kind of build a networkof customers or at least people
that were willing to share myname in a room.
And I'll never forget, I was inConway and my husband and I were
going out to dinner or somethingof like that.
And we stopped at a gas stationand I got a phone call from a
number I didn't recognize, whichback then wasn't spam, but could
(16:39):
have been so it's kind of a50-50.
And the things have changed.
Exactly.
I went ahead and answered it,and it was a gentleman named
Lee, and he was with a companycalled Unified Payment Group out
of Nashville.
And he was reaching out becausethey were in need of a new
marketing and design agency.
(17:00):
They were unhappy with theircurrent setup.
And they had heard through wordof mouth business from my
previous employer that that issomething that I might be able
to do.
And for me, that was the firstmoment that I was like, oh my
gosh, maybe I can actually dothis.
Maybe this is actually gonnawork.
And Unified Payments Group isactually someone that I still
(17:21):
work with today.
And so I've worked with themnow, ooh, about 10 years.
Yeah, well.
SPEAKER_01 (17:41):
Sure.
And for those who don't know,your company is called Glass
Ivy.
Right.
And still something that you youpay attention to, something
that's a going concern in inFayetteville.
SPEAKER_00 (17:50):
Yes.
Yeah.
So for a while we did have abrick and mortar office in
Fayetteville through mytransition into president at
Celebrate.
That's something that I've kindof backed off a little bit.
And so I do have a few clientsthat I regularly maintain, some
of their digital marketinginfrastructure or just on a
consulting basis.
SPEAKER_01 (18:10):
So keep that hat on then for a minute, then.
What matters the most today interms of you know digital
marketing and technology?
Is it the platforms in thetools, or is it the um the
trust, the relationship, theclarity of message?
Which of those things would yougive more weight to?
SPEAKER_00 (18:29):
I'd say you have to have a healthy mixture first.
You can't just have this greatrelationship and be naive to the
technology and platformsavailable, but also vice versa.
You can't be up to date with thelatest technology and tools, but
then not pay attention to whatyour customer is actually
wanting and what they need.
So I think that you have to haveboth.
(18:51):
Um, especially in my time atCelebrate, though, I have
learned that the relationshipand understanding what your
customer actually needs, even ifthey don't really understand
what they need, is probably themost important, that relational
aspect.
SPEAKER_01 (19:05):
Yeah.
I know you said you're you'repulling back a little bit of
that from from glass ivy, but doyou do you still actively try
and uh gain new clients, newcustomers, or more is it more
about just uh taking care of thecustomer base, the longtime
customer base that you have?
SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
At this time, it's definitely just taking care of
the customer base that I have.
Not that in a perfect world, Iwould be able to focus more time
on that entity issue in someday.
Sure.
But for now, that's what itlooks like.
SPEAKER_01 (19:31):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Not going to throw it away afterlike you've 10 years now, not
gonna get rid of it.
All right.
So let's go to the celebrateArkansas years.
Of course, uh, those of us,especially Northwest Arkansas,
know what a recognizable brandthat is.
I think um 2003 was the foundingyear over over 25 years, almost
25 years, depending on how youwant to switch that.
How did you come to join thatcompany and then later move into
(19:54):
the leadership role that you'rein right now?
SPEAKER_00 (19:56):
Yeah, so at the time I was running Glass IV full-time
at our brick and mortar locationin Fayetteville.
And I'd been approached thatCelebrate was in the process of
changing leadership over thenext few years, and they were
looking for somebody to step inthat understood Northwest
Arkansas, was good at the personrelational aspect of business,
(20:18):
but they wanted somebody thatcould bring in another side to
the business, somebody likemyself who had experience in
other media formats, othermarketing formats, rather than
just print to make sure that thecompany was going to be
well-rounded and innovativemoving forward.
And so they were looking forkind of a special person, asked
if I was be interested.
(20:40):
And at the time I wasinterested, but I was still
doing this other thingfull-time, right?
So what I decided to do wasstart part-time and part-time
capacity, understand what thebusiness was about.
Um, so I started as an accountexecutive in 2023 and kind of
got my feet wet withunderstanding what Celebrate's
(21:03):
brand stood for in thecommunity, right?
Like you said, those that are inNorthwest Arkansas probably
recognized the name CelebrateArkansas, at least in some
capacity, as did I, but I didn'ttruly understand the intricacies
of kind of matching thecommunity aspect with the
business aspect.
And it's very unique.
(21:23):
And it was really exciting tolearn that sort of business that
is very return on relationshipand very engaged in what
nonprofits are doing and thingsof that nature.
So it's been a lot of fun.
I got to work with majorcorporations again, which is
something that I hadn't beendoing at Glass Ivy since my
(21:44):
emphasis was primarily small tomedium enterprises and startup.
And so that was kind of how Igot into celebrate.
And then over the past fewyears, as former leadership
retired, then I was able to stepinto the role of president.
And it's been great.
SPEAKER_01 (22:01):
Yeah, you mentioned the the corporations and the the
ones that you get to work with.
I mean, of course, the the thebig household names that we all
know, the legacy companies here,but I mean there are
corporations from all over thecountry that have a presence
here that that show up in yourmagazine to one degree or the
other.
You also mentioned that P word,the print word.
I mean, you you work in um in anenvironment where you hear
(22:22):
often, I'm sure, as I did in myformer life at the business
journal, a quote, print is dead.
Now, that's not me saying that.
That's what people say to me.
Print is dead.
Does print really matter?
What what do you say when whenyou hear that?
How do you push back againstthat?
SPEAKER_00 (22:34):
Well, in this day and age, I would say one, that
print is not dead.
I think that if you've beenfollowing marketing trends, one,
even in TV advertisements, onsocial media, things like that,
you see that nostalgia is reallyhaving a heyday.
People are really wanting tofind something that they trust,
something that makes them feelgood.
(22:56):
And sometimes a printpublication does just that.
I personally read magazines thataren't just celebrate, right?
I have other print publicationsthat I really enjoy.
But I think too, whenever youtake a step back and you look at
what is the core of marketing,right?
What are you trying to do with amarketing initiative, a public
relations initiative?
(23:17):
You're trying to have thosetouch points and tell a story
for a specific audience.
And whereas some printpublications are mass-produced,
celebrates is very, very uniquein the way that it is probably
one of the most targeted waysthat you can do print media.
(23:38):
We have a very specificaudience.
We distribute primarily toenterprise locations, um, retail
locations in the region,national headquarters, Walmart's
home office in some capacity.
And so we're able to really honein on what our messaging is
(23:58):
because we know exactly who'sreading our magazine, which in
the marketing world is verybeneficial, but also not very
common.
SPEAKER_01 (24:07):
Yeah, right.
And you come out once a month,right?
Publish once a month.
So, and this may be a betterquestion for your editorial
team, but I'll ask you anyway.
I'm sure you can explain it tome.
So, your editorial calendar asyou go throughout the year, when
I think of Celebrate Arkansas, Ithink of great covers.
I think of great people on yourcover, notable people,
celebrities, nationalcelebrities from athletics and
(24:28):
entertainment and uh certainlythe world of business.
But uh take me through thatplanning process.
I mean, you identify what youwant your month-to-month to be,
and then how do you go aboutsecuring, you know, the person
or the or the topic or what youwant?
What is how far out do you planfor that?
And how easy or not easy is thatto come together?
SPEAKER_00 (24:48):
Well, we plan about a year in advance.
Um, so quite a ways out.
So every year around latesummer, August-ish, we have a
meeting where we evaluate whatthe theme of every publication
for the following year is goingto be.
There are some themes that aregonna be legacy things that we
stay true to year over year.
(25:09):
And then there's some that weadjust or we tweak.
And then once we decide whatevery 12-month theme is going to
be, then we take a look and see,okay, well, what kind of covers
would we want to have for thosepublications?
What would most resonate withour audience?
And then kind of go through thatmethodically as to how to make
that happen.
SPEAKER_01 (25:30):
What cover or what issue has resonated the most
with you in the past two orthree years?
Is there is there a single issueor two that uh immediately come
to mind?
SPEAKER_00 (25:38):
So two issues immediately come to mind.
The first issue I ever got tosit in the room during the cover
story interview would be the2023 October issue, which is our
food and beverage issuehistorically, and it featured uh
Kent Eikenberry of the NorthwestArkansas Food Bank alongside
(26:02):
Claire Babineau Fontener ofFeeding America.
And so she is, you know, makingtremendous change on a national
level.
And I was able to sit there in aroom at the old warehouse for
the Northwest Arkansas Food Bankand hear her story of how she
came to be in the position thatshe is today.
(26:24):
And that was probably the mostimpactful for me because one,
Claire's doing amazing thingsand Kent has done amazing things
for the region.
And two, I got to see that onefrom beginning to end.
I got to be there whenever theywere shooting the pictures,
doing the interview, all ofthose things.
The second one that's probablythe most impactful to me is the
(26:44):
first time that I was a part ofa celebrity cover or what I
would consider a big celebritycover, which would have been the
2024 August issue, whichfeatured Nellie on the cover.
Oh.
Um with Amp Up the Arts and theWalton Arts Center.
And that was something that wegot to do from an exclusive
(27:04):
capacity through our partnershipwith the Walton Arts Center.
And so that was the first time Igot to be a part of putting a
really big household nationalcelebrity on the cover of a
publication that is printedthrough a team of seven here in
Bennville, Arkansas.
And so that was really fun.
SPEAKER_01 (27:21):
Yeah, that's certainly going to catch some
attention.
I think when they when you seethe magazine and people see uh,
you know, Nellie on the cover ofyou mentioned some of your
partners there, of course, theWalt Arts Center and and and
others.
You know, people see thosepartnerships on the surface,
right?
But what are they, is there amisconception misconception
about those partnerships thatyou have with the magazine?
And and what is the biggest onethat you hear and why is it a
(27:43):
misconception?
SPEAKER_00 (27:44):
Um, I think that one of the things that I like to
keep in mind with NorthwestArkansas in general is we have
one of the highest nonprofitsper capita of anywhere else in
the US, right?
Which is one of the reasons thatthis community has grown and
thrived like it has.
Celebrate is in a uniqueposition that we partner with a
(28:04):
lot of those nonprofitorganizations.
As a public relations entitythat wants to be a pillar of
things happening in thecommunity, we recognize what
those organizations are doingand we want to be a part of that
in a supportive way.
So, for instance, last yearalone, we partnered with over 30
nonprofit organizations and didsome sort of in-kind work,
(28:27):
whether that's throughsponsorship of their events and
covering those events by takingphotos, whether that's editorial
features or in-kindadvertisements to promote either
an initiative or an event thatthey have going.
We do that very regularly.
That's a core pillar of ourbusiness, is making sure that we
are supporting those communityorganizations.
(28:49):
And then on top of that, we alsodo some advertising give back
programs where we are able tobring in national household
names that are some of ourpartners, and we allow them to
participate in an advertisingprogram where they not only get
to showcase their products ortheir people or what they're
doing in the community, but aportion of those advertising
(29:10):
dollars are donated directly toan organization in the
community.
So that's a way that we areputting our money where our
mouth is, right?
We're not just saying that we'reinvolved in the community.
We're actually out there givingaway in kind work and we're also
donating cash and bringing insponsors, bringing in other
organizations to help supportthese causes and organizations.
SPEAKER_01 (29:33):
And doesn't it feel good to give back and support
all those causes because they'rearound every corner up here?
Um that there's so muchopportunity to do that.
Absolutely.
Right.
So all right.
Well, let's talk about uh yourfamily.
You talked about your you andyour husband, um, Taylor, also a
University of Central Arkansasgraduate, the two of you raising
raising your family in Fayville.
(29:53):
So how do you how do younavigate this this season of
life?
You're in a you know aleadership position uh with the
company, but also uh there'sthat that you know work-life
ballast that we hear so muchabout.
How do you navigate that?
SPEAKER_00 (30:05):
Well, first, I think navigate is a good way to
describe that.
There's definitely somenavigating going on, especially
this week as we've had snow inthe area, right?
So I think that there what firstI think there's a misconception
of balance, right?
I don't think that there evertruly is a balance whenever
(30:27):
you're a working parent.
I think that you have toprioritize and you have to be
able to give and take.
Um, for instance, I prioritizetaking my kids to school.
That's something that's veryimportant to me.
So I make sure that my officehours are going to be
accommodating so that way I cando that at least 90% of the
(30:49):
time.
Um, one of the ways I'm able tohave this career and do things
like that is through a supportsystem.
And I'm very fortunate that myhusband is able to work from
home.
And so he does have a flexiblejob as well.
And so we definitely divide andconquer whenever it comes to
household items.
(31:10):
And then outside of that, I dohave friends and family in the
area that are very supportive ofnot only my family and my
children, but also of my career.
SPEAKER_01 (31:20):
Yeah.
So the non-negotiable is takingyour kids to school.
Understandable.
I think anybody would feel thesame way.
Are there some trade-offs thatyou've had to accept?
SPEAKER_00 (31:30):
Yes.
So part of my role at Celebrateis attending a lot of events.
A lot of events.
Yes.
We talked about all of thosenonprofits and they have amazing
charitable events.
And so part of my job isattending quite a few of those.
With that comes the fact thatsometimes on Fridays, Saturdays,
(31:51):
any day of the week, that theremay be a time where I'm not able
to be home for dinner or bedtimeor things like that.
And so that is something that Ihave had to adjust to and just
be mindful of whenever I do havetime or I do have a day where
I'm working from home, that Ican adjust my work schedule to
(32:11):
be mindful of quality time withboth of my kids and with my
family.
SPEAKER_01 (32:16):
So to me, in other words, it sounds like there's
not a normal week for you.
Correct.
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (32:20):
I mean, yes, we are very big on a digital calendar
that has everybody'sappointments, events, everything
mapped out.
So that way we try to planahead.
But no, I would say in myhousehold at least, we do not
have a typical Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (32:35):
So so to k to to take your kids to school, let's
say for example, that is athat's a tangible thing that you
can control that would maybeinject some normalcy into your
week, right?
To hold on to this.
Is there anything else that youthat you strive to do or want to
do each week to just give yousomething that's I know this is
not going to change from day today to week to week?
SPEAKER_00 (32:55):
Yeah, in our household, we do Sunday night
pizza nights as a family.
And so that's something that wedo every week if we can.
Outside of that, I love reading.
And so I like to read with mychildren.
And then my husband and I areboth rock climbers, and so we
like to try to rock climb eitherin a gym or outside once a week.
SPEAKER_01 (33:16):
Okay, then.
Um, a couple questions then.
Uh, so what's your favoritepizza?
SPEAKER_00 (33:21):
Um, that is a good one.
SPEAKER_01 (33:23):
That is this homemade pizza, you do it at the
kitchen, you're going out toplaces.
So I won't ask you your favoriteplace and put you on the spot.
SPEAKER_00 (33:29):
Okay, well, my favorite place is pizzeria ruby.
Okay.
And Junpson.
Okay.
And my favorite pizza from thereis the vodka pie.
So I highly recommend that one.
SPEAKER_01 (33:39):
Okay, pizzeria ruby vodka pie.
Okay.
And rock climbing.
Where has that been somethingyou've done since you were 10
years old?
Did you pick this up later inlife?
How did you come to uh to thatoutdoor recreation activity?
SPEAKER_00 (33:51):
So I've been rock climbing for a little over three
years now.
And I was introduced to it by afriend who actually introduced
me to the owner of a climbinggym through my work at Glass
Ivy.
And so that was the first time Iever stepped foot in a rock
climbing gym and just reallytook to it.
I've always been a verycompetitive person.
(34:13):
And I liked the aspect of withrock climbing, you either
complete the route or you don't.
There's a very clear, likewin-lose scenario there.
And so being able to combinethat aspect with just staying
physically active and thengetting to tie in being outdoors
in Arkansas.
It's been great.
SPEAKER_01 (34:31):
I I think if it's a completed or don't, I definitely
want to be inside, not outsidetrying to climb up the the face
of the of the Buffalo River oranything like that.
Do you climb outside or is thisokay?
Yeah.
Any um any accident, any heroictales?
SPEAKER_00 (34:46):
Any uh No, not to date, thankfully.
Um, my favorite place to climboutside right now is probably
Horseshoe Canine Ranch outsideof Jasper.
And my family, we like to all gocamp out there and then go climb
together.
So that's really fun.
But there's a lot of greatplaces out here in Northwest
Arkansas to get outdoors andclimb.
SPEAKER_01 (35:06):
Yeah, sure.
Okay.
Um, you mentioned storytellingearlier, and um, you know,
there's a balance of what uh anyany media company does and what
a publication does.
But tell me why do you thinkthat Arkansas stories, you know,
of entrepreneurs, of businessesuh up here, what you do, why do
those stories uh matter so muchright now?
SPEAKER_00 (35:27):
I think that anytime you think of Arkansas,
especially whenever you'redealing with clients on a
national level, there's amisconception about what is
available in the area, what typeof businesses are in the area,
what type of people are in thearea.
And so I think that it'simportant to combat that with
some of those amazing stories ofpeople that are successful and
(35:49):
are doing great things in thecommunity, whether from a
personal standpoint, a communityorganization, or in their
professional career.
SPEAKER_01 (35:57):
Yeah, because there's people who are coming
here from all over the world,right?
They're they're bringing theirbusinesses here and also
bringing their families here uhto grow their companies.
And it's not misconception aboutwhat people think it is.
It's not solely retail or it'snot solely, you know, those
legacy companies.
There's such a uh an environmentthat continues to evolve around
(36:18):
here, healthcare just being oneexample of things that are going
to have a huge runway uh formany, many years to come.
Um, so in thinking of UCA thenand and your alma mater, um, you
know, what role uh do highereducation institutions play in
um in strengthening theconnection between uh central
Arkansas, where you uh were,I'll say raised since you moved
(36:41):
in fourth grade.
You were raised in centralArkansas, went to school there,
started your career, but nowyou're in northwest Arkansas.
What role do colleges play in inbridging the gap, the
connectivity gap between CentralArkansas and Northwest Arkansas?
SPEAKER_00 (36:55):
I think that my time at UCA and in Central Arkansas
specifically really helped meunderstand what I wanted, right?
The things that I loved aboutConway specifically since I
lived there and went to schoolthere twice, was the aspect of
community and how the city as awhole was trying to grow,
(37:16):
whether from an infrastructurestandpoint, you know, adding
more parks, more bike trails,having activities downtown,
things like that.
Those were all things that werevery attractive to me.
And so I learned through that,through my time at UCA and
through my time in Conway, thatthat is something that I wanted
for me and my family.
And then also businessopportunities, because I saw
(37:39):
that being from a small town incentral Arkansas, that there
was, you know, there's thecompanies that you think of that
are headquartered in Little Rockor headquartered in Conway.
But but until you're part ofthat community, you don't really
understand all of the othersmall businesses that are part
of that ecosystem.
And so I think that it reallyhelped set my expectations for
(38:00):
not only what I wanted out of anarea to raise a family, but also
helped me understand the greaterpicture of a business ecosystem
that is not just the majorcorporations, the household
names, but also includes thosesmall to medium enterprises and
those startups that are maybefamily-owned or maybe owned by
one or two people, that it's avery well-rounded ecosystem and
(38:23):
community.
And that's kind of what I waslooking for.
And so Northwest Arkansas wasanother perfect example of that.
And I really enjoy living here.
SPEAKER_01 (38:33):
Well, and you see a lot of that up close because um,
you know, the ecosystem that youwork in is in downtown
Bittenville.
So you get to see a lot of that.
Uh, a lot of the people andplaces and things that that
sprout up there is trulymind-boggling, uh, but you can
just run into around everycorner, right?
Yeah.
So um what's I'm gonna give you,since you're uh our first double
(38:54):
alum, uh you you are uh a lotmore accomplished than my uh you
know previous guests.
I'm just kidding, previousguests, but I'm gonna throw some
lightning.
I'm gonna throw some lightningaround questions uh at you uh
and see what um some of yourreflections are.
All right, what's the bestadvice you've ever received?
SPEAKER_00 (39:10):
That you can be good at anything, but you can't be
good at everything.
Um, I think that that issomething that I've stayed true
to.
You know, I love graphic design,for example, and I've done that
for a long time.
I'm never gonna be the bestgraphic designer in the world.
And so understanding that thereare things that I'm really,
(39:30):
really good at.
And just because I love itdoesn't mean that that's what I
have to do.
SPEAKER_01 (39:35):
What is a tool, a habit, or a system that you
genuinely swear by?
SPEAKER_00 (39:40):
I genuinely think that everybody should have a
hobby or activity that istotally separate from work that
is something that is personal toyou that you really enjoy.
So that way you have that outletfor whenever you're starting to
feel burned out or you need timeto yourself.
And for me, that's rockclimbing.
SPEAKER_01 (39:59):
Yeah, that's right.
All right.
What is a uh an entrepreneurshipmyth that you would love to
retire for good?
SPEAKER_00 (40:05):
I think my favorite entrepreneurship myth that I
would love to retire for good isthat you have to have a large
investment to get off theground.
I started my company, Glass Ivy,with no investment.
It was just me, myself, and whatI was able to put in personally.
And then, like we've talkedabout, I still have that
business open and operatingtoday.
SPEAKER_01 (40:27):
Is there a story behind that name, Glass Ivy?
SPEAKER_00 (40:29):
So a little bit, yes.
Um, one, I was trying to thinkof something that was really
cool, really catchy, um, thatwould be recognizable.
And then I was trying to thinkof what I really liked
personally and what kind ofresonated with my business
mission.
And the glass part istransparency.
I feel like whenever you talk toa marketing agency, a lot of
(40:51):
times you don't really know whatyou're gonna get.
There's a lot of behind theclosed doors of what services
they offer, what their pricingis, what results you're gonna
get, all of that.
And I wanted to eliminate that.
And then the IV portion was thegrowth aspect of helping small
businesses grow and bonus pointsbecause I like plants.
SPEAKER_01 (41:13):
Okay, very good.
All right, so you're approachingum, I think three years at
Celebrate, Arkansas.
You've got a great product,you've got a great team.
What is next for that magazineand that company?
SPEAKER_00 (41:23):
I think twofold.
I think that we're going to staytrue to what our brand mission
is.
You know, we've had longevity inthe community because of that
aspect.
We've stayed true to whatCelebrate wants to do, which is
tell stories about people andbusinesses and community and
kind of be at a crossroads ofthose three aspects.
Alternatively, I think that weare going to continue to grow
(41:46):
and innovate in a way that meetsour customers where they are.
I'd love to introduce moreomni-channel opportunities for
public relations and reallybridge that gap between what
we're able to do and Crent andelevate other tools and other
opportunities as well.
SPEAKER_01 (42:01):
Okay.
And so what's next for AlexaWilliams, five years from now,
uh, when people think about youor run into you, what do you
hope they they say that youhelped build with that company?
SPEAKER_00 (42:12):
I hope that they see the growth of maintaining the
celebrate brand trust and nameand see the progress that we've
made towards bridging the gapbetween print and omnichannel
opportunities for our clients.
I'd also love if they saw howmuch we were able to put back
into the community and how muchwe were able to do with the
(42:34):
nonprofit organizations that arereally making a change in
Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_01 (42:39):
All right, very good.
Great stuff.
All right, where's the bestplace for people to find
Celebrate Arkansas online andkeep up and follow the word
Pekin D?
SPEAKER_00 (42:45):
Absolutely.
I would encourage you to visitcelebratearkans.com.
All of our publications areavailable in a digital format
there.
I'd also encourage you to followus on Instagram at Celebrate
Arkansas, where we do a lot ofour boots on the ground behind
the scenes of making themagazine as well as community
initiatives and involvement.
SPEAKER_01 (43:07):
You mentioned Instagram.
Do you have a favorite socialmedia platform or one that you
you find more useful than theothers?
SPEAKER_00 (43:15):
I think personally I spend the most time on Instagram
as far as engaging with othersin the community.
However, from a professionalstandpoint, I have found
LinkedIn to be the most helpfulin my professional career and in
business trying to connect withpeople.
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (43:31):
Love LinkedIn.
I don't I don't know why peoplesleep on LinkedIn.
I think it's fantastic.
I got to get on Instagram,though.
That's I'm uh I'm lacking there.
All right.
So, Alexa, thanks very much forbeing here.
Thanks for representing UCA andfor Arkansas so well.
Really appreciate you.
SPEAKER_00 (43:46):
Thank you for having me, Paul.
SPEAKER_01 (43:48):
All right, very good.
And that's it for this editionof Central to NWA.
We appreciate you tuning in.
Until next time, go Bears.
That's it for this episode ofCentral to NWA, a UCA.
Podcast.
I'm Paul Gatling, SeniorDirector of Northwest Arkansas
Engagement for the University ofCentral Arkansas.
Be sure to subscribe to the showand follow UCA on all the
(44:10):
appropriate social media.
I'll see you next time onCentral to NWA.
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