March 13, 2025 • 30 mins
What does it take to uproot your family from a city you've called home for 21 years and move to a place you never imagined living? Iffy Ibekwe, Vice President and Senior Trust Officer at Arvest Wealth Management, shares the surprising journey that brought her from Nigeria to Dubai to Austin and finally to Northwest Arkansas.
Iffy's story is a testament to holding plans loosely. Originally set on becoming a neonatologist like her father, everything changed when she watched the second tower fall on 9/11 during her sophomore year at the University of Texas. This pivotal moment redirected her path toward law, eventually leading to her own estate planning practice before a pandemic-era visit to Bentonville changed everything again. "Stars Hollow," she called it, comparing Bentonville's charming square to the fictional town from Gilmore Girls. That brief visit was enough to convince her family of six to sell their Austin home and relocate to a region she describes as brimming with opportunity.
As a member of Bentonville's Planning Commission, Iffy now helps shape the future of a rapidly growing community that reminds her of Austin decades ago. Her professional role at Arvest allows her to guide clients through estate planning and wealth management while her volunteer work with the Benton County Literacy Council fulfills her passion for communication and connection. Whether she's helping someone improve their English skills, leading financial literacy discussions, or balancing career demands with four children at home, Iffy demonstrates that community engagement stems from curiosity and willingness to reach out.
Looking for ways to connect in your community? Follow Iffy's advice: identify what piques your interest—whether it's art, children, seniors, or financial education—and take that first curious step toward involvement. Your skills and passions might be exactly what your community needs.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the 4.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Bars podcast.
I'm Ken Leith and I'm PattiLeith.
We're your hosts for somecompelling dialogue, encouraging
our listeners to strengthentheir connections and build
strong communities, lifting eachother up and connecting in ways
that matter.
We named the podcast 4 Bars asa reference to how hard we work
to find a 4 Bars connection onour devices.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And we wondered what could happen with relationships
if we worked as hard atconnecting.
Let's find out.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hi, welcome back to For Borrowers Podcast.
I'm Patti and.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I'm Ken.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's great to see you back and we have with us today
a guest.
We're really excited to bespeaking with Ife Bekwe and
she's recently promoted.
Congratulations to VicePresident and Senior Trust
Officer at Arbus WealthManagement.
Welcome, ife.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yes, we're excited about your story and sharing all
the things that got you whereyou are today.
Yeah, so just tell us aboutyourself.
What can you tell us about Ify?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Whenever I get the question, I always feel like
saying well, I was born on aSunday night.
It's like how granular.
I'm a talker yeah, well, I aman artist, I love to paint,
which is probably unexpected wayto start this.
Um, I'm married, I'm on thefloor, I'm a lawyer, um, I also,
uh, work in banking, and so II'm.
(01:19):
It's very hard for me to eventell you where I'm from, because
I've lived all over the worldand, um, bentonville is just my
latest stop on my journey, Ifeel.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yes, yes.
Well, we're excited to have youhere in Bentonville and I know
our best is very excited to haveyou.
Yeah, so what got you on yourjourney?
How did you end up here?
Tell us a little bit about thejourney.
On my personal journey on myprofessional journey.
How did you end up here?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Tell us a little bit about the journey, on my
personal journey, on myprofessional journey, by the
throat.
I think I'm one of those peoplethat really loves to plan right
.
So I, for most of my childhood,thought I was going to become a
neonatologist.
My dad was a pediatricradiologist and so I was a
doctor's kid.
I spent a lot of time inhospitals and I kind of didn't
know what other people's parentsreally did, and my mom stayed
(02:07):
at home, but she was also ateacher for part of my childhood
, and so I just thought, well,I'll just go do what he does.
And so that was the plan.
I was going to become a doctor,and I went to school at the
University of Texas in Austin,and my sophomore year was 9-11.
And I remember waking up andwatching the second tower come
(02:28):
down and realizing that I didnot want to be a doctor if the
world was ending, and so Ineeded a new plan.
But it was going to be veryhard to tell my parents that,
because any kid that tells theirparents they want to be a
doctor it's like continue,especially like being an
immigrant like me.
It's like continue, especiallylike being an immigrant like me.
It's like absolutely.
That's why we moved here.
And so my brother, when I wasvery nervous about changing my
(02:54):
course of study, said hey, youlike to argue, why don't you
become a judge?
And I said oh, what does ittake?
We did have the internet backthen.
What does it take to be a judge, you know?
Oh, judges are lawyers who knew.
And so I decided then to becomea lawyer and my plan was to go
into education because my momwas a teacher and I'm like oh,
teachers, law, I'll help theschools.
And that's what I ended updoing and my life has just been
(03:18):
a series of what's available andtaking a step in that direction
.
Subsequently, I ended upopening up my own estate
planning practice in Austin andI did that for almost five years
and the end of that was movinghere to Bentonville during the
pandemic and wanting to shutthat all down and really
(03:38):
simplify my life.
And then I started gettingrecruited by banks and so,
professionally, I followed thepath that is the next.
Yes, right, and personally I'mvery curious and open to a new
plan, because my plan is alwayschanging.
But I'm okay with a changingplan because it keeps things
fresh and exciting.
So I would say that I'm aplanner, but I hold it very
(04:01):
loosely.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Okay, cool, very cool .
And did you envision where youare for yourself at the
beginning?
Speaker 3 (04:08):
No, absolutely I never thought I would live in
Arkansas, because I've lived inreally fancy places, right, not
the Bentonville or NorthwestArkansas is not fancy now, but
Arkansas doesn't necessarilyhave that same ring.
I've lived in Dubai, I lived inDoha for my childhood.
I was born in Nigeria, grew upin Houston, lived in Austin for
(04:30):
21 years before moving here.
So if you ask me and I get tosay all these cool places in the
world that I've lived, ifArkansas was on the list and
that I'd be working for a bankhere, I'd be like how and what
happened and what went wrong,you know and it's actually
furthest from the truth becauseit's just, it just happened in a
(04:52):
way that makes perfect sense onthis end of it.
But if you had told me on theother end that I'd be here, I'd
have four kids and we'd beliving in Arkansas, I'd say yeah
, for what reason, you know, andso I could not have planned it.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
I have to say, the most impressive part of what you
were sharing at the beginning,of all the things that you do,
is for children and this greatcareer.
How do you balance?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
that I have a really awesome husband and he is my
partner in crime and we have tolike band together because they
are really starting to getreally.
You know they're.
They're really starting to gettheir feet underneath them, like
, for example, last night theyput on a presentation on why
they need a dog.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
I feel like I did that a couple of years ago and
it was good.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
It was good, it's like I mean, if they would
follow through that I mean, ifthey would follow through with
what they say they would followthrough with, I'd be like,
tomorrow, let's go get a puppy.
Well, maybe a dog, a rescue adog, I should say I don't want
to pay for one of these designerdogs.
But, um, we have to bandtogether because they kind of
come up with these things andwe're like well, we're a team
(06:02):
too you know, like let's get amessage.
But that's how it is with how wemanage our family.
It's unified.
We divide and conquer a lotbecause four kids have to be in
four different places and wealso have to keep an open line
of communication, share theworkload in the home, and then
he works and I work, and it'sjust a very open and
(06:25):
communicative relationship yeahyeah and thank goodness I
married someone modern, becauseotherwise I there's.
People say how do you do I sitwith my husband like that's the
only way?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
it's possible, yeah, especially with four children in
the world we live in today.
They're so diverse of whattheir activities are and they
seem to be fully invested inwhatever I because you have to
today.
They're so diverse of whattheir activities are and they
seem to be fully invested inwhatever I because you have to
almost they're like people yes,with interests and so it's not
like I can say just stay in thatcorner and read your book.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
They're like well, I'm very interested in blah blah
, you know.
You're like well, I, let's goexplore that some more.
And just takes you to all kindsof places when your kids are
curious.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So so I will say now the audience now has witnessed
the fact that if they do whatthey said they would do, there
will be a dog in your family inthe future.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Right, but the things that they said they would do, I
do not believe they will dothem.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
So that's their next influence challenge with you is
to convince you that they willin fact do these things.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
I need them to take care of themselves and remember
to brush teeth daily, versuslike taking care of an animal
and doing all the daily tasks.
I'm like you need to manageyour own daily tasks before we
can add more daily tasks.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
And find out which one of them wants to brush the
dog's teeth.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Yeah that's funny.
So along your journey you'vebeen here.
How long now in?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
North Arkansas, four and a half years, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And you came at a cusp of accelerated change here.
Yes, what's different?
And how has that impacted yourvision of Arkansas?
Because I came from WashingtonDC here now 18 years ago.
I can't imagine and it was abig change 18 years ago coming
here and then I got here andover a period of time it's just
(08:06):
where I started to fall in loveand notice that northwest
Arkansas had people from allover the world, so I would tell
people back east, it's like alittle tiny sliver of Washington
DC which I sometimes would geta little bit of laughter about,
but now it's become one of themost incredible places where
people want to come from allover and live and experience the
(08:26):
life here.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
I would say that when we visited, my best friend
moved here and said come visitus.
We're in a house in downtown,there's a pool at the house and,
mind you, I was in Austin fulllockdown Parks were closed.
I had a newborn baby and threekids that were, I think at that
time, six and under, so it wasjust like daycare.
(08:49):
I'm running a law firm, myhusband's working as well, we're
all working out of our house inAustin, and so that just
sounded like we're going to doit.
We're going to get on the roadand go, and so we did that.
We rented a house and came hereand go.
And so we did that.
We rented a house and came hereand I thought what is this
(09:09):
little magical place?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And I love a show called.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Gilmore Girls and the square was just like Stars
Hollow.
I said we're in Stars Hollow,you know, and I kept saying this
place is so nice and it wasJuly, but it was very mild, so
the weather lied to us.
I thought, oh my gosh, we'rereally in a mountain town, right
, it was just a random weekwhere it was cool, and so when
we came here, I started noticingso much was going on.
(09:32):
So when we went back to Austin,we sold our house and moved
here, which was in no other partof my life would I have ever.
Mind you, I was in Austin for21 years.
I am not a mover in that way,like I started moving a lot when
I was little because of myparents, and then I'm pretty
settled.
I don't move around, even withwork.
I'm not a mover.
(09:53):
I'm sort of one of those oldschool employees and so just
seeing what was happening herebecause we weren't here at the
beginning 18 years ago, when youcame in, it was like I'm sure
some of this where we're sittingwas probably what?
Pasture land?
Yeah, probably, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I don't think it was developed.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
No, and when I came stuff was already being
developed and it just remindedme of Austin, because I was in
Austin from the late 90s andthrough the two decades and I
saw and I thought, oh, I don'twant to miss another opportunity
like that, thinking why wouldthat come here?
And so it was really cool tocome to a place that you can
tell oh, I can already seewhat's happening here and be
(10:32):
part of it.
Yeah, and just see what'scoming, because that's really
exciting.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I'm on the planning commission for Bentonville and
so again, I'm a planner and sojust to see the projects that
come before us, it's justbuilding a city for the future
and it's really cool.
Yeah, yeah, I love being partof that.
That is awesome and we lovebeing part of that.
We're not in the planning sideof it, but we're in the benefit.
It's benefiting us side of it.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
So yeah, the excitement of people.
We.
You're probably saying youcan't walk around too far around
benville and not bump intosomeone who's new, but next
thing you know there's aconversation going on because
there's a lot of questions theyhave to ask about.
Sometimes you get a questionlike is this real, for example,
and then you get the next thingyou know you feel like you're a
brand ambassador for Bentonville, arkansas.
(11:20):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And stuff.
That's true, the bank and myday job, a lot of long-term
customers and people in thatthat have been here and invested
in the community, which isreally great.
But then you also have newpeople who are still learning
about the place, that I get tomeet through work and then just
in other facets of my life,through my kids' activities or
(11:59):
the things that I enjoy doing,or even my husband's colleagues.
You get to meet people from allover the world.
I went to a daycare visit I'msorry, a kindergarten visit
yesterday, because I have arising kindergartner so we're
trying to find her next schooland it was like the United
Nations.
There were people from othercountries there and all kinds of
(12:21):
people that you never knowother countries there and all
kinds of people that you neverknow.
We did an icebreaker and theysaid stand up if you are a
native Arkansan.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Yeah, and only three people out of the group of
parents stood up because therest of us, we're all in.
What is it?
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Transplants to this area, and so it's.
It allows us to have, like this, really great tapestry of
people, and they're here forvarious reasons, but you get to
interact with them and that'svery unexpected.
I would, I would, I would nothave expected that moving here.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
And that is new.
You've been here 18 years.
I moved here in 01.
So I've been here 27 years.
It was very rural at that timeand I really moved.
I moved to go to work forWalmart but I really took the
role, mainly because the outdoorscene was very beautiful and I
loved the outdoor scene and Istill do, and it's even better
(13:18):
now.
But you just did not see thatlevel of diversity and different
points of view and people whohave different experiences at
that time.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You definitely see it more and more now.
And also the recognition of theplace outside of the place more
and more now.
And also the recognition of theplace outside of the place.
When we were told people wewere moving here, not many of my
friends knew.
But now in retrospect they'relike oh my gosh, didn't you say
you live in that Bentonvilleplace?
Is that the Northwest Arc?
There's more of a brand nowthat is actually being um
(13:50):
recognized outside yes, yes,tell us about your role at
Arvest.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
You've agreed to do two part series with us and
we're going to get more intokind of the ins and outs of that
, but tell us about your roleand how that plays out in your
life.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Yeah.
So I recently got promoted to asenior trust officer for the
Northwest Arkansas region and myprevious role at Arvest I was a
wealth advisor for BentonCounty, so all of the towns in
Benton County, and now itexpands from Bella Vista all the
way to Fayetteville, Siloamjust the Northwest Arkansas area
(14:27):
and what I do is I help peopleprepare, you know, for the
inevitable, whether that's deathor you know if someone's
incapacitated.
There are services that the bankprovide to help with that, and
that's being a corporate trustee, a fiduciary, and we can do all
sorts of things, from helpingto pay bills, manage investments
(14:50):
, close down estates and that'sone of the things that Arvest
does so well.
But a lot of people don't knowabout or think it's not for them
, and so what happens is whensomeone creates an estate plan
and they think, well, who'sgoing to follow the directions
and who's going to make sure mykids college is paid for and
that my house is sold, and ifI'm putting a nursing home,
(15:11):
who's going to pay my bill?
Well, we can do that rightBecause we can serve as a
corporate fiduciary, and so myrole is to spread that message
and let people know that this isa service that the bank has had
for decades.
We manage many, many estatesthroughout our four-state
footprint and even further, andso my role allows me to go and
(15:33):
talk about estate planning,which is something I'm very
passionate about.
I had an estate planningpractice.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
And yeah, that's awesome, that's awesome and
you're in leadership there atArvest.
Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
I said well, I don't know if I'm in leadership.
I think I have a title, but Iget really close access to
leadership and so I really loveworking there because I have
found the people at Arvest, fromthe associates to the leaders,
to be very receptive to ideasand to suggestions and I feel
(16:10):
very championed at the bank.
It's a wonderful place to work,very championed at the bank.
It's a wonderful place to work,I think, because so many people
have worked there for decadesor their whole career is
sometimes unlike this.
I felt like this newcomer fromAustin coming in here and trying
to do new things.
I felt so welcomed.
You know, I've met tons ofpeople through Arvest.
I put on my blue badge and I gowherever I need to go and it's
(16:32):
whether it's a Walmart or I'mpicking up my kid at school.
Someone's always like oh, youknow, I bank there or my
mortgage is through there orinvest there, and that's just a
testament to the culture of theplace and who's in charge and
how.
It's really just a communitybank that people are really
invested in.
Personally, and I don't know,at first, when I had to wear a
(16:56):
badge, I was like wear a badgeLike what am I a?
salesperson.
Like am I a car salesperson?
And now it's like, oh, where'smy badge?
And I have to put my badge onand I have to remember to take
my badge off, but if I don't, Istill feel like, okay, yeah, I'm
part of Big Blue.
So I think that's a testamentto the leadership and what
(17:16):
they've built there.
And I'm very excited for someof the things that are coming in
the future too.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
So what are you seeing in the way of growth
around the Bentonville area andNorthwest Arkansas as a whole,
since you are going to be abroader area now?
Yeah, and what are some of thechallenges, if there are any,
when it's kind of keeping theidentity, because sometimes
you're talking to people about,I want to maintain our identity
as we grow.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah, I mean even it just and this isn't just limited
to Bentonville, but in oursquare at Bentonville, right by
our branch, there's so muchconstruction.
We had so much construction infront of the courthouse, and all
of these changes are coming in.
Some people love change, likemyself.
I love change because I alwayslike to do different things, but
(18:02):
some people get really, youknow, uncomfortable, not knowing
what the future will bring, andI saw that a lot in Austin with
all the changes that came with.
The culture is totallydifferent, you know.
But change isn't inevitable,right.
It can change for the better,it can change for the worse,
Maybe it's a bit of both.
I think tremendous change iscoming to this region and we've
(18:24):
had some planning commissionmeetings about the demand for
housing and the population boomthat we are anticipating in the
next couple of decades and howthat will impact every sector.
Right, and that's good forbusiness and that's good for
education and that's good forall sorts of things.
I think that that's not limitedto Bentonville, but we're going
(18:48):
to see it in Rogers, even,maybe out to other states, you
know, maybe Missouri andOklahoma.
You just you don't know, right,I've heard of all this
development, I think even comingto Siloam and other places that
I bet were sleepier or you knowback in the day, but they're
people I know who commute infrom there every day to go to
work and so I think with thatit's just like any other change.
(19:12):
It's coming right, I don't evenknow what the future is going to
bring, but it's coming and it'salready come.
If you were here 21 years ago,right, so much has come, but so
much more is coming and I thinkI agree 100% it's going to be
pretty substantial.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
But I also see your work on the planning commission
as an example.
A lot of effort to reallystrategically plan the community
growth and planned change isfar more successful than
unplanned change.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Absolutely, and there are models for it and I know
many people listening may notknow of Plan Bentonville.
That's the plan for planningBentonville, and Rogers has a
plan and I believe all the townshave city planners with a plan
that the community can makecomments and say you know what
we don't want our neighborhoodto be.
But I don't want to go into allthose details, but we want to
(20:16):
make it like this right?
So that's for anyone listeningwho's concerned about changes
like that make sure that yourvoice is being heard and that
you're reaching out and sayinghey, I don't like this.
Why don't we work on thisbefore we start that?
We get a lot of that at theplanning commission and our
planning commissioner and otherplanning commissioners our city
(20:37):
planner rather gets a lot of theinput from the constituents and
so I always tell people letyour voice be heard, come to
meetings, make sure you come andmake your public comment if you
feel strongly about something,because you can help shape what
that future looks like from aplanning perspective which is
powerful.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Because it's not done in a vacuum.
It really is being doneintentionally, wanting to hear
from people and collaborativelyand collaboratively.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
That's a big part of community growth is maintaining,
not only encouraging them, butalso creating space for that yes
, and opportunity to share that.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Yeah, and that is the benefit of still being the size
we are and growing is the factthat you do get that voice.
We've went to several differentmeetings and they've done it
very well.
Where they give you here arethe different potentials Tell us
what you want, what you like,what you do, what you dislike,
to your point even.
You know where are you, what'syour stage of life, so they can
(21:39):
kind of look at that and takeall that into consideration, not
excluding any group, butwanting to understand what the
different groups really need andprioritize.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yeah, exactly yeah, and that's a jigsaw puzzle in
and of itself it is know.
First part of that iscommunicating right that this is
a possibility, but you may havea different idea and this
person may have a different idea, and trying to see how you can
fit that together.
So it works, yeah, whileconsidering the future.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Right, yes, right All in maintaining the fabric of
the community, which is theidentity, a bit, of any small
town, and we all have ouridentities and even though
Bentonville and Rogers forpeople who aren't here are very
close by each other, they havedistinct, different identities
within it.
Similarities, yes, butdifferent identities.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
That was one thing I learned when I moved here is
that being from Bentonville wasnot the same.
Well, I have to say Bentonville, because I used to say
Bentonville and apparently thatwas a gif.
The same well, I have to saybentonville because I used to
say bentonville and apparentlythat was a gif.
But tell they're like oh, weknow, she's not from here.
It's different from being frombella vista or rogers, or being
from springdale, like it's verymuch these little fiefdoms, yeah
(22:47):
, where they have their ownpersonality and way of being.
And it's so cool Because nowit's being glopped together in
Northwest Arkansas, but it'sstill quite distinct.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Yeah, yeah.
For example, it's not unlike abig city.
So say San Antonio and Austin,oh yeah.
Or Baltimore and Washington.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
You'd never say they were the same.
Oh yes.
San Antonio and Austin areCompletely different.
Completely, I mean completelydifferent.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Completely, I mean completely different.
I agree, um, I think as a moveforward, one of the things we
want to help try to do it in theregion is just help to bring
people together with thecommunity.
Um, and there's a lot ofdifferent groups, not just at
our works, um, you do some workalso that's not at our vest with
groups and stuff.
Talk a little bit about thatand how you work to help
communities and individuals withthat.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Well, I would love to plug the Bend County Literacy
Council.
Oh, nice, okay, I get to tutoronce a week and I'm helping
someone improve their Englishand help them take their driving
test and be able to get theirjob first job in the United
States.
And the Literacy Council helpspeople improve English.
(24:00):
I mean that's whether they'vebeen in the country for decades
or they're here for asylum ordue to being relocated for
Walmart.
I mean every type of person youcan think of, and that has been
one of the most rewarding.
I mean every type of person youcan think of and that has been
one of the most rewarding things.
I feel like my gift iscommunication and I couldn't
imagine moving to anothercountry and not being able to
(24:23):
communicate, like that wouldjust be my kryptonite, I
wouldn't be able to expressmyself.
And just the effort that andI've had the pleasure of
tutoring three people now, ofseeing how different their
stories are and how radicallydifferent their lives are,
coming to live in Bentonville orin Rogers or Northwest Arkansas
(24:45):
, from wherever they're from,right, and still having the
desire to fit in and to be ableto be more seamless.
One of my students, she saysthat she wants her English.
She says she wants it to be, tosound like a native speaker,
and we have all of these thingsthat we hear and how sentences
are structured that let you knowif you are from here or you're
(25:07):
from, and that's of course thatcan be broken down into even
more regional dialects and stufflike that being from even
Arkansas.
But whether you're from the USor not, that we can pick up on.
But maybe we wouldn't even beable to articulate.
We would say we'd neverstructure a sentence like that.
I can't tell you why, but Iknow this is the order for
describing things Right, and sothese little tells right are
(25:31):
some of the things we're workingon.
My student has a master'sdegree from where they're from
and they're still wanting tolearn more and it's just so
inspiring and it's just such awonderful organization If anyone
listening that ever want tohelp teach English.
It's so rewarding.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
That's amazing.
I love that.
I did work with the literacycouncil in North Carolina
through my company years agowhere we were working to build
literacy skills in our employeebase.
I was with the grocery storechain and we worked with people
(26:11):
who worked in our warehouses anddistribution centers and helped
build that and it was avoluntary program but if they
wanted to participate they wouldtake some testing and I
remember the first time I satdown I was concerned about
sharing a person's test resultswith him and what I found was a
(26:33):
great relief that someone elseknew who could help them change
how they communicate, and it wasso amazingly rewarding.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Probably one of the best things I've ever done.
People in a community.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
If you feel like you can participate or contribute or
just communicate, rightliterally, order the coffee
right without help your kidsyeah, that was one of the one
guy got tearful just saying,yeah, I'm gonna be able to help
my kids with math and it's, it'sit's hard but it's doable,
right?
Speaker 3 (27:02):
it's just if you just put yourself in their shoes and
put yourself in their countryor in their situation.
We help americans who have lowliteracy as well.
So it's not this assumptionthat it's just outsiders, right?
Or people who are not umamerican citizens, but even here
you know American citizens.
But even here you know thereare people who have never
learned Right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
So, yeah, well, we we will put some information on
the website for four bars aboutthe literacy council, so I'll
reach out to you.
What can you tell our viewersas we wrap up this first session
about becoming involved in thecommunity and how they might do
that?
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Just I'll give the example for the Literacy Council
.
Rather, I would drive by thewater tower in Bentonville,
because it's right by the branchwhere I work at Arvest, and I
would just see the LiteracyCouncil what happens there.
You know, I drove by thatbuilding for at least three
(28:02):
years wanting to know more aboutthem, and I know that's a long
time.
But remember, this is COVIDtime.
Yes, and so one day I decided toGoogle them and see what they
did and what it would take to dosomething with them.
So I think the first step isjust curiosity.
I'm an avid reader.
I love communication, I love mykids reading.
I feel like it opens your mindto so many possibilities.
(28:25):
You can travel without havingto get on a plane by reading a
book, and so I feel like thegift of literacy is just such a
wonderful thing, and so I justsent an email.
And so for anyone listening whowants to become more involved in
the community, what is piquingyour interest when you see
something?
What's that thing?
(28:46):
Is it art?
Is it kids?
Is it the elderly?
Whatever those areas ofinterest and we all have
different ones, which would beawesome for everybody to really
tap into this, because we get toserve everyone.
Another one for me is financialliteracy.
I love participating at BlakeStreet House and hosting a book
club where we just talk aboutall things money, and it's one
(29:10):
way to just build community.
It's a very low barrier ofconversation, but it's impactful
and life-changing for somepeople and I've been attending
that for several months now andit really has been.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Uh came, ken came on sunday, so yeah, and again, I I
really enjoyed that experienceand the open dialogue to the
point and, uh, there werestories told within that,
incredible stories kind of whypeople were there, uh, what
brought them here, what thecuriosity was and what their
life's experiences were withmoney, uh, like with anything,
(29:42):
if you can demystify it, then itbecomes a whole lot easier to
understand.
I want to thank you for beinghere.
We're going to have moreconversation in Episode 2.
And I want to thank everyonewho might be listening our
audience and we'll look forwardto where we go with our next
episode with Effie.
We'll see you soon.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Thank you so much.
Bye.
The 4 Bars Podcast has beenbrought to you by Edges Inc.
A growth advisory firm based inBentonville, arkansas.
I founded the company in 2001.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Edges promotes growth of people, companies and ideas.
Our team collaboration tool,called Interface Methods, is a
basis for teams to work togethermore collaboratively,
understand each other and acceptdifferences and address
challenges together.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Thank you.
Welcome to the 4.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Bars podcast.
I'm Ken Leith and I'm PattiLeith.
We're your hosts for somecompelling dialogue, encouraging
our listeners to strengthentheir connections and build
strong communities, lifting eachother up and connecting in ways
that matter.
We named the podcast 4 Bars asa reference to how hard we work
to find a 4 Bars connection onour devices.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And we wondered what could happen with relationships
if we worked as hard atconnecting.
Let's find out.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hi, welcome back to For Borrowers Podcast.
I'm Patti and.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I'm Ken.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's great to see you back and we have with us today
a guest.
We're really excited to bespeaking with Ife Bekwe and
she's recently promoted.
Congratulations to VicePresident and Senior Trust
Officer at Arbus WealthManagement.
Welcome, ife.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yes, we're excited about your story and sharing all
the things that got you whereyou are today.
Yeah, so just tell us aboutyourself.
What can you tell us about Ify?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Whenever I get the question, I always feel like
saying well, I was born on aSunday night.
It's like how granular.
I'm a talker yeah, well, I aman artist, I love to paint,
which is probably unexpected wayto start this.
Um, I'm married, I'm on thefloor, I'm a lawyer, um, I also,
uh, work in banking, and so II'm.
(01:19):
It's very hard for me to eventell you where I'm from, because
I've lived all over the worldand, um, bentonville is just my
latest stop on my journey, Ifeel.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yes, yes.
Well, we're excited to have youhere in Bentonville and I know
our best is very excited to haveyou.
Yeah, so what got you on yourjourney?
How did you end up here?
Tell us a little bit about thejourney.
On my personal journey on myprofessional journey.
How did you end up here?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Tell us a little bit about the journey, on my
personal journey, on myprofessional journey, by the
throat.
I think I'm one of those peoplethat really loves to plan right
.
So I, for most of my childhood,thought I was going to become a
neonatologist.
My dad was a pediatricradiologist and so I was a
doctor's kid.
I spent a lot of time inhospitals and I kind of didn't
know what other people's parentsreally did, and my mom stayed
(02:07):
at home, but she was also ateacher for part of my childhood
, and so I just thought, well,I'll just go do what he does.
And so that was the plan.
I was going to become a doctor,and I went to school at the
University of Texas in Austin,and my sophomore year was 9-11.
And I remember waking up andwatching the second tower come
(02:28):
down and realizing that I didnot want to be a doctor if the
world was ending, and so Ineeded a new plan.
But it was going to be veryhard to tell my parents that,
because any kid that tells theirparents they want to be a
doctor it's like continue,especially like being an
immigrant like me.
It's like continue, especiallylike being an immigrant like me.
It's like absolutely.
That's why we moved here.
And so my brother, when I wasvery nervous about changing my
(02:54):
course of study, said hey, youlike to argue, why don't you
become a judge?
And I said oh, what does ittake?
We did have the internet backthen.
What does it take to be a judge, you know?
Oh, judges are lawyers who knew.
And so I decided then to becomea lawyer and my plan was to go
into education because my momwas a teacher and I'm like oh,
teachers, law, I'll help theschools.
And that's what I ended updoing and my life has just been
(03:18):
a series of what's available andtaking a step in that direction
.
Subsequently, I ended upopening up my own estate
planning practice in Austin andI did that for almost five years
and the end of that was movinghere to Bentonville during the
pandemic and wanting to shutthat all down and really
(03:38):
simplify my life.
And then I started gettingrecruited by banks and so,
professionally, I followed thepath that is the next.
Yes, right, and personally I'mvery curious and open to a new
plan, because my plan is alwayschanging.
But I'm okay with a changingplan because it keeps things
fresh and exciting.
So I would say that I'm aplanner, but I hold it very
(04:01):
loosely.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Okay, cool, very cool .
And did you envision where youare for yourself at the
beginning?
Speaker 3 (04:08):
No, absolutely I never thought I would live in
Arkansas, because I've lived inreally fancy places, right, not
the Bentonville or NorthwestArkansas is not fancy now, but
Arkansas doesn't necessarilyhave that same ring.
I've lived in Dubai, I lived inDoha for my childhood.
I was born in Nigeria, grew upin Houston, lived in Austin for
(04:30):
21 years before moving here.
So if you ask me and I get tosay all these cool places in the
world that I've lived, ifArkansas was on the list and
that I'd be working for a bankhere, I'd be like how and what
happened and what went wrong,you know and it's actually
furthest from the truth becauseit's just, it just happened in a
(04:52):
way that makes perfect sense onthis end of it.
But if you had told me on theother end that I'd be here, I'd
have four kids and we'd beliving in Arkansas, I'd say yeah
, for what reason, you know, andso I could not have planned it.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
I have to say, the most impressive part of what you
were sharing at the beginning,of all the things that you do,
is for children and this greatcareer.
How do you balance?
Speaker 3 (05:15):
that I have a really awesome husband and he is my
partner in crime and we have tolike band together because they
are really starting to getreally.
You know they're.
They're really starting to gettheir feet underneath them, like
, for example, last night theyput on a presentation on why
they need a dog.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
I feel like I did that a couple of years ago and
it was good.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
It was good, it's like I mean, if they would
follow through that I mean, ifthey would follow through with
what they say they would followthrough with, I'd be like,
tomorrow, let's go get a puppy.
Well, maybe a dog, a rescue adog, I should say I don't want
to pay for one of these designerdogs.
But, um, we have to bandtogether because they kind of
come up with these things andwe're like well, we're a team
(06:02):
too you know, like let's get amessage.
But that's how it is with how wemanage our family.
It's unified.
We divide and conquer a lotbecause four kids have to be in
four different places and wealso have to keep an open line
of communication, share theworkload in the home, and then
he works and I work, and it'sjust a very open and
(06:25):
communicative relationship yeahyeah and thank goodness I
married someone modern, becauseotherwise I there's.
People say how do you do I sitwith my husband like that's the
only way?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
it's possible, yeah, especially with four children in
the world we live in today.
They're so diverse of whattheir activities are and they
seem to be fully invested inwhatever I because you have to
today.
They're so diverse of whattheir activities are and they
seem to be fully invested inwhatever I because you have to
almost they're like people yes,with interests and so it's not
like I can say just stay in thatcorner and read your book.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
They're like well, I'm very interested in blah blah
, you know.
You're like well, I, let's goexplore that some more.
And just takes you to all kindsof places when your kids are
curious.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So so I will say now the audience now has witnessed
the fact that if they do whatthey said they would do, there
will be a dog in your family inthe future.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Right, but the things that they said they would do, I
do not believe they will dothem.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
So that's their next influence challenge with you is
to convince you that they willin fact do these things.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
I need them to take care of themselves and remember
to brush teeth daily, versuslike taking care of an animal
and doing all the daily tasks.
I'm like you need to manageyour own daily tasks before we
can add more daily tasks.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
And find out which one of them wants to brush the
dog's teeth.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Yeah that's funny.
So along your journey you'vebeen here.
How long now in?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
North Arkansas, four and a half years, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And you came at a cusp of accelerated change here.
Yes, what's different?
And how has that impacted yourvision of Arkansas?
Because I came from WashingtonDC here now 18 years ago.
I can't imagine and it was abig change 18 years ago coming
here and then I got here andover a period of time it's just
(08:06):
where I started to fall in loveand notice that northwest
Arkansas had people from allover the world, so I would tell
people back east, it's like alittle tiny sliver of Washington
DC which I sometimes would geta little bit of laughter about,
but now it's become one of themost incredible places where
people want to come from allover and live and experience the
(08:26):
life here.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
I would say that when we visited, my best friend
moved here and said come visitus.
We're in a house in downtown,there's a pool at the house and,
mind you, I was in Austin fulllockdown Parks were closed.
I had a newborn baby and threekids that were, I think at that
time, six and under, so it wasjust like daycare.
(08:49):
I'm running a law firm, myhusband's working as well, we're
all working out of our house inAustin, and so that just
sounded like we're going to doit.
We're going to get on the roadand go, and so we did that.
We rented a house and came hereand go.
And so we did that.
We rented a house and came hereand I thought what is this
(09:09):
little magical place?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And I love a show called.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Gilmore Girls and the square was just like Stars
Hollow.
I said we're in Stars Hollow,you know, and I kept saying this
place is so nice and it wasJuly, but it was very mild, so
the weather lied to us.
I thought, oh my gosh, we'rereally in a mountain town, right
, it was just a random weekwhere it was cool, and so when
we came here, I started noticingso much was going on.
(09:32):
So when we went back to Austin,we sold our house and moved
here, which was in no other partof my life would I have ever.
Mind you, I was in Austin for21 years.
I am not a mover in that way,like I started moving a lot when
I was little because of myparents, and then I'm pretty
settled.
I don't move around, even withwork.
I'm not a mover.
(09:53):
I'm sort of one of those oldschool employees and so just
seeing what was happening herebecause we weren't here at the
beginning 18 years ago, when youcame in, it was like I'm sure
some of this where we're sittingwas probably what?
Pasture land?
Yeah, probably, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I don't think it was developed.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
No, and when I came stuff was already being
developed and it just remindedme of Austin, because I was in
Austin from the late 90s andthrough the two decades and I
saw and I thought, oh, I don'twant to miss another opportunity
like that, thinking why wouldthat come here?
And so it was really cool tocome to a place that you can
tell oh, I can already seewhat's happening here and be
(10:32):
part of it.
Yeah, and just see what'scoming, because that's really
exciting.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I'm on the planning commission for Bentonville and
so again, I'm a planner and sojust to see the projects that
come before us, it's justbuilding a city for the future
and it's really cool.
Yeah, yeah, I love being partof that.
That is awesome and we lovebeing part of that.
We're not in the planning sideof it, but we're in the benefit.
It's benefiting us side of it.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
So yeah, the excitement of people.
We.
You're probably saying youcan't walk around too far around
benville and not bump intosomeone who's new, but next
thing you know there's aconversation going on because
there's a lot of questions theyhave to ask about.
Sometimes you get a questionlike is this real, for example,
and then you get the next thingyou know you feel like you're a
brand ambassador for Bentonville, arkansas.
(11:20):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And stuff.
That's true, the bank and myday job, a lot of long-term
customers and people in thatthat have been here and invested
in the community, which isreally great.
But then you also have newpeople who are still learning
about the place, that I get tomeet through work and then just
in other facets of my life,through my kids' activities or
(11:59):
the things that I enjoy doing,or even my husband's colleagues.
You get to meet people from allover the world.
I went to a daycare visit I'msorry, a kindergarten visit
yesterday, because I have arising kindergartner so we're
trying to find her next schooland it was like the United
Nations.
There were people from othercountries there and all kinds of
(12:21):
people that you never knowother countries there and all
kinds of people that you neverknow.
We did an icebreaker and theysaid stand up if you are a
native Arkansan.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Yeah, and only three people out of the group of
parents stood up because therest of us, we're all in.
What is it?
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Transplants to this area, and so it's.
It allows us to have, like this, really great tapestry of
people, and they're here forvarious reasons, but you get to
interact with them and that'svery unexpected.
I would, I would, I would nothave expected that moving here.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
And that is new.
You've been here 18 years.
I moved here in 01.
So I've been here 27 years.
It was very rural at that timeand I really moved.
I moved to go to work forWalmart but I really took the
role, mainly because the outdoorscene was very beautiful and I
loved the outdoor scene and Istill do, and it's even better
(13:18):
now.
But you just did not see thatlevel of diversity and different
points of view and people whohave different experiences at
that time.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You definitely see it more and more now.
And also the recognition of theplace outside of the place more
and more now.
And also the recognition of theplace outside of the place.
When we were told people wewere moving here, not many of my
friends knew.
But now in retrospect they'relike oh my gosh, didn't you say
you live in that Bentonvilleplace?
Is that the Northwest Arc?
There's more of a brand nowthat is actually being um
(13:50):
recognized outside yes, yes,tell us about your role at
Arvest.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
You've agreed to do two part series with us and
we're going to get more intokind of the ins and outs of that
, but tell us about your roleand how that plays out in your
life.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Yeah.
So I recently got promoted to asenior trust officer for the
Northwest Arkansas region and myprevious role at Arvest I was a
wealth advisor for BentonCounty, so all of the towns in
Benton County, and now itexpands from Bella Vista all the
way to Fayetteville, Siloamjust the Northwest Arkansas area
(14:27):
and what I do is I help peopleprepare, you know, for the
inevitable, whether that's deathor you know if someone's
incapacitated.
There are services that the bankprovide to help with that, and
that's being a corporate trustee, a fiduciary, and we can do all
sorts of things, from helpingto pay bills, manage investments
(14:50):
, close down estates and that'sone of the things that Arvest
does so well.
But a lot of people don't knowabout or think it's not for them
, and so what happens is whensomeone creates an estate plan
and they think, well, who'sgoing to follow the directions
and who's going to make sure mykids college is paid for and
that my house is sold, and ifI'm putting a nursing home,
(15:11):
who's going to pay my bill?
Well, we can do that rightBecause we can serve as a
corporate fiduciary, and so myrole is to spread that message
and let people know that this isa service that the bank has had
for decades.
We manage many, many estatesthroughout our four-state
footprint and even further, andso my role allows me to go and
(15:33):
talk about estate planning,which is something I'm very
passionate about.
I had an estate planningpractice.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
And yeah, that's awesome, that's awesome and
you're in leadership there atArvest.
Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
I said well, I don't know if I'm in leadership.
I think I have a title, but Iget really close access to
leadership and so I really loveworking there because I have
found the people at Arvest, fromthe associates to the leaders,
to be very receptive to ideasand to suggestions and I feel
(16:10):
very championed at the bank.
It's a wonderful place to work,very championed at the bank.
It's a wonderful place to work,I think, because so many people
have worked there for decadesor their whole career is
sometimes unlike this.
I felt like this newcomer fromAustin coming in here and trying
to do new things.
I felt so welcomed.
You know, I've met tons ofpeople through Arvest.
I put on my blue badge and I gowherever I need to go and it's
(16:32):
whether it's a Walmart or I'mpicking up my kid at school.
Someone's always like oh, youknow, I bank there or my
mortgage is through there orinvest there, and that's just a
testament to the culture of theplace and who's in charge and
how.
It's really just a communitybank that people are really
invested in.
Personally, and I don't know,at first, when I had to wear a
(16:56):
badge, I was like wear a badgeLike what am I a?
salesperson.
Like am I a car salesperson?
And now it's like, oh, where'smy badge?
And I have to put my badge onand I have to remember to take
my badge off, but if I don't, Istill feel like, okay, yeah, I'm
part of Big Blue.
So I think that's a testamentto the leadership and what
(17:16):
they've built there.
And I'm very excited for someof the things that are coming in
the future too.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
So what are you seeing in the way of growth
around the Bentonville area andNorthwest Arkansas as a whole,
since you are going to be abroader area now?
Yeah, and what are some of thechallenges, if there are any,
when it's kind of keeping theidentity, because sometimes
you're talking to people about,I want to maintain our identity
as we grow.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah, I mean even it just and this isn't just limited
to Bentonville, but in oursquare at Bentonville, right by
our branch, there's so muchconstruction.
We had so much construction infront of the courthouse, and all
of these changes are coming in.
Some people love change, likemyself.
I love change because I alwayslike to do different things, but
(18:02):
some people get really, youknow, uncomfortable, not knowing
what the future will bring, andI saw that a lot in Austin with
all the changes that came with.
The culture is totallydifferent, you know.
But change isn't inevitable,right.
It can change for the better,it can change for the worse,
Maybe it's a bit of both.
I think tremendous change iscoming to this region and we've
(18:24):
had some planning commissionmeetings about the demand for
housing and the population boomthat we are anticipating in the
next couple of decades and howthat will impact every sector.
Right, and that's good forbusiness and that's good for
education and that's good forall sorts of things.
I think that that's not limitedto Bentonville, but we're going
(18:48):
to see it in Rogers, even,maybe out to other states, you
know, maybe Missouri andOklahoma.
You just you don't know, right,I've heard of all this
development, I think even comingto Siloam and other places that
I bet were sleepier or you knowback in the day, but they're
people I know who commute infrom there every day to go to
work and so I think with thatit's just like any other change.
(19:12):
It's coming right, I don't evenknow what the future is going to
bring, but it's coming and it'salready come.
If you were here 21 years ago,right, so much has come, but so
much more is coming and I thinkI agree 100% it's going to be
pretty substantial.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
But I also see your work on the planning commission
as an example.
A lot of effort to reallystrategically plan the community
growth and planned change isfar more successful than
unplanned change.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Absolutely, and there are models for it and I know
many people listening may notknow of Plan Bentonville.
That's the plan for planningBentonville, and Rogers has a
plan and I believe all the townshave city planners with a plan
that the community can makecomments and say you know what
we don't want our neighborhoodto be.
But I don't want to go into allthose details, but we want to
(20:16):
make it like this right?
So that's for anyone listeningwho's concerned about changes
like that make sure that yourvoice is being heard and that
you're reaching out and sayinghey, I don't like this.
Why don't we work on thisbefore we start that?
We get a lot of that at theplanning commission and our
planning commissioner and otherplanning commissioners our city
(20:37):
planner rather gets a lot of theinput from the constituents and
so I always tell people letyour voice be heard, come to
meetings, make sure you come andmake your public comment if you
feel strongly about something,because you can help shape what
that future looks like from aplanning perspective which is
powerful.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Because it's not done in a vacuum.
It really is being doneintentionally, wanting to hear
from people and collaborativelyand collaboratively.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
That's a big part of community growth is maintaining,
not only encouraging them, butalso creating space for that yes
, and opportunity to share that.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Yeah, and that is the benefit of still being the size
we are and growing is the factthat you do get that voice.
We've went to several differentmeetings and they've done it
very well.
Where they give you here arethe different potentials Tell us
what you want, what you like,what you do, what you dislike,
to your point even.
You know where are you, what'syour stage of life, so they can
(21:39):
kind of look at that and takeall that into consideration, not
excluding any group, butwanting to understand what the
different groups really need andprioritize.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yeah, exactly yeah, and that's a jigsaw puzzle in
and of itself it is know.
First part of that iscommunicating right that this is
a possibility, but you may havea different idea and this
person may have a different idea, and trying to see how you can
fit that together.
So it works, yeah, whileconsidering the future.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Right, yes, right All in maintaining the fabric of
the community, which is theidentity, a bit, of any small
town, and we all have ouridentities and even though
Bentonville and Rogers forpeople who aren't here are very
close by each other, they havedistinct, different identities
within it.
Similarities, yes, butdifferent identities.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
That was one thing I learned when I moved here is
that being from Bentonville wasnot the same.
Well, I have to say Bentonville, because I used to say
Bentonville and apparently thatwas a gif.
The same well, I have to saybentonville because I used to
say bentonville and apparentlythat was a gif.
But tell they're like oh, weknow, she's not from here.
It's different from being frombella vista or rogers, or being
from springdale, like it's verymuch these little fiefdoms, yeah
(22:47):
, where they have their ownpersonality and way of being.
And it's so cool Because nowit's being glopped together in
Northwest Arkansas, but it'sstill quite distinct.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Yeah, yeah.
For example, it's not unlike abig city.
So say San Antonio and Austin,oh yeah.
Or Baltimore and Washington.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
You'd never say they were the same.
Oh yes.
San Antonio and Austin areCompletely different.
Completely, I mean completelydifferent.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Completely, I mean completely different.
I agree, um, I think as a moveforward, one of the things we
want to help try to do it in theregion is just help to bring
people together with thecommunity.
Um, and there's a lot ofdifferent groups, not just at
our works, um, you do some workalso that's not at our vest with
groups and stuff.
Talk a little bit about thatand how you work to help
communities and individuals withthat.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Well, I would love to plug the Bend County Literacy
Council.
Oh, nice, okay, I get to tutoronce a week and I'm helping
someone improve their Englishand help them take their driving
test and be able to get theirjob first job in the United
States.
And the Literacy Council helpspeople improve English.
(24:00):
I mean that's whether they'vebeen in the country for decades
or they're here for asylum ordue to being relocated for
Walmart.
I mean every type of person youcan think of, and that has been
one of the most rewarding.
I mean every type of person youcan think of and that has been
one of the most rewarding things.
I feel like my gift iscommunication and I couldn't
imagine moving to anothercountry and not being able to
(24:23):
communicate, like that wouldjust be my kryptonite, I
wouldn't be able to expressmyself.
And just the effort that andI've had the pleasure of
tutoring three people now, ofseeing how different their
stories are and how radicallydifferent their lives are,
coming to live in Bentonville orin Rogers or Northwest Arkansas
(24:45):
, from wherever they're from,right, and still having the
desire to fit in and to be ableto be more seamless.
One of my students, she saysthat she wants her English.
She says she wants it to be, tosound like a native speaker,
and we have all of these thingsthat we hear and how sentences
are structured that let you knowif you are from here or you're
(25:07):
from, and that's of course thatcan be broken down into even
more regional dialects and stufflike that being from even
Arkansas.
But whether you're from the USor not, that we can pick up on.
But maybe we wouldn't even beable to articulate.
We would say we'd neverstructure a sentence like that.
I can't tell you why, but Iknow this is the order for
describing things Right, and sothese little tells right are
(25:31):
some of the things we're workingon.
My student has a master'sdegree from where they're from
and they're still wanting tolearn more and it's just so
inspiring and it's just such awonderful organization If anyone
listening that ever want tohelp teach English.
It's so rewarding.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
That's amazing.
I love that.
I did work with the literacycouncil in North Carolina
through my company years agowhere we were working to build
literacy skills in our employeebase.
I was with the grocery storechain and we worked with people
(26:11):
who worked in our warehouses anddistribution centers and helped
build that and it was avoluntary program but if they
wanted to participate they wouldtake some testing and I
remember the first time I satdown I was concerned about
sharing a person's test resultswith him and what I found was a
(26:33):
great relief that someone elseknew who could help them change
how they communicate, and it wasso amazingly rewarding.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Probably one of the best things I've ever done.
People in a community.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
If you feel like you can participate or contribute or
just communicate, rightliterally, order the coffee
right without help your kidsyeah, that was one of the one
guy got tearful just saying,yeah, I'm gonna be able to help
my kids with math and it's, it'sit's hard but it's doable,
right?
Speaker 3 (27:02):
it's just if you just put yourself in their shoes and
put yourself in their countryor in their situation.
We help americans who have lowliteracy as well.
So it's not this assumptionthat it's just outsiders, right?
Or people who are not umamerican citizens, but even here
you know American citizens.
But even here you know thereare people who have never
learned Right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
So, yeah, well, we we will put some information on
the website for four bars aboutthe literacy council, so I'll
reach out to you.
What can you tell our viewersas we wrap up this first session
about becoming involved in thecommunity and how they might do
that?
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Just I'll give the example for the Literacy Council
.
Rather, I would drive by thewater tower in Bentonville,
because it's right by the branchwhere I work at Arvest, and I
would just see the LiteracyCouncil what happens there.
You know, I drove by thatbuilding for at least three
(28:02):
years wanting to know more aboutthem, and I know that's a long
time.
But remember, this is COVIDtime.
Yes, and so one day I decided toGoogle them and see what they
did and what it would take to dosomething with them.
So I think the first step isjust curiosity.
I'm an avid reader.
I love communication, I love mykids reading.
I feel like it opens your mindto so many possibilities.
(28:25):
You can travel without havingto get on a plane by reading a
book, and so I feel like thegift of literacy is just such a
wonderful thing, and so I justsent an email.
And so for anyone listening whowants to become more involved in
the community, what is piquingyour interest when you see
something?
What's that thing?
(28:46):
Is it art?
Is it kids?
Is it the elderly?
Whatever those areas ofinterest and we all have
different ones, which would beawesome for everybody to really
tap into this, because we get toserve everyone.
Another one for me is financialliteracy.
I love participating at BlakeStreet House and hosting a book
club where we just talk aboutall things money, and it's one
(29:10):
way to just build community.
It's a very low barrier ofconversation, but it's impactful
and life-changing for somepeople and I've been attending
that for several months now andit really has been.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Uh came, ken came on sunday, so yeah, and again, I I
really enjoyed that experienceand the open dialogue to the
point and, uh, there werestories told within that,
incredible stories kind of whypeople were there, uh, what
brought them here, what thecuriosity was and what their
life's experiences were withmoney, uh, like with anything,
(29:42):
if you can demystify it, then itbecomes a whole lot easier to
understand.
I want to thank you for beinghere.
We're going to have moreconversation in Episode 2.
And I want to thank everyonewho might be listening our
audience and we'll look forwardto where we go with our next
episode with Effie.
We'll see you soon.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Thank you so much.
Bye.
The 4 Bars Podcast has beenbrought to you by Edges Inc.
A growth advisory firm based inBentonville, arkansas.
I founded the company in 2001.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Edges promotes growth of people, companies and ideas.
Our team collaboration tool,called Interface Methods, is a
basis for teams to work togethermore collaboratively,
understand each other and acceptdifferences and address
challenges together.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Thank you.
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