2019 Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

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From left, Claiborne P. Deming, the late Joe M. Steele, Warren A. Stephens and the late John W. Tyson.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Four leaders who have made significant contributions to their communities and to the canning, protein, finance and petroleum industries will be honored Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, in Little Rock at the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Board announced that the following business leaders will be added to the list of 82 distinguished members of the Hall of Fame:

• Claiborne P. Deming, retired president and chief executive officer and current chairman of the board, Murphy Oil Corporation
• The late Joe M. Steele, founder, Steele Canning Company and the Springdale Canning Company
• Warren A. Stephens, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Stephens Inc.
• The late John W. Tyson, founder and former chief executive officer, Tyson Foods

“These leaders have shaped Arkansas with their sense of community and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Matt Waller, Walton College dean. “Their contributions reach beyond our state’s borders, while creating lucrative opportunities for Arkansans.”

The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is permanently housed in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at the Walton College on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

Ann Bordelon, Walton College alumna and chief financial officer of Mitchell Communications Group, chaired the selection committee of nine business and community leaders who reviewed nominations from throughout the state and chose the inductees. Criteria for selection included: the significance of the impact made as a business leader, the concern demonstrated for improving the community and the display of ethics in all business dealings. In addition, living inductees must be over the age of 60.

A list of previous inductees into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame and brief videos highlighting their lives and careers are available at walton.uark.edu/abhf.

Tickets to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a black-tie optional event, are $150 per person. For more information about tickets and event sponsorships, please mail the Walton College Office of External Relations at Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development, Room 217, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201; call 479-575-6146; email abhf@walton.uark.edu; or visit walton.uark.edu/abhf.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.