Arkansas Talent

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Discover how Andrea Parnell and her team at Southern Bancorp have mastered the art of talent acquisition. They have had incredible growth requiring over 200 new hires in which they've implemented strategic processes and HR initiatives to streamline recruitment and onboarding. In this insightful discussion, we'll uncover Southern Bancorp's preparation and innovative tactics for winning the war on talent. From targeted recruitment campaigns to onboarding, gain valuable insights to elevate your organization's ability to attract and retain top professionals. Join us as we explore Southern Bancorp's talent acquisition success story and learn strategies to conquer your own talent challenges. 

Andrea Parnell is a seasoned professional in the field of human resources and currently serves in the role of Chief People Officer at Southern Bancorp. With a proven track record of driving organizational success through effective people strategies, she plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s culture and driving employee engagement.

Prior to joining Southern Bancorp, she held key leadership positions in HR within the information technology and telecommunications industries where she spearheaded initiatives such as talent acquisition, performance management, succession planning, and leadership development programs.  She has a proven ability to align talent initiatives with business objectives to achieve strategic goals.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and has a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation. Andrea Parnell is also actively involved in industry associations and regularly contributes to thought leadership on topics related to HR.

As Chief People Officer at Southern Bancorp, Andrea Parnell is dedicated to driving the human capital strategy forward, ensuring that the organization remains an employer of choice in a competitive labor market where talented people have options.

Connect with Andrea:  (2) Andrea Parnell | LinkedIn
Learn more about Southern Bancorp:  Careers - Southern Bancorp (banksouthern.com) 

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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Join us as we sit down with our friend Matt Duckworth to discuss how to build a high performing accounting department. He will break down the different positions of an accounting team and their importance and will detail how to craft a winning team. Matthew is the founder of Rhapsodi, a financial services firm that helps early & mid-career CEOs achieve $100 million exits through acquisition and smarter financial management.  He has acted as CFO or Advisor to some of the southeast US’s top-performing businesses, including the region’s second-largest fitness chain and one of the region’s largest funeral home chains.  During this time, he led multiple M&A transactions for himself and his clients and has helped create over $30 million in equity value for clients in the last 3 years. Matt is a former Adjunct Professor in Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and has contributed to two published books, The Minimum Wage Millionaire by Bill Edgar and Bonds: The Unbeaten Path to Secure Investment Growth by Stan & Hildy Richelson (Bloomberg Press). Matt holds a Master of Business Administration, has passed FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities certifications, and holds an Advanced Certification in Value Investing from Columbia University.  

Follow or Connect with Matt at
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-duckworth-53529711/

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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In this episode, we talk all things cyber security with Cody Griffin from Staley Technologies including, current trends and threats in the industry, what steps organizations should be taking to protect themselves, as well as some wild stories about personal and corporate threats he has encountered.

Cody is the Division President at Staley Technologies over Cyber Security and Managed IT services. Cody has more than 20 years of experience in both public and private industry and as a partner in Risk Assurance and Managed IT / Cyber Security Services practices. He began his career in the risk assurance and advisory practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Cody’s industry experience includes information technology, cyber security, telecommunications, retail, financial institutions, energy, higher education and transportation. Cody is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). He also has an MBA in Management Information Systems from Texas Tech University, and a Bachelors in Accounting from Oklahoma State University.

Connect with Cody: (1) Cody Griffin CPA.CITP CISA | LinkedIn
Learn more about Staley Technologies Risk Assurance and Managed IT Services: Reliable Managed IT Services Provider (staleytechnologies.com)

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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In this episode, we explore the state of the Arkansas economy, job market, and what we can expect in 2024 and beyond. Join us as we talk with Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research for the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He has contributed to economic thinking and public policy discussion that journalists, business people, and community leaders alike rely on to understand how national and regional issues impact Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas as a whole. Arkansas Business and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal recognized Mervin in their 40 Under 40 lists and on the Arkansas 250 list. He makes presentations that share the center’s expertise directly to over 5,000 individuals annually and tens of thousands more hear and see his economic analysis and commentary through TV, radio and print media. Jebaraj serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Business Economics and the Board of Directors of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport “

Connect with Mervin: Mervin Jebaraj | LinkedIn

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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Natalie Bartholomew, a.k.a. "The Girl Banker," is the Community President of First Community Bank in Northwest Arkansas. A career banker with 22 years of experience, she has expertise in retail, culture building, strategic planning, human resources, and marketing.

Natalie has received many honors recognizing her work over the years. Recently, she was recognized from the American Bankers Association on the 2023 Emerging Leaders List and she was named a University of Arkansas Agricultural Business and Economics Distinguished Young Alumni. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, Colorado, where she now serves as a faculty member.
 
In November 2017, Natalie launched The Girl Banker platform to advocate for women in banking and working moms. Natalie uses this platform to act on her passion for educating young women on opportunities within the banking industry and raising awareness of what it means to be a community banker. The Girl Banker has grown to include a podcast and has offered Natalie the opportunity to speak at events across the country.

Connect with Natalie: Natalie Bartholomew | LinkedIn
The Girl Banker: The Girl Banker

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine introduce their new recruitment company, Arkansas Talent Group, and are thrilled to share the entire journey with their audience! Tune in to this episode where they discuss what they have been up to the last 12 months during their non-compete, recounting their experiences and unveiling the story behind the inception of Arkansas Talent Group. Discover the mission, differentiators, and the passionate drive that fuels their commitment to this venture. For those who have been following their journey, this episode promises valuable insights and a chance to finally hear the details. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the listeners, partners, and friends for their unwavering support and encouragement—this company is a testament to their shared journey!

Arkansas Talent Group: Arkansas Talent Group | Connecting Top Talent in Arkansas
Stephanie Shine- [email protected]
Chris Chunn- [email protected]
Rock City Digital (website team): Little Rock's Best Digital Marketing Agency | Rock City Digital
Elevate Recruiting Summit: Elevate Recruiting Summit (elevaterecruitingar.com)

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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Join us as we sit down with Stuart McLendon from Flexion Point, Inc. to discuss the labor market shortage, what fractional CFO services are and how it can help bridge the gap for businesses.

Stuart McLendon is a native of North Little Rock, Arkansas where he continues to reside with his wife and their three children. He graduated from the Donaghey Scholars at UA Little Rock with degrees in Finance and International Business. Stuart’s career started at CFO Network, where he gained national recognition as an expert on financial analysis, corporate structures, and business valuations.  Since then, Stuart has led several high-growth businesses, from hospitality to mineral rights and real estate development, as a full-time CFO, and has recently launched a fractional executive consulting firm, Flexion Point, Inc.

Connect with Stuart: Stuart McLendon | LinkedIn
Email Stuart: [email protected] 
Learn more about Flexion Point: Flexion Point, Inc.: About | LinkedIn
Website: https://flexionpoint.com/

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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What is the REAL cost of turnover in organizations? Sadly, what us thinking about this topic was due to the performance of the Arkansas Razorbacks Football Team this year. Chris is a proud alumni and fan, but there was so much talk about what would happen to Sam Pittman, and what would be “the cost” of what it would take to “buy him out” of his contract. And then it randomly got us thinking “I wonder what the “real cost” around organizations was when they have turnover in their organizations locally, not just multi-million-dollar contract coaches. We wanted to learn more ourselves. 

In the recruitment industry, naturally, we see turnover happening in organizations and the entire life cycle as well as some of the cost and frustrations to employers. In this episode we have some really interesting statistics and topics to discuss around turnover. Quick fact: “It is estimated that losing an employee can cost a company one half to two times the employee’s salary. Depending on the individual level of seniority, the financial burden fluctuates.” We plan to dive deeper in the real costs, including the intangible costs of turnover. 

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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Sarah is the Vice President of People at ATG (Applied Technology Group) and is a passionate HR professional and an exceptional leader at ATG. We talk with Sarah about her background and career in HR, including her new role at ATG, and all of the industry leading initiatives that her and her teams are doing to help their employees achieve work/life balance that is "actually that good", including introducing a sabbatical program. 

Throughout her career, Sarah has worked in various industries, including technology, telecommunications, transportation, and banking, where she gained experience in talent acquisition, leadership development, corporate training, strategic HR, and mergers and acquisitions. Her exceptional skills and dedication have also been recognized, leading to her nomination and selection to attend WICT’s (Women in Cable Telecommunications) Rising Leaders program. This program offers intensive immersion in leadership analysis and case study work to enhance cable business acumen. Most recently, Sarah has been accepted as a member of the CHIEF network: a private network for executive women with a mission to change the face of leadership. Sarah graduated from Arkansas State with a degree in Psychology. 

Connect with Sarah:  Sarah Walters SPHR | LinkedIn 
Applied Technology Group (ATG):   https://atgusa.com/ 

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin. 

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Jessie Wilson is the VP, Client Engagement and Corporate Senior Trainer for Dale Carnegie Training. She has over 13+ years’ sales leadership experience, with 12+ years’ experience as a multi-course certified Senior Trainer and Executive Coach. Her territories include Arkansas, west Tennessee, north Mississippi, south Missouri, and parts of Oklahoma and Texas. Jessie is passionate about training and helping others and provides world-class training to organizations.  She holds a BA in Professional Sales, with a minor in Spanish from Harding University.  Jessie is passionate about giving back to the community and serves as the Rotary International Club 99 Board of Directors and is an ICM Board Director.  She has been recognized as an Arkansas Business 20 in their 20’s and member of Leadership Greater Little Rock, Class XXX . Lastly, Jessie has been recognized worldwide by Dale Carnegie and Associates as being in the top consultants in North America for the past several years.

Join us as we dive into why developing people matters. Don't miss out on this incredible conversation that explores the essence of leadership, people development, professional growth, and team dynamics.

Dale Carnegie: https://www.dalecarnegie.com
Connect with Jessie: (1) Jessie Wilson | LinkedIn

For more information, staffing, or career advice, get in touch with Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine via Linkedin.