On this episode, Brandon Mathews visits with Mike Falco, president and CEO of Bank of Salem in Salem, AR and Pat Behrndt, owner of Crown Point Resort in Horseshoe Bend, AR.

Mike and Pat spotlight the power of local investment, the impact it can have on the community, and why tourism and entertainment are so critical to the economy of the Ozark Foothills. Pat discusses challenges they faced during the pandemic in 2020, how he and his staff overcame them and shares his vision of a Crown Point Resort that can attract families from all walks of life including four-legged friends. Mike discusses the banks involvement in Pat’s expansion and outlines what a bank need will need to invest in business project. He shared a list of benefits you can expect from partnering with a local bank over a national bank. He also shares how the economic development of one business can have a positive ripple effect for others.

Back in the 3Cs, Murriel Wiley takes us to DeQueen, Arkansas, to meet with Cass Stanford, the new owner of Riverside Machine. The shop provides Sevier County with custom made knives, a cool local tourism stop, milling, drilling, sawing and welding services, along with once-a-month community knife-makers meetings and fellowship plus so much more. Riverside Machine holds a historical value in the area and the products created in-house are often designed for folks who live beyond the region, and the state. In order to continue serving Southwest Arkansas and keep growing as a company, the business ownership changed hands from one generation of knife-makers to the next and a story of local succession emerged.

201 W. Stillwell Avenue
DeQueen, AR 71832
870-642-7643
https://www.riversidemachine.net/

Recorded in the restaurant dining room just a couple of hours before opening, Hazelle Whited had a chance to sit down and capture a great interview from the co-owners of this cool new restaurant, Millies, located on main street in Cave City just across from City Hall. This hip spot is a gathering for locals but a must stop for tourists and regulars from outside the area. From the formation of owning a restaurant, to the community support leading up to the Grand Opening on Saturday, May 22, Brooke Walling and Sarah Musik share the importance of perseverance, faith, and good support systems through the trials of just getting a restaurant open in a historic building to wondering if COVID-19 will prevent them from ever moving forward on this dream. As the interview comes to a close, Brooke and Sarah share the touching inspiration behind the name and spirit of the restaurant, and why the retail store helps as a fundraiser for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Welcome to this episode titled #MeetMeAtMillies. 

Millie's
207 South Main Street, Suite A
Cave City, AR 
870-916-2198

https://www.facebook.com/milliesrestaurantfamily/

Brandon Mathews takes his turn at the microphone to talk with Luke Gibson, co-owner of But First, Coffee Drive-Thru in Ash Flat, Arkansas. Luke and his wife Shelbi opened the store in 2019, just months before the pandemic hit. With COVID-19 shutting down so many small businesses, Luke shares how they adapted and survived to have a growing small business in the community. 

Luke Gibson 

Co-owner

But First, Coffee Drive-Thru

680 Ash Flat Drive

Ash Flat, AR 72513

https://www.butfirstcoffeedrivethru.com

Facebook: @butfirstcoffeedrivethru

On this episode, Murriel Wiley in the 3Cs talks with Amelia Moore of Picalily Flowers and Gifts in Nashville, Arkansas, who shares her story about becoming a small business owner in rural Arkansas. Amelia's passion for what she does, the people that are part of the team, and why she invested into the renovation of a building on main street that is over 100 years old comes through as she shares just how rewarding this journey continues to be. This is another great episode of owning and running a business in rural Arkansas.

Picalily Flowers & Gifts
218 South Main Street
Nashville, Arkansas 71852
870-845-2738
https://www.picalilyflowers.net/

In this Episode, Brandon Mathews is joined with Kim Break of Areawide Media to share how partnering with local media to for advertising is still beneficial especially in rural Arkansas. From a business success story to ideas on how local media is relevant to helping distribute information for workforce development and skills training in the area, there is much to talk about in this episode. Also, Kim encourages businesses and individuals to call the local paper even if they are not sure if what they have to say is newsworthy.

www.areawidenews.com

[email protected]

PO Box 248 Salem, AR 72576
870-895-3207 

On this episode of CREATE BRIDGES, Hazelle Whited and Murriel Wiley team up in Sevier County to talk with the folks of Smart Phone EMT, owner Esteban Ochoa with one of his "co-workers" Kelly Goins. Not only does this episode cover the importance of communication across different generations, and different languages, it also provides some insight and inspiration to making a business successful through caring about employees first so they can genuinely care about people. (We even get a couple great sound effects from Kelly's child from time to time AND a quote from the movie Joe Dirt ;-) We think you will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. 

Smartphone EMT Repair                               Smartphone EMT Repair

858-A East Collin Raye Drive                     3408 Richmond Road

De Queen, AR                                                     Texarkana, TX 

870-642-7376                                                    903-255-0559

On this week’s episode, Brandon talks with Small Business Owner and Entrepreneur, Dylan Smith, founder and owner of Stateline Barbershop located on Main Street in Mammoth Spring Arkansas.  Years in the making, Dylan thought owning a barbershop would stay a dream. Yet, now he has been open for more than a year and business is good, despite the pandemic. 

Dylan shares what it’s like to start a business, the process to getting funding and literally building from the ground up. He discusses some of the ways he markets himself and taps into the local and tourist economies. And, just like all businesses, Dylan speaks about some of the challenges he has faced and what he would have done differently knowing what he knows now.

Social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StateLineBarberShopLLC

Contact

870-283-2244

420 Main St.

Mammoth Spring, AR 72554

On this Episode of CREATE BRIDGES, Hazelle Whited, program coordinator for Ozark Foothills, crosses the state to interview Keisha McKinney -  3Cs Region Steering Committee (RSC) member, CREATE LIFT contributor, and fan of the CREATE BRIDGES podcast. In this episode, the duo discusses how CREATE BRIDGES shares the story of rural business owners through the work of the Regional Steering Committees, the creation of the workforce training certificate program, and this podcast. 



Keisha McKinney
McKinney Media
3C's RSC Member/CREATE LIFT Contributor
linkedin.com/in/keishamckinney

Hazelle Whited
University of Arkasnas Division of Agriculture Community Professional Economic Development
CREATE BRIDGES
[email protected]
501-743-2209

For more information on CREATE BRIDGES visit uaex.uada.edu/createbridges.
For more information on CREATE LIFT visit uaex.uada.edu/create-lift

On today’s episode, Brandon Mathews is joined by Cathy Drew, Executive Director of Ozark Gateway Tourist Council, and Gloria Sanders, Executive Director of the Calico Rock Community Foundation and Museum and Visitors Center.  A host of topics were discussed including the benefits of being a member of Ozark Gateway, why the whole community needs to be on board when it comes to promoting an area; opportunities for reaching markets outside of Arkansas, and some new programming launching in the region soon.

Ozark Gateway Tourist Council

Facebook: facebook.com/ozarkgateway/

Twitter: twitter.com/ozarkgateway

Webmail: ozarkgateway.com

Phone: 870-793-9316

Calico Rock Museum and Visitor Center

Facebook: facebook.com/calicorockmuseum/

Twitter: twitter.com/rockcalico

Webmail: calicorockmuseum.com

Phone: 870-297-6100