Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast

This week, Rex welcomes Michael Marion back to the podcast. The longtime general manager of North Little Rock's Simmons Bank Arena, Michael is a former Los Angeles-based music agent and promoter who shares his insight into the entertainment industry on this episode of the program. 

The Simmons Bank Arena, whch opened to the public in October 1999 as the Allel Arena, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and stands as the largest and most prominent entertainment spot in Central Arkansas. Rex and Michael chat about the venue's unique history, which has proved financially successful in addition to its regional and national popularity and the changes that have taken place at the location over the past two and a half decades.

Michael, a Tupelo, Miss. native who got his start by booking music talent in his home state, discusses the importance of business leaders and local politicians in the arena's formative years, as well as the venue's first concert, a performance by Elton John (who played a stop on his farewell tour at the same venue in 2022). 

Over the years, Michael shares many of his most memorable experiences working at the arena, including booking The Rolling Stones, George Strait's sold out shows, and meeting Sir Paul McCartney. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

Melissa Taverner, President of Lyon College in Batesville, returns to the studio to update Rex on several of the school's recent and upcoming projects. 

Melissa highlights the university's strong enrollment and residential occupancy for the upcoming year. She also announces that the college has secured a $1.95 million Title III Grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will fund the Thriving Scot Program, a five-year initiative aimed at enhancing learning communities to improve first-semester GPAs, retention rates, and graduation rates, particularly for economically disadvantaged and first-generation students. 

The pair also discuss Lyon College's plans to launch the state's first dental and veterinary schools, both of which are celebrating the expansion of educational opportunities within the state. Melissa mentions that the new dental school will be constructed in the Riverdale neighborhood of downtown Little Rock, offering both educational opportunities for students and oral health care services for the community. The veterinary school is set to be constructed in Cabot, adjacent to the Cabot Animal Services building.

Melissa also touches on Lyon College's partnerships with the University of Arkansas Little Rock's Bowen Law School and the Clinton School of Public Service. Near the conclusion of the conversation, she highlights the school's recently announced Backyard Access Plan, which offers discounted tuition to eligible students from the area surrounding the college.

This week Lance Restum, executive director of the Arkansas Travelers Youth Foundation, returns to the studio to discuss the charity's impactful work in fostering community health and supporting local youth through baseball and softball. 

Rex and Lance delve into the crucial issue of economic barriers that prevent many children and young adults from participating in sports. Lance shares how the foundation is tackling these challenges with a range of initiatives. These include their college scholarship program, free youth baseball clinics, and the Cleat Closet program, which provides essential equipment and gear to those in need.

The pair also discuss the 'overall health epidemic' affecting modern youth and the importance of programs like the baseball free clinics to encourage children to get outside and stay active. Lance also mentions the foundation's Mobile Wellness Center that offers guidance to youth on ways to maintain and improve their physical health on and off the field. 

Rex touches on the potential economic benefits of investing in new and renovated youth sports facilities in Little Rock and North Little Rock. He argues that such investments would not only enhance community health but also provide a boost to the local economy. 

Capi Peck and Norm Berner – both frequent visitors to the podcast – join Rex this week to talk about different ways they are helping to combat Little Rock's worsening and seemingly never-ending trash problem. 

Peck and Berner chat with Rex about aspects of their roles as conservation advocates for the city in regards to litter-related clean-up efforts. Peck, the executive chef and longtime owner of Trio's restaurant as well as a member of the Little Rock Board of Directors, talks with Rex about the connection between fast food and trash, and how non-recyclable materials have greatly contributed to the city’s litter and pollution problems. Peck also stresses the importance of educating younger generations in conservation and environmental awareness. 

Berner, a member of Friends of Fourche Creek and Keep Little Rock Beautiful, is a longtime protector of urban wetlands in Central Arkansas. In this episode, he provides Rex with a brief history of the Keep Arkansas Beautiful campaign and his involvement with the organization. Berner also discusses upcoming events hosted by Friends of Fourche Creek as well as an exciting “special speaker” coming to this year’s Arkansas State Fair, one who Berner believes will continue help tackling the city’s problems with litter and pollution for years to come. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

Allen Engstrom, an area real estate developer and managing director of the financial consulting firm, CFO Network, stops by the podcast this week to chat with Rex about new, ongoing and planned developments in the Little Rock metro, and especially the recent revival of the Argenta Arts District in North Little Rock.

Allen founded the CFO Network more than 20 years ago in the Argenta district and the first topic of this week's discussion is the growth and changes the area has undergone over the past two decades. He explains how the communal aspect of the neighborhood grew in the wake of a successful tax implemented on area businesses and a core belief in making the district "clean, green and safe."

The primary focus of the conversation is the importance and necessity of building new housing developments and area businesses around a "live, work and play" ethos, which Allen and Rex agree is central to urban and economic progress. Along these lines, Allen tells Rex about several recent real estate projects he's been focused on, including the remodeling and repurposing of an 1800s-era house into an office and event space and converting a former Presbyterian Church into what Allen hopes will be an upscale restaurant. 

The pair conclude their discussion with their thoughts on Little Rock's new downtown master plan, and stating the importance of a partnership and connection between Little Rock and North Little Rock moving forward. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

On this week’s episode, President of Paceline Strategies and former President and CEO of the Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, Graham Cobb, joins Rex to discuss the economic developments and cultural shifts impacting Northwest and Central Arkansas. 

The pair begin their conversation by highlighting Northwest Arkansas' economic boom, driven by initiatives from entities like Tyson Foods, Inc. and Walmart, alongside significant investments in infrastructure and healthcare, such as Crystal Bridges and the Alice Walton Medical School. 

Graham, who now lives in Bentonville but is originally from Little Rock, also talks about Central Arkansas' recent surge in logistics and distribution jobs, notably with Amazon establishing a regional hub.

Both Rex and Graham emphasize the importance of leveraging Arkansas's strengths and fostering civic engagement statewide to sustain growth and attract further investments.

Towards the end of the conversation, Graham emphasizes the importance of community collaboration and authentic storytelling to promote Arkansas' unique qualities and attract new residents, pointing to initiatives like the #BecauseBentonville campaign. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

On this week’s episode, Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson joins Rex to talk about economic and industrial developments in Mississippi County, including efforts to attract industry and new residents to the area. 

The pair begin their conversation with a discussion of the county's booming steel industry, touching on U.S. Steel Corporation's recent acquisition of Big River Steel and the opening of several steel mills in the area, which has created hundreds of new jobs. 

John also discusses the potential for aerospace development in the area, particularly utilizing the Arkansas Aeroplex in Blytheville. He describes how the aeroplex has attracted interest from companies throughout the globe.

Rex asks John about how county officials are working to attract more people to live and work in the county, and the judge mentions several efforts being made to improve infrastructure to support economic growth, such as the "Live Here, Work Here" program.

To conclude the conversation, Rex and John discuss Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville and the crucial role the school plays in ensuring the development of a skilled workforce.

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

On this week’s episode, Arkansas Travelers’ CEO Rusty Meeks joins Rex to talk professional baseball and the changes in Minor League Baseball in Central Arkansas. 

The pair begin their discussion with a recap of the recent sale of the Travelers – a Class AA team that’s been in Little Rock more than 60 years – to Diamond Baseball Holdings, a transaction that took place earlier this Spring. This leads Rusty and Rex into chatting about this year’s team, the Travelers’ affiliation with the Seattle Mariners, and how professional baseball has changed in recent years, particularly since the onset of covid-19 in 2020. 

Rusty describes the ways in which professional baseball has become a much larger business lately, pointing to the development of unions and more revenue streams, as well as the evolving relationship between Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB). 

Rusty and Rex conclude their discussion by focusing on new ways to attract fans to the game and make the minor league experience more enjoyable and family friendly, including new technologies, the Wi-Fi the Travelers have incorporated into Dickey-Stephens Park, and a host of promotional tactics the club is implementing for the second half of the 2024 season. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

Gabe Holmstrom, Executive Director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, joins Rex on this week’s episode to discuss various aspects of the downtown Little Rock Master Plan, which involves new housing, retail, entertainment, and cultural attractions for the city.

In this episode, Gabe and Rex chat about why the Master Plan is important to the city, and especially those who live and work in downtown Little Rock. The pair begin by discussing current challenges in the central part of the city, including the abundance of parking space and government-owned buildings and land, and how the recent $1.5 million investment in the city’s center will allow for the development of green spaces and, hopefully, better utilization of the Arkansas River.

Another significant topic covered in this episode include the re-imagining of Little Rock’s River Market, and how elements of the Master Plan will affect the future of businesses and attractions that will be included in that district. Also discussed are developments in certain neighborhoods in Little Rock and what the city’s future will look like in years to come.

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners.

Jimmy Moses of Moses Tucker Partners joins Rex on this week's episode to talk about the details of Little Rock's recently released Master Plan, which calls for increasing the residential population in the heart of the city, adding trails and greenways near the riverfront, more transit options for visitors and area workers and strategic development of new businesses.

Moses, who Rex refers to as "the godfather of the River Market" on Little Rock's President Clinton Ave., has been integral in the city's urban planning and real estate efforts, and the two discuss specific neighborhoods and sections of the city in relation to the Master Plan. Of particular importance to Moses is the development of more residential opportunities in the downtown area, the elimination of parking lots in favor of adding new transportation opportunities, and a desire to create urban parks and green spaces that will assist in making downtown Little Rock more vibrant and welcoming. 

Follow Rex Nelson's Southern Fried Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or visit arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners.