Four Arkansas business leaders have been named to the 2016 class of inductees for the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.
The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Board announced the inductees on Wednesday. They are:
- William T. Dillard II, chairman and CEO of Dillard's Inc. of Little Rock;
- Dr. George K. Mitchell, former president and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield;
- Winthrop Rockefeller (1912–1973), former governor of Arkansas and founder of Winrock Farms;
- Patricia P. Upton, founder and former president and CEO of Aromatique Inc.
The inductees will join the 70 other members of the hall in a ceremony scheduled for Friday, Feb. 12 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame is housed permanently in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at the Walton College on the UA campus in Fayetteville.
"It is a privilege to celebrate the achievements of these four outstanding business leaders of our state through their induction into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame," Walton College Interim Dean Matt Waller said. "They and those inductees who have preceded them represent the best in business in Arkansas. Their lives and careers have had a tremendous impact on business both inside and outside the state and have inspired others to do the same."
Ann Bordelon, Walton College alumna and retired Wal-Mart executive, chaired the selection committee of nine business and community leaders who reviewed nominations from throughout the state and chose the inductees, the UA said.
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.
Tickets to the induction ceremony, a black-tie optional event, are $150 per person. For more information about tickets and event sponsorships, call (479) 575-6146 or email abhf@walton.uark.edu.