Leadership Heber Springs accepts applications for class

HEBER SPRINGS — When Chris Boyett moved to Heber Springs five years ago to take a job at Arkansas State University, he said he had a steep learning curve about the city.

A leadership program would have been useful, he said.

With Boyett’s help, now there is one.

Leadership Heber Springs is a partnership between the Heber Springs Chamber of Commerce and ASU-Heber Springs, where Boyett is vice chancellor.

The program is getting a lot of interest, said Julie Murray, executive director of the chamber of commerce.

“We’ve had a lot of questions, a lot of requests for applications,” Murray said. “We’re really excited about it. It’s just a great way to connect the community with the businesses.”

Applications are due Nov. 1, she said, and orientation will be Jan. 14-16.

The program started with former executive director Melisa Gardner, Murray said. Prior to being named as executive director, Murray was involved as a volunteer as part of a committee to develop Leadership Heber Springs.

“We’ve been working on it all these months. It’s ready to go,” she said.

“It was patterned after leadership programs in other cities — Leadership Fort Smith and Leadership Benton County,” she said.

“ASU-Heber Springs is a co-sponsor and is really providing content and people resources,” Murray said.

Boyett, a self-described “leadership junkie,” said he is excited to be involved.

“My last two degrees were in leadership,” he said.

Boyett also participates in an internal leadership program at ASU-Heber Springs.

“I remember when I moved here five years ago to work here in this capacity, I had a lot of learning to do about how the community worked and who did what,” he said.

People shared information a bit at a time.

“I had a piecemeal approach to it,” Boyett said.

Even longtime residents of Heber Springs could benefit from the leadership program, he said.

“How many people know what an A&P commission is? … There are a lot of things people don’t know, and even if they know about things, they don’t know the people involved,” he said.

Boyett said he has had two “jaw-dropping moments” since coming to Heber Springs. One was when he saw the Chimney Rock Cattle Co.; the other was seeing Team Trek, whose clients have included L’Oreal and Nike. Team Trek is on 800 acres on Greers Ferry Lake.

“I said, ‘Wow, this is here and nobody ever spoke a word to me that we have this company with Fortune 500 clients,’” he said.

A retreat will be held at Team Trek for the 14 members of the inaugural Leadership Heber Springs class, and Murray said she considers Team Trek a co-sponsor of the program.

Boyett said the retreat will give participants an “insight to their leadership styles.”

“We want to use that as the momentum building as a good way of kicking the program off,” Boyett said.

He said every organization would benefit from having more leadership ability.

“The more leadership you have in an organization, the better you function,” he said. “We need people who can work with city government and the chamber, and ASU and the industries in town.”

The university is a natural fit with the leadership program, he said.

“From the planning side of it, [ASU-Heber Springs has] been in it from Day 1, working with the chamber to form this and come up with an agenda that would help the students and help the community,” Boyett said. “Of course, we’re also going to be involved heavily in the actual choreography of it,” including holding leadership meetings on that campus.

Boyett said he also plans to go on all the field trips the leadership class takes.

“I plan to be with them the whole way,” he said.

Murray said the Heber Springs program is shorter than some leadership-development programs. It will run from January to May with a full-day session each month. The first topic will be community, focusing on civic organizations, Murray said. Part 2 of the community session will encompass education.

Other areas covered will be government, as well as industry and economic development.

Graduation for the leadership class will be May 21. The final project will be a group project, Murray said. The class will help with Springfest, which is April 24 and 25.

“They will learn leadership skills and apply them practically by organizing and chairing subcommittees,” she said.

“The timing worked out that way. It gives them an idea of how much work it takes to truly put on a community event and, hopefully, bring in new ideas for the event going forward.

“If businesses were looking for a way to get more involved in the community, to ensure community growth, this is a great way to do it. It’s a great way for their employees to network, get new ideas and bring them back. It helps community growth; it helps businesses grow.”

Murray said the Leadership Heber Springs application process includes up to a one-page explanation by the prospective candidate of “what they hope to gain by participating and what they think they could give back to the community as a graduate of the program.”

For a Leadership Heber Springs application, go to the chamber’s website, www.

heber-springs.com. For more information, call the chamber at (501) 362-2444.

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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