Lori Terrell’s passion for the city of Benton is evident whether she is engaged in a private conversation or addressing a crowd.
“I love Benton,” said Terrell, the new president of the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “I was raised in Benton, graduated from Benton High School, and now I live and work in Benton. I am so blessed,” the 42-year-old said.
Terrell will serve a one-year term as the chamber’s board president.
She is also a member of the Benton City Council, beginning her second two-year term.
Terrell said politics “is a new experience” for her.
“I never thought it would be something I would go into,” she said, “but it’s been a great experience.”
She is a member of the City Council’s Community Services/Animal Control Committee and the Personnel Committee.
“I love working in Benton,” she said. “It is a dream come true.
“I have such a passion for this community,” she said. “I see [my roles in the chamber and the City Council] as a way to give back to a community that has done so much for my family.”
Terrell said she is excited about Benton and its growth.
“One of the biggest things for Benton is the [development of] Riverside Park,” she said. She said voters approved a tax increase in 2013 that will allow construction of the project on land that once housed the old Saline County Airport, providing an entrance off Interstate 30.
“It will include a building for the Boys & Girls Club, a senior-adult activity center, a new aquatics center, and new soccer and softball fields,” she said. The project, which will also include a community center, is estimated to be completed in summer 2016.
Terrell said she looks forward to working with the chamber staff in her new role as president of the board. She previously served as vice president of the board.
“The chamber staff is phenomenal,” she said. “If any issues come up, I’ll meet with [Executive Director] Gary James, and we will address them with the members.”
Terrell is the group human-resources manager at CoorsTek in Benton, where she has been employed for eight years. She said CoorsTek Inc. is headquartered in Golden, Colorado, and is the largest technical ceramics manufacturer in the world with 45 plants across four continents.
Terrell is the human-resources manager of the Benton plant, which employees about 190 people, and of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, plant, which employees 15 people. She said the Benton plant makes items for the oil and gas industry, among other industries, as well as armor, such as bulletproof vests for use by police and military personnel.
Prior to beginning her job at CoorsTek, Terrell was the human-resources manager at Easter Seals Arkansas.
Terrell first became active with the chamber in 2010 as a representative of CoorsTek.
“It’s exciting to see someone in manufacturing be on the board,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of manufacturing companies in Saline County or Benton.”
She said 18 people serve on the chamber’s board of directors, which meets monthly. A nominating committee presents a slate of officers to the board each year, and if approved, that slate of officers goes to the general membership for voting. There are currently 576 members of the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber sponsors a variety of events, including Business After Hours in February, May and September; an annual banquet on March 3; the Cajun Feast, held in April; the Arkansas Steak Cook-off Championship on July 18; Savor the Flavor on Oct. 8; the Saline County Business Expo on Oct. 20; and Glitz and Garland, set for Nov. 13-14. All of these events will be held at the Benton Event Center, which the chamber manages.
Terrell and her husband, Mike, have been married for five years. They share three sons — Cameron, 14; Jackson, 12; and Ryan, 7. Cameron attends Benton Junior High School, where he is a member of the football team. Jackson and Ryan attend school in Conway, where they live. Ryan plays organized baseball, and Jackson is involved in art.
Mike Terrell also works at CoorsTek as the environmental health and safety manager. He owns T&T Construction as well.
The Terrells attend First United Methodist Church, where Lori is involved with the youth program, teaching a class on Wednesday nights. She also teaches an adult Sunday School class.
Lori Terrell is the daughter of Jerry Beaty of Benton, who works at the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce, and the late Harold Beaty. Terrell has an older sister, Andi Ridgway, who also lives in Benton.
“My mother is 75 and still working,” Terrell said. “She retired after 41 years with the school district, and within two years of retiring, she started working part time at the chamber. That was seven years ago, and she’s still there.”
Terrell graduated from Benton High School in 1991. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Arkansas in 1995 and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1996. She also has a Professional in Human Resources certification.
Although she has worked in human resources for all of her career, she did not intend to work in the field of business.
“When I was in the eighth grade, I knew I wanted to be an anesthesiologist,” Terrell said.
“Once I have my mind set, that’s what I’m going to do. Once I know, I know,” she said.
“I got to college, and in my sophomore year at Fayetteville, I realized I did not want to go to school that long . It really hit me … how long a road it would be [to become a physician]. I decided that was not what I wanted to do,” Terrell said.
“I honestly freaked out. I called home and talked to my mom. She worked in the Benton School District for 41 years. I knew she could help me. She suggested I get a degree in business,” Terrell said. “So I talked with an adviser in the business department, and she told me human resources was an up-and-coming program there. We talked about my pursuing that, and I tried a few classes. I switched to business administration, and as they say, the rest is history. I liked it a lot, and still do.”
Growing up, Terrell owned and showed quarter horses.
“That’s been a huge part of my life,” she said. She is a member of the American Quarter Horse Association and the Arkansas Quarter Horse Association, which she serves as a member of the youth advisory board.
“I won all sorts of awards,” she said. “I’m sure my mother still has them.
“I also won three rodeo-queen titles. I remember having to memorize a big speech with the theme ‘If I could do anything in eight seconds, what would it be?’ I remember practicing for hours in my parents’ living room. I also remember practicing the ‘patterns’ I would have to do on horseback. I practiced them ‘on foot’ in my parents’ living room to make sure I would know them.”
Terrell said she’s seen a lot of changes in Benton over the years.
“The school system continues to improve and grow,” she said.
“The economic growth of the city has been huge,” Terrell said. “I remember growing up here, the only movie theater we had here was the Royal Theatre with two screens.
“I also see cooperation among the school system, the city government, civic organizations and the chamber of commerce. I see them all working for a common goal. I think everybody sees the importance it could have on the future of Benton. Everybody wants to work together for Benton.”