BRYANT — Those attending the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce’s 44th annual winter banquet Jan. 26 at The Center at Bishop Park might have noticed a few changes from previous banquets.
Cheryl Smith, operations manager for the chamber, said there was no entertainment or guest speaker, only the awards. And the awards — known as community commitment awards — included a few new categories, including the Landers Lifetime Achievement Award.
Rae Ann Fields, former executive director of the chamber, was the recipient of this new award.
“I was surprised. I was very surprised,” said Fields, who served in the leadership role at the chamber for 17 years.
“When I came to the chamber, we had about 100 members. When I left, we were approaching a membership of 500. I am proud of that accomplishment,” she said.
“I am also proud of one activity that I don’t think the public knew much about,” she said.
“We had a flood of refugees here from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita,” Fields said. “The chamber of commerce played an instrumental role in helping those people. We worked together with the Benton Chamber of Commerce and local churches in coordinating meals for them.
“The hotels here did not have enough room, especially for feeding those who had come here. We coordinated meals at various places away from the hotels, including the local churches.”
Fields said she is especially proud of projects started by the chamber that have carried on.
“The Saline County Legislative Breakfast is one example,” she said. “That has been going on for several years and is coordinated by the Bryant and Benton chambers. It is held every other Friday at various locations each year when the Legislature is in session.”
Fields said the Bryant Chamber was also involved in the planning that led to the building of the Boys & Girls Clubs at The Center at Bishop Park.
“Jimmy, my husband, came to everything I did,” she said. “So when my name was announced as the recipient of this Lifetime Achievement Award, I brought him onstage with me.”
Fields, who is now the development director at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock, said she still lives in Bryant and is still a member of the chamber.
“Now that I work out of town, I cannot be on committees at the chamber, but I still care about what goes on at the chamber and in Bryant,” she said. “I think it’s really important to pass the school millage increase in March. That will benefit the entire community.”
Todd Rhoden became the chamber’s new executive director on May 31, 2016.
“The winter banquet committee was discussing new categories to add,” Rhoden said, noting that several categories, in addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, were added this year. “Rae Ann’s name naturally came up for her 17 years of leadership to the Bryant Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as her involvement through numerous civic organizations. Rae Ann is instrumental in the success of Bryant. We decided to call it the Landers Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of our presenting sponsor, Landers of Saline County.”
Others awards announced at the winter banquet include the following:
• Ambassador of the Year was awarded to Shirley Ward, co-owner with her husband, James Ward, of COP Security Systems.
This award is based on points and is given to a chamber member for representing the chamber at events such as ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings, as well as Taste of Bryant and Fall Fest.
• The Small Business of the Year title went to COP Security Systems.
COP Security is owned and operated by James and Shirley Ward and has been in business for 18 years. The company has donated money, equipment and hours to many local organizations throughout the county and state.
• The Large Business of the Year title went to Saline Memorial Hospital.
Saline Memorial Hospital is a 177-bed community-centered hospital that has been in business more than 60 years. The hospital also manages six physician clinics and is active in the community in various ways. The hospital currently employs 1,026 full- and part-time workers.
SMH is an active member of the chamber and participates in scholarship funding, annual banquets and events and ribbon cuttings; provides silent-auction items and sponsorships for events; and offers health screenings and information when available.
• The Volunteer of the Year honor was given to David Hannah.
Hannah is president of the Rotary Club of Bryant. He has served as president of the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is the current vice president of the board. He is also a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bryant’s board of directors.
• The Organization of the Year honor was given to the Rotary Club of Bryant.
The Rotary Club of Bryant operates and maintains the Kids Closet that helps more than 300 kids a year. The club also supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bryant and the Imagination Library of Saline County.
• The Young Professional of the Year honor was given to Brooke Plack.
Plack owns Empire Cheer in Bryant. She was instrumental in the creation and growth of the Young Professional Network in the community. She is also secretary of the chamber’s board of directors.
• The New Member of the Year award went to Mysaline.com.
Mysaline.com is an online site that features news and community events in Saline County. Shelli Poole created the site and continues to manage it.
Another noticeable change at the winter banquet was the use of the chamber’s new brand — the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce.
Rhoden was behind that change.“[I] felt the need to rebrand the chamber and make it my own,” he said.
“It is difficult to replace a legend like Rae Ann, but her tenure is one of the top reasons why I decided to take this job,” Rhoden said.
“Bryant is a family-friendly, fast-growing community with an A-rated school district. We want people to know no matter where your business is located, you are welcome in our membership community. We have members in Benton, Little Rock,
Alexander and other locations across central Arkansas,” he said.
“The chamber has a new mission, vision, voice, website, logo, member directory and staff. The goal of the rebranding is to advocate for our member businesses through networking opportunities and educational seminars promoting communitywide economic growth. We make it easier for our members to do business,” he said.
“I can tell you despite the transition from Rae Ann to me, the newly rebranded Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce remains financially in the black,” Rhoden said. “We currently have over 450 member companies and are actively growing. We have added an operations director (Cheryl Smith), as well as contracted part-time help from Expose Marketing and Branding Agency and Idestini Dev Studio, giving us a stronger online presence.
“Bryant is currently rated the No. 1 Most Successful City in Arkansas by zippia.com, based on [the city’s] low unemployment rate, above-average household income and minimal poverty level. Bryant is also currently ranked the No. 1 Healthiest Housing Market in Arkansas by financial technology company SmartAsset.”
Todd Sellers is the 2017 president of the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Hannah and Plack, mentioned earlier, other officers are Kim Leech, treasurer, and Carlton Billingsley, past president. Directors include Tim Blakley, David Hendrix Jr., Barbara Merrick, Jeremiah Oltmans, Tom Kimbrell, Suzanne Passmore, Greg Thompson and Megan Caldwell.
For more information on the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce, call (501) 847-4702 or visit the chamber’s website, www.bryantchamber.com.