The community of Bryant and its surrounding area IS a special place for Jason Brown, the newly elected chief executive officer for the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce.
Having served on the chamber’s board for eight years, Brown said, he is excited for the opportunity to return to the area and begin fostering relationships and community involvement.
“I just want to make a difference, and I want to help Bryant to continue to grow on the path they are currently on,” Brown said. “I want to grow the community by bringing in more businesses, create and foster community involvement — just get everybody involved.
“I love the community here, and I just want everybody to have a good time. I want them to love our events and grow their business. I want people to shop locally and use our chamber members.”
Brown has spent the past 11 years working in the insurance business, including working for Arkansas Best Insurance in Hot Springs Village for the past seven. He currently lives in Little Rock but will move back to Bryant in the near future.
Laura Davis, who has worked with Brown for the past 11 years, said he has a very magnetic personality.
“He is just very approachable and is just a kind and compassionate person,” Davis said.
“He is someone I know if I need something, he would drop anything to help me,” Davis said. “We like to bounce ideas off each other. We are like-minded. We have a great friendship and a great partnership.
“I think chamber members will not only be encouraged by Brown, but I think he will inspire them by just the way he does business.”
Brown is originally from Sheridan, having graduated from Sheridan High School in 1999. He has been married to Sheri Brown for eight years, and he has a 16-year-old son, Gabriel. His wife works as a speech pathologist for eStem Public Charter Schools in downtown Little Rock. Prior to this year, she had worked for the Little Rock School District for 20 years.
Brown said his focus as CEO will be slow and steady growth for the chamber.
“I want to bring outside businesses to Saline County and Bryant,” Brown said. “I want all of us to succeed. The more we bring to Saline County, the better — it is going to help everybody.
“We live in one of the best places there is. Our school systems are incredible, the housing market is incredible, our businesses are incredible, and our community is outstanding.”
“As a chamber, we have been so focused on selling memberships, but we don’t sell memberships; we sell opportunity,” he said.
Brown, who has also served on the board for the Bryant Boys & Girls Club, said he looks forward to working with volunteers, the city and the schools. He said he wants to help others raise sales and teach them to network.
“I can’t stress that enough; that’s the best part of it — working with businesses and helping them grow by bringing new business to them,” he said.
“Honestly, if he had quit for any other job, I would have been mad at him,” Davis said. “This is the best position for him, and I think he will flourish.
“He is the perfect person for that job. He is kind and compassionate and doesn’t make rash decisions. He really thinks through what is best for the situation.
“I just think he will flourish in that job.”
Brown served on the chamber’s board when former CEO Todd Rhoden was hired. Brown said he did not apply for the position then because he felt like the timing wasn’t right. He said he feels it is a better fit now.
“I think the chamber was ready for someone like me this time,” Brown said, “with my business mind and background.
“Everything I look at is long-term. I am not a short-term person.”
Brown used to own several Firehouse Subs restaurants and sold them in 2007. He said he knows how to grow a business and knows how to treat people and foster relationships.
“I can relate to other business owners because there is nothing harder than the restaurant business as far as hours, work and dealing with the public,” Brown said.
David Hannah, who serves as chairman for the board of directors for the chamber, said he has known Brown for 10 years after meeting him through various community events.
“He’s a real outgoing kind of person,” Hannah said. “He values relationships, and if he tells you he’s going to do something, you know he’s going to do it.
“I think he will do great. He’s just what we need to develop relationships and get us to where we need to go.”
Hannah said several high-profile people were interested in the position, and the chamber narrowed down the choices to four people. Hannah said Brown was able to check all the boxes.
“Whenever the board was talking about what we wanted, what kind of background, skills or qualifications in our new CEO, he hit all the marks,” Hannah said. “He is very familiar with the area and is somebody who is confident going into any meeting and representing us.
“He is going to lay the groundwork before he even comes in. We are very confident that he is going to represent us well and maintain and establish those relationships.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.