SPRINGDALE — The Founder’s Room, an exhibit of corporate memorabilia related to Tyson Foods Inc., is on permanent display at corporate headquarters, company officials said during an informal media event Tuesday afternoon.
The public is welcome to walk through 1,500 square feet of space that formerly housed Tyson executives when its headquarters building first opened in 1969, said Archie Schaffer, an executive vice president of corporate affairs.
“If you want to know the story behind Tyson officials wearing khaki,” tour the exhibit, Schaffer said.
The collection includes a khaki uniform bearing the name patch Don, a reference to deceased Chief Executive Officer Donald John Tyson. Other items such as framed sketches, coffee mugs and brood-light starters also are on display.
A replica of the modest office space from which founder John W. Tyson launched what would become a global business is the heart of the exhibition space.
A visit to 319 E. Emma St. in downtown Springdale inspired the choice of lime green color used in the founder’s office from 1951, said Todd Johnson, the exhibit’s designer.
“A tiny paint chip from up in the corner of the room fell off,” he said of the color selection.
Johnson, owner of Circa in San Angelo, Texas, said at least 1,000 photos were archived for the exhibit, but only 300 made the final cut.
Each decade of Tyson history is tucked away in narrow alcoves, chronicled through company and personal family photos and video.
The “Founder’s Room” is the name the late Don Tyson gave his project intended to document the company history and honor Tyson’s father, John W.
Don Tyson, 80, passed away from cancer Jan. 6, 2011.
He served as the company’s chief executive officer, chairman and senior chairman from 1967 until his retirement in 2001.
Company officials declined to say how much the exhibit cost, but Jason Dressel, a spokesman for heritage management firm The History Factory, said a lot of variables go into determining the cost of such exhibits.
“Really big corporate museums for companies such as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson or Mercedes-Benz can be in the tens of millions of dollars price range,” he said. “But for a small, really local exhibit experience, we’re talking a broad range of six or seven figures.”
Schaffer said Tuesday that he expected mostly former team members to spend time touring the exhibit. But, Tyson vendors and customers were also mentioned as frequent users.
“It’s open to the public,” he said upon welcoming members of the media who stood feet away from the ornate doors at the main entrance of Tyson’s corporate headquarters, “but not like in the Wal-Mart Visitors Center” sense of open.
The Founder’s Room operates during business hours only, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Business, Pages 26 on 03/14/2012