HEBER SPRINGS — Editor's Note: There was a mistake in the story about the new members of the Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors that appeared in the Jan. 15 edition.
Toi Logan is the branch manager of Eagle Pest Management in Heber Springs and Fairfield Bay. The story has been changed to reflect the correction.
The Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce begins the new year by welcoming five new members, as well as new officers, for the chamber’s board of directors.
“Four board members normally roll off every year, as each completes his or her three-year term,” said Julie Murray, chamber executive director. “Last year, one board member moved out of the area, and we did not fill that position, so this year we have five new board members.
“Our new board president, Brett Graham, began his term Jan. 1, and we will elect the other officers Tuesday at our annual retreat. Our new board members were elected in December and are Cathey Cox, Cody Davis, Toi Logan, Dr. Ryan Sartin and Rick Skinner,” Murray said.
“We have a great new crew,” she said of the new board members. “They are diverse with different backgrounds and different levels of experience. Cathey has been on the board before. Toi and Ryan have been Chamber Ambassadors. Rick has been a sponsor of Springfest. This is the first time Cody has been personally involved with the chamber, but his business, Sonic (DHR Sonic Drive-In Group), has sponsored our Fireworks Extravaganza for many years.”
Following is a brief look at the five new chamber board members:
Cathey Cox
• Cox, 58, is executive vice president and chief loan officer for the Northern Region of Eagle Bank and Trust Co. in Heber Springs.
A native of Heber Springs, she has been married to Don Cox for 35 years; they have one daughter, Lauren.
Cathey Cox graduated from Heber Springs High School in 1976. She graduated from Arkansas State University’s Consumer Lending School in Jonesboro in 1988, from the University of Oklahoma’s Commercial Lending School in 1990 and from Southern Methodist University in 1993 with a graduate degree in banking.
Cox is a board member and past president (2014) of the United Way of Cleburne County and a board member and past secretary of the Heber Springs Rotary Club. She is a member of South Crossroads Church in Hopewell, where she is a preteen Sunday School teacher and a member of the choir.
She was named Heber Springs Woman of the Year in 1992. Her family was selected as the Cleburne County Farm Family of the Year in 1991. She was also named the Heber Springs Citizen of the Year in 2001.
“I think quality of life is the No. 1 goal in our little community,” Cox said. “This covers a lot, in my opinion, from support for our local businesses to betterment of the community for the citizens and for our wonderful visitors as well.
“As a [chamber] board member, I believe my role is to guide the community into the future with the continued goal of quality of life in mind. It’s important to me. This is my hometown, and these are my people.”
Cody Davis
• Davis, 30, is a store partner and director of informational technology and marketing for the Davis, Hull and Rowden (DHR) Sonic Drive-In Group.
He also develops marketing and creative material for the Greers Ferry Lake Area Razorback Club and does freelance billboard design work for First United Methodist Church and Payton Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in Heber Springs.
Davis grew up in Heber Springs, where he graduated from high school. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009 from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he majored in computers and art/graphic design.
Davis and his wife, Allison, have two daughters, 5-year-old Emily and 9-month-old Ella.
“As a [chamber] board, our mission is to grow and promote business while enhancing our community. A large way the board has successfully accomplished this over the years has been by holding local events such as the cardboard boat races, the Fireworks Extravaganza and Springfest that bring in visitors from all over,” Davis said.
“As a member of this board, I hope to help in the growth of these events by working with the city officials and local business leaders to make these events bigger and better every year. Along with these, and the many other successful events, I hope to help improve and enhance our services to our members and the promotional tools [the chamber] offers,” he said.
“I believe the chamber plays a very important role in the community. It is integral in the promotion of the city and events that, in turn, help grow local businesses and the city’s recognition,” Davis said.
“I also feel it’s the chamber’s role to help build stronger communities by acting as an informative hub for both locals and visitors in regard to local companies, amenities and events,” he said.
“I am very excited to be a part of this board and help to grow and embellish this great city,” Davis said. “I hope to bring my experience in business and design and marketing to help in the success of this board and our upcoming goals and objectives.”
Toi Logan
• Logan, 54, is the branch manager of Eagle Pest Management in Heber Springs and Fairfield Bay. She has been in pest management for approximately 15 years.
Logan grew up in Heber Springs. She graduated from Heber Springs High School in 1981 and moved out of the area. She moved back to the area recently and now lives in Tumbling Shoals with her aunt Dotty Logan.
“The Logans were among the founding fathers of Cleburne County. I have a lot of family in the area,” she said.
“I’ve recently come back home and am excited to be on the board. I’ve really hit it big this past year. I was named branch manager of my company and now have been named to the chamber of commerce board,” Logan said.
“When I moved back here, I joined the chamber right away, and the next thing you know, I’m on the board,” she said.
“The chamber is a big part of the community. I told my company when they made me the branch manager that I wanted to get involved in the chamber, and they agreed,” Logan said.
“The term for a board member is three years,” she said. “That is a commitment, but all of the board members love our community so much, it’s easy to make that commitment.
“I’ve already volunteered to work several events — Springfest, the fireworks and the cardboard boat races. I am looking forward to my time on the board.”
Rick Skinner
• Skinner, 42, has been the CEO of Automotive Collision Specialists since 1998.
A native of Cleburne County, Skinner has been married to his wife, the former Karen Griffin of Heber Springs, for 22 years; they have a 9-year-old-daughter, Toni.
Skinner graduated from Concord High School in 1992 and ASU at Searcy in 1994. He has been a private pilot since 2013.
Skinner is a member of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Heber Springs Rotary Club and the Heber Springs Future Fund. He is also a sponsor of the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles Program and a member of the Mountain View Airport Commission.
“My goal [as a chamber board member] is to help ensure the chamber is on the right path for its existing members, as well as promote growth of potential new members and be a part of the deciding factors that lead our organization, community and surrounding area in a positive direction,” he said.
Dr. Ryan Sartin
• Dr. Ryan Sartin, 32, is a veterinarian and the owner of Sartin Animal Care Clinic.
A native of Mississippi, he moved his family to Heber Springs in 2013 when he purchased an existing animal clinic.
He graduated from Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in animal and dairy sciences and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
He and his wife, Lindsey, have two sons, Jacob, 11, and Dylon, 6.
Sartin is a member of the Lions Club and the Heber Springs Rotary Club.
“My purpose on this [chamber] board is to bring people to Heber,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to have them fall in love with the city and want to relocate here or choose Heber as their family-vacation destination/second home.
“The chamber can accomplish this by providing support for better city infrastructure, sponsoring and holding tourism events, and promoting our city’s unique businesses and surroundings. I believe these things are the purpose of the chamber, and I hope that I can bring new ideas to help improve on an already wonderful and successful chamber.”
Murray said there are 11 voting members on the board, along with the past president, who serves as an at-large member. The Heber Springs mayor and the Cleburne County judge serve as voting ex-officio members, and the director of Downtown Heber Springs serves as a nonvoting ex-officio member.
“The role of the board is to work on all programs and projects with the chamber,” Murray said. “The board also guides our finances and strategies on an annual basis.
“The board members work with me, as the executive director, and with Arlene Anderson, who is the manager of membership development. They will soon be working with our new manager of special events, which we have just outsourced to an event-management company, Special Events and Experiences of Arkansas in Batesville.”
Murray said the chamber is getting ready for its annual banquet, which is set for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Heber Springs Community Center.
“Our guest entertainer will be Thomas Lipham, program director for the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock,” she said. “He will present Super Science Experiments … Ending With a Blast. It will be great fun.”
Murray said that among the chamber’s biggest accomplishments last year was receiving the 2015 Event of the Year award for the chamber’s annual World Championship Cardboard Boat Races from the Arkansas Festivals and Events Association; that award was announced in January 2016.
“We’re up for it again this year,” Murray said, adding that this year’s conference is set for Jan. 25 and 26 in Little Rock.
“We also formed the Heber Springs Area Chamber Foundation and renovated our new building at 110 S. Seventh St.,” she said.
Murray said the biggest project for 2017 will be “a completely new website.”
“This is huge for us. The new website will be better not only for our members — our businesses — but also better for tourism,” she said.
“Tourist attractions will be front and center on the new website,” she said. “It will be much easier for visitors to plan trips, … seek relocation information. It will be one-point data entry. Click the button, and you will be able to find everything. And it will be mobile-friendly.
“We hope to launch it at our chamber banquet in February. It will have the same address — heber-springs.com.”