Delbert “Pete” Allen remembered in Siloam Springs for community support, business success

Mike Capshaw/Herald-Leader

Pat Allen (left) and here husband, Pete Allen, were honored with a plaque during their induction into the Bill Foreman Hall of Fame during an event hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County at 28 Springs on Tuesday.
Mike Capshaw/Herald-Leader Pat Allen (left) and here husband, Pete Allen, were honored with a plaque during their induction into the Bill Foreman Hall of Fame during an event hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County at 28 Springs on Tuesday.

SILOAM SPRINGS -- Delbert Earl "Pete" Allen, former president/CEO of Allen Canning, died Friday, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and giving for the Siloam Springs community.

He was 81.

Allen worked to make the family company the largest privately owned food processor in the world, according to the obituary provided by the family. He also gave faithfully to different organizations like Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital, Siloam Springs School District and World Orphans.

"Dad was kind of 'larger than life' in that he would enjoy and be friendly to anyone he met," said Allen's son, David Allen. "He was very much like his father in that way. He wasn't sophisticated or ever pretended to be, was rough around the edges because of growing up in the country, but he was still a very sharp businessman and knew common sense when he saw it."

WORKING ALL HIS LIFE

Pete Allen started at a very young age working in his father's factory near his home, according to his family. Allen owned his first semi-trailer truck at the age of 15 and began driving over the road, hauling goods for the family business.

He was involved in all aspects of the company, his son said. Allen became president of the company in 1970 and proceeded to oversee the largest growth in its history.

During the 1970s, Allen Canning grew through acquisitions of competing companies, including Popeye's in 1978.

"He built the company to become the world's largest privately-held vegetable canning company, with 11 plants in six states and over $300 million in sales upon his retirement in 1999," David Allen said.

One of the secrets to Pete Allen's success was knowing everyone who worked for him, as well as knowing who his competition was.

Jerry Cavness, who worked in Allen Canning's food service sales department from 1978 to 2007, said he did not report to Allen directly but had favorable interactions with him.

"I thought he was a great guy and enjoyed visiting with him and talking to him," Cavness said.

Allen also served with various associations related to food processing. He was a past chairperson of the National Food Processors Association and had the distinction of being the longest-serving board member in the association's history.

Allen was involved in the banking business. He was the director and chairman of Arkansas State Bank and past director of Liberty Savings.

Art Morris, a retired banker, knew Allen from his time at Arkansas State Bank, beginning in 1978.

Morris eventually worked his way to president of the bank while Allen was chairman, he said. Morris called Pete Allen one of his dearest friends.

"He was nice to work for and was always available when you needed him," Morris said.

A GREAT PHILANTHROPIST

Throughout his life, Pete Allen cultivated an attitude of giving, David Allen said. Pete Allen was the co-chairperson of the Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital's largest fundraising effort in the hospital's history, the HEART Fund.

Pete Allen and his wife, Pat, have been the largest single donors toward the Siloam Springs High School Scholarship Fund and had a new elementary school named after them after making a $1 million donation to the school system, David Allen said. Delbert "Pete" and Pat Allen Elementary School opened in 2006.

Allen also was a board member of World Orphans, an international organization that builds orphanages. He was instrumental in bringing Arkansas Children's Hospital to Northwest Arkansas, David Allen said.

Like his father, Delbert Allen Sr., Pete also was named Pioneer Citizen by the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce, according to the family. Delbert Sr. was the first recipient of the award in 1984 and Pete Allen received the award in 2009.

"My dad was my hero for my entire life," David Allen said. "He was a very generous man, and felt blessed by God and wanted to bless others."


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