Ouachita honored as Arkadelphia’s 2017 Large Business of the Year
March 03, 2017
- Trennis Henderson
David Goodman, 2017 Chamber of Commerce president, congratulates Ouachita President Ben Sells on Ouachita’s recognition as Arkadelphia’s Large Business of the Year.
Expressing appreciation to Ouachita Baptist University “for your service to our community,”
the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance and Area Chamber of Commerce
recognized Ouachita as Arkadelphia’s 2017 Large Business of the Year.
The award was presented to Ouachita President Ben Sells by David Goodman, Chamber
of Commerce president, and Shelley Loe, Alliance and Chamber executive vice president,
during the organization’s banquet held March 2 in Ouachita’s Walker Conference Center.
Goodman, a 1994 Ouachita alumnus, noted that the annual awards presented by the Alliance
and Chamber honor “exceptional work” by Ouachita and the other organizations that
were recognized.
“This recognition is an affirmation of our outstanding faculty, staff and students,”
Dr. Sells said. “It also reflects our partnership with the community. It’s a privilege
for Ouachita to serve alongside our colleagues and neighbors in Arkadelphia and Clark
County.”
In addition to Ouachita’s recognition, other honorees included Take a Load Off laundry
services, Small Business of the Year; Arkadelphia Badger Foundation, Volunteer/Non-Profit
Organization of the Year; Arkadelphia Police Department, Distinguished Service Award;
and Henderson State University, Arkadelphia Cultural and Racial Diversity Award.
Keynote speaker Fitz Hill
Dr. Fitz Hill, a 1987 Ouachita alumnus, was the keynote speaker for the event. Dr.
Hill, former president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, currently is executive
director of the Arkansas Baptist College Foundation and the Scott Ford Center for
Entrepreneurship & Community Development.
Emphasizing the importance of addressing morality, access to education and economic
sustainability, Hill noted that “investing in the underserved population pays great
dividends to the community.”
Citing the need to “put the neighbor back in the ’hood through a strategic plan,”
Hill challenged the crowd to address community issues and problems “by serving the
least of these so that we can bless and receive the blessings for investing in people.”
Ouachita Baptist University, a leading private liberal arts university in Arkadelphia,
Ark., is in its 131st year as a Christ-centered learning community. For more information, call 1-800-DIAL-OBU
or visit www.obu.edu.
By Trennis Henderson, OBU Vice President for Communications
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