The Small Business Council (SBC) is a committee of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. Established in 2005, the purpose of the SBC is to serve as an advocate for the small business community in and around Northwest Arkansas. Committee members are volunteers who work in and with small businesses within our community. Members take an active role in shaping Chamber programming designed for the benefit of the small business community.

Educating, Onboarding and Recognizing Members

SBC members are responsible for overseeing three key programs and are working towards adding additional programming in 2017 and beyond. Members plan business education courses where members teach members via Chamber University. Council members survey the small business community then map out topics for the year that business owners have expressed an interest. SBC members also plan and host the bi-monthly Member Orientation program for Chamber members. This program allows new members to learn how to maximize their membership and existing members to get a refresher on all the Chamber offers. Each quarter the SBC selects a local small business to be recognized as an Outstanding Small Business of the Quarter, looking at businesses success and community giving as criteria to be selected.

Planning for the Future

In 2017 and beyond the SBC is looking at creating additional programming to better serve the small business community. There are plans in place to create a business women’s network which will offer women-owned businesses and professional businesswomen a chance to interact and learn from subject matter experts. The exact details of this new program are still being put together, but expect announcements of its formation soon. A second new program the SBC is in the process of creating is a Non-Profit Training Series. This series of educational seminars will focus on the non-profit community and offer training on topics ranging from non-profit founding to board of director recruitment to creative fundraising. Look for this program to begin in 2018.

The SBC is a vital tool that the Chamber uses to reach out to the small business community. It helps ensure that Rogers, Lowell, and Northwest Arkansas continue to be a top location in the country for small businesses to thrive. See a full list of SBC members below:

Rob Gutterridge – Talk Business and Politics and the NWA Business Journal

Blanca Maldonado – AMP Sign & Banner

Charlene Fields – Soul’s Harbor NWA

Don Ogden – Edward Jones

Randy Durbin – Arvest Asset Management

JD Chambliss – First Security Bank

Delanna Padilla Pennington – Padilla, Smith, Tolbert, PLLC

Kaala House – Insurance Team 360

*Lori Ann Lieblong – Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC)

Angie Ellis – Capital Abstract and Title

*David Bernstein – SCORE

William Mertig – Sam’s Club

Carrie Wilson – Mass Mutual Financial Group

Dave Proffitt – American National Insurance Company

Jeremy Janes – Janes Insurance Company

Lou Suski – RPM Group

*Shelle Summers – Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce

*Steve Cox – Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce

* Ex-Officio Member