- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Nine new business leaders join ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Board

Janea Snyder — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 19:12:37 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Alumni Association has announced officers and new members on its Board of Directors for 2019. New members are all ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni and include the following: Reteisha Byrd (’14, ’16), research manager with Boyette Strategic Advisors Byrd earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and a Master of Public Administration. While completing her coursework, Byrd worked as a graduate assistant for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County and interned at Little Rock Port Authority. She is an annual member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Josh Davenport (’09), co-founder of Seal Energy Solutions Davenport received a Bachelor of Science in construction management and a Master of Business Administration. He serves the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce as vice chairman of the board of directors, volunteers as secretary of the Argenta Downtown Council, and is president of the Arkansas Association of Energy Engineers. Davenport is a three-year member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Tonya Franzetti (’99), executive oncology sales consultant, Lilly Franzetti earned a biology degree from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and has had a 20-year career in healthcare. She served as an advisor for the Gamma Zeta chapter of Chi Omega at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and was instrumental in the planning and fundraising during their 50th anniversary celebration. She volunteered with the Junior League of Little Rock for eight years and chaired the Holiday House event in 2010. She has been active with Christ the King schools, the alumnae board at Mount St. Mary’s, and Our House. She is an annual member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Heide Harrell (’10), director of marketing and business development, Rose Law Firm Harrell has a master’s degree in applied communication studies. She has the designation of Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and is a past president of the Arkansas Chapter of PRSA. Harrell is the immediate past chair of the Southwest District of PRSA and served on the 2018 PRSA National Board of Directors Nominating Committee. Previously, she spent eight years at Stone Ward and Mangan Holcomb Partners after five years at the former Delta Trust & Bank. She is a graduate of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Greater Little Rock program and is an annual member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Madison Hedrick (’09), senior medical writer, Wilson Carroll Research Services, LLC Hedrick earned a Bachelor of Arts in professional and technical writing and a Master of Arts. While she was a student, she served as president of the University Program Council and Alpha Epsilon Delta honor society, was elected president pro-temp of the Student Government Association and membership chair for Delta Delta Delta; and represented the graduate students on the Faculty Diversity Committee. She is a lifetime member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Patricia (Patsy) Kane (’01, ’12, ’17), Owner, PK Designs After earning a degree from Auburn University, Kane jump-started her career when she finished her second bachelor’s degree from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in political science. She made the transition to Verizon after working in a variety of roles at Alltel, while completing a graduate certificate and Master of Science in information quality. Kane is an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority at both the national and local levels and is a previous district president. She currently works at First Orion. Kane is a lifetime member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Richard (Gus) Leeper (‘15), Hot Springs branch of the Private Client Group at Stephens Inc. Leeper graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management and international business. As a student, Leeper was a star basketball athlete, earning five varsity letters. He served as the team representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioners list. Leeper serves on the Lettermen’s Association Board and is a lifetime member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Miguel Lopez (’15, ’17), Hispanic resource officer, First Community Bank A native of Sherwood, Lopez received his bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in public administration, and a certification in nonprofit management. During his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, he was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. After graduating, he became the first director of entrepreneurship and small business programming for the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, where he was instrumental in connecting the Mexican Consulate with the chamber to develop programs aimed at equipping Hispanic entrepreneurs. Lopez serves on the boards of Just Communities of Arkansas, Harmony Health Clinic, Goodwill of Arkansas Education Initiatives, and Museum of Discovery. He is a three-year member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Nancy Rousseau (‘90), principal, Little Rock Central High School After teaching English at Pulaski Academy for a decade and another five years at Pulaski Heights Junior High School, Rousseau completed a master’s degree in educational administration from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She was then hired as assistant principal of Central High School. In 1998, she became principal of Pulaski Heights Junior High School where she led the school’s transition from a junior high to a middle school. She returned to Central High in 2002 as principal and has been a champion of the school and its students, faculty, and alumni, helping to create a Central High Alumni Association as well as a Tiger Foundation to support the school. Rousseau has served on the boards of The Arkansas Association of Secondary School Principals, Central Arkansas Library and the Stephens Education Trust. Rousseau is a lifetime member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association. Officers of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors for 2019 include Becky Blass, president; James Bobo, president elect and membership committee chair; Gina Pharis, membership committee co-chair; Nancy Secen, scholarship committee chair; Jennifer Owens, scholarship committee co-chair; Mauri Douglass, Taste of Little Rock chair; and Stephanie Caruthers, Taste of Little Rock co-chair. Members are eligible to serve up to two three-year terms, and officers serve one-year terms. The Board of Directors of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association serve as leaders for the university’s alumni family. They work to energize and engage ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni and friends through membership, events, and opportunities to give back to support students and scholarships. Pictured are above are new member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors. (Top Row) Heide Harrell, Gus Leeper, and Tonya Franzetti; (Middle Row) Reteisha Byrd, Patsy Kane, and Nancy Rousseau; (Bottom Row) Josh Davenport, Madison Hedrick, and Miguel Lopez

��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni at forefront of Arkansas energy efficiency, solar market

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 13:34:45 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumni are taking the Little Rock energy efficiency and solar industries by storm, providing their customers with solutions that are helping the environment and saving them money at the same time. Heather Nelson and Josh Davenport are co-founders of , an energy efficiency and solar design and installation company based in North Little Rock that was recently named an t for companies with 31 to 55 employees by Arkansas Business Publishing Group. The company began specializing in energy efficiency options for residential homes and businesses, but the solar industry quickly became an integral part of the company within just three years of the business starting. Nelson and Davenport are both alumni of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s MBA program, while Davenport also holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and construction management from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Seal Energy Solutions began in an unusual way. The Clinton Foundation contacted Davenport, who was working at his family’s company, Davenport Contracting, Inc., with an opportunity to work as a general contractor for a program called Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL). The program was being incubated within the Clinton Climate Initiative at the Clinton Foundation. “I was a general contractor at the time, but I did not have residential experience,” Davenport said. “The program was designed to go into homes and make them more energy efficient. I said I would look into it and got certified.” Davenport began work with Seal Energy Solutions as a “side gig” in which he expected to subcontract much of the work out. However, Davenport quickly found that wasn’t how things would work out. “There wasn’t a large pool of subcontractors, so we started to grow organically by training our own people,” Davenport said. “After a few acquisitions, we were doing most of the work in house. That has grown today to solar renewables. To date, we have completed 150 solar installs in the past two years. Since inception, we have been in over 10,000 homes.” In 2012, Nelson worked in banking and corporate finance for nearly 20 years prior to co-founding Seal Energy Solutions. She found out about Josh’s business idea while having a “fateful lunch” with Davenport’s father, Ken Davenport, who Nelson had met years earlier at a family reunion. Nelson and Davenport are distantly related, a little unknown fact, though neither can tell you exactly how their family trees connect. “I was having lunch with his dad, and then met Josh afterwards at his dad’s office. Josh said, ‘You have got to do this with me.’ The running joke is that I never said yes, but here I am,” Nelson said. “You know how you meet people, and you have an instant connection, that is how it was with Ken and I. It is cool that our families didn’t know each other growing up, but then you end up getting to know a different part of your family tree by happenstance. That is a unique aspect of this firm and the story of how our lives intersected.” Looking back, Nelson isn’t surprised that she made the decision to pursue a new business opportunity. While earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas, Nelson took some of the first entrepreneurial classes the university offered, which having come from a long line of entrepreneurs, ignited her interest in entrepreneurship. “I knew in college that one day I wanted to run my own business or someone else’s,” Nelson said. “After years in corporate lending, it was a God thing where a great opportunity presented itself to do something entrepreneurial. Honestly, it was scary and awesome at the same time.” Nelson and Davenport had an immense job before them when they partnered to start Seal Energy Solutions. At the end of 2012, they were both still working full time, and jobs started to pour in before they were ready to officially launch the company.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni Heather Nelson (left) and Josh Davenport (right) hang out at Mugs Cafe, one of their favorite hangout spots near their company in North Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain.

“We didn’t plan to start until Jan. 1, but that didn’t work out. We were already doing work in November,” Nelson said. “The joke is that we both lied to each other. I thought I was just going to help get him started and move on. He thought he was going to stay at his dad’s firm full time and do Seal Energy Solutions on the side. We were both wrong. We were working together in December when I looked at him and said, ‘You are going to have to quit. It’s going to take both of us. We’ve got a runaway train here.’ That’s entrepreneurship 101, don’t lie to your business partner (or yourself) before you even get started.” The key to Seal Energy Solutions success is that we take a holistic approach to energy solutions for a client. The company conducts energy assessments on homes, businesses, and farms and offer recommendations to save the client money off their utility bills. Changes could include switching to LED lights, adding a more energy efficient heating and cooling system, installing solar panels, or a number of other solutions. In 2016, the company expanded into solar agricultural and commercial projects across Arkansas. Seal Energy Solutions recently announced it had entered into a teaming agreement with LightWave Solar of Nashville, Tennessee, currently ranked 42nd nationally in solar design and install firms, which makes Seal Energy Solutions the largest and most experienced solar design and install firm in the state of Arkansas. “I don’t know how you define success, but we are having a lot of growth and are having a lot of fun: we are appreciative of the growth we’ve experienced to this point,” Davenport said. Over the past six years, Seal Energy has grown to a company with 45 employees, all of whom were hired and trained in Arkansas. The company has maintained a growth rate of at least 30 percent every year and has grown into a $6.4 million company as of 2017 year-end. Nelson and Davenport said that their experiences at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock led them to place a high value on education. “We pay 100 percent for our employees’ training and continuing education, and it has been that way since day one,” Nelson said. “We knew education changed the trajectory of our lives. We want to invest in the next generation of talent to come into our industry. Making that investment in our people springs from our education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. My former employers always encouraged me to complete my MBA, even when I didn’t want to, and I hope Josh and I have transferred that encouragement towards education to our team. We really feel strongly about education.” Davenport said that he still relies upon many of the relationships he built at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to help him with his current business. “From my standpoint, I think the relationships that I made at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, from professors to fellow students, are still there and that is almost 10 years later. Today, one of the assets is the relationships I got to build there because these folks are still around here.” Davenport lives in North Little Rock with his wife, Beth Ann, and three children, Eden, Hawk, and Asher. He also serves as president of the Arkansas Association of Energy Engineers, on the board of directors for the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, and secretary of the Argenta Downtown Council. Nelson is on The Excel Center at Goodwill School Advisory Council and the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association Distributed Generation Task Force. She also serves on the board of directors for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association and Restored and Renewed Ministry, a nonprofit organization that provides free counseling, vacations, and other resources for missionaries serving all around the world. She also travels to Haiti regularly with The Global Orphan Project out of Kansas City, Missouri, championing global artisans to reduce the need for orphan ages and economic orphans through job creation and economic development.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Nine new business leaders join ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Board

����Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni at forefront of Arkansas energy efficiency, solar market

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Nine new business leaders join ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Board

��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni at forefront of Arkansas energy efficiency, solar market