/news-archive/tag/state-farm/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:55:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2018/11/28/christmas-light-show/ Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:55:32 +0000 /news/?p=72819 ... CLC Scholar starts nonprofit funded by original Christmas light show]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock freshman is continuing his tradition of helping his community by starting a nonprofit organization that will be funded by his annual 鈥渙ut of this world鈥� Christmas light show.聽 Shane Johnson is a 2018 graduate of eStem Public Charter Schools High School who is studying computer science at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. The nonprofit organization will be funded from donations from his holiday light show,.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 18 and I have a wonderful job at State Farm,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 am very passionate about my nonprofit I am starting in conjunction with my project, a musical Christmas lights display. I have more than 25,000 lights at three houses on Jupiter Drive in Mabelvale.鈥� The holiday light show begins Saturday, Dec. 1, and ends Monday, Dec. 31. It runs from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30-10:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Johnson is planning to use the donations from this year鈥檚 upcoming light show to buy Christmas presents for nursing home residents at Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Little Rock to ensure that no resident is left out of the holiday season. The light show spans the home of his parents, Donna and Gary Johnson, as well as two neighbors on Jupiter Drive in Mabelvale. The show also features a jukebox, where visitors can choose light shows programmed to 16 different songs. Johnson first stepped into the computerized light show industry when he was 13. 鈥淚 saw a YouTube video of Richard Holdman in Ohio who did a giant Christmas light show, and I was fascinated by the way it works,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淎fter six months of YouTube tutorials and teaching myself how to program these lights, I did a Halloween show that I think five people saw. Then we moved to Christmas. We started out with just one controller and now we are up to 15.鈥� On the nights of the light show, Johnson loves to greet his visitors, directs cars with a traffic wand, and hands out candy canes to his guests. 鈥淚 love talking to people. One reason I do this is to give back to the community, but I love just hearing the responses of people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 really do this out of pure love. Just seeing the reactions and joys of these people is worth it. Even if it鈥檚 just for 15 minutes, if I can bring happiness and joy to someone, then it鈥檚 worth it.鈥� Over the past three years, Johnson has accepted donations to 鈥淟ights on Jupiter鈥� for the Make-a-Wish Mid-South. Altogether, Johnson has donated more than $4,500 to the nonprofit organization, an achievement that was highlighted in June when Johnson was awarded a $2,500 from McLarty Automotive Group. Johnson was nominated by one his favorite teachers from eStem, Joshua Hayes, facilitator of the school鈥檚 EAST Program, which Johnson was actively involved in during high school. “He helps other students,” Hayes said. “He sets the tone. He works hard. He’s a diligent worker, but he’s also overall a nice person. Whatever he does, he’s going to excel. He’s going to be special because he’s just that type of person.” In addition to this scholarship, Johnson is a member of the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Every year, approximately 225 first-time freshmen are admitted to the program, which is designed for high school leaders active in extracurricular activities and their community. CLC Scholars receive a financial package totaling up to $32,000 through a four-year renewable scholarship. 鈥淚 feel like it was a very easy transition being on the eStem campus and already seeing what 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has to offer,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think it is centrally located, that there are things all around us to do, and it鈥檚 close to home. To me, it鈥檚 a very beautiful campus and people are very nice and the staff is wonderful.鈥� Johnson said the scholarships will help him graduate from college debt-free. As a first-generation college student, Johnson is dedicated to doing his best in college and dreams of one day working at a technology giant like Microsoft or Google. In 2019, the show will move to Marche, five miles outside Maumelle, where a relative has offered the use of his 80 acres of land as a new home for the show. For more information, including , visit the or call 501-725-0003. In the upper right photo,聽Shane Johnson is wrapped up in some of the more than 25,000 lights he used in his original holiday lights show, “Lights on Jupiter.” Photo by Ben Krain.]]> /news-archive/2018/05/03/cliff-haney/ Thu, 03 May 2018 18:17:20 +0000 /news/?p=70420 ... Outstanding Marketing Award recipient ready to ‘hit the pavement’]]> When Cliff Haney graduated from high school, he didn鈥檛 plan on going to college. He wanted to start working right away. 鈥淚 thought I was going to hit the pavement and make my fortune selling real estate,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know that pavement was actually going to hit me. As it turns out, people who are making the biggest investment of their lives, don鈥檛 really trust an 18-year-old to handle such a large transaction.鈥� Rejection – and the realization that business skills could help him better succeed – eventually led him to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. He will graduate on May 12 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a Professional Sales Certification. Haney is also the recipient of the 2018 College of Business Outstanding Marketing Student Award, which he received Friday, April 27, in a ceremony at the College of Business. 鈥淚t has been an amazing experience working with Cliff,鈥� said Dr. Lenita Davis, chair of the Department of Marketing and Advertising. 鈥淗e is very competitive and always strives to do his best and to be the best. Everyone in the college is familiar with Cliff鈥檚 drive and spirit of excellence and recognize him as being a leader.鈥� The award was all the more special to Haney because his grandfather, Eddie Langford of Maumelle, received the College of Business鈥� first Outstanding Marketing Student Award in 1985 and was at the award presentation. Haney credits his grandfather with being his lifelong mentor. Langford dropped out of school in 8th grade and went to work putting up ceiling tiles. At age 34, though, he injured his back and couldn鈥檛 do the physically demanding work. He enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to learn skills that could help him earn a living. He chose business, and when he left 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, he went back to work, selling ceiling tiles and later was part owner of an acoustical supply business. Haney points to the S-shaped silver acoustical panels that hang from the ceiling of the College of Business atrium. 鈥淪ee those,鈥� Haney said. 鈥淢y grandfather designed, built, and installed those.鈥� Haney has a work ethic like this grandfather. After he graduated from North Little Rock High School in 2012, he got his real estate license and was ready to work, but he quickly discovered that selling was tougher than he expected. 鈥淚鈥檇 never faced rejection before, but I was facing 聽rejection on a daily basis,鈥� Haney said. 鈥淚 had to learn how to overcome that.鈥� He enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 -Pulaski Technical College in 2014 and earned his Associate of Science in Business in 2016. 鈥淚 paid for my first semester, and after that, I applied for so many scholarships that I鈥檝e gotten paid to go to school ever since,鈥� he said. With high grades, he received the Shelby Breedlove transfer scholarship to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock that sealed the deal. 鈥淲hen I came here, I had two goals: make good grades and save money,鈥� he said. Shannon Gwinn, director of the Center for Student and Career Services, persuaded Haney to see the bigger picture. 鈥淪he encouraged me to get involved with groups and really got me plugged in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was about building a network, about building relationships with professors. They all had successful corporate careers before they came here, and they have taught me lessons that I don鈥檛 have to learn the hard way.鈥� Haney is an Ambassador for the College of Business and the first student member of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Sales Board. He鈥檚 co-president of the Student Marketing Association and vice president of , the college-level organization of Future Business Leaders of America. He will travel to the national Phi Beta Lambda conference in June to complete in the interview competition. Since August 2017, Haney has been the coordinator of the State Farm Business Skills Lab, a place where student learn effective communication skills. 鈥淪tudents come in and we鈥檒l role play job interviews, sales pitches, presentations, and speeches. We record it, review it, and find ways to improve,鈥� Haney said. Seeing it on camera makes students aware of their gestures, body language, speed of delivery and other things that could be distracting to the listeners – and potential customers. Earlier in April, he competed in the 鈥淪old in 60 Seconds鈥� competition, winning second place and 聽$500. Last summer, he lived in London, England, and worked for , developing an app for people with disabilities to use to locate accessible buildings. He also traveled to Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris and Switzerland. Working and traveling abroad also led him to a realization – that Central Arkansas is home and where he wants to work. 鈥淕rowing up in North Little Rock, I always wanted to go somewhere bigger,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 did that. I went to London. I missed family, friends, and the sense of community. I want to stay here and help grow Little Rock into what it can be.鈥� For now, graduate school isn鈥檛 in his future plans. A job in sales or sales training is calling him, and he鈥檚 once again ready to work. 鈥淚鈥檓 ready to get out there and hit the pavement once again.鈥�  ]]> /news-archive/2018/01/25/state-farm-gift/ Thu, 25 Jan 2018 14:23:32 +0000 /news/?p=69096 ... State Farm donates $68,000 to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock College of Business skills lab]]> The lab was established in 2017 with financial assistance from area State Farm agents and a State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship grant. On Wednesday, Jan. 24, State Farm presented $38,000 of a $68,000 gift to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock College of Business for continued support and operations of the Business Skills Lab. The donation includes $30,000 in gifts from 14 State Farm agents in central Arkansas, $30,000 provided by the State Farm Employee Matching Gift Program, and an $8,000 grant to the College of Business. 鈥淪tate Farm is proud to support the Business Skills Lab at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock through individual donations and a grant,鈥� said Tim Brown, State Farm Sales Leader. 鈥淗elping students excel in their studies and preparing them for the workforce of the future benefits all of us.鈥� 鈥淲e are grateful for the continued support from State Farm and its local agents,鈥� said Holly Rose, executive director of development for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淥ur students benefit greatly from this resource which helps equip them with the skills and confidence needed to begin or further their careers.鈥� Hundreds of students have benefited from using the lab, located on the second floor of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development. The lab is equipped with an interactive system that allows students to record sales pitches, marketing presentations, and conduct mock-interviews in a fixed environment. Panelists, professors, and corporate partners can watch live and provide students with instant feedback. Students also use the lab to practice presenting data for their capstone courses. 鈥淚mproving your soft skills, being mentored by corporate executives through the software, and the ability to create digital portfolios that our students can share with potential employers or even their families has been a game changer 聽for our students,鈥� said Dr. Lenita Davis, chair of the Marketing Department. In the photo at top right, area State Farm agents present an oversized check to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock College of Business for the State Farm Business Skills Lab on Jan. 24.聽Seated (from left): 糖心Vlog传媒LR senior marketing student Cliff Haney; State Farm agents Heather Powell of Hot Springs Village and Whitney Owens of Little Rock; and Dr. Jane Wayland, Dean of the College of Business.聽Standing (from left): Dr. Lenita Davis, chair of Department of Marketing, and State Farm agents Dennis Bost of Little Rock, Pat Frizzell of Little Rock, Anthony Smith of Little Rock, Eric Hodson of North Little Rock; and Anthony Otwell of Maumelle. Agents who gave but not pictured: Eric Andrews, Don Barrow, Charley Benson, Ike Eisenhauer, Mike Hart, Charlotte Potts, and Alvin Smith. Photo Credit/ Lonnie Timmons III / 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Communications  ]]>