UAFS Honors 10 at Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards
The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith recognized 10 businesses and community leaders for their achievements in entrepreneurship, family business, leadership, and service during the third annual Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards, hosted by the UAFS Center for Economic Development.
The awards celebrated businesses and individuals whose innovation, growth and leadership have contributed to the economic strength of the Arkansas River Valley. An awards committee reviewed more than 80 nominations before selecting this year’s recipients.
Among the evening’s top honors, Amazing Graze was named Small Business of the Year, Yeager Ace Hardware received Family Business of the Year, and longtime Fort Smith businessman Rick Griffin received the Legacy Champion Award.
The ceremony also included a special recognition for Dave Robertson, former director of the Jim Walcott Family Enterprise Center, whose years of service helped establish the center’s programs and relationships with regional family businesses.
Small Business Awards
Amazing Graze earned the Small Business of the Year Award for its growth from a home-based charcuterie business into a restaurant and catering operation. Founder Devan Engster began selling cheeseboards in 2019 after bringing one to a friend’s birthday party. As demand grew, she opened a small storefront in Brunwick Place before expanding into a larger location at Armstrong Plaza. Today, Amazing Graze offers charcuterie boards, prepared meals, lunch specials and catering services.
Digs Fort Smith received the Early Success and Growth Award. Founded by Destiney Cameron, the Bakery District restaurant has expanded its original brunch concept to include dinner, catering, private events and entertainment. In just over a year of operation, Digs has established itself as a gathering place for dining, live music, comedy and other community events.
Zone Technologies, led by Tim Broadaway, received the Technology and Innovation Business Award. The company provides IT services and develops software for specialized industries, including a platform that monitors oil and gas field operations using real-time data. Broadaway has also developed management software for disc golf clubs and is working on an accounts-payable automation platform.
Family Business Awards
Yeager Ace Hardware was named Family Business of the Year, recognizing a business that has grown through four generations of family leadership.
Founded by Ernest Yeager in Van Buren in 1959, the company now operates five stores and employs over 150 people. Family members continue to lead the business, including Gage Windsor and Braden Clark, who represent its fourth generation. The family also supports regional entrepreneurship through the Yeager Family Entrepreneurial Support Organization at the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce.
Rick Griffin of Griffin Properties of Fort Smith received the Legacy Champion Award for his decades of business leadership and community service.
Griffin joined his father’s construction company in 1980 and helped expand its operations into commercial construction and real estate development across Arkansas and neighboring states. He was also a founding member of the family business peer group that eventually became the Jim Walcott Family Enterprise Center. For 22 years, Griffin has remained involved in the group, helping support generations of local business owners.
Anthony Toth, director of North American operations at SPF America, received the Emerging Luminary Award, which recognizes promising leaders in family-owned businesses.
A third-generation member of the family business, Toth began working in the company’s production facilities at age 12. He later helped establish manufacturing operations in Mexico and has led continued expansion at SPF America, which employs over 310 people across three facilities in the United States and Mexico.
Arkansas Lighting and the Null family received the Family Unity Award. Founded in 1972 and purchased by Bob and Patty Null in 1997, the Van Buren company manufactures decorative lighting for the hospitality industry. Sons Jeff and Greg oversee daily operations, while members of the third generation also contribute to the business.
My HR Pros received the Business Renewal Award for adapting its services to meet changing employer needs. Established in 1995, the family-owned company has expanded into standalone human resources support, bookkeeping and leadership training while investing in technology to improve its services.
Business Leadership and Service Awards
Mark Kincannon, a partner at Resolution Equity Partners, was named Business Advisor of the Year.
Kincannon advises business owners on mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, exit planning and ownership transitions. His work helps entrepreneurs and family businesses navigate major financial decisions while protecting the value they have built in their companies.
The evening concluded with the Jim Walcott Family Enterprise Center Distinguished Service and Commitment Award, presented to Dave Robertson.
Robertson served as the Family Enterprise Center’s longest-serving director, helping develop its peer groups, educational programming and relationships with regional business families. Although retired, he remains involved as an adviser and mentor to the center.
The award is reserved for individuals whose leadership and dedication have made a lasting contribution to the center and is not presented annually.
The ceremony also featured keynote speaker Robert Pasin, third-generation leader and chief wagon officer of Radio Flyer. Pasin discussed the company’s history, innovation and family leadership, drawing on his experience guiding the century-old manufacturer.
The annual awards are part of the UAFS Center for Economic Development’s efforts to support entrepreneurship, family-owned businesses and workforce development across the region. Its four centers provide business consulting, professional training, family enterprise resources and nonprofit support.
