The Bentonville Beacon
https://bentonvillearea.com/
On the Bentonville Beacon podcast, host James Bell brings you stories from the entrepreneurs, business executives and community leaders who are sparking the rise of the Greater Bentonville area. You'll hear how one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic cities and economies in the United States helps businesses grow and helps people live their best lives. Tune in, subscribe, and get excited to embrace Greater Bentonville with us!
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 44 minutes
- Episodes
- 136
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Funding Northwest Arkansas' Next Generation of High-Growth Startups with Sterling Smith
Summary
In this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Sterling Smith, Managing Director of Atento Capital’s Northwest Arkansas hub. Sterling spent time as a computer progra…
Attracting Supply Chain and Innovation Startups from Around the World to Bentonville with Josh Saffran
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Joshua Saffran, Director of Plug and Play Northwest Arkansas. Plug and Play is an open innovation platform that connec…
Why a San Francisco Startup Founder and Investor Moved to Bentonville with Phil Libin
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Phil Libin, a software engineer turned serial entrepreneur. Phil’s currently the Founder and CEO of All Turtles, an earl…
Accelerating Bentonville's Startup Scene with Matthew Ward of Fuel
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Matthew Ward, the Director of Fuel Accelerator, an enterprise-ready accelerator that matches growth-stage startups with …
Creating Northwest Arkansas' Entrepreneurial Ecosystem with Jeff Amerine of Startup Junkie
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jeff Amerine, founder and managing director of Startup Junkie, a consulting service that supports, inspires, and educate…
Scaling Startups with Jessica Head of Endeavor Northwest Arkansas
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jessica Head, marketing director at Endeavor NWA, a global organization helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses to …
A Sneak Peek into the World’s First Bikeable Building with Ledger Bentonville
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Josh Kyles, the mastermind and developer behind Ledger, and Mary Best, the director of operations at Ledger. As the firs…
Moving the Bicycle Industry Forward with PeopleForBikes and SHIFT'22 Bentonville
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes, and John Paul Shaffer, the Northwest Arkansas business innovative direct…
#Because Bentonville Highlight Episode
Summary:
Welcome to a special episode of The Bentonville Beacon Podcast. This week, we’re taking a break from our regular episodes to highlight why Bentonville is so amazing. We’ve chosen a few clips …
Building the World’s Finest Aerobatic Aircraft with Josh Richards of Game Composites
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Josh Richards, COO at Game Composites LLC, an aviation and aerospace components manufacturer. Josh’s background is roote…
How Bentonville Became the Mountain Biking Capital of the World with Gary Vernon
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Gary Vernon, a seasoned Sr. Program Officer at the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group. Gary, a key person behind OZ Trai…
Leading the Smart Mobility Revolution with Dr. Richard Ham
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Dr. Richard Ham, a seasoned transportation executive with four decades of experience in security safety operations and a…
Floating Around Bentonville with Rob Mahler of Naz-T's FloaT Shop
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell was joined by Rob Mahler, founder and lead tech for Naz-T’s FloaT Shop, a local onewheel rental and repair shop that specializes in repairin…
Delivering Bikes Across Northwest Arkansas with Encore Bike Rentals
Show Notes
(1:33) Introducing Morgan and Tyler
(2:41) All about Encore Bike Rentals
(9:22) How the Baumgardners Came to Bentonville
(19:44) The Baumgardners’ GORP Experience
(26:53) Morgan’s and Tyler’s F…
Bonus Episode | Boosting Your Mountain Biking Skills with Rich Drew and The Ride Series
Show Notes
(1:45) Introducing Rich Drew
(4:45) How Rich Ended Up in Bentonville
(6:59) Rich’s Ride Series
(18:55) Mountain Biking and the Brain
(34:00) Nutrition and Riding
(41:04) Rich’s Favorite Trails
(…
Leveling Up Delivery in Northwest Arkansas with DroneUp
Show Notes
(2:47) Introducing John Walker and Tom Vernon
(4:39) Learning about DroneUp and What They Do
(6:04) What Challenges DroneUp Has Faced to Get Where They Are Today
(9:17) The Benefits and Pract…
Exploring the Future of Mobility with Cyrus Sigari
Show Notes
(2:07) Introducing Cyrus Sigari
(3:35) Deep Dive into Up Partners and Everything They Do
(18:21) All about Flying Cars
(24:40) Future Mobility Council of Arkansas
(32:59) Arkansas as a Major Pl…
Preparing for the Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit with Kris Adams
Show Notes
(1:24) Introducing Kris Adams
(2:07) Kris’ Passion for Technology and His Role in It
(3:01) All about the NWA Technology Summit
(13:32) Pitch Competition Information
(20:48) Kris’ Journey to th…
How Northwest Arkansas is Revolutionizing the Rock Climbing World | Pedro Somarriba of Lacaida Ropes
Show Notes
(1:12) Introducing Pedro Somarriba
(2:21) Pedro’s Passion for Climbing
(7:42) The Climbing Scene in Arkansas
(12:14) Introducing Lacaida Ropes
(17:02) Lacaida Ropes Product Launch Announcement
(…
Paddling through Northwest Arkansas with Scott Holley of Eddyline Kayaks
Show Notes
(0:47) Introducing Scott Holley
(2:31) All about Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
(7:23) Deeper Look at Eddyline Kayaks
(9:20) Exploring the Technological Aspect of Making Kayaks
(17:15) Sc…