ICON, June 2011

ARTSEVENTSTASTEj u n e / 2 0 1 1 • w w w . i c o n w a y . n e t

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

ROB MORGAN / RACE CAR DRIVER

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

NO QUESTION!TWO RISING STARS FROMTHE ARKANSAS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE

WHEN{NOT IF}

TABLETS OVERTAKE PCs

CONWAY’S FIRST EVER CHIMICHANGA CHALLENGE

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WELCOMEiCONWAYMYCONWAYYOURCONWAY-WHAT DO YOU WANT CONWAY TO BECOME?

iConway – Individuals coming together to discuss, debate, agree, improve and shape Conway to be the city where you want to grow, live, work, play, raise a family, contribute.

‘Grownups’06.11 {Saturday} Silver Moon Cinema presents “Grownups” starring Adam Sandler, sundown (around 8:30 p.m.) at the Village at Hendrix. Your $1 donation to view the movie benefits H.A.V.E.N. Bring a chair and your family and enjoy a movie under the stars. www.conwayparks.com. MORE EVENTS, PAGE 6.

YOU SAID IT: “Thank you again for including me in your ICON magazine. I am very flattered that you would even consider me. It is such a nice publication and your staff did a fantastic job of putting it together.” — Lindsay Grifford {featured “On the Move” March 2011}

“The feature article in this month’s magazine on me was great! Very nicely written. Big thanks to Jen-nifer for getting the interview with me and writing a nice piece. Thank you ICON!!” –Matthew Huff via Facebook {featured “Icon Music” May 2011}

“Icon is exciting and edgy and explores all sides of Conway.” — Kim

“Icon: It goes beyond the obvious!” — Jay P.

“Icon catches the experience of Conway.” — Kim W.

“It doesn’t even seem like a Conway magazine, it’s like, really good.” — Adam

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ARTSEVENTSTASTEj u n e / 2 0 1 1 • w w w . i c o n w a y . n e t

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

ROB MORGAN / RACE CAR DRIVER

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

NO QUESTION!TWO RISING STARS FROMTHE ARKANSAS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE

WHEN{NOT IF}

TABLETS OVERTAKE PCs

CONWAY’S FIRST EVER CHIMICHANGA CHALLENGE

ON THE COVERLocal icon Rob Morgan’s view behind the wheel of a porsche. Driver and business owner is still going full throttle with no sign of the finish line.

contentsvv

downtownvv34 The Farmers Market is up

and running, and it’s just one of the great things going on in downtown Conway.

ON STAGE: Music, Silver Moon Cinema, community concert, and much more!

iCON FLAVOR: Conway’s first-ever chicken chimichanga challenge.

iMOMENT: Mary Michael Maggio, Conway golfer, is on par for continued success.

iCON TECH: Remember when PCs were the star? How much longer will they last with the rise of the tablet?

ON THE MOVE: Drew Williams is in St. Louis, working for an organization others dream about.

CITY ART: Behind the curtain at the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.

SOFTWARE DESIGN: Pathagility’s Mark McCuin has found suc-cess with innovative thinking.

WELLNESS: For the ladies — are you ready for bikini weather?

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roadu u

b tourr undabout

R

Conway happenings: iCon has you covered with our events calendar. Check out photos from past area events. PAGE 6

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JUNE 2011 / VOL. I, ISSUE 4

localiconvv42 Race car driver and business owner Rob Morgan

has his eyes on the prize with no indication of slow-ing down.

STAFFEDITOR / LORI QUINN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR / STEWART COLEADVERTISING SALES MANAGER / RHONDA OVERBEYGRAPHIC ARTISTS / JAY PRINCE & KELLIE MCANULTY

SPECIAL EVENTS / LEAH BROWNEVENT PHOTOGRAPHER / SARA BLACK

[email protected]

ADVERTISING SALESJESICA TALBERT • BETSEY WILLBANKS

ROBIN RYE • DAWN RIVERS

COMMENTS?We want your feedback!

Write to us at [email protected].

iCon, Conway City Magazine, is a publicationof the Log Cabin Democrat. All rights reserved. iCon is published monthly, 12 times per year.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toiCon, Conway City Magazine

P.O. Box 969Conway, AR 72033

For subscriber service, please call (501) 327-6621

Unauthorized use of materials contained hereinis strictly prohibited.

Follow us on Twitter: @iconwaymagazinewww.iconway.net

Check out our Facebook page for weekly calendar of events.

ICON MUSIC

LOCAL SITUATION: United Way Week of Action planned for June 20-25.

LAST LOOK: Ten years later, a look at the Hendrix Arkansas Garden.

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Arkansas’ Riverbilly is touring the nation with hopes, dreams and determi-nation of making it big.

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EVENTSCALENDARroadu ub tour

r undabout

Rin partnership with

PRCA Rodeo06.03-06.04 {Friday-Saturday} Professional Rodeo Cowboys Asso-ciation (PRCA) Rodeo at the Don Owen Complex rodeo arena in Conway www.arkansasprca.com.

Bike Ride06.04 {Saturday} Crain Buick GMC Ranch Ride for Soaring Wings bike ride at the Village at Hendrix. Check out www.theranchride.com for de-tails about the race and the finish line celebration.

Golf Tournament06.06 {Monday} 15th annual Conway Regional Health Foundation Golf Classic at the Centennial Valley Country Club www.conwayregional.org.

Kickball Meeting06.06 {Monday} Adult Co-Ed Kickball League informational meeting 7 p.m. at the McGee Center www.conwayparks.com.

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n SUBMIT AN EVENTTO ICON: [email protected]

THIRD THURSDAY IN DOWNTOWN CONWAY

Greg Carver, Greg & Mallory Lanford

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FATHERSDAYGIFTIDEAS

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HIDE YOUR VALUAbLES WITH CAN SAFES.• EFFECTIVELY HIDE ITEMS ANYWHERE IN YOUR HOUSE, OF-FICE OR EVEN FOR TRAVEL• MADE FROM ACTUAL PRODUCT CONTAINERS• JUST UNSCREW BOTTOM OF CONTAINER (OR TOP OF THE SOFT DRINK CAN)AVAILABLE AT SHOOTHOUSE USA, 332 HWY. 64 E. IN CON-WAY, 327-7872.

Storytelling06.07 {Tuesday} 7 p.m. Frank Jones Storytelling at the Faulkner County Library, www.fcl.org.

Thursday Book Club06.09 {Thursday} 11 a.m. 2nd Thursday Book Club: The Outlander by Gil Adamson. Coffee and discussion at the Faulkner County Library, www.fcl.org.

Kickin It for the Kids06.11 {Saturday} The Conway Young Professionals will host a Kickball Tournament, Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County, Down Owen Sports Center, 9:30 a.m. Entry fee is $200 per team of 10 players, each member will receive T-shirt, one lunch pass, and entry into tournament. Contact [email protected] and 501.327.7788 for more information.

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Jason & Rachel Presley

Tyler Holland, Sharod Blakely, Melanie Bryant

Lauralee Wilcox McCool, Patricia Hoskins, Kathy Wyrick

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BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS FIESTA FOR A CAUSE

Amber Bledsoe, Briona Barbee

Robbie & Leslie Traweek

Craig & Erin Conner

Tyler Bond, Tricia Davidson

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Peyton Hillis Football Camp06.11 {Saturday} Peyton Hillis Football Camp 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Conway High School www.peytonhillis.com.

Third Thursday06.16 {Thursday} Third Thursday happenings in down-town Conway.

Golf Tournament06.18 {Saturday} Gusano’s 2nd Annual Golf Tournament 2-5 p.m. Conway Country Club. Portion of proceeds ben-efit the victims of the Vilonia tornado. Contact Gusano’s 329-1100.

Ultimate Yard Sale06.18 {Saturday} Be among the more than 50+ ven-dors or hundreds of customers at the Log Cabin Demo-crat Ultimate Yard Sale. Reserve your booth today. Reg-ister online at thecabin.net/yardsale or come by the Log Cabin Democrat for a registration form. For more infor-mation contact Fran Plymale at 501.505.1242 and [email protected], or Leah Brown 501.505.1262 and [email protected].

UW ‘Week of Action’06.20-06.25 {Monday-Saturday} United Way’s “Week of Action.”

Poets Society06.21 {Tuesday} Faulkner County Poets Society meeting at the Faulkner County Library, www.fcl.org.

Bowling for Business06.25 {Friday} Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2nd Annual Bowling for Business at the Conway Family Bowling Center, contact [email protected].

Heroes’ Luncheon06.28 {Tuesday} 2011 Red Cross of North Central Ar-kansas Heroes’ Luncheon 11:30 a.m. at Conway Country Club, contact [email protected].

Basketball Tournament07.21-07.24 {Monday-Sunday} Hoop Play USA.com 5-game minimum basketball tournament boys & girls grades 3rd-12th teams, contact 327-7788.

Auction Extravaganza07.21 {Thursday} Boys & Girls Club of Faulkner County 17th Annual Auction Extravaganza 6:30 p.m. Centennial Valley Events Center; Band: Boom Kinetic/Silent & Live Auction/ Heavy Hors d’Oeuvres. Tickets $25 advance/ $30 at door/ For tickets call Kristie 529-5222.

Golf Tournament07.22 {Friday} Boys & Girls Club 13th Annual Golf Tour-nament at The Greens at Nutters Chapel 7 a .m. registra-tion; 8:30 a.m. shot gun start. Cost: Four person scramble $340/Hole Sponsorship $200. Deadline July 8th. To reg-ister call Reggie 472-1978.

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CONWAY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS OFF THE CLOCK

Therese Pollard, Amanda Legate, Larry Burns

Josh Linden, Chris Baker, Jordan Lieblong, Daniel Perez

Jenny Haisty, Aaron Throneberry

Brittani Garrett, Jessica Whiteaker

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Whitney Farris, Leo Cummings III

Lindsay Grifford, April Pollard

Scott Isenga, Lindsey Osborne

FATHER’S DAY OR ANY DAY ... BULOVA ACCUTRON PRECSIONISTTHE WORLD’S MOST ACCURATE WATCH WITH CONTINU-OUSLY SWEEPING SECOND HAND.AVAILABLE AT DAYER JEWELERS, 804 FRONT ST. IN DOWNTOWN CONWAY, 329-6332.

FATHERSDAYGIFTIDEAS

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ICONMUSIC RIVERBILLY

Arkansas’ country music act, Riverbilly, is touring the nation and hoping to make it big.

Brad Rickett of North Little Rock started the band in 2005 while living in Nashville. He moved home to Central Arkansas about 2007 and met Travis Caudell, who joined the band as guitarist and lead singer. Brad plays the drums. The third full-time member of the band, Paul Sanders, lives in Nashville. Additional musicians vary from show to show.

Brad described their style as “country music’s version of Train.”

Travis said, “We used to be a lot more country than we are now. We all have country roots, so our music goes in that direction. We spent a lot of time going to Nashville and seeing different labels that were interested. They were wanting us to go more toward the popular country, so we’ve kind of transformed our music in the past year, and it works. Crowds have been loving the new stuff. We did some of the new stuff at Toad Suck Daze.”

Brad commented, “I think that’s why Toad Suck booked us with Kris Al-len – they had heard the new stuff.”

Last spring the band produced a self-titled album with 13 songs. The “Riverbilly” album showcases the band’s older style, but they have re-corded new songs since then.

The group has learned that getting a record label is a lot of work.

Brad said, “Back in the day a label would sign you and invest millions of dollars in you. Now they want acts that have a fan base. That’s what we’ve been told.”

A LITTLE BIT O’ COUNTRY

BY JENNIFER STANLEY

mixes the best of today’s contemporary country

sound and the traditions that make country mu-

sic perfect for all ages. The fun and energy of the

group are sure to make them stars, but stardom will

never take them so far that they forget their roots.

-J.R./My Country Y107

“

“

RIVERBILLY

Find Riverbilly music, tour dates, videos and more atwww.riverbilly.com

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Travis added, “We’ll play anywhere. If it pays, we’ll be there. Labels have told us to tour as much as we can. We’re trying to get sponsors. Trying to get our name out there.”

The band got national exposure in February when it appeared on Mike Huckabee’s TV show. Travis sang a song the band uses at their shows to raise awareness about domestic violence. “Like Father, Like Son” is about a man who grew up in an abusive household and does not want to be like his father.

“It’s a really powerful song,” Travis said. “Every time, people come up and say, ‘This is all about my life.’”

A Nashville songwriter wrote “Like Father, Like Son” about his own life. The band writes some original songs, and they get others from professional songwriters.

“We’re freshmen songwriters, but these guys are senior songwriters,” Brad said.

The band sold a single with proceeds benefiting awareness of domestic violence.

Brad said, “We’re taking our music and trying to help others. So many take their music and try to benefit themselves first. We want to make sure people know we’re trying to benefit our community. We take pride in being the first Arkansas band to make it on the national stage with superstars, so we want to benefit domestic violence awareness.”

Riverbilly tours all over the U.S., doing about 100 to 150 shows a year.

“It’s fun, but it’s tiresome,” Brad said. “The road will wear you out. It takes you away from your family, your home environment. It’s not a hobby. It’s a business.

“A lot of people don’t realize what it takes. A show, whether it’s at Conway High School or Verizon Arena, it still takes expenses. On a typical day, you arrive in a city to play a fair or a festival. You set up and do a sound check. You meet the organizers. Maybe do a meet and greet and talk to the radio station. You do the show, sell T-shirts, meet people, sign CDs. Then you’re back on the road. You may have a day off, but it’s a 16-hour bus ride.”

Their ultimate goal is to have a major record label and go on tour.

“That’s how you make your money,” Brad said. “As a new act, usually you’re put out on a tour, two a year, 120 dates. You go to radio stations. If your song goes to No. 1, you move up. It’s a very competitive industry. The odds are against you, and everyone knows that.”

The band hopes to find sponsors to support a tour around the U.S. to visit radio stations, ask them to play their music and build up their fan base.

They hope that their focus on preventing domestic violence will set them apart in the eyes of potential investors.

Brad submitted an idea to the Pepsi Refresh Project to provide support for victims of domestic abuse. The project awards grants for new ideas. Brad said his idea has moved to the last round of judging. If it won, the funding would go toward making resources avail-able to abuse victims.

“This is the first (cause) we’ve been involved with as a band,” Brad said. “There’s really nobody doing that. A lot are doing hunger, diabetes, cancer – all those areas can still be helped. Domestic violence and abuse is something that is overlooked every day. It’s not just physical abuse. It’s verbal and emotional.”

“IT’S FUN, BUT IT’S TIRESOME. THE ROAD WILL WEAR YOU OUT. IT TAKES YOU AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HOME ENVIRONMENT. IT’S NOT A HOBBY. IT’S A BUSINESS.”

—BRAD RICKETT OF RIVERBILLY

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Live Music06.01 {Wednesday} Edward Briggler, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.02 {Thursday} Deborah Kellie & Bryan Dickey, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.03 {Friday} Barett Baber, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.04 {Saturday} Jamie Wolfe, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.06 {Monday} Travis Caudell, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.07 {Tuesday} Mayday by Midnight, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.08 {Wednesday} Kirk Anderton, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.09 {Thursday} Chooch & the Sidehill Gougers, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.10 {Friday} Keith Nicholson, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.11 {Saturday} Strangelove, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

‘Grownups’06.11 {Saturday} Silver Moon Cinema presents “Grownups” starring Adam Sandler, sundown (around 8:30 p.m.) at the Village at Hendrix. Your $1 donation to view the movie benefits H.A.V.E.N. Bring a chair and your family and enjoy a movie under the stars. www.conwayparks.com.

Live Music06.13 {Monday} Ben Coulter, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.14 {Tuesday} Larry Lee Cheshier, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.15 {Wednesday} Brian Ramsay, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.16 {Thursday} Brown Soul Shoes, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

{SAVE THE DATE}Community Concert Series

06.09 {Thursday} 6-8 p.m. at The Village at Hendrix Conway Symphony Orchestra presents CSO on the Go! Featuring: Pinnacle Brass, Vintage, CSO Jazz Orchestra.ONSTAGE

La Huerta Mexican Restaurant{Thursdays, Saturdays} Karaoke at La Huerta Mexican Restaurant 6-10 p.m.

Conway Supper Club{Fridays, Saturdays} Karaoke at Conway Supper Club in Conway 8 p.m. – close.

Centennial Valley Country Club06.03 & 06.17 {Fridays} Karaoke at Centennial Valley Country Club 8 p.m. – close.

Bear’s Den Pizza{Fridays} Karaoke at Bear’s Den Pizza in Conway 9 p.m. – close.

KARAOKE IN CONWAY

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FATHERSDAYGIFTIDEAS‘As You Like It’06.16-06.18 {Thursday-Saturday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “As You Like It” 7:30 p.m. at Hendrix www.arkshakes.com.

‘Tortoise and the Hare’06.17 {Friday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “Tortoise and the Hare” 10 a.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall www.ark-shakes.com.

Live Music06.17 {Friday} Mayday by Midnight, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.18 {Saturday} Some Guy Named Robb 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.20 {Monday} Happenstance, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.21 {Tuesday} Justin Brooks, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.22 {Tuesday} John & Buddy, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

‘Joseph & the AmazingTechnicolor Dreamcoat’

06.23-06.24 {Thursday-Friday} Arkansas Shakespeare The-atre “Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall www.arkshakes.com.

Live Music06.23 {Thursday} Mr. Lucky, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

‘Tortoise and the Hare’06.24 {Friday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “Tortoise and the Hare” 2 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall www.ark-shakes.com.

Live Music06.24 {Friday} Nu UnYun 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.25 {Saturday} Mayday by Midnight, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

‘Tortoise and the Hare’06.26 {Sunday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, noon at Reynolds Performance Hall www.arkshakes.com.

‘Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

06.26 {Sunday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Per-formance Hall www.arkshakes.com.

‘Othello’06.25 {Saturday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “Othello” 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall www.arkshakes.com.

‘Othello’06.26 {Sunday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “Othello” 2 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall www.arkshakes.com.

Live Music06.27 {Monday} Sam Williams, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.28 {Tuesday} Jocko, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

Live Music06.29 {Wednesday} Adam Hambrick, 6-8 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

‘Othello’06.29-06.30 {Wedesday-Thursday} Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre “Othello” 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall www.arkshakes.com.

Live Music06.30 {Thursday} Justin Brooks, 8:30-11:30 p.m., JJ’s Grill.

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ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE AT FLETCHER SMITH’S JEWELERS, 1115 OAK ST. IN DOWNTOWN CONWAY, 329-2842

I’ve never been one to turn down Mexican food. It’s usually me who suggests it. So when I was presented with the opportunity to compare foods from the plethora of Conway’s south-of-the-border cuisines, I jumped on it faster than Speedy Gonzalez would on ehree-one’s seester.

My mission was simple. Load up my sombrero with a hat-full of names, choose four at random, eat and compare. Armed with an appetite, an open-ended supply of credit and an iPhone, I told the good news to my reluctant dinner date, and we took to the streets.

First stop, Casa Mariachi. I went into this assignment thinking I would compare nachos, aka nachos Mexicanos, aka nachos de (fill in the blank). Maybe it was my excitement,

maybe it was just a hurried decision, but I didn’t see nachos on El Mariachi’s lunch menu. In the back of my mind

I remembered the time I ordered “something

different” at Cazu-elas in Greenbrier.

Chicken chimichan-ga. Best. Meal. Ever.

Since then, I’ve tried to find a chimi comparable — even return-ing to Cazuelas — but nada. According to my mom, I was just really hungry that day. Regardless, this was now my mission. If only one of these four could compare...

CASA MARIACHIWe entered Casa Mariachi a little after 1 in the afternoon to the same number of patrons I’ve seen every other time, 2 people. On a positive note, service would be outstanding, right? It wasn’t bad. The waiter was a little hard to understand, but I think he was pimping a “new menu with beer.” Regardless, we took our seat under the fake palm as the music blared in the background — a song I couldn’t understand but sounded like it had been a tough time for Rolando. Our chips quickly arrived with just enough salsa for three of them. I’m not sure if there was a salsa shortage that day, but we had to order a refill twice more be-fore our food came. At last, my chimichanga challenge. In all honesty, it was really good. Covered in cheese sauce, it had a spicy flavor, was crispy and was just the right temperature. I was a little taken aback to find a huge clump of peppers right in the middle, however. The pico and guac were good, but the beans and rice were room temperature at best. Pepsi products. Overall, HHH.

LA HUERTAAs soon as we walked in the door, dos por favor, we were at

our table with eh, Pepsi products, chips and salsa. La Huerta is always hopping, so it was no surprise that it took a while for our food to arrive. We went through three supplies of chips while waiting, but the salsa has to be the best in town. My meal finally showed up with the standard sides: pico, guac, beans, rice and sour cream; and they were all awesome. So good, in fact, I was expecting this to be the finest chimichanga I had ever tasted. Not so much. With so much flavor in everything else, the chimi was bland (to be kind) and very watery. The placement on top of the beans and rice left me with a watery soup by the time I was done. Still, that salsa is worth making the trip. Overall HHH.

ICONFLAVOR MEXICAN FIESTA

CHICKEN CHIMICHANGA CHALLENGE

CASA MARIACHI: We stuff a flour tortilla with your choice of ground beef or spicy chicken, then deep fry to a golden brown. Topped with cheese sauce, served with Mexican rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. $6.25

LA HUERTA: Stuffed flour tortilla with your choice of chunks of beef or spicy chicken, deep fried to a golden brown topped with cheese, sauce and served with rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, sour cream, rice and beans. $6.25

H ay carambaHH asi asiHHH buenoHHHH muy buenoHHHHH ¡excelente!

EL ACAPULCOBy this point, I’d had just about my fill of chicken chimichan-gas. But I had to continue. While waiting for our food, we snacked on overcooked chips and tomatoey salsa. Adding salt to the chips made a huge difference. The chimi finally arrived, and I’m sure they couldn’t have stuffed another shred of chicken in it. I didn’t notice any peppers in this one, but it wasn’t bland either. The beans stole the spotlight this time. Oh, and finally a place that served Coke products. Overall, HHHH.

LAS PALMASI took a few days off before finishing my feat. We visited Las Palmas on a Sunday afternoon, and it was cram-packed. Of course, there’s no way to know that until you open the doors due to the mirrored window tint across the front. We took the only table available and service started out above par. Two different waiters tried to take our drink orders and food orders. We watched soccer on the TVs while waiting for our food, because, I think that’s the only channel they get. Completely over chimichangas at this point, it was un-fortunate that it was another watery one. I pressed on with Diet Coke and the best guacamole I’d had in a long while. The pico was spicy, and the rice and beans were good. We waited for what seemed like two full soccer matches for our check, but it finally arrived and I could finish this piece. Hasta la vista. Overall, HHHH.

BY STEWART COLE

EL ACAPULCO: Stuffed flour tortilla with your choice of ground beef or chicken deep fried to a golden brown and topped with a cheese sauce. Served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, Mexican rice and beans. $5.99

LAS PALMAS: Beef strips or shredded chicken deep-fried burrito topped with cheese sauce. Lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo on the side. $5.99

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IMOMENT MARY MICHAEL MAGGIO

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Give us an update of golf and school and where things are.“I just finished my second year of college golf at LSU (third in NCAAs) and had a decent year. I’ll be transferring to Texas A&M in the fall. Golfwise, everything is pretty good. We’re working on the game and trying to get everything going in the right direction for the end of the collegiate career.”

Why are you transferring?“I need a different look for my career. Golf has been great to me for two years, but sometimes you’ve got to pack up and move on and make a decision for you. I’m making a decision based on my potential to play golf after college and hopefully, Texas A&M will open up a lot of doors for me.”

What attracted you to Texas A&M?“First off, the tradition. Full of tradition. Packed tight with it. They have great athletic programs from top to bottom. They have great facilities and overall just fantastic people there who will do anything to help you out and further your career whether it’s from the professional standpoint or the jobs standpoint. ... They are a top-15 team. I think all around be a better fit. The only thing is I’ll be driving eight hours in a different direction.”

What kind of year did you have?“Last year was kind of a patchwork season as far as what I wanted to get done. It was an up-and-down year. I had two top 10s (individually) and two additional top 20s and it was a little sporadic after that. But there were some really solid rounds play and some really good things to build off of.”

What part of your game are you working on?“Overall, striving for consistency. It’s one thing to shoot 68 the first day but what do you do the second and third day? I’m work-ing on having a go-to golf swing and being able to hit more shots on demand. Instead of five out of 10 times, being able to do it eight out of 10 times.”

How is the recovery coming from your right shoulder sur-gery (totally restructured in November 2009)?“I’ve learned you use your right shoulder in a lot of activities in life that you never really thought, including brushing your teeth. It’s coming along really well. I’ve got a really good plan in place. I’m at about 85 percent and pushing for that last 15. I’m a year and a half out. I’ve had a couple of friends who have had the surgery and they say it’s a full two-year process to get back to 100 percent.”

That affects every part of your game, right?“You need your right side to set your golf swing. They went in and stabilized my shoulder and they didn’t want me to move it as much. But you’ve got to move it a certain way to fire (on the golf swing). That’s been a battle in trying to get the full range of mo-tion back but we’re getting really close and that’s promising.”

What’s the toughest part of college golf?“It’s a different pace. In junior golf, you dictate your own sched-ule as far as what you want to do and when you want to do it. In college, it’s completely opposite. It’s ‘You WILL be here at 6 a.m. and you WILL be here at 1 p.m. and you WILL be here until dark.’ That’s how it’s gonna be. It’s the time management things like when do I do my laundry, when do I study and when do I do a lot of things ... Expectations are higher when people’s jobs are on the line.”

What is your major area of study?“Communications. It’s very broad and leaves the door open for a lot of opportunities. I think the communicative part of a lot of jobs I think is what I’m really interested in.”

What led to that?“I definitely felt I’ve always been led to that from the people and organizations who have led me to my walk with Christ. If I can ever have half the impact other people have had on me on an-other person, it would be a successful life.”

What class in school has been your favorite?“My physical education for kids with disabilities class. We were required to do 40 hours of community service with kids with dis-abilities in Baton Rouge. I really feel like I gained a lot more appreciation and life lessons and academic material out of that class than any of the other 57 hours I had taken. I also liked my public speaking class. I gave a speech on chicken and waffles and I got an A so that makes any class fun.”

Chicken and waffles?“It’s a staple, I tell ya. You get your waffle and put a piece of fried chicken on top and then some hot sauce and syrup ... It’s good stuff, let me tell you. If my life doesn’t work out maybe I can make chicken and waffles for a living.”

WORKING ON HER GAME

BY DAVID MCCOLLUM

24

When Apple CEO, Steve Jobs introduced the iPad tablet device in the spring of 2010 he used the phrase, “post-PC era”. At the time it seemed to be a combination of product hype and market-ing hyperbole, but over the last calendar year there have been many developments in the technology industry that may prove him to be correct.

With the emergence of “cloud computing,” where data is stored somewhere on a network to be accessed by an individual’s com-puting device, the consumer can rely less and less on local stor-age and computing power. Amazon unveiled its cloud storage system in March, and Google and Apple are expected to follow suit before the end of the year.

These cloud systems make accessing large amounts of data off-line and on multiple devices easier than ever before, cutting the tether to large hard drives in today’s personal computers, whether that’s in the form of a desktop or laptop. I believe that in

ICONTECH POST-PC ERABY JAMES RYKEN

25

the next few years, iPads and other tablet devices will overtake PCs as the primary used household computing devices.

Some form of tablet computing has been around since 2001 when Microsoft re-leased the Microsoft Tablet PC. Other variations on the product followed in the years since then, but the concept of the tablet really didn’t take hold with the public until 2010 when Apple unveiled the iPad. Even at the time of the iPad’s announcement, critics and users were skeptical of the device: “How is this not just a big iPod touch or iPhone?” they said. It wasn’t until the product was released and more and more people started using it that the concept of a tablet being a viable computing device really registered with the public.

I was skeptical about the practical uses of tablet devices (in particular the iPad), but after seeing them in action a few times and getting caught up in the announcement of the iPad 2 earlier this year, I decided to take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about. I bought an iPad in early April and couldn’t be happier with my purchase. It has taken over as our primary computing device in our household. We also have a laptop pc, but it’s been relegated to the office and it rarely gets used. The iPad is perfect for checking email and surfing the internet.

For most families this is probably 90% of computing use and the small form factor and easy to use interface make it perfect for these common tasks. Where the iPad shines is the App store, which offers applications for every need. I’m a big baseball fan, so I watch all Cubs games on the MLB At Bat app. There are more news and magazine apps than can be listed here.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed at the amount of content that’s now readily available for my review. For the gamers out there, the iPad boasts a selection of games that look and feel like they could be on the latest xBox or Playstation consoles. The vibrant screen makes reviewing personal photos or watching TV shows or movies a great experience, much easier than doing the same on a laptop or desktop monitor.

There are still some drawbacks to tablets. Currently, tablets are still somewhat pricey (they range from $500 to $800), and it can be a tough purchase decision when similarly priced laptops or desktops are available that can provide more computing power or storage (although less mobility and convenience). Another big thing to take into consideration before pulling the trigger on a tablet purchase is that the current batch of tablets are still what I would call “consumption” devices. They are the perfect platform for ‘consuming’ information, whether that consists of web browsing, email, e-books, music or games.

While developers are working on creating ‘production’ programs and apps and Apple and the other manufacturers have serviceable programs out there, it’s still much easier to sit down at a PC to create a Word doc, Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation. The tools are there in the tablet environment, but it’ll take a paradigm shift after using PC-based tools for so long to have the same ease in creation on a tablet device as you do on the PC.

I’ve focused primarily on the iPad, but there are several other manufacturers who have thrown their hats in to the tablet ring to try to take down the iPad as best in breed. The Motorola xoom and RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook have both been released in the last few months. The xoom boast more computing power and a higher resolu-tion screen than the iPad. BlackBerry’s Playbook boasts RIM’s perception as having a more business friendly operating system, but Apple has made strides in that direc-tion as well. HP will release its TouchPad tablet later this year and industry analysts expect that the WebOS operating system will be a big draw. Also expected later this year is a highly anticipated entry into the tablet market by Amazon using the Android operating system. The Amazon vs. Apple battle will be one to watch.

If you’ve traveled recently, you’ve noticed that you can’t walk through an airport or a hotel lobby without seeing several individuals using iPads for various purposes. They seem to be everywhere, and I expect that as more manufacturers and develop-ers get into the tablet game, the growth and use of tablets will become exponential.

n IN AprIl, SONY ANNOUNCED ThE hONEYCOMB ANDrOID TABlET S2 WITh DUAl

5.5-INCh SCrEENS.

Hot VIDEo GAME: LA NOIRE. Rockstar Games HAS created another hit with this detective game based in 1940’s LA where you play the role of a detective solving real-life mysteries.

Hot APP: HBOGO. HBO has set the bar high for video streaming servic-es. Available to HBO subscribers, a huge catalog of current and past movies and series (Sex and the City and The Wire are among the HBO classics present) are available to stream to iPhone, iPad, PC and Android devices on de-mand.

Hot EVENt: E3 Conven-tion. Every year in June, the video game indus-try gathers in Los An-geles to unveil the lat-est games and consoles we’ll be seeing over the next several months.

HOT IN TECH

26

ONTHEMOVE DREW WILLIAMS BY JENNIFER STANLEY

27

You can find me in

Drew Williams is living the dream of many red-blooded, American males in being employed by the St. Louis Cardinals. A native of Conway and a graduate of both Conway High School and the University of Central Arkansas, Drew is an avid fan of the great American pastime and couldn’t be happier with the trajectory of his career.

We had an opportunity to speak with Drew about his path to St. Louis and his ambitious future plans.

Icon: Did you play baseball? Drew: I am proud to say I was part of the best softball team ever assembled — Woodland Heights Baptist in 2006. I also played in college — fantasy baseball.

Icon: What did you earn your degree in?Drew: I have a degree in business administration.

Icon: Have you always been a baseball fan? I really got into the game when Mark McGwire was traded to St. Louis in late 1997. I was at a friend’s house when the trade went down, and the excitement of it got me hooked. Ever since then I’ve bled Cardinal (and Razorback) red.

Icon: So the Cardinals have always been your team? Drew: As long as I have been a baseball fan, its been the Cardinals, and that is it.

Icon: You were employed by the Arkansas Travelers for a while. What exactly did you do for them? Drew: Thanks to a broken ankle, I started off working in the ticket office. I was originally slated to work in concessions but couldn’t stand up or walk, so I got to sit in the air conditioning. After that it evolved into almost every aspect of the ballpark. In Minor League Baseball, everyone from top to bottom in the front office has done, and is willing to do, anything to make the game experience bet-ter for the fans. Being the mascot, picking up trash, cooking food, selling tickets, and even pulling tarp during a rain delay — they are all part of the job description.

Icon: What did you enjoy about working with their organization? Drew: I enjoyed the staff most. They were helpful from day one and taught me everything I know. The hours in this industry can get tough, so they become your second family. Even though I don’t work there anymore I still consider them that.

Icon: When did you start working for the St. Louis Cardinals? Drew: I started in May of 2010.

Icon: What is your role with the St. Louis Cardinals organization? Drew: I am a Ticket Services Representative.

Icon: What exactly does being a Ticket Services Representative entail? Drew: It can change from day-to-day, even hour-to-hour, but it entails a lot of fulfilling orders and customer service. Whether it is taking care of internal employees or customers on the outside, my job is to make sure people get into the ballpark and have a great time.

Icon: How did you hear about the job? Drew: Through contacts I’d made throughout the years, I was put in touch with some current Car-dinal employees. I bombarded them with emails and phone calls until they hired me.

Icon: What are the biggest challenges of your job? Drew: I would say trying to make sure every customer has a great time. Problems are going to arise from time-to-time, and you want to take care of them in a timely fashion.

Icon: What do you do in the off-season? Drew: Not sure. I haven’t experienced a full off-season here. But I hope it involves a nice, long vacation.

Icon: What are some of the most popular series? Drew: The Chicago Cubs are always a hot ticket. After our run-ins with the Cincinnati Reds last year, that has become a popular series as well.

Icon: Are the majority of tickets now sold online? What are other ways people can buy tickets? Drew: Most tickets are sold online, but there are still other avenues fans go through. Our box of-fice stays busy with customers. Sales representatives also take incoming calls and make sales in that way.

Icon: Do most of your home games sell out? Drew: Full capacity for Busch Stadium is almost 46,000. Once school lets out and the weather is warm, we will sell out just about every game. Over 81 home games we will draw over 3 million fans, so do the math.

Icon: How has living in St. Louis been different from living in Conway? Drew: Well, now I am six hours away from my family and most friends. I have friends up here, but it’s nice seeing everyone back home. The buildings are taller, and there are a couple more people. I live downtown, so I rarely get in my car; I walk to work, the grocery store, a place to grab a cold beverage, everywhere. Conway may be a little more laid back, and I miss that. And I don’t get to see my girlfriend much (Hi Meg) and Conway’s favorite pet, my dog, Missy.

Icon: Most important question: do you think Albert Pujols will stay? Drew: For the sake of millions of fans, I hope so. Cardinal fans want him here, but I also think baseball fans in general want him here too. The days are long gone of a player staying with one team his entire career. Hopefully this is the exception.

Icon: Who is your favorite player of all time?Drew: This conversation ends with former St. Louis Cardinal (and Arkansas Traveler) Rick Ankiel.

Icon: What are your future plans for your career?Drew: Nothing too big….just to be the youngest general manager in the history of the game. I have about five years to accomplish it.

CARDINALSSCHEDULE

28

29

IT’SCOOLDOWNTOWN

BY KIM WILLIAMS

How far are you traveling for your food? How far is your food traveling to reach you? There is a nationwide movement to-ward locally grown foods — but what does that really mean?

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is devoted to con-necting the consumer to the producer. Officials there have developed a program that helps producers market their agri-culture products and allow customers to search out the local food sources. The Ag Department also assists the producers with marketing of their local product with the Arkansas Grown logo. This logo is a registered trademark and appears in black and white or black and green versions.

The Arkansas Farm Bureau and the University of Arkansas have teamed up to develop a program called Market Maker. This program also allows customers to search for specific products available in your local area. For more information:

http://www.uaex.edu/marketmaker/

The University of Arkansas Faulkner County Cooperative Ex-tension Service provided resources for the Conway Farmers Market. This will be the second year at the downtown location for the market. The market is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. One of the main values is home-grown produce, each of its vendors are certified by the County Agent that they are growing 100% of what they are selling. Each valued-added/craft vendor also has to be producing 100% home-made items. For more information about the market contact Kami Marsh at (501) 329-8344 or [email protected].

The Conway Farmers Market continues to grow each year with both its vendors and the customer base. We want to thank our local customers for their continued patronage.

GET TO KNOWYOUR FARMER

CONWAY FARMERS MARKETThe 2011 season marks the 29th year of the Conway Farmer’s Market. This year is off and running with a strong group of farmers, handcrafters and bakers. We have 50 folks who have registered this year to take part in the market.

Located at the corner of Parkway and Main streets (Conway Corp. parking lot), the market is across from Model Cleaners.

Hours are Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 7 a.m.-1 p.m.. Items available include turnips, broccoli, cab-bage, radishes, lettuce, greens, onions, eggs, cheese, fresh flowers, handcrafted items baked goods, jams, jellies and salsa.

CONWAY COMMUNITY bAND, ARKANSASSHAKESPEARE THEATRE AND FRIDAY ART-WALKThe Conway Community Band will make their second appearance in Simon Park on Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m. The band is made up of more than 75 members from around Faulkner County. They will be performing a variety of Broadway Favorites. They will be joined at intermission by the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, who will perform a portion of an act from their 2011 Season.

THE JAzz HOT bAbY!On Saturday, June 18, Michelangelo’s will be graced by a fabulous traditional New Orleans style Jazz Band, “Meschiya Lake and Them Little Big Horns.” Meschiya is a major voice in the Jazz world and the band is made up of former members of the band, “Loose Marbles.”

EvENTS AND FUNSURROUND

DOWNTOWN

FATHERSDAYGIFTIDEAS

KONSTANTINO STERLING SILVER AND 18K GOLD BRACELETS, AVAILABLE AT FLETCHER SMITH’S.

ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE AT FLETCHER SMITH’S JEWELERS, 1115 OAK ST. IN DOWNTOWN CONWAY, 329-2842.

BY KAMI MARSH

30

CITYART ARKANSAS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE BY BECKY HARRIS

STARRINg CHRIS CRAwfORd AS JOSEPHANd CONwAy’S OwN HART dENTON

CASTEmily Beggs, Hallie Broome, Maggie Carroll, Regan Cate, Anna Caroline Gregg, Bailey Guynes,

Madison Loyd, Ethan Marotte, Olivia Marotte, Simon Marotte, Lucas Massingill, Maggie McCullough, Lucia Redditt, Zoe Russell, Abby Shourd, Linley Thompson, Joey Whisenhunt, Maggie Whisenhunt

dIRECTORDennis Courtney

NY-based theatre artist Dennis Courtney for an Extended Residency during the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s 2011 Season. In addition to directing and choreographing our festival’s production of Joseph

and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mr. Courtney will be working with our student interns and teaching classes on “Musical Theatre.” An artist of his caliber will elevate our work onstage and off,

just as he did in 2009 with his involvement with AST’s production of the Arkansas Premiere of “The Producers.”

COMINg JUNE 23ARKSHAKES.COM

I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN THE

POWER OF THEATRE. WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF CHANGING PEOPLE AS WE CONSTANTLY STRIVE TO CHANGE OURSELVES.

“

“HEALING

CHRIS CRAWFORD

Chris Crawford, co-founder and producing artistic director of The Playhouse Tulsa, will have the title role

in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s fifth season.

He is a veteran of the AST stage.

His AST acting credits include Romeo and Juliet, The Producers and The Taming of the Shrew.

He was the 2007 winner of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Irene Ryan Award

for Acting as well as the Mark Twain Award for Outstanding Comedic Performance and earned a

spot acting for The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington.

He is a 1985 graduate of Oral Roberts University, completed advanced training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and received an

MFA from the University of Arkansas.

MY ENTIRE LIFE I’VE FELT LIKE A WHOLE

OF HUMAN. MY MIND HAS ALWAYS BEEN YEARS AHEAD OF MY AGE. THE ‘OLD SOUL’ HAS ENABLED ME TO THINK, FEEL, SPEAK

AND REACT IN WAYS NO ONE MY AGE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND OR COMPREHEND.

“

“

DIFFERENT BREED

HART DENTON

Hart Denton, 17, is a rising star among the panoply of stars who will be onstage during Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s fifth season.

He’ll play one of Joseph’s brothers in “Joseph’s Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat,” directed by Matt Chiorini, AST’s founder and producer.

A scholar-athlete, Denton has just finished his junior year at Conway HighSchool, where he achieved a 3.8 grade point average and lettered in footballas a wide receiver, a shooting guard in basketball and a forward in soccer.Conway’s soccer team made it to the first round of the state playoffs.

Music is his love, whether he’s composing, singing or playing the guitar.Acting since he was a little kid, he was one of the children in a productionof “Joseph” years ago.

He’s also appeared in the King and I, A Christmas Carol, Big River and insome short films at UCA. This is his first appearance with ArkansasShakespeare Theatre. He’s the only high school student in the play.

Plans for the near future including moving with his folks to Nashville thissummer where he’ll attend Franklin High School for his senior year.

Long-range, he wants to play and perform music and act in movies “on thehighest level,” he said.

We all dream, everyone can. But until you make them goals, just dreams are all they’ll ever be. I know what I want, I know how to get it, and more than ever before — I’m ready. God has opened some exciting doors lately. I’m excited for what’s to come.

36

BY RACHEL PARKER DICKERSON

Mark McCuin, president of Conway-based software business Pathagility, is excited to watch the forward progress of the busi-ness he and his partners started four years ago.

Pathagility provides software as service to pathology groups and pathologists – a different solution for electronic medical records.

McCuin said, “It helps them build the lab reports and helps them connect and provide those reports to their referring physicians electronically. It speeds up their process. In the end, it helps patients. We’re helping pathologists become more efficient, and their referring physicians become more efficient with providing feedback to their patients.”

He continued, “It’s well over a billion-dollar market that we’re in. A lot of people are talking about electronic medical records right now.”

He said the government is offering incentives for physicians to use electronic medical records, and 60 to 80 percent of records originate in the lab.

“Typically, an individual has two (lab) tests a year until around age 65, and then it goes to about nine. So as our population ages, we know there’s going to be a lot more lab tests needed. Efficiency is critical,” McCuin said. “I think we provide efficiency.”

He described one way in which Pathagility improves efficiency.

“When a person goes in to have a lab test done … the referring physician is going to get a fax. When the physician receives that fax, they have to re-enter that into their system. We can provide the lab the opportunity to present the data however the physician wants to receive it.”

McCuin said the company’s software as service concept differen-tiates Pathagility. “They don’t have to buy hardware. It’s a hosted solution. It’s web-based. So they don’t have the capital outlays associated with traditional software. It’s like buying a utility on a monthly basis. The model is a game-changer in our industry. We’re one of the only companies in the country that offers this SaS.

“That model has been proven out in other industries. We saw it hadn’t been done in our industry. It was a strategic decision from day one that we were going to create our software as a service.”

It was a challenge to convince professionals to rely on a web-based solution in health care, an industry that highly values privacy.

“There are very few people who want to be the first at buying something. Our challenge was to educate the individual about the value of that model and explaining the impacts to privacy and security while delivering the software over the internet.

“We focus heavily on security and privacy. We have layers and layers of mechanisms built into our platform for that. Beyond that, our software is located in a world class data center with redun-dancy to another part of the country. In short, we have much more redundancy than a typical in-house system would have. We have physical security for all our servers and network. We provide better disaster recovery options than your typical in-house system would. But people have to be educated, because when that system is not sitting physically in your office, they have to get comfortable with that.”

McCuin’s partners are Kyle Harrell of San Antonio, Texas, Chris-tian Anderson of Conway and Dr. Patrick Walker of Little Rock.

McCuin said he wanted to start a software company in the health-care field and connected with Anderson. “Anyone in Arkansas and the U.S. wanting to start a tech company eventually con-nects with him,” he said. Anderson connected him with Harrell.

“He really had the genius idea, because he had worked for Amer-ipath, which is now Quest Diagnostics. He saw the need for con-necting laboratories with their referring physicians.”

As they were forming, they were joined by Walker, who was medical director for NephroPath in Little Rock. “He heard about what we were putting together, and we quickly had synergy. He is a pathologist, and we serve pathology groups.”

He earned a business degree and went to work at his father’s company, Select Data Service Administrators in Batesville. Later, in an effort to earn more corporate experience, he went to work for Fidelity Information Services (then Alltel Information Services). Later he went on to USAble Life in Little Rock, where he became vice president over the software development team.

McCuin noted he doesn’t write software but is more interested in the business side of technology. “I’ve been fortunate to be around some very talented software developers and IT folks. I was very, very fortunate to get the opportunity aligned with my other partners in Pathagility. I feel very fortunate. Sometimes, looking back, it’s almost mystical how it all came together.”

McCuin said Pathagility is starting to turn a corner after much hard work. It is hard to predict what lies ahead, as events tend to happen very quickly, he said. He noted while the business is hyper focused on the lab industry, “We’ve developed our plat-form where we could migrate into other areas, such as radiology. There are some similarities, such as workflow. Today we are very focused by design.”

He concluded, “Myself and the founders of Pathagility have had support from family as we’ve done this. Throughout all the chal-lenges, it’s critical to be grounded in some way. I’ve found that faith and family has grown through the process. I love what I do. I love getting up every day and doing what I do. I wouldn’t change this for anything, but it’s been very, very difficult.”

SOFTWARE DESIGNCREATING THE FUTURE OF E-MEDICAL RECORDS

n McCuin’s interest in technology goes back to his childhood. “My dad started a software company in the ‘70s. I would go to his office and see the mainframe. I watched the movement from mainframe to personal computers. Through that, I’ve always been infatuated with computers and software.”

37MAR

K M

CC

UIN

/ R

ACH

EL P

ARKE

R D

ICKE

RSO

N P

HO

TO

WHAT I DO. I LOVE GETTING UP EVERYDAY AND DOING

WHAT I DO.

-MARK MCCUIN

“ “I LOVE

38

LOCALICON ROB MORGAN

39

BY JENNIFER STANLEY

A NEEDFOR SPEED

The career of race car driver and owner Rob Morgan has taken him in many different directions and has been anything but boring. Conway born and raised, and a 1992 graduate of Conway High School, Rob left to earn his bachelor’s in business marketing from the University of Arkansas and that is pretty much where the status quo ends.

Icon: How did your interest in racing cars begin? Morgan: I grew up around it. My father raced for years; he was a professional but didn’t make his living racing cars. So I grew up around racing and always knew it was what I wanted to do. I had an interest in cars from a young age; anything with engines and wheels I liked, but especially cars.

Icon: So how did your father get started in racing?Morgan: He didn’t grow up around it, but he always had an interest in it. He just got into a position finan-cially where he could do it, so he did it. He didn’t get into racing cars until he was in his 30s, and I literally graduated high school and was racing the next month.

Icon: What type of cars/trucks have you raced? Morgan: Everything from sports cars, GT cars like ones you see on the street, to prototype cars. I raced a Ferrari 333SP, which is a million dollar car, for a year for a team out of Indianapolis. I raced Daytona Proto-types, which are raced in GRAND-AM right now, a series owned by NASCAR. I’ve also raced in NASCAR in what is known as the Camping World Truck Series. When I raced, it was the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. I’ve done NASCAR’s Winston West Series; I’ve done a little of everything.

Icon: When and why did you move to California? Morgan: I graduated college in December 1996, and in 1997 I got a job for the Winston Series I raced in and moved to California to work as a consultant for one of the sponsors. They were building a racing video game for the series, and I was racing the Ferrari at the time, so I moved to Newport Beach in March of 1997.

Icon: Have you lived there since? Morgan: No, I moved to Little Rock in 1998 because I’d started racing in NASCAR, and to travel from the West Coast, because you race nearly every weekend, was going to be a little difficult. I’d also met Victoria, who I am married to, when I was in California, and she actually moved back to Little Rock with me; we lived in Arkansas for about two years. When I stopped driving in NASCAR, we could pretty much live anywhere, so we moved back to California in 2001, and I started TruSpeed.

Why did you leave NASCAR?Morgan: It boiled down to a couple of things. Victoria was pregnant when Dale Earnhardt died [the couple are now parents to Makenna, Lainey, and Chase]. In 2000 I’d had a really bad accident at Daytona and was very lucky to walk away from it. I was there at the track when Adam Petty died and when Tony Roper died. I was close when Kenny Irwin, Jr. died. This was all in about a year’s time. To race at that level, you have to have a little denial, but my wreck at Daytona opened my eyes. And with Dale’s death and Victoria’s pregnancy, those things put it all in perspective. I didn’t have to do this; I did it because I enjoyed it, but my life was about to change. I told my sponsors I was going to do other things, and I moved into more of an ownership role at that time, which I did for about five years in NASCAR after I left.

Icon: And what does your business, TruSpeed do? Morgan: I started TruSpeed in 2001 as a used car dealership for Porsches. A few years ago I started a servicing business as well, and we started race support programs for clients about a year ago. I’ve started racing again as well. What we basically do is track support for guys who own Porsche race cars, which is fairly popular in California. The cars, Porsche GT3 Cup Cars, are basically factory-built race cars. These guys own the cars but don’t necessarily want to maintain them or have their own race team. So what we provide is servicing: we work on them, transport them for them — we do everything from A to Z except

n GET BEHIND THE WHEEL: rIDE AlONg AT 150 Mph ON ThE STrEETS OF lONg BEACh WITh rOB MOrgAN OF TrUSpEED.

40

drive them. It’s an arrive and drive program. We also have our professional race program through TruSpeed. My teammate is Patrick Long, who is a Porsche factory driver, and he’s already won two races this year.

Icon: What has been your biggest accomplishment as a driver? Morgan: I won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, which is probably the biggest sports car race in the country. I also got a class win in 1996 and got three second place finishes.

Icon: What, in your opinion, makes for a successful driving career? Morgan: What people don’t realize is that you have to be an athlete to race. People think you get in a car and sit in it for a few hours and drive. It is much harder than that, and just like any sport it takes dedication, time, and practice. It is also a sport where a natural affinity helps. Kobe Bryant probably wouldn’t be a good foot-ball player; racing is the same way. Racing is also very mental. It takes concentrating lap after lap after lap and not making mistakes.

Icon: What are the biggest challenges in racing? Morgan: The cost. Racing is a very expensive sport. You start seeing it in NASCAR; it’s the top of the game in the United States because of the level of competition. With the economy like it is, companies aren’t spending money on race cars or on marketing or advertising with NASCAR. Though there has been a little rebound this year, when companies start to cut back, marketing budgets are one of the first things to go.

Icon: What events do you have on the horizon? Morgan: My semi-pro guys through TruSpeed have a race in Northern California. I am also really enjoying

coaching and mentoring two young guys who drive for me in the semi-pro series Pirelli Driver’s Cup who are both pretty amazing. I really like working with them and providing guidance from my experience, and I think they are both going to get to test with Porsche in Eu-rope this year. I am also about to leave with Patrick Long for a race in Mooseport, Canada. We are always going somewhere. Always.

Icon: Which drivers are you a fan of? Morgan: I don’t have any one guy in mind, but I will tell you what I do respect: drivers who can drive in many types of cars, like Tony Stewart or Robby Gor-don. Tony is obviously a very good driver; he’s actually driven for me before. He’s one of those guys who can get in absolutely anything and be successful. He can get in a sprint cup car and win a race, he can get in a late model and win a race; he can get in any car and win. He’s almost won Daytona 24 Hour twice, so he can drive sports cars. So to be able to drive as many different types of cars and to be as competitive as he is in each one, to me that is amazing. It is one thing to master the car and the series you race in every day. It’s another thing to get in one of those cars and beat people who train in them day in and day out. He’s built to drive race cars. Period. I can respect that and know how hard it is.

Icon: What are the future plans for your career? Morgan: Just to keep growing it. The race programs and the sport are growing every day. One thing I am really building is our street car service business. We have a 30,000 square foot facility that we do the sales, service, and racing out of, and we employ 20 full-time people. In today’s world I want to keep that going and moving while still spending time with my family and rac-ing. There are still racing goals I want to meet and rac-es I want to do, as well. I am nowhere near finished.

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ICONWELLNESS

Hello ladies! I’ve always enjoyed speaking or greeting a group of ladies when my day isn’t going well. Women possess the innate and uncanny ability to make you feel better and brighten your day with just a smile or a look that says, “I like your style (swag) and don’t change one thing about it!” So with that being said, Dr. FiT is only focusing on the ladies in this column.

Guys, don’t get upset. If you want washboard abs, pecs you could flex that will stop traffic and arms that will make your spouse or girlfriend give you the EYE and WINK when you walk in the room; then this is the article that will motivate you to run like Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump” and call me.

Allow me to transition back to the ladies. Summer is quickly approaching and spring is in high gear. As I scurry through stores and gaze in magazines, I see and hear women of all ages asking one another, “Girl, which style of swimsuit should I wear to the

lake, on the boat or beach?” The next statement goes a little like this one, “I’ve been working out extremely hard, eating properly and I still need to lose 5-10 lbs more, so I can look GOOD in that new swimsuit I purchased!”

Sound familiar?

I train some of Conway’s most beautiful, who just so happen to be turning heads, hearing whispers of admiration as they walk in a room, exuding a confidence, smile and LOOK that makes a man inhale and pause for 3 seconds, I can only imagine how good they feel. However, they will tell you that if you need to lose that extra 5-10 lbs by summer, then read and follow Dr. FiT’s interval training that was written in the last ICON edition. If you don’t have a copy, call your friends or run to the nearest bank and get your hands on a copy!

This is my guarantee, and in today’s society, not too many people make guarantees. If you follow that training regimen 2-3 times per week along with weights and calisthenics, eat 5-6 meals every 2-3 hours daily, have a nutrition plan where 85-90% of your carbohydrates are derived from whole grains, eat lean proteins (turkey, fish, lean ground beef, etc), and allow your “Healthy” fats to a minimum of 20% of your overall calories, this will be your year to look and feel SExIER than ever before.

In closing, ladies of Conway and central Arkansas, it is one of my passions and goals to help each of you take your SExY to the NExT LEVEL; however, I need YOU to make the commitment today that you will breakthrough all barriers that try and place limitations on you achieving your fitness and life goals. Look in the mirror and embrace the new you, which is a HEALTHIER, LEANER and SExIER you. Then when you walk past that mirror and make that last check before you step out for others to admire and tell you how amazing you look, please remember to send me an e-mail at [email protected]!

I’m encouraged after writing this article that each of you will be Sexy by Summer and Bikini Ready!

FOR THE LADIES...ARE YOU BIKINI READY?

BY PATRICK ‘DR. FIT’ JAMERSON

— Patrick “Dr. FiT” Jamerson is president

and founder of NXT Fitness Professionals,

LLC (501) 513-9833 (office)

[email protected] (business e-mail)

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43

LOCALSITUATION

June 21 is the Summer Solstice. That is the longest period of daylight all year long. Summer Solstice for many means the time has come to watch baseball, grill hot dogs and lounge on the deck. Last year, Summer Solstice took on a whole new meaning to community members in Central Arkansas.

It is a simple concept to United Ways all across the country. June 21, with that extra bit of daylight, is the perfect day to do something good for the community. With this idea in mind, a committee was formed, comprised of community members from all over Faulkner and Perry Counties. The goal was to figure out something that could be done in one day, by a handful of volunteers, to have an impact in the community. Initially, plans were made to have 3-4 service projects on June 21 that anyone looking to get involved could do. Day of Action 2010 had a plan and it was brewing. And then it exploded…

Looking back, that week was a bit of a blur for everyone involved. Things moved quickly. People were eager to lend a hand and the needs kept rolling in to be met. It wasn’t until after Week of Action was finished that everyone on the planning committee realized what a tremendous feat had just been accomplished. I thought about the extreme heat wave that hit during that week, and the vague call to action and I began to wonder just exactly what it was that made people respond when United Way asked them to “do something” on June 21. Was it the strong support we received from companies like Kimberly Clark, HP, Simmons First National Bank, Nabholz Construction, and many, many more? Was it the fact that it was summer time and folks were looking for something to do? Or was it just because volunteering feels good, and people like to feel good and know that they’ve helped someone in the process?

Honestly, I believe it was all of the above. I won’t speculate about the exact motivations that led those individuals to answer that call to action. But I will say that, having volunteered for a number of different causes over the years and having the oppor-tunity to speak with many of the participants in Week of Action, I do know that quite often volunteers feel they receive just as much, if not more, than they give. That’s the nature of volunteer-ing…it feels good.

A little boy opted to celebrate his birthday last year by volun-teering with his grandmother during Week of Action. His grand-

A CALL TO ACTION, A SURPRISING RESULT

BY JENNIFER BICKERS

Before anyone knew it, our simple plan to mobilize a handful of volunteers to complete a few projects on Day of Action (June 21) grew to 375 volunteers who served over 1,100 hours to complete 35 projects that week. Books were collected. Wheelchair ramps were built. Homes of the elderly were given a facelift. There was a call to action and the people of Faulkner and Perry Counties met it with an overwhelming

response. Week of Action was born.

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n RE-UNItED: UNITED WAY OF CENTrAl ArKANSAS “WEEK OF ACTION,” JUNE 20-25. VOlUNTEEr ATUNITEDWAYCENTrAlArK.Org.

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mother, who works at Kimberly Clark, worked on several projects that week and to this day absolutely beams with pride that he chose to celebrate his birthday by volunteering. Looking at pictures of the youngster donning a LIVE UNITED T-shirt and a big smile while raking the yard of a complete stranger, you can see that he, too, is beaming about the way he cel-ebrated his birthday.

When Mona Crawford saw a United Way table at her job last June recruiting volunteers for Week of Action, she immediately signed up. As a longtime supporter and someone who feels a personal connection to United Way, she was eager to get involved. Mona grew up a Minister’s daughter in this tight-knit commu-nity. In her own words, she confesses that vol-unteering and giving back was instilled in her at a young age, and as she has gotten older, it has become a part of who she is. To Mona and others like her, taking care of one another is just a part of life. When someone has a need, see if you can fulfill it. When you have a need, hopefully someone will do the same for you. Mona calls this the “circle of life”. So last June, when Mona showed up at an assigned address to help her coworkers repaint the outside of an older home in Conway for Week of Action, she believed she was just fulfilling a need. She had no idea that the person she had signed up to help was an elderly woman who had been a role model to her growing up and the grand-mother of Mona’s little sister in the Big Broth-ers Big Sisters program. To Mona, the “circle of life” had fallen into place.

In April, when disaster struck our community, volunteers poured in to assist. Knowing that the Arkansas Red Cross, Faulkner County Chapter needed volunteers to help with case-work for the Vilonia tornado victims, I gathered a small group, including me and Amy Blaylock, UWCA executive director, to assist. I didn’t know exactly what I had signed up for, but I hoped to make a small dent in the Red Cross’s workload and help a few people in great need. Six hours later I left as a different person. By volunteering to do casework, I had been given the amazing opportunity to help families with one teeny piece of the puzzle of putting their lives back together. These families had lost ev-erything; yet by allowing me to help, they had actually given something to me.

Every day a call to action is issued and people respond because volunteering feels good. This year, June 20-25, United Way of Central Ar-kansas is issuing a call to action for folks to get involved in Week of Action. A few hours of your time can make a huge impact, and not just on those you help. Lend a hand, change a life. Maybe even yours.

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LASTLOOK

hOW YOUrgArDEN grOWS

FROM THE LOG CABIN DEMOCRAT, MAY 13, 2001 {10 YEARS AGO}Students and faculty at Hendrix College joined local gardeners to create a new garden on campus in observance of May as Arkansas Heritage Month.

Several dozen different species were planted in the garden, located near the Donald W. Reyn-olds Center for Life Sciences, including plants, wildflowers, trees and shrubs native to Arkansas. The project was directed by two professors from the biology department, Dr. Joyce Hardin and Dr. Matthew Moran.

Ten years ago, Dr. Moran called the nature garden a “work in progress,” seen at top from present day, the garden is a flourishing result of their effort and the thousands of volunteer and student hours over the last decade.

STEW

ART

CO

LE P

HO

TO

n ARKANSAS GARDEN: TO lEArN MOrE ABOUT ThE gArDEN, VISIT hENDrIX COllEgE’S WEBSITE AT

WWW.hENDrIX.EDU

NOW