This week on the podcast, Brent sits down with Nathan, Adam, and John Rutledge from First Security Bank. All three, along with their father, are alumni of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and have made a significant impact in the state of Arkansas through their involvement with First Security Bank. During the episode, the brothers touch on the Rutledge family's history of growing the community bank throughout Arkansas since their father and grandfather first took over the bank in Searcy in 1977. The bank's asset size has grown from $46 million in 1977 to $7.5 billion today. They also discuss their focus on relationships and local communities while thoughtfully adapting to industry changes. The discussion offers a window into a multigenerational family business that is rooted deeply in communities across Arkansas.

You know, you need to think about those things

that you don't want people to remember about you as well,

while you're in college, because you might be trying to do

business with them at some point in time as well.

Welcome to the be epic podcast, brought to you

by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of

Arkansas. I'm your host, Brent Williams. Together, we'll

explore the dynamic landscape of business, and uncover the

strategies, insights, and stories that drive business

today.

Today, I have with me, the trifecta from First Security

Bank, I've got John, Nathan, and Adam Rutledge. And so all of you

thanks for for joining me today.

Glad to be here.

Well, I'm excited to have these three

because they're proud U of A, Walton College alum and making a

cool impact in the state. And so, you know, I might maybe just

start a little bit with those that are listening that many are

probably familiar with First Security Bank, but maybe not

everybody, you guys are a bank really focused on Arkansas.

John, give us just a little bit of maybe the history of First

Security and what the footprint looks like?

Sure. You know, First Security Bank was started

in 1932. If you think about the majority of the time, this

existence, you know, banking regulations and laws in the

state of Arkansas pretty much meant that every town in the

state of Arkansas had a state chartered bank, a national

chartered bank, and a savings and loan. And First Security

Bank was the state charter bank in the town of Searcy you know,

I think about 1932, in the depression, that's when most

community banks were kind of kick started from scratch. And

it was just a, you know, a capital raise in the community

and, and gathered around business people that know that,

you know, a bank is needed for a healthy economy and a local

community. And so anyway, fast forward quite a bit of time our

family got involved, our grandfather and dad got involved

in 1977 with the bank. There's definitely an entrepreneurial

background with both, both of our grandfathers on both sides

of your mother and dad. And so this idea of, you know, having

an opportunity to own a small bank and in a great small town

in Arkansas, came to fruition in 77, we were all born there. And,

you know, if you go through the decades, if you will, since dad

and our grandfather got involved with the bank directly, you

know, there's a lot of change and evolution in banking, and

most of that, in hindsight turned out to be a great

opportunity for First Security Bank, predominantly having to do

with just the opening up of competition being able to grow

across the state, which is what led us to Northwest Arkansas

back in 97-98, branching laws were changing. And really

through that period gave us an opportunity to move from what

had been an acquisition mindset of local community banks around

the state, slowly but surely just kind of one at a time, to

an opportunity to really growing a brand and being able to kind

of spread that across the state. So if you've asked for all the

way today, we're, for the most part, kind of, we look like a

funnel, if you were to layer a funnel over the state of

Arkansas, the bottom of that would be kind of Hot Springs,

Garland County, moving into Saline and Little Rock, Saline

County, Little Rock, Pulaski County, then it moves over to

Northeast Arkansas into Jonesboro, through Searcy where

it all began. And then kind of moves across the northern part

of the state down I-40 and up to Northwest Arkansas. And, you

know, the company was I think 46 million in assets when dad and

our grandfather bought the bank in 77. And we're about seven and

a half billion in assets today. Asset size is how you kind of

measure bank. There's a lot of other factors as well. But that

that's kind of the way people talk about banking. And it's

been it's been a neat opportunity for us to get

involved. And you know ultimately the kind of core of

who we are is a whole network of community banks, the focus on

local community, still, kind of to the spirit of what the bank's

purpose was in 1932 in Searcy but then at same time, I think

you kind of mentioned family and I think family's, part of the

reason we're here today,

Yeah, we've had a wonderful opportunity to kind of

Yeah.

not only be a family business, but also, you know, have a

culture of family inside our company. And then that

opportunity to really think family and really serving our

local communities is ultimately at the heart of who we are.

Well, yeah, you know, tremendous growth and and

a real focus on Arkansas. You mentioned, you know, you

mentioned a broad coverage of the state, but you guys have

chosen really specifically to focus on the state and your role

in the state. Which, which I think is a wonderful part of the

story. You know, well, you mentioned family, so I'm going

to play off of that probably and and maybe Adam ask you, you

know, so all three of you are involved, your dad's still

involved, why is it so important for the three of you to have

stayed involved in, in this business?

Well, you know, it's, it's important for the

three of us to be involved, because, you know, the

foundation that our grandfather and dad have set before us, and,

you know, just getting an opportunity to work alongside

them, and just learn from them. And, at the same time work

along, you know, your brothers and your siblings. You know, we

were, we're very fortunate to be close as, as a family and close

as brothers. And, you know, it's just a natural fit, going back

to dad's initial opportunity, coming from a small town in

South Arkansas, Smackover, to the University of Arkansas, and

the Walton College. And, you know, I think that opportunity

for him, and the relationships that he gained through that is

what drives his passion for the state and this college and this,

you know, university. So that opportunity, and, you know, he

gives a lot of credit to that, just the relationships that he

got here. And, you know, he still credits those today. I

know, he didn't get to make it up here today, but he was going

to be with some of those friends today matter of fact. But just,

you know, a family business is fun, you know, getting to

brainstorm and solve problems together. You know, we are in

different parts of the state, which probably makes it a little

easier, we're not quite on top of each other's toes. But we

have been intentional about getting together, at least twice

a month. And, you know, one of those meetings is pretty formal.

The other is whatever agenda we want it to be.

Okay.

And we haven't always done that. But as, as the

company's become more dynamic, and opportunities have arisen,

we've had to set aside that time to be strategic, to have those

discussions that are important. It's a lot of fun.

Yeah, well, it seems like a lot of fun being

around you guys is certainly a lot of fun. And, you know, you

know, Adam, you mentioned the U of A as a as a core part of your

dad's story in building his network. But Nathan, all three

of you have attended the Walton College. And, and I just kind of

wondered what it's meant to you all personally, I know maybe

I'll go to everybody on that.

I think we all have kind of our own story with

it, the just thinking back to our dad's story and kind of his

connection with it. Just in conversation, if you were to

bring it up, or have him talk about his story, and kind of how

it all connects from South Arkansas, all the way to being

in banking in Searcy, when he gets to the portion of the U of

A, and the connections and the friends and the relationships. I

mean, you can just tell that, so much of everything that he has

become ties back to the relationships that he developed

here and what he learned here, obviously, as well. And so, to

me, that's fun to see in him because you can over the years

his passion for for the Walton College and the University comes

out in lots of ways, whether it's calling the hogs or whether

it's trying to work on connecting the dots between

people he's met through the university, and each of us tied

back to the family business side of things. None of us ended up

in the bank, on purpose or on some long term strat strategic

plan. It all just sort of kind of happened its own way. And I

would say the same goes for the university, we we all just sort

of ended up here. Now we had lots of connections here with

family in Northwest Arkansas, coming to Razorback games and

having fun up here. But we were never encouraged or forced to

come to the University of Arkansas, it was always just

something that each of us made our own decisions. So I think

just from a parenting style, it was kind of it's kind of fun to

look back and think about how we really were given encouragement

to go and work hard and be successful. And don't be lazy

and get up every day and go to work. But the University of

Arkansas was always something that I think they knew that they

would like for us to go to but the only really encouragement

was just if you're going to work in Arkansas, whatever you do,

the relationships that you build at the University of Arkansas

are going to pay dividends, I promise. So if you plan on

staying in Arkansas, that's where we kind of got a little

bit of encouragement, but we all were, I feel like, given free

reign to kind of think through that decision on our own. Which

being the youngest son I think is probably a little different.

John and Adam both might have different stories with that but

I have a little bit I have a little I have

different memory, primarily from the standpoint that, you know,

if dad was going to pitch in any towards my further education,

and I wasn't smart enough to get scholarships, so I didn't have

too many options that, you know, there wasn't, if I was able to

get into the University of Arkansas, that was where he was

going to contribute to my education. Outside of the state,

for the most part, you know, I was gonna have to figure that

out on my own through student debts and other things. But I do

remember that encouragement and to echo Nathan, you know, if you

plan on doing business in the state of Arkansas, it's sure

important, you're a step ahead of your competition, if you

already had those, that foundation of relationships that

you gain while you're on campus.

And, John, I assume that, you know, I mean,

you, you said, I think you said something like You're a, like

this network of community banks sort of quilted together into

First Security Bank. Community banking is remarkably

relationship driven in here. So so I'm sure that's part of the

key advantage.

Yeah, no doubt, I think. I mean, ultimately, the

like I said, hindsight is such a great way to kind of view

things. And even though you may have gotten there, by mistake,

or by some natural path, and not in some strategic plan, you know

you can look back and really appreciate certain influences,

right. And one thing's for sure, being in the family business

now. You know, raising our own kids now, and just with all

that's going on, across the state, and we're all in

different markets, we overlap some but not always, we have

these bonds that kind of you know keep us together. A it's

work right, then it's family. But we also have this tie of, to

the university and to the Walton College, and growing up

Razorback fans, and there's just, there's something about

all that that helps pull you together. And instead of

dividing you or maybe feeling disconnected, and I can't

imagine what it would be like honestly, thinking about it,

just listen to everybody talk, what would have been like if one

of us went somewhere else, and would have felt like that kind

of left out, outsider, honestly. Whereas now, you know, we're all

thinking about the Razorback game this weekend, or we're all

thinking about what's happening with a recruiting class, or

what's the Walton College doing? Or, you know, how's it growing?

Everybody cares about that because we are all connected to

it.

Yep.

And as family I think it's more about what keeps

you connected as you start raising your own kids than it is

about the things that maybe divide you or make you

independent.

Yeah, well, I, you know, that that point of

connectedness I talked to our students about all the time, I

mean, you know, when you think about what you what you get out

of a college experience, certainly what you're learning

and what's happening in the classroom, critical,

internships, work experiences, but I encourage our students not

to underestimate the power of building a network while they're

here. Because it is maybe the best asset that they can build,

in my opinion.

Yeah. And one of the advantages, you know, that

we've had is that if you go from the beginning of my time here

to, you know, through Adam's time, and Nathan's time, and

there's some overlap through there, but you know, that's,

that's several years probably covers almost a decade of time,

where one of us was here with a connection to, to different

groups of people. So now that we're all on the same team

working everyday together, if you will, you know, between the

three of us, there's about a decade of Walton College

students that we probably have a connection with, which is kind

of a neat advantage in Arkansas.

Absolutely. And, you know, in Arkansas', kind of

a unique place. Right. I mean, the, the degrees of separation

in Arkansas are very, very few. You know, it's, it's a, it's a

tight, close knit state. And I think that's what makes it so

fun to be a part of not only the state, but the business

community.

Absolutely. I had lunch with a guy yesterday.

First, first time, we've really met face to face and discuss,

you know, life and work and everything in between. And, you

know, he crossed John and I here and here, and at Walton College,

and the university, and the connections were just, you know,

profound in a matter of an hour lunch of, you know, just across

the board of how many common folks we know, and it was kind

of surprising we've never really know, known or met each other.

Yeah.

But going back to, you know, it is a small

state. And it's amazing how you can those relationships really

Yeah, the word seems to be getting out that

cross up.

this is a great place to live and a great state to do business

and we've certainly seen that, you know, in the growth of the

college. Well, you know, I wonder, you know, as you guys

are looking forward, the banking industry is, is one that has

changed, you know, John, I think you started off, you mentioned,

you know, being in a regulated business, you know, as you've

talked about some of the growth. So I know regulation is

something I'm sure that's changing. The way I'm sure

you're connecting with your customers digitally is changing.

So I guess as you guys are looking forward, you know, over

the next, I don't know, you know, 5, 10 years of the bank,

what's some of the things that you've got on your mind about

how the industry is changing? And how you're adapting to that?

It's a tough question.

I would say just that it is changing. And so

I've kind of come up a little bit behind John and Adam, the

thing that I when the conversation around any

particular type of service or connection point comes up, it

seems like we always end up with kind of the both and conclusion,

which is, we want to be able to continue to maintain kind of the

same customer service, the same connections with our customers

in person. But we got to figure out how to meet them where they

want to be met at the same time, but we don't want to just be

there. We want to be there in person as well. So I think we're

always trying to, to kind of figure out what's the both and?

And then one of the challenges we face is that kind of the

banking industry's been around for a long time. So a lot of the

providers that we have great relationships with, vendors or

what have you, they've been around for a long time. So the

technology that they have, is big, because it's had to grow

over time. But it might not be as nimble. And so we're always

kind of battling conversations around trying to meet the needs

of our customers now, but we have these legacy relationships

that are not easy to change, do we, do we want to jump into that

right now? Or do we want to be more patient because it might

take some of our partners a little longer to get there, and

there's different phases that we're able to move through where

we can solve that on our own, we might choose to be patient to

get there. Or there's other things that we're able to go

kind of challenge our team to go be creative and find a different

vendor, find someone else that can make it fit and make it

work, so that we can meet our customers where they want us to

be now even though we hadn't gotten there. So another thing

that's fun is just you know, with all year, the governor, the

prior governor talked a lot about coding and development,

we've kind of had a little bit of fun trying to see an

experience of what is what would somebody like that on our team

be like, what problems could we solve? And so trying to kind of

think through that and trying to create our own solutions has

been a fun experience, just the past few years.

I think about some meetings and discussions

we've had over the last, you know, 12, 24 months. And, you

know, this is kind of strategy related, not as much industry

related, but it kind of goes hand in hand about, you know,

who we are. And we find ourselves from a size

standpoint, much smaller than our big regional competition

that are that are Arkansas based, but larger than, you

know, just, you know, a few market, but community banks,

that that think more like we do, and, you know, so we really want

to focus in, in the future, remembering what got us here

Yeah.

And the steps that took to be successful. And

but at the same time, you know, we've got to be able to bring in

added technology, and, you know, so, so the term that comes to

mind, we've got to be a kind of that big little bank, you know,

we still got to be nimble and function and, and, you know,

provide that, you know, that quick service, quick answers to

our customers. But we're able to do some, some bigger stuff as

well, due to our size. So, you know, I think that's important

for us to, to remember our past as we think about the future,

and the direction we want to go. And, you know, with with the

three of us pretty close to the past, I think that's something

that three of us can can make sure that we stay grounded in

that past but yet really focused about the future and what we can

be as a bank, for the state of Arkansas.

My, if I, if I could add in,

Yeah.

In my way of thinking about it from a

Yeah.

So we spent, I would say we're very conscious

technology perspective, and just how fast things have, I mean,

it's ultimately been changing our business since the day we

all started working on it, right, but but there's been a

real rapid pace lately. And then there's been, you know, really

behavior changes of things like COVID and work from home and all

of it, we had a lot of conversation around it, we've

these other things that have really put the accelerator on

some of that. But ultimately, if you look at it really in our

business, and specifically, I think that technology is your

ticket in the game, right, is is the ticket that you need to stay

in the game changing? Yes, constantly. But it is not

determining who wins. And I think there's so many industries

where technology has an opportunity to come in and be

such a disrupter that it literally determines the winner

and loser. Banking is so relational. There's just no way

to really cookie cutter majority of what we do in our communities

across Arkansas, that we really feel like our secret sauce or

got teams focused on it, we want to make sure we're not getting

our competitive advantage is not necessarily the technology, it's

it's a lot of other things. But we got to make sure we got to

take it in the game to have a chance. Right?

left out. But there's a huge effort towards let's talk about

what determines who wins. And it's a lot of other stuff.

What a good point, I don't want to I'm gonna

recap what I think I heard there, but don't let me put

words in your mouth or react to this. So I think what what

you're saying is yes, you know, technology, your technology as a

bank is going to have to evolve with with customers. And, you

know, that range of customers you serve, you know, looks very

different, right? Some are much more technologically driven than

others. But, but no matter what, no matter if we're talking

about, a new college graduate, you know, that is borrowing

money or opening a checking account to, you know, your most

experienced business owner, you know, that you're servicing

still relationship is key to competitive advantage.

Absolutely.

Right.

You know, it's relationships with our fellow

bankers too we're extremely fortunate to have a great, great

team across the state. You know, you almost wish you had more

time, sitting in my seat, and we had a lender summit over the

last, you know, 12 months that we had three different sessions.

You know, it would be, it's so fun to get together as big

groups, different markets all in one spot and spend some time

together, brainstorm strategizing. And it's something

that's, you know, as we've grown, it's hard to do, when you

find time to be out of the office all at once. And, and we

had to do it in three different sessions. But it just, it

reminded you, man, I wish we could do that more often.

Yeah,

You know, going back to connection, you know,

connection, not just in your community, your customers, but

within your team.

I'm really interested, you know, in

banking, if you're going to be relationship driven, and or

that's your competitive advantage. And you're still I

think you said, I think you said, you know, we're gonna be a

big little bank. that means you've got to be able to attract

really good people into those markets. And that's not easy.

Right? You know, I'm sure there's a lot of competition for

those people. How do you guys think about attracting and and

retaining talent throughout your organization?

Never stop working on it. I think it's

always part of the conversation.

That I just that it is, it's I think we've

had some conversations and been forced to have some

conversations over the past couple of years, about people

and kind of what's our planning process? And how does all that

work? And are we on it? Are you are you doing enough? Do you

have a good plan? And our response has always been a we,

we kind of all do it all the time, we're always thinking

we're always talking. But as far as just moving forward, I don't

know that we have any great brilliant ideas on how we

attract the people that we've got. But we've got wonderful

people, I think, yesterday that I stepped in real quick to a

little training session that we had in Searcy on customer

service, and I just snuck into the last hour and kind of sat in

the back to see how it was going. And the last hour was a

fun little hour that I actually ended up in making comments

about I should have come all day, all those things were

basic, but I needed to hear everything y'all were learning.

And there's a fun little video that our training team had put

together that facilitated that day worth of training. And it

was lots of little interviews of all of our different people

talking about lots of the different things that we want to

train and incorporate. And they all were asked what makes what's

the difference in First Security and our training marketing group

that kind of did the video said it was awesome to hear the

answers to these questions and we got to that one. Everyone

said the people that's what makes a difference here at First

Security. So as far as our plan to hire the best people moving

forward, we're always thinking about it. But, but I would say

probably the people we have already are who are helping us

attract more good people. And so that was just a fun little

instance, where getting everybody in one room, love

seeing everybody, they all had good stories, they were all

sharing good things. And then to hear that last video kind of cap

off about, they all said it's the people that makes the

difference. And I would say it's probably the people that are

helping us continue to attract good people.

Absolutely.

Yeah, it's we got to really, we're fortunate to

have a really strong culture, we're fortunate have some

amazing people that are ultimately the ones who are

supporting and holding up to that culture, and living that

out daily in all our markets. And so, when it comes to, you

know, the idea of adding new people to the team, I think, you

know, it seems like making sure there's a great fit, because

that person fit our culture. And, and more importantly, we

better make sure they know what they're getting themselves into.

Yeah, but more times than not what Nathan said is exactly

right. We have the opportunity to add them to our team, because

they already know our people, and they already know our

culture. So it's really just, it's the work that everybody

else is doing holding this high standard that we're just trying

to make sure we don't mess it up.

Great people attract great people.

Yeah, that's exactly right. Well, before

They really do.

before this started, we were all kind of reminiscing, you know,

about what the what the university looked like, when

when you guys were here, when I when I came here for the first

time. So it makes me think I might close with a question. I

love all all of three of you to weigh in on, you know, put

yourself back, I don't know how ever long ago it was that

you're, you know, a Walton College student ready to

graduate or middle of middle of you know, you kind of got

through the freshman, sophomore year, you're starting to figure

out what you want to do. Knowing what you know now, what's one

piece of advice, you know that you would give one of these 8000

undergraduate students or so that's a part of the Walton

College today.

I think ultimately, it's get to know the

people you're in class with. And get to know your instructor.

Predominantly, though, it's the person sitting to your right and

your left. And I think sometimes, you know, obviously,

in college, there's so much fun to be had. And I can think of

lots of days, I couldn't wait to get out of class and go go enjoy

some of that. But, you know, you really will be amazed looking

back where the people are sitting left and right of you

and in that class with you where they might end up and where your

paths might cross again. And I think if you had the perspective

of knowing that I'm going to have a high likelihood of

running into these people again. And there's an opportunity to

possibly even do business with, I literally have a cold call

this week from a guy that I was in college with, the Walton

College, calling me about an opportunity. And I have not seen

him in over 20 years. And I don't know how he got my cell

phone. But he did. And he was persistent. And it was a great

conversation just to catch up. And so to me, it's just really

be aware of the fact that you're sitting in a class with a bunch

of people that you'll probably do business with, or have an

opportunity to.

You know, John building on that. It was a

couple nights ago that I got to talk to about 400 freshmen

sitting in an auditorium. And, and one of the things that I

told him, I walked to one side of the auditorium and said,

there's somebody sitting here, that if you go across the room

that's going to get to know somebody across the room, they

don't know, and there's going to be a relationship that's going

to impact their career, they're going to do business together,

you know, something's going to happen, because those

relationships, I couldn't agree more. He took a good one, Nathan

and Adam.

He did.

How are you gonna follow that up?

The only thing you can do is just kind of

piggyback off of that.

Really, obviously, the academic side of

it's important. And, and I was one that I needed to be sitting

Okay.

What a good point. You know, I don't think I've heard that one

on the front row, and I was encouraged by my father to sit

on the front row. And so I remember that still to this day.

So I would pass that along, as well as being in class and sit

exactly what I've asked this question to podcast guests. Take

on the front row. Because the academics are important, but

their relationships are equally as important. And to piggyback

on what John said, is, is not just the potential of doing

business with somebody in that room. But, you know, I was 18,

did some stupid things. You know, I was 21, did some stupid

things. You know, you need to think about those things that

you don't want people to remember about you as well,

while you're in college, because you might be trying to do

business with them at some point in time as well. And so, just

just thinking back, I didn't think about that while I was in

college that you know, some of those things I did in college

that might be what I'm remembered by somebody I'd like

to do business with today, so.

care of your reputation.

Absolutely.

From from the act,

That's all you got. And it's hard to when you

lose it, it's hard to get it back. So, you know, I just, I

think about that, and I did like to have a good good time in

college. And you know, I think it's important that reputation

and your last name you need need to protect it.

What a good point, how are you gonna follow

that up, Nathan?

Oh, I I guess I'll take a different angle a

little bit and point out something that that may be

relevant or may not. But thinking about just myself in

college and other people that I knew in college, you kind of had

opposite ends of the spectrum, you had some they were just in

college, they were gonna get through, but they're gonna have

fun, they weren't really worried about life. They knew they'd

figured out eventually, they might kind of pick a college,

but they didn't really know why. And you had others that whether

they were able to be focused and knew their path, but still have

fun or not have fun, not participate, because they knew

their path, you have people that didn't know their path and did.

And they just kind of went along their way. I feel like things

that I've gotten involved with just in communities, thinking

about workforce development, economic development in small

town, Searcy, thinking about high school kids thinking about

different types of job opportunities, whether it's

college bound, or whether it's getting into the workforce, out

of high school. Regardless, I think about how so many people

just don't know what they're good at. They don't know what to

do, you just hear that so much, even from people that I know my

age now still feel like they stumbled around and I had

somebody willing to work in that cruise in Little Rock kind of

suggests maybe going to do some aptitude testing. And really, I

just thought it might be fun. Just because I know John and

Adam and I are going to work together for the rest of our

lives, it might be kind of fun to know a little bit of where I

should lean, I guess I could be a little bit of the stubborn one

in the family. So I kind of thought there's a chance I might

lean one direction, out of being stubborn. And that's really not

how it was designed. So I spent a little time going through this

little aptitude testing and found a really interesting

thought it was good for me. And since then I've always just

thought back of kind of how the high school path, the college

path. Regardless, if you want to get serious at life now or

whether you want to kind of get through but have a lot of fun,

probably a good idea to just have a little bit of a little

bit of a thought of kind of how you're designed and what you

might want to lean towards. So that could sort of guide you. So

to me, I think it was a fun, a fun opportunity to kind of learn

a little bit about how I was designed, I think it might be

good for others to think about, and I wish it was done more. And

then regardless, if you're the type that's head down, and I'm

working hard through college, or you're making your grades, but

you're having a lot of fun, it's going to set you on the path

that is probably going to help you get to where you want to go.

So I would encourage folks to think about that.

To make sure I echo what he's saying is he got

Adam and I to do it as well.

Yeah.

And yeah, I found it really helpful.

Yeah.

And what's been awesome, not only did it help

the three of us kind of have a better feel for each other, it's

helped me communicate things with people I'm responsible for

at work today. And in ways that just really helps them see

things a little different, then, you know, most of the world is

so much more clear cut. And this, you know, this kind of

mindset really kind of opened someone's mind to some new way

of thinking and,

I agree and it gives you a little bit of a

language to talk about, right? You know, it kind of it helps

you understand yourself, helps you understand others. And then

it kind of gives you a common language that you can use like

oh okay, now I know what that means when I'm seeing this

person act this way, or this is how they respond in in periods

of stress and all those sorts of things. Well, I wanted to say

thank you all for being willing to spend this time today and be

on the Be Epic podcast. It's kind of a rare opportunity for

me to get to sit down with three brothers that are involved in,

in in a big business throughout Arkansas. So thanks for what

you're doing in state and thank you for what your family has

done for the Walton College and for the University of Arkansas

we're, we're certainly proud of all of you and what you're

doing. So thank you.

You bet. Thank you and to the University and

the Walton College for what you've done for our family.

Absolutely. On behalf of the Walton College

thank you for joining us for this captivating conversation.

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