Spotlights

Pate Carves Own Path
The career path of Remington Pate suggests two truths for job hunting in the 21st century: 1. Be willing to switch positions if the offer is right; and 2. Keep your LinkedIn profile current. Pate, a December 2016 graduate, has some solid experience changing jobs in the last three years. While at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, Pate had the prestigious First Bank Corp Scholarship. A business major, he said he chose UAFS because it has AACSB accreditation. Although the scholarship meant he didn’t have to work, and although he participated in many time-consuming campus activities like Student Leadership Council, and although he graduated a semester early, Pate knew he wanted to get his foot in the door at ArcBest because it’s “one of the premier places to work in Fort Smith.” So when he had a chance to start as an intern there, he jumped at it.
Legacy Endowment Grows
The University of Arkansas — Fort Smith Alumni Association awarded three $1,000 scholarships through the Alumni Legacy Scholarship Endowment this year. Because of a growing endowment, the UAFS Foundation was able to make three awards to students related to previous graduates of the university from any era.
Meet Cathy Mason
Cathy Mason, ’11, has been creating art since she was 5 years old, and she doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. Mason, who graduated from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith with degrees in psychology and studio art, was in Fort Smith last fall to sign copies of children’s books she illustrated and one she wrote and illustrated. This fall, she will have an art show at the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center.
Meet Jeremy May
When Jeremy May talks about the impact of his business ClueMasters on Fort Smith, he alludes to a quote by Steve Clark, CEO of Propak Logistics and mentor to May, concerning the city of Fort Smith. “He told me that we often compare ourselves to other cities. And while we may not be able to match them financially, we can certainly meet or exceed their wit and creativity as well as show a greater passion for our city,” May said.
Meet Jesse Core '96
Core Brewing Company may be headquartered in Springdale, but the company is undoubtedly a Fort Smith business. The qualities that have made its owner, Jesse Core, a successful businessman are the same ones that have defined Fort Smith – tenacity, resiliency, grit and empathy. Just six years old, the company has experienced meteoric growth since its inception in 2010, becoming one of the largest breweries in the state and expanding into regional markets across the southern United States. But Core may have never gotten into brewing had it not been for a professor at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, which was still Westark Community College when Core attended in 1992. As a freshman, he was frequently tardy or absent from his classes, until his microbiology professor pulled him aside one day to admonish him for repeatedly skipping class. As an incentive to increase his attendance, he explained to Core how he could apply the lessons from the class towards something that was becoming increasingly more important to Core: beer.