The Arkansas Economic Development Commission honored Dr. David Rankin, third from left, with a lifetime leadership award and Viktoriya and Aaron Street, fourth and fifth from the left, with a volunteer award at the AEDC’s annual awards luncheon. Pictured from left, Chung Tan, an SAU alum and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Director of Economic Development; Deana Taylor of SAU and Making Magnolia Blossom; Rankin and the Streets; and Cammie Hambrice, executive director of the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation.
The Arkansas Economic Development Commission presented two of their annual awards to representatives with Southern Arkansas University ties at the AEDC’s annual awards luncheon on Tuesday, August 25, in Fayetteville.
The AEDC’s Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Making Magnolia Blossom founders Aaron Street, assistant dean for integrated marketing and media relations at SAU, and his wife Dr. Viktoriya Street, associate professor of biology at SAU. SAU President Emeritus Dr. David Rankin received the Maria Haley Lifetime Leadership for Economic Development Award.
The Streets were presented the volunteer accolade on behalf of the group of staff, faculty, and students at the University who started and have continued efforts through Making Magnolia Blossom (MMB). The non-profit organization is geared towards planning and implementing volunteer and economic development efforts in Magnolia. Cammie Hambrice, executive director of the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation, nominated MMB and presented the award.
“I am very proud of what they have done in our community. When you have a job working in economic development, you hear people say ‘you know what you oughta do…’ For someone to come up and say ‘you know what we would like to do…’ and then get with it is really refreshing in a small community like Magnolia,” said Hambrice to the crowd during her presentation at the awards lunch.
The Streets gave credit of the MMB idea to divine inspiration; they were in the right place at the right time to see opportunities for Magnolia and SAU to join efforts to improve their community.
“All we did was see Magnolia through the eyes of a prospective investor or prospective SAU student, and then took the first step of sharing the idea with some hard working and passionate people at SAU and in the community,” said Aaron Street.
SAU Community Involvement and Parent Programming Coordinator Deana Taylor, who has also been an integral part of MMB since its launch at SAU, attended the banquet with the Streets. Other members of the SAU MMB planning committee were not able to attend because they were busy with the beginning of what looks to be another record-setting enrollment semester at SAU.
MMB had their kick-off Big Splash Saturday on October 24, 2014, in which more than 500 volunteers completed dozens of cleanup and streetscaping projects. Following the excitement of this initial event, another Big Splash event was organized by MMB in the spring. It focused efforts closer to downtown Magnolia for cleanup and improvements to prepare for the annual Blossom Festival. Since then, MMB has established Second Saturday monthly cleanup events to assist area groups and organizations. MMB raised more than $25,000 in the past year, which has been consciously used to host project events and to purchase supplies and equipment.
Rankin was presented the lifetime leadership award by Chung Tan, an SAU alum and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Director of Economic Development.
Rankin served SAU for 45 years, his final 13 as president. In 2002, he set forth with his ambitious “Blue and Gold Vision,” SAU’s first capital campaign. He has almost completed that vision with numerous campus capital projects completed, totaling more than $100 million. The most recent project was the $4.4 million SAU Story Arena and Farmers Bank Reception Center.
In addition, Rankin has served as the Economic Advisor to Arkansas Governors Mike Beebe and Mike Huckabee and as Chairman of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. The economic advisor to the governor is responsible for chairing the Governor’s Council and reviewing the Arkansas state revenue forecast.
Other AEDC award recipients included the following:
- Senator Jon Woods, District 7, for Legislator of the Year.
- Perry Webb, of Springdale, for Outstanding Economic Developer of the Year.
- Rick “Ricky Lee” Pilkington for the Maria Haley Lifetime Leadership for Economic Development Award.
Following the awards ceremony, AEDC Executive Director Mike Preston offered the group of economic developers a “State of the State” address.
