FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce announced its Excellence in Business Awards and Construction and Developers Awards and eight different award recipients had ties to the University of Arkansas. 

The Excellence in Business Awards are handed out annually to local businesses and organizations in the Fayetteville community that display excellence. This year’s event was held at the newly-renovated Fayetteville public library. 

As part of the ceremony, Mary Beth Brooks, director of the U of A’s Small Business and Technology Development Center, was honored as the Business Advocate of the Year. The center has served more than 1,100 clients this year, helping them navigate the challenges presented by the pandemic, providing a one-stop shot for startups and existing for-profit businesses.

“In the last year, our team at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center has assisted over 1000 new clients,” Brooks said. “Whether starting or expanding their small businesses, these entrepreneurs are the livelihood of our NWA community. At ASBTDC, we are happy to play any kind of role in their success. Thank you to the Fayetteville Chamber for this honor!”

The chamber also recognized NTS Innovations with its Innovator of the Year award. 

Vice Chancellor for Economic Development David Snow with Don Meyer, founder and CEO of NTS.

Through a license agreement with the university, NTS licensed U of A physicist Paul Thibado’s invention that extracts energy from the motion of graphene to commercialize a technology called Nanoscale Energy Harvesting. The line of products currently in development is focused on the area of “internet of things” as a means of powering wireless sensors with a clean, new source of energy that does not require recharging. But future applications are endless.

NTS recently expanded into the Innovation Center at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.  The location will provide the company with additional testing capabilities and opportunities to work in close proximity to research partners. 

“We are incredibly honored to be receiving this award. Our presence in Fayetteville would not be possible without the tremendous efforts of our Technology Ventures and University of Arkansas research partners. We thank them for their dedication, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.” said Don Meyer, founder and CEO of NTS. 

Last month, the Fayetteville Chamber held its Construction and Developers Awards ceremony. These awards are intended to recognize the quality of outstanding projects completed in Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas during the past year. Six of this year’s awards went to projects on the U of A campus.

• Old Main Plaza and Senior Walk Restoration – Historical Preservation Award
• The Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Education and Research Center – Education in Technology Award
• Pomfret Hall Dining Hall Renovation – Student Life Award
• The Frank O’Mara Track & Field High Performance Center – Next Generation Award
• Alpha Delta Pi Sorority House – Phoenix Award
• J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Baseball Development Center – Legacy Award

Check out photos and the full list of award winners on the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.