The family of Tim and Beverly Graham is contributing $300,000 to support the naming of a flexible studio space/classroom at the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the U of A.

This gift provides support to the center by naming the 3,758-square-foot flexible studio space/classroom on the third floor the Tim and Beverly Graham Family Studio and Classroom.

“This center gives the university an opportunity to showcase one of our state’s most abundant natural resources,” Tim Graham said. “It also will allow the design professions to hire graduates who will bring new ideas and perspectives on what can be accomplished with wood.” 

The Anthony Timberlands Center will serve as home to the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design’s graduate program in timber and wood and as an epicenter for its multiple timber and wood initiatives. 

This education and research center will focus on excellence in wood design, materials innovation and product diversification to expand the use of wood in design, manufacturing and construction. It will house the school’s existing design-build program and an expanded digital fabrication laboratory. The school is a leading advocate for innovation in timber and wood design. 

“The work done at the center will bring a new thought process to the design and construction industry,” said Dusty Graham, the youngest son of Tim and Beverly Graham and a 2004 graduate of the Fay Jones School. “The studio spaces in particular are where students will learn and practice the concepts that are being used in the center.”

Located in the university’s Art and Design District, the four-story, 44,800-square-foot center also will include studios, seminar and conference rooms, faculty offices, a small auditorium and a public exhibition space. The construction of the center began in September, with an anticipated completion date of Fall 2024.

“The Fay Jones School community is deeply grateful to the Graham family for their generosity and commitment to the Anthony Timberlands Center,” said Peter MacKeith, dean of the school. “The project embodies so many members of the school, university and state constituencies, but this representation of the Graham family, already so closely related to the school, is especially meaningful.”

Tim Graham, a native of Springdale and graduate of the U of A with a finance and real estate degree, is a former regional vice president of sales and marketing for J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. As a founding partner of Pinnacle Group, he has been involved in commercial development activities in Northwest Arkansas comprising more than 2.5 million square feet of office, retail and warehouse space. In 2005, The Pinnacle Group partnered with General Growth Properties of Chicago, Illinois, to build the Pinnacle Hills Promenade outdoor mall, which also features 1 million square feet of retail and dining space. 

Tim also served as president of Hunt Ventures from 2007 until 2019. He was involved in overseeing the operations for rock quarries, concrete facilities, and oil and gas drilling in North and Central America. He has served on the university’s Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee in support of the Fay Jones School. He has also been a member of the Arkansas World Trade Center Board of Advisors.

Tim and his wife, Beverly, have two sons, Tim Graham II and Dusty Graham. Graham Entities, managed by Beverly Graham, is a family-owned property management company that oversees multiple family real estate investments. Tim Graham II, their older son, owns Third Street Realty, a real estate and property management company in Northwest Arkansas. Tim II and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Knox and Rigley.

Dusty Graham, their younger son, is the principal partner with Core Architects Inc. and was a founding member of the company in 2007. Dusty holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the U of A, where he also minored in legal studies. He is a member of the Fay Jones School’s Dean’s Circle. He also serves on the board of directors for the Springdale Housing Authority, Springdale Athletic Foundation and Springdale Benevolent Foundation for the Rodeo of the Ozarks. Dusty and his wife, Veronica, have four sons, Rowan, Grayre, Jasper and Hyde, and a daughter, Vada, their youngest child.

Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design: The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas houses undergraduate professional design programs of architecture, landscape architecture and interior architecture and design together with a liberal studies program. The school also offers a Master of Design Studies, with concentrations in health and wellness design, resiliency design, integrated wood design, and retail and hospitality design. The DesignIntelligence 2019 School Rankings Survey listed the school among the most hired from architecture, landscape architecture and interior design schools, ranking 10th, 14th and eighth, respectively, as well as 28th among most admired architecture schools.

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 few 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.