Barbara Graves (Small Business Council) Elected President of Presidents;
Campaign ’08 Shatters Goal with 563,740 Total Votes

Campaign ’08: President of Presidents, the sixth annual Total Resource Campaign of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, concluded at noon Thursday, May 22nd with an Election Watch Party at the Chamber. Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council, Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions), who established a lead in the Veterans Primary behind Phyllis Flint (Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield) and never gave it up, was elected President of Presidents and named Top Campaigner.

After 19 one-hour training sessions, a two-week Veterans Primary, four-week campaign, two-week runoff, six meals, four featured speakers, a record 79 campaigners representing 19 candidates garnered 563,750 votes, surpassing the 500,000 goal by 13%. For the first time in its six-year history, 100% of competing teams made sales in the campaign. And, the 276 total individual sales were just 13 shy of last year’s record.

Prior to announcing the election results, Campaign Commissioner Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank), made a surprise presentation. At the May 8th meeting of the Chamber’s Executive Committee, it was unanimously decided that the Chamber’s Challenge Cup, which is displayed year-round in the Chamber’s Deltic Timber Atrium to honor the top team and individual producers in each of the Chamber’s annual Total Resource Campaigns, will hereafter be known as the Jane Krutz Trophy. The most prolific membership recruiter in the Chamber’s 143-year history, Ms. Krutz was on hand for the surprise announcement. She was joined by her daughter, Jane Lay, as she accepted the newly rechristened trophy, before presenting it to Barbara Graves (Small Business Council, Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions).

The 62 campaigners in attendance heard the following election results (in order of succession):

President (78,907.50 Votes)
Barbara Graves (Small Business Council)

Vice President (35,200 Votes)
Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank)

Speaker of the House (35,192.50 Votes)
Bill Scholl (First Security Bank)

President Pro Tempore of the Senate (31,365 Votes)
Ed Drilling (AT&T)

Secretary of State (24,425 Votes)
Russ Harrington (Baptist Health)

Secretary of the Treasury ((19,395 Votes)
Gordon Silaski (Twin City Bank)

Secretary of Defense (19,000 Votes)
Kimberly Hipps (Chamber’s Ambassadors)

Attorney General (16,325 Votes)
Larry Choate (Arvest Bank)

Secretary of the Interior (14,305 Votes)
Liza Freeman (Leadership Greater Little Rock Alumni Association)

Secretary of Agriculture (12,687.50 Votes)
Marty Rhodes (Stephens Insurance, LLC)

Secretary of Commerce (11,715 Votes)
Elizabeth Small (PDC Companies)

Secretary of Labor (8,260 Votes)
Lana Roach (Chamber’s Leads Group 1 – Rock Stars)

Secretary of Health and Human Services (7,500 Votes)
Dan Bakke (Pulaski Technical College)

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (7,500 Votes)
Mike Coulson (Coulson Oil Company)

Secretary of Transportation (7,100 Votes)
Chuck Cook (Regions Bank)

Secretary of Energy (5,000 Votes)
Dr. Joel Anderson (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)

Secretary of Education (3,767.50 Votes)
Hugh McDonald (Entergy Arkansas)

Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Steve Wade (Simmons First National Bank)

Secretary of Homeland Security (2,850 Votes)
Buckley O’Mell (Arkansas Young Professionals Network)

It was shades of Florida 2000 in the Financial Primary, as Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank) defeated Bill Scholl (First Security Bank) by just 7.5 votes, earning himself the Veep spot on the winning ticket. Though Mr. Scholl threatened to take the results to the Supreme Court, winners of the six individual primaries were announced as follows:

Veterans Primary
Phyllis Flint (Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield)
Barbara Graves (Small Business Council)

Freshman Primary
Barbara Graves (Small Business Council)

Business Primary
Marty Rhodes (Stephens Insurance, LLC)

Chamber Group Primary
Barbara Graves (Small Business Council)

Financial Primary
Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank)

Institutional/Utility Primary
Ed Drilling (AT&T)

Garnering the most votes for their respective candidates were:

45,237.50 Votes
Barbara Graves (Barbara Graves – Chamber’s Small Business Council, Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions)

20,150 Votes
Matt Cox (Bill Scholl – First Security Bank)

17,425 Votes
Phyllis Flint (Barbara Graves – Chamber’s Small Business Council, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield)

13,100 Votes
Lunsford Bridges (Lunsford Bridges – Metropolitan National Bank)

11,515 Votes
Elizabeth Small (Elizabeth Small – PDC Companies)

11,500 Votes
Todd Owens (Ed Drilling – AT&T)

11,416.67 Votes
Dawnetta Calhoun (Larry Choate – Arvest Bank)

10,865 Votes
Melinda Faubel (Ed Drilling – AT&T)

8,300 Votes
Danny White (Kimberly Hipps – Chamber’s Ambassadors, KTHV – Channel 11)

8,000 Votes
Clyde Anderson (Gordon Silaski – Twin City Bank)

7,500 Votes
Matt Lyles (Mike Coulson – Coulson Oil Company)

7,500 Votes
Greg Horton (Bill Scholl – First Security Bank)

7,500 Votes
Mark Murphy (Lunsford Bridges – Metropolitan National Bank)

7,500 Votes
Steve Landers, Jr. (Barbara Graves – Chamber’s Small Business Council, Landers Toyota)

Thirteen campaigners made their first sales in the campaign, so Commissioner Bridges presented official Campaign ’08 T-shirts to the following:

Anna Batzos supporting Larry Choate (Arvest Bank)
Buckley O’Mell (Flake & Kelley Commercial) supporting Buckley O’Mell (Arkansas Young Professionals Network)
Charlie Porter supporting Buckley O’Mell (Arkansas Young Professionals Network)
Tommy Johnson supporting Russ Harrington (Baptist Health)
Heather Barlow supporting Bill Scholl (First Security Bank)
Joe Frederick (Cartridge World) supporting Lana Roach (Chamber’s Leads Group 1 – Rock Stars)
Neill McLeod (Neill McLeod & Associates, Inc.) supporting Lana Roach (Chamber’s Leads Group 1 – Rock Stars)
Evonne Amerine (EDS) supporting Liza Freeman (Leadership Greater Little Rock Alumni Association)
Luke King supporting Chuck Cook (Regions Bank)
Ken Haycook (Kendel Group) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
Tom Adams (Wittenberg, Deloney & Davidson, Inc.) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
Jo Anne Edmondson supporting Marty Rhodes (Stephens Insurance, LLC)
Marsha Davis supporting Gordon Silaski (Twin City Bank)

By having 100% of the members of their respective campaign staffs make at least one sale in the campaign, Bill Scholl (First Security Bank) and Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank) joined Mike Coulson (Coulson Oil Company) and Elizabeth Small (PDC Companies) as the only four candidates to earn their official campaign T-shirt.

With membership and sponsorship investments already paid, 32 commissions were awarded:

$1,000 to Dawnetta Calhoun supporting Larry Choate (Arvest Bank)
$750 to Greg Horton supporting Bill Scholl (First Security Bank)
$304.50 to Debbie Benton supporting Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank)
$250 to Matt Cox supporting Bill Scholl (First Security Bank)
$232.50 to Clyde Anderson supporting Gordon Silaski (Twin City Bank)
$200 to Susan Dunn (BancorpSouth) supporting Liza Freeman (Leadership Greater Little Rock Alumni Association)
$160 to Ginny Moulton (Comfort Inn & Suites Downtown Little Rock) supporting Kimberly Hipps (Chamber’s Ambassadors)
$150 to Joyce Taylor supporting Dan Bakke (Pulaski Technical College)
$150 to Bob Longo (ClearPointe) supporting Liza Freeman (Leadership Greater Little Rock Alumni Association)
$150 to Tonya Middleton supporting Hugh McDonald (Entergy Arkansas)
$140 for Tonya Everhart supporting Larry Choate (Arvest Bank)
$120 to Luke King supporting Chuck Cook (Regions Bank)
$100 to Phyllis Flint (Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
$100 to Sharon Davis (Strategic Technologies) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
$100 to Tom Adams (Wittenberg, Deloney & Davidson, Inc.) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
$100 to Todd Owens supporting Ed Drilling (AT&T)
$97.50 to Anna Batzos supporting Larry Choate (Arvest Bank)
$95 to Al Graham supporting Russ Harrington (Baptist Health)
$75 for Cathy Tuggle (Apartment Hunters) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
$60 to Nancy Sherman supporting Lunsford Bridges (Metropolitan National Bank)
$60 to Terri Javert supporting Bill Scholl (First Security Bank)
$50 to Barbara Graves (Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions) supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
$38.50 to Neill McLeod (Neill McLeod & Associates, Inc.) supporting Lana Roach (Chamber’s Leads Group 1 – Rock Stars)
$37.50 to Marsha Davis supporting Gordon Silaski (Twin City Bank)
$37 to Carol Isom (Premier Staffing) supporting Liza Freeman (Leadership Greater Little Rock Alumni Association)
$36.50 to Melinda Faubel supporting Ed Drilling (AT&T)
$35.75 to Heather Barlow supporting Bill Scholl (First Security Bank)
$35 to Jo Anne Edmondson supporting Marty Rhodes (Stephens Insurance, LLC)
$35 to Joe Frederick (Cartridge World) supporting Lana Roach (Chamber’s Leads Group 1 – Rock Stars)
$35 to Charlie Porter supporting Buckley O’Mell (Arkansas Young Professionals Network)
$27.50 to Phil Wyrick supporting Barbara Graves (Chamber’s Small Business Council)
$25 to Sandra Brown supporting Russ Harrington (Baptist Health)

The 2008 Total Resource Campaign began with a Veterans Primary, an exclusive pre-sales period for veterans of the 2007 campaign, on March 29th. The President of Presidents election officially launched on April 10th. The election was declared a runoff on May 8th, which extended it two weeks.

Volunteers interested in participating in the 2009 campaign should contact Gary Newton, 377.6007. For those who made sales in 2008 which will be eligible for resale in 2009, the seventh annual Total Resource Campaign will begin with an exclusive two-week veteran pre-sales period beginning Thursday, March 26th. The 2009 effort is scheduled to launch on Thursday, April 9th.