Brent Birch

■ DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: Aug. 11, 1970, Little Rock

■ IDEAL BREAKFAST: I’m not much of a breakfast eater but those Chicken Minis at Chickfil-A sure are good.

■ WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND ABOUT WHAT I DO: Not necessarily what I do but how important the Little Rock Technology Park project is to central Arkansas. If our region isn’t able to grow and retain technical talent and have available jobs for those types, we will lose them to regional competitor cities and have a gaping hole in our future economy. This facility plays a huge role in giving our local tech community a sense of place and confidence they can improve their skills and grow their company here.

■ A RECENT TECHNICAL INNOVATION THAT IMPRESSES ME MOST: Not a single technology but all the innovation going on related to agriculture (AgTech) has captured my interest lately. Technology is quickly revolutionizing farm operations and becoming affordable for smaller farms. There is so much opportunity to create for effective and efficient farms and that will surely benefit one of Arkansas’ leading industries.

■ MY FAVORITE PLACE TO VACATION: Not sure if it’s considered a vacation but I sure do enjoy duck camp in Geridge, Ark. As far as a true vacation, my wife, Mollie, and I had a blast chasing bonefish in the Marls off Abaco Island in the Bahamas.

■ WHAT I LEARNED FROM BASEBALL THAT STUCK WITH ME TO THIS DAY: Don’t ever sell yourself short. With the right blend of talent, hard work and the intuition to seize opportunities when they are presented, anything is possible. Occasionally, a little luck helps too.

■ THE FOUR GUESTS AT MY FANTASY DINNER PARTY: My grandfathers (one of which passed away before I was born), Ted Williams and Otis McCollum (the ‘architect’ of the Big Ditch Bottoms on the Grand Prairie).

■ ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE ME: Driven