Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
BUSINESS PEOPLE
Matt Smith was named community bank president of Arvest Bank in Madison County. He joined Arvest in 2005 and has worked as a teller, senior teller, deposit counselor, financial services representative, assistant branch manager and commercial and agriculture lender in Madison County. He studied business marketing at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.
DeAnne Witherspoon of Rogers received the Arkansas Optometric Association’s Lifetime of Excellence Award. She graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 1982, was an Air Force officer for 10 years and retired from her Rogers practice in December. She became the association’s first female president in 2003. She has received the Air Force Commendation Medal, the American Optometric Association Optometric Recognition Award for 26 years, the Arkansas Optometric Association Special Service Award, the Pride of Rogers Award and the Louise Thaden Woman of the Year Award. She is a member of several organizations including the Armed Forces Optometric Society, the Southwest Council of Optometry, Altrusa International of Rogers, Rogers Noon Rotary, the Mercy Foundation of Northwest Arkansas, Main Street Rogers and the Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation Board.
Belinda Starkey of Rogers was elected secretary/ treasurer of the Arkansas Optometric Association. She works at Brandon Eye Clinic in Springdale. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a biology degree and from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis in 2004.
Allyson Mertins of Fayetteville was re- elected to the Arkansas Optometric Association’s board of directors. She started Mertins Eye Care & Optical in Fayetteville in 2006 after working at McDonald Eye Associates in Fayetteville. She graduated from Drury College in Springfield, Mo., and earned a doctorate in optometry from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis.
Jeff Netzel of Netzel Eye Clinic in Bentonville was reelected to the Arkansas Optometric Association’s board of directors. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and completed a rotation in ocular disease at McDonald Eye Associates in Fayetteville and primary care at a private practice in Batesville. He is board certified in the treatment and management of ocular disease, a member of the American Optometric Association and the Arkansas Optometric Association.
Sach Oliver, a partner in the Bailey and Oliver Law Firm in Rogers, was named 2015 Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. He has been a speaker and presenter at a number of legal conferences throughout the nation. Oliver is also an auctioneer and has donated his services to raise money for nonprofit organizations such as the Cancer Challenge, Washington Regional Hospice, Pathfinders, Juvenile Diabetes and the Mercy Ball for Mercy Health System. He attended Arkansas State University on a rodeo scholarship and earned an undergraduate degree in agricultural business. He received his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Jamie N. Nash joined the Alma Family Medical Clinic, 937 U.S. 64 East, as an advanced practice nurse. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2012 and earned her master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Alabama in December. Nash worked as a registered nurse for several years in a postprocedural observation unit and a chest pain evaluation unit before going to a labor and delivery unit.
Dr. Altagrace Hanley, a board certified pain medicine physician, joined the medical staff of Northwest Health System, practicing at Northwest Sports, Spine and Physical Medicine, 601 W. Maple Ave., Suite 401, in Springdale. She received her medical education at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. Hanley completed a general surgery internship at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in New York and her physical medicine and rehabilitation residency and a fellowship in pain medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.
Jesus Castillo joined Weichert, Realtors-The Griffin Co.’s Bentonville office as a real estate agent. He is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors and holds bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and psychology. He was a Spanish teacher at Alamance Community College in North Carolina and worked in sales at Sears Holdings Corp.
Betsy Reithemeyer was hired as a senior vice president with 8th & Walton, a Bentonville-based Wal-Mart supplier development company. She worked with WalMart for more than 20 years, serves on multiple nonprofit boards and is serving her fourth term on the Rogers City Council.
Marion Roller joined 8th & Walton as vice president international and will lead the company’s new international initiatives. She has 26 years of global Wal-Mart experience, leading merchandising, modular execution, inventory management and pricing processes for both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.