Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
FAYETTEVILLE MEN WIN LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Elevate Performance, a Fayetteville-based company that brings together leaders in peer advisory forums, has named three wellknown Northwest Arkansas leaders as recipients of the inaugural John Lewis Leadership Award. The award is named for the Fayetteville business leader who founded the Bank of Fayetteville, and was actively involved in community-building efforts until his passing in 2007.
The recipients are Lowell Grisham, Alan Fortenberry and Joe Fennel.
Grisham retired after having served as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for 20 years. As “chief executive officer” of the church, he managed the business needs of one of Fayetteville’s most visible religious organizations, as well as the spiritual needs of a thriving congregation.
Under his leadership, the church has been involved in outreach across region, including efforts to assist homeless people and women making the transition from prison to productive life.
Fortenberry has been the chief executive officer of Beaver Water District since 2001. Under his leadership, the organization has grown to deliver almost 19 billion gallons of water a year to municipalities across Northwest Arkansas. Since being named as the CEO in 2001, capital improvements in excess of $125 million dollars have been accomplished, which has positioned the district to meet water needs in Northwest Arkansas for many years to come. He has championed the protection of Beaver Lake throughout his tenure. He established a separate environmental quality department and encouraged the development of a Beaver Lake watershed protection strategy through the Northwest Arkansas Council, which resulted in the formation of the Beaver Watershed Alliance. He also led the way for the dedication of a specific revenue stream from the district’s wholesale water rate for the purpose of source water protection. This dedicated fee of .04 cents per 1,000 gallons of water sold has been recognized nationally by water industry trade groups as a benchmark for other water utilities to attain.
Fennel has been instrumental in the development of Fayetteville’s culinary and hospitality scene as the founder of Jose’s restaurant and the founder and current owner of Bordino’s. He has consistently served on boards and commissions that have guided the transformation of Dickson Street from an area populated by seedy dives in the 1970s into what is now the arts and entertainment epicenter of Northwest Arkansas. His restaurants have been flagships for the Fayetteville culinary scene. He is also known for his staunch support of the sport of track and field. Almost 30 years ago, recognizing the Fayetteville High School track department desperately needed support, he and a partner created the Chili Pepper cross country run as a fundraiser. The growth of that event has been phenomenal.