The A-State Advantage

Building Leaders, Not Bosses: Cultivating Workforce And Safety Excellence

Steel has a reputation for being dirty and dangerous, but that framing misses the real point. When you’re working around heat, heavy equipment, and molten metal, the job is unforgiving, and that means the difference between a safe shift and a life-changing injury comes down to culture, systems, and leadership that refuses to bend. We sit down with Raymond Tarnow, Director of Safety and Health Services at Big River Steel, to talk about how a modern steelmaker builds safety into the day-to-day. Raymond shares why accountability has to “trickle down” from plant leadership, why safety can’t live in a department or a poster, and what it looks like to lead a team that won’t accept average. He also explains how protecting paychecks and family stability becomes a core part of occupational health when you focus on keeping people healthy and able to work. Then we get into the most unexpected part of the story: Big River Steel’s on-site clinic partnership with Arkansas State University, plus a growing pipeline for nursing students through A-State and ANC. You’ll hear how preventive care and basic vitals checks can catch emergencies early, why nursing students gain rare occupational health experience on the plant floor, and how the “industrial athlete” mindset helps tackle extreme heat stress with hydration, cooling tech, rest, and recovery. If you care about workplace safety, occupational health, leadership, or real industry-university partnerships, subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone in manufacturing, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

500 Cities, One Mission Mark Hayes on Infrastructure Nobody Talks About - and Why Arkansas Cities are the Foundation Every Business is Actually Built On

Cities are where Arkansas actually runs, and Mark Hayes spends his days making sure they can keep running. Mark is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Municipal League, representing 500+ cities and towns, and he joins us to connect the dots between municipal government, economic development, and the talent pipeline coming out of Arkansas State University. We talk about why convening matters and why Catalyst Northeast Arkansas works when you put city leaders, private industry, and higher education in the same room. Mark shares hard-won advice on planning large conferences, including the simplest truth that saves organizers: something will go wrong, so plan early and keep moving. From there, we dig into Issue 3 and what it could mean for city and county economic development tools, especially as Arkansas competes with surrounding states that already have stronger incentive options. Regionalism is a major theme, too. Mark breaks down what Northwest Arkansas got right: long-term planning and shared projects without erasing local identity. We also get into how ASU’s growth, including the medical school and the newly accredited veterinary school, can strengthen rural health care, support agriculture, and help small towns with real succession problems. We close with a candid look at civic preparedness, media literacy, basic civility, and Mark’s Leadership 101 takeaway: breathe, toss fear aside, and listen. Subscribe, share this with someone who cares about Arkansas communities, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway. Make sure to follow us on socials @arkansasstatemedianetwork.

First Look into: The A-State Advantage

A blizzard couldn’t stop more than 600 people from showing up to Catalyst Northeast Arkansas, and that tells you something important: Northeast Arkansas is hungry for a bigger story about growth, jobs, and what’s possible next. From Arkansas State University’s new recording studio, we talk with Heather Nelson, Vice Chancellor for External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, about how momentum like that gets created and how it gets sustained. Heather shares the behind-the-scenes origin story, starting with a long lunch conversation with Chancellor Shields that quickly became a mission to improve strategic storytelling and external communications for A-State. We dig into why the region is “at the precipice” of real change, why the headlines can’t just be about steel, and how the university can serve as the connector for industry, talent, and opportunity across Northeast Arkansas. We also get practical about format. Events generate a rush, but time limits cut conversations short. A long-form podcast expands the room, bringing back leaders from panels like infrastructure so we can drill down, follow the threads, and make the information usable for students, alumni, employers, and anyone watching Arkansas economic development. Heather puts it plainly: information is power, and when people hear a clear vision, they become ambassadors for it. If you care about higher education, workforce development, and the future of Northeast Arkansas, hit subscribe, share this with someone who needs a shot of optimism, and leave a review with the one question you want us to ask next.