Feb
13
FlagandBanner.com Is Hanging in Some Pretty Cool Places
LITTLE ROCK, AR, Feb 13, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — As the recession lifts so are flags, banners, and pennants created by FlagandBanner.com for some pretty cool people and places across the country.
Some recent projects have included custom string pennants for the popular television show “30 Rock” on NBC and a custom flag representing a fictitious Native American tribe for an upcoming episode of “In Plain Sight,” on the USA Network.
In the world of sports, football legend Willie Roaf was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame February 4, 2012 and FlagandBanner.com had the privilege of creating a banner for the Roaf family. Photographs, newspaper clippings, and trading cards were all utilized to tell the amazing story of his career on a custom banner.
If you are planning a trip to Disney World, Orlando, FL this summer you might just find yourself hanging out under one of our flags or banners. The Flag and Banner team is currently working on custom flags for Snow White and the Magic Kingdom.
Kerry McCoy, owner of Arkansas’s FlagandBanner.com, says, “It is always a great sign when you see orders like these coming in from around the country. It says things are looking up, 2012 looks to be the year things get back to normal.”
All of these products were custom made right here in Little Rock, AR.
Kerry McCoy says, “It’s always fun to see your products on TV and it’s especially nice that all of these items were made right here in Arkansas and helped to support American jobs.”
Arkansas Flag and Banner, Inc. was established in 1975. Its headquarters are in Little Rock, AR with 30 employees.
Need to know when to fly the American flag at half staff? Sign up for Flag Alerts, timely emails notifying you when the President has proclaimed the flag to be flown at half staff.
For more information about the 22,000 products Arkansas’s FlagandBanner.com provides, log on to FlagandBanner.com, become a fan of FlagandBanner.com on Facebook, or call one of their experts at 1-800-445-0653.
Contact:
Brian Shaddock
Arkansas's FlagandBanner.com
800 W. Ninth Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 1-800-445-0653
http://www.flagandbanner.com Email Contact
SOURCE: Arkansas’s FlagandBanner.com
http://www.flagandbanner.com/ http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=CEBC282D5865D7E7
Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Jan
30
Flag & Banner CEO Kerry McCoy Sees Expansion Coming (Executive Q&A)
Filed Under AFB in Print, Current Events | Leave a Comment
By Kerry McCoy
1/23/2012 Issue of the Arkansas Business
President of Arkansas Flag & Banner Inc. in Little Rock
Bio: Kerry McCoy
Background: McCoy, 57, grew up in North Little Rock. She graduated in 1974 with a certificate in fashion merchandising from Miss Wade’s Fashion Merchandising College of Dallas. Arkansas Flag & Banner has had $3 million in annual sales for the past five years and employs about 30 people.
Kerry McCoy launched Arkansas Flag & Banner in 1975 at the age of 20 and has headed it since.
Q: What has been most satisfying to you about founding and growing a successful business?
A: It is satisfying to think about all the people I have gotten to know because of AFB, not just business partners and customers, but employees too. I am proud of all the AFB employee alumni I have hired and helped and who have helped me.
Q: How has your role at Arkansas Flag & Banner evolved since the start of the company?
A: I was only 20 years old when I started the business with just $400, so you could say the business and I have grown up together. I began AFB by selling flags door to door. In the late ‘70s when gas prices made driving prohibitive, I changed the focus of AFB to phone sales. Always ready for change, I embraced the catalog business, mail order business and now the Internet marketing business model. I have built AFB one department at a time. The first department was sales; then I added a sewing department, the graphic department, production department, screen printing department, retail store, shipping, purchasing, accounting, and currently, we are building a social network and marketing department.
Q: Do you have plans to have someone succeed you as president?
A: AFB is like my first-born child. It is hard to think about selling one of my kids! Speaking of kids, I do have four ranging in age from 17 to 32. They all are good, smart, responsible citizens, and any one of them could handle the succession (with a little guidance from Mom, of course), but currently there are no plans. My husband, who works with me, has made just one rule regarding legacy, and that is: None of our children can come to work at AFB until they have reached 30 years of age.
Q: Do other business leaders ask you for advice on how to transition out of a company’s leadership?
A: No. People usually ask me about how to start a business. I find that most people, when they visualize themselves in business, see themselves about five years in. But you really do have to walk before you run. I worked a part-time job for nine years while I built AFB. Startups always have a cash-flow problem. You can’t grow without more money, and you can’t get more money without growing.
Q: What is your vision for Arkansas Flag & Banner’s next several decades?
A: The new website that we launch this month really expands our possibilities. Amazon doesn’t just sell books, and like them, I want to expand our product lines. Currently, we stock the products we sell, but maybe it is time to feature other vendors that will do their own order fulfillment. Another one of my interests is online affiliate marketing, where approved retailers put our products on their sites.
Jun
1
Arkansas Flag & Banner 2-22-11 Rev II
Dec
8
Check out our new 2010 Christmas commercial that will be running on KATV the next couple weeks -
Nov
29
A DREAMY NIGHT Dance teams step up Competitors, celebrity judges aid Friends of Dreamland Ballroom
Filed Under Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
From Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sunday, November 28, 2010
By Cary Jenkins
LITTLE ROCK — Eight dance teams twirled, shimmied, leapt and spun their way across the dance floor Nov. 18 at Dancing Into Dreamland at the Governor’s Mansion.
The fundraiser for Friends of the Dreamland Ballroom featured a dance competition, celebrity judges and audience participation with guests texting their vote for a favorite dance team.
Amber Jones, the nonprofit’s executive director, explained that Dancing Into Dreamland was an evening about sharing the universal language of music and dance just as it was celebrated almost a century ago in the Dreamland Ballroom.
The program began with Lawrence Hamilton serenading his friend Mercedes Ellington, who was one of the judges. The pair have worked together on Broadway.
Ellington is the granddaughter of Duke Ellington, one of many stars who performed at the Dreamland Ballroom in the 1930s. A graduate of the Juilliard School of music, Mercedes Ellington was a June Taylor Dancer and the first black woman on The Jackie Gleason Show. She serves on the Tony awards nominating committee.
Other celebrity guests were David Miller, who has a weekly big band radio program Swingin’ Down the Lane, which is broadcast on more than 40 national public radio stations including KUAR; Leslie Harper, a former professional dancer and singer at Opryland and musical director for the Summer Musical Theater Intensive at theArkansas Repertory Theatre; and Arkansas native Steve Buckley, who was vice president of artist and repertoire at Motown and served as a talent judge on Star Search.
When votes were tabulated, dancers Allison Stodola Wilson and Jonathan Bostick won for their disco dancing routine. Wesley Crocker and Lawrie Rash received the people’s choice award.
The Friends of Dreamland Ballroom focuses on sharing the musical, cultural and architectural history of the Dreamland Ballroom and historic Taborian Hall on West Ninth Street. The building was constructed in 1918 by a black fraternal organization, the Knights and Daughters of Tabor, in what was then a thriving black business district, according to the group’s website.
This article was published November 28, 2010 at 4:29 a.m.
High Profile, Pages 46 on 11/28/2010
Nov
29
Dancing into Dreamland photos in Sync Weekly
Filed Under Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
Sync came out for Dancing into Dreamland at the Governor’s mansion and took some nice pictures of folks at the event -
Thanks Lauren Clark of Sync!
Nov
16
The Governor’s Mansion Host Dancing into Dreamland Gala this Thursday
Filed Under Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
Monday, November 15, 2010
The governor’s mansion will host Dancing into Dreamland, a Gala Event Dance Contest presented by the Stella Boyle Smith Trust, November 18, from 6-9pm, tickets $75, followed by the After Party at the Capital Hotel Ballroom, 9 pm – 12 am, and tickets are $40. Proceeds from this event will go to the music education and cultural outreach programs of the Dreamland Ballroom.
The event will be emceed by Lawrence Hamilton with special guest Mercedes Ellington. The event, Dancing into Dreamland, is a dance contest of 8 dance teams, listed below, performing all styles of dance.
Dance Dynamics Junior Duo – Ashton Jones and Marina Redlich
Ms. Karen’s Dance Studio – Sterling Warren, Kennedy Sample, Raygan Sylvester, Hannah Bakalekos
David Carter and Melissa Napier
Beyond Ballroom – Wesley Crocker and Lawrie Rash
Roger McCoy and Kay Ford
Sankofa Performing Arts Dance Theater – Angela Burt, Gena Harless, Clarice Kinchen, America Jones
Kerry McCoy, founder of Friends of Dreamland Ballroom said, “It is somewhat of a mix between ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘So you think you can dance?’” The Grand Prize is a trip for four to New Orleans.
There will be a silent auction, food, cocktails, text voting, open dancing, and a performance by Lawrence Hamilton and Mercedes Ellington. Dress is party attire’
The following companies are sponsors of this Event – Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Capital Hotel, Robbi Davis Agency, Oxford American Magazine, MainStream Technologies, and Ken Rash Casual Furniture.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the event visit www.dreamlandballroom.org and click on events.
Amber Jones
Executive Director
Friends of Dreamland
www.dreamlandballroom.org
amber@dreamlandballroom.org
501-607-0954 cell
Sep
21
Rex Nelson’s Southern Fried Blog Story -
Filed Under Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
The Dreamland Ballroom
Historic preservation is rarely quick or easy.
Just ask Little Rock’s Kerry McCoy. She fell in love with Taborian Hall in 1991. Bill Clinton wasn’t even the president yet.
Almost two decades later, she’s still trying to restore the old place.
Here’s how she describes it at the website www.dreamlandballroom.com: “I first fell in love with Taborian Hall from its outside appearance, a stately, three-story, red brick building, standing alone on Interstate 630, abandoned, with a huge hole in the roof letting in the sun and rain. I always envisioned my company, Arkansas Flag & Banner, housed in a building of such grandeur.
“After driving by many times, I finally got up the courage to come inside. Stepping over debris and skirting the homeless people, I worked my way to the third floor and … it was beyond love at first sight. Because the roof was missing, birds were flying around and the sun was illuminating the room. Staring across the open hole in the floor to the Dreamland stage and box seats, I had a feeling that was indescribable, a kind of euphoria. It could have been because I was pregnant with my third child and my nesting instincts were heightened, but whatever it was, it sent me on a chain reaction that I have never regretted.
“I love this old building and have had many offers from people wanting to purchase it, renovate it, make a club of it or some apartments and even a school. But I keep to my original vision. Maybe it’s not the best business decision, but it’s a decision of the heart — to renovate the Dreamland Ballroom into an event center to be shared with the whole community. If you are ever lucky enough to go upstairs and see the Dreamland, I think you will feel its magic too.”
McCoy created the Friends of Dreamland, a nonprofit organization to raise money for the restoration. Additional information can be found at the website. Those wishing to donate also can call (501) 255-5700 or send an e-mail to friends@dreamlandballroom.com.
Taborian Hall, at the corner of Ninth and State streets in downtown Little Rock, was part of the Ninth Street business corridor. For years that corridor was, in essence, the Main Street for blacks in Arkansas. Earlier known as Taborian Temple, it was built for the fraternal insurance organization known as the Knights and Daughters of the Tabor. A black contractor named Simeon Johnson went to work on the building in 1916 and completed construction two years later.
More than 1,500 people were in attendance for the 1918 dedication of Taborian Temple.
In August 1918, the Negro Soldiers Club opened on the first floor to provide a recreational outlet for black soldiers stationed at Camp Pike. The building also would house the offices of black doctors and dentists, along with a pharmacy, through the years.
The website picks up the story in the 1930s: “By 1937, the Dreamland Ballroom was firmly established on Taborian’s third floor. The popular dance hall with its famous ’swing floor’ was a hotbed for big bands, jazz and blues and the scene for dances, socials and basketball games. It was a regular stop for the Chittlin’ Circuit, a national touring company of professional black entertainers, revues and stage shows.
“With the advent of World War II, the USO bought the building and turned the first to the third floors into a club that served thousands of black soldiers from Camp Robinson and the Stuttgart Air Base. The Dreamland ripped and rollicked during those war years and beyond with legendary musical artists including ‘Fatha’ Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald, and comedians Redd Foxx and Sammie Davis. Local stars cut their musical teeth in the Dreamland too.”
The Taborian Temple became known as Taborian Hall in the early 1950s and soon housed the Twin City Club in the basement, the Waiters Club on the second floor and the Club Morocco where the Dreamland had been. B.B. King and Ray Charles were among those who performed on Ninth Street in those days.
By the early 1970s, though, what was known as urban renewal (but was actually the massive destruction of city neighborhoods across the country) had laid waste to the Ninth Street corridor. Taborian Hall stood empty until McCoy purchased it in 1991.
She estimates the cost of fully restoring the upstairs ballroom to be $1 million. She had hoped to finish the third-floor restoration work in 2012, though the Great Recession has slowed fundraising efforts considerably.
The Friends of Dreamland’s new executive director is Amber Jones. The native Arkansan is an Arkansas Tech graduate who earlier had worked at Curran Hall. An initial $50,000 will be used to install hardwood flooring on the third floor so fundraising events can be held there.
Ann McCoy, Kerry’s mother-in-law, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette earlier this year: “My favorite thing now is the view from the big windows. You can see the Capitol building, Philander Smith. It just has a beautiful view.”
A recent story by Becca Bona in The Daily Record described Kerry McCoy this way: “It’s important to note that McCoy is one dynamic individual. She has always been a go-getter, apparent from her hard work of starting a business when she was 20 years old with a mere $400. When the lively entrepreneur fell in love with the crumbling building, she knew that a project would ensue. She didn’t know about the inside of the building until later. … She said she had planned to restore the third-floor ballroom and make it open to the public by 2000. Unfortunately, the price range for renovation was always a hair out of her reach.”
McCoy told Bona: “I love this project, but it’s overwhelming. I can’t stand lost opportunities.”
Let’s hope Little Rock’s business leadership, which has failed to capitalize on so many opportunities through the years (note the impending destruction of historic Ray Winder Field by UAMS), will step up to help Kerry McCoy achieve her dream while preserving an important part of this state’s largest city.
Sep
7
RAZORROCK FINALIZES WEEK OF EVENTS LEADING TO RALLY, NIGHT OF ARKANSAS MUSIC
Filed Under UnCategorized | Leave a Comment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Little Rock) – RazorRock, which debuted in 2009 as a “Central Arkansas’ weeklong football rally,” will return in 2010 the week of September 6th through the 11th in advance of the Razorback Football Team’s first Little Rock game of the 2010 season.
And rather than just one week during football season, RazorRock is being repositioned to celebrate every time a University of Arkansas athletic team plays in Central Arkansas.
According to Greg Nabholz (Nabholz Properties), chairman of RazorRock, “Our intention is to enhance the Razorback fan experience for the residents of and visitors to Central Arkansas, with hopes of enticing our guests to spend another night or two in the region.”
RazorRock organizers are encouraging businesses, organizations and governmental entities to “Paint Central Arkansas Razorback Red” for the week. To that end, Metropolitan National Bank will change the lights on its tower from traditional blue to red and white for the week. The Big Dam Bridge will also be lit in Razorback colors.
In an effort to enhance visiting Razorback fans’ Central Arkansas experience, the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau and North Little Rock Visitors Bureau are offering special packages to guests through links at RazorRockRally.com.
To benefit the Arkansas Alumni Association – Capital Chapter, RazorRock Wristbands are being sold, granting wearers discounts to participating local merchants and restaurants.
RazorRock 2010 will feature 17 associated events, culminating in a pep rally in the Riverfest Amphitheatre, followed by a Night of Arkansas Music concert, presented by The Oxford American magazine.
The rally will feature the University of Arkansas Razorback Marching Band, under the direction of Dr. Christopher Knighten, as well as the Cheerleaders and Pom Squad, coordinated by Jean Nail. Tusk III, the latest live Razorback mascot, will make his Little Rock debut, courtesy of Keith and Julie Stokes.
In addition to traditional favorites, the band will debut its new arrangement of Ring of Fire, a signature song of Arkansas’ own Johnny Cash.
10 Horse Johnson, billed as the “Ozarks-born/LA-bred/Little Rock-based country comedy band,” will deliver the first live performance of their new single – Woo Pig Fever. The band’s 25-minute, all-original, all-Arkansas set will transition from pep rally to The Oxford American Presents A Night of Arkansas Music.
Scheduled to perform at the concert are The Salty Dogs, Jim Mize and True Soul Revue.
While a complete and regularly updated list of offerings is available at www.RazorRockRally.com, the following 17 events were scheduled as of press time:
Monday, 9.6.10 (Labor Day)
RazorRock Kick-off
RazorRock Relay
Presented by River Trails Bike Rentals
Contact David Fike (501.374.5505, info@rivertrailrentals.com)
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals (Season Finale)
Dickey-Stephens Park
1:00 pm
RazorRock Foodie Festival
Presented by Argenta Downtown Council
Dickey-Stephens Park
Contact Drue Patton (501.517.3127, dpatton@argentadc.org)
4:00 – 7:30 pm
RazorRock Movie Night
Presented by Little Rock Film Festival
Screening War Eagle Arkansas
Dickey-Stephens Park
7:45 – 10:00 pm
Tuesday, 9.7.10
Little Rock Touchdown Club
Embassy Suites Little Rock
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Arkansas Alumni Association – Capital Chapter Reception
5:00 – 7:00 pm
RazorRock Ladies Night Out/Tailgate Shopping
Presented by Inviting Company/Revelry Jewels/Rubadubdub
Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack
7:00 – 10:00 pm
Contact Sarah Mitchell (479.466.3416, sarahmitchell@sbcglobal.net)
Wednesday, 9.8.10
Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
Brown Bag Lunch Featuring Former Razorbacks Kevin Scanlon, Anthony Lucas, Clint Stoerner
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Arkansas Arts Foundation’s RazorRock Spirits: A Night of Art and Soul
Featuring Rock Town Distillery, Diamond Bear Brewery, Lombardi Liquors, Guillermo’s Gourmet Coffee, Wiederkehr Winery
Argenta Arts District
5:00 – 7:00 pm
University of Arkansas College of Engineering Alumni Reception with Dean Saxena
Courtyard by Marriott – Downtown Little Rock
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Thursday, 9.9.10
University of Arkansas Walton College of Business Lunch & Learn: Coaching Your Business Team to Their Full Potential
Presented by Walton College Executive Education
In Partnership with Walton College Alumni Society
Sturgis Hall, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service
11:45 am – 1:00 pm
Contact Rachel Burton (479.575.5425, rburton@walton.uark.edu)
RazorRock After Hours at The Little Rock Zoo
Presented by Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce
In Partnership with Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau
Featuring New Red River Hog Exhibit, Pigs from Around the World
Hosted by Little Rock Zoo
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Click to Save on Advance Tickets
University of Arkansas Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Alumni & Friends Reception
Embassy Suites Little Rock
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Click to Register
Friday, 9.10.10
Street Machine Nationals
Riverfront Park, Riverfest Amphitheater
All Day
Arkansas Alumni Association New Alumni Conference
All Day
Arkansas Alumni Association/Little Rock Razorback Club
Luncheon & Press Box Tour
War Memorial Stadium
11:00 – 1:00 pm
RazorRock Rally
Featuring University of Arkansas Marching Razorback Band, Cheerleaders, Pom Squad, Tusk III, 10 Horse Johnson
The Oxford American Presents
A Night of Arkansas Music
Featuring
The Salty Dogs
Jim Mize
True Soul Revue
Riverfest Amphitheater, River Market
7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Saturday, 9.11.10 (Game Day)
Tailgate
War Memorial Park
7:00 am –
Street Machine Nationals
Riverfront Park, Riverfest Amphitheater
All Day
Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Louisiana-Monroe
6:00 pm
War Memorial Stadium
RazorRock is presented by the Arkansas River Cities Sports Commission, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau and North Little Rock Visitors Bureau.
Partner sponsors include Argenta Downtown Council, Arkansas Flag and Banner, Career Sports & Entertainment, and Downtown Little Rock Partnership.
In addition to the Arkansas River Cities Sports Commission, producing partners include Argenta Downtown Council, Arkansas Alumni Association (Capital Chapter), Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Arkansas Travelers, Downtown Little Rock Partnership, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Little Rock Film Festival, Little Rock Touchdown Club, North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, North Little Rock Visitors Bureau, Oxford American, Razorback Foundation, Razorback Navy, University of Arkansas, and War Memorial Stadium.
For more information, visit www.RazorRockRally.com.
Aug
18
Dreamland Ballroom Mentioned in the Arkansas Democrat – Gazette
Filed Under AFB in Print, Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
The AR Democrat Gazette mentioned us in the paper this morning. It can be found on the front page of the Arkansas section –
PAPER TRAILS:
By Linda Caillouet
LIVIN’ THE DREAM:
Seems like a lifetime ago when, back in 1992, I wrote a feature on Kerry McCoy buying the historic Taborian Hall to house her business, Arkansas Flag and Banner.
She’s since dreamed of completely restoring it, especially the third-floor Dreamland Ballroom.
Renovation on the ballroom is set to begin Sept. 13. First on the list?
Leveling and securing the ballroom’s floor.
THANKS FOR SPREADING THE WORD!