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.
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.
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!
Jul
21
Have you Noticed all the Flags at Half-Staff? New State Law Requires Flags to be lowered more often.
Filed Under AFB Press Releases, AFB in Print, AFB's Community Service, Current Events | Leave a Comment
Little Rock, AR – July 16, 2010 – As your driving around our wonderful state this summer you might have noticed how often the flags, both the US and Arkansas are at Half-Staff. A new law on the books requires that the Arkansas flag be lowered upon the death of a soldier killed in action.
Arkansas Code Annotated, Section 1-4-128, states “The State of Arkansas shall honor and pay tribute to a member of the armed services who is killed in action by lowering all state flags located on public buildings to half-mast from the time notice of the death of a member of the armed services is received and for a period of three (3) days thereafter.”
So with this new law and the existing Federal flag code, requiring the US flag be flown at half staff on the day of interment for a soldier killed in action, we are seeing both flags down much more often.
Kerry McCoy, President of Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com says, “Calls about the flag being at half staff is one of the questions we get the most. I really think it is wonderful that we now have a law that honors our fallen heroes, but it is hard for people to stay informed.”
Because of this law, Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com now offers flag alerts for Arkansas to go along with their national flag alerts.
“We have offered notifications for when to fly the US flag at half staff for years and it just made sense for us to now offer the state flag notifications for Arkansans that want to honor our fallen heroes”, says Kerry McCoy.
You can sign up for either of Arkansas Flag and Banners Half Staff Flag Alerts at http://www.flagandbanner.com/mlsubscription.asp or email brian@flagandbanner.com and ask to be added to their list.
For information: http://www.flagandbanner.com or
Contact: brian@flagandbanner.com
Phone: 1-800-445-0653
# # #
May
13
PAPER TRAILS: Retro fun rolling into Little Rock
Filed Under AFB in Print, Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
BY LINDA CAILLOUET – Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
LITTLE ROCK — DATE WITH A DRIVE-IN: Back in the late ’80s, this columnist, then a young reporter, embarked on a quest to find a mystic relic from the past her generation had missed – the then-nearly extinct drive-in theater. Success was found at the Galaxy Drive-In in Hammond, La. Pity the younger generations who’ve never experienced one!
But the folks at Arkansas Flag and Banner and nonprofit preservation group Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, in their thinking-outsidethe-box quest to restore the historic ballroom atop the business’ downtown building, Taborian Hall, are reviving this American icon.
Beginning last Saturday and running through July 24, at 8:30 p.m. every other Saturday night, the parking lot behind the building at 800 W. Ninth St. will be transformed into an oldtime drive-in. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. and concessions of beer, soft drinks, hot dogs and more will be sold.
$20 a car or $5 a person for walk-ups. May 22, Reefer Madness/Sex Madness; June 12, Night of the Living Dead; June 26, The Outlaw; July 10, The Little Princess (Family Night); and July 24, The Fast and the Furious.
Paper Trails appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact Linda Caillouet at (501) 399-3636 or at lcaillouet@arkansasonline.com.
This article was published May 12, 2010 at 4:28 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 05/12/2010
May
13
A Night of Blues with the Unseen Eye
Filed Under Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
Little Rock, AR-May 11th, 2010- Want to hear some blues from local musicians and an old timer that actually played the Dreamland Ballroom? The Friends of Dreamland Ballroom (a non-profit working to restore the ballroom at the top of Taborian Hall) presents “A Night of Blues” on Thursday, May 13 in Doc’s Pool Hall at 800 W Ninth St. (Arkansas Flag and Banner building).
The featured performers include: blues singer Gil Franklin; the Unseen Eye, with band members Chad Carter, Jobe Kara, and “Chicken” James Dorris, who performed in the Dreamland Ballroom during its glory days.
“Not only will this event be fun,” says Dreamland Chairman Kerry McCoy, “but we’re also hoping that we can educate people about the musical significance that Dreamland once played in Little Rock’s Jazz and Blues community.”
Doors open at 8pm and bands will go on at 9pm. It’s $7 at the door (and maybe bring a little extra cash for the donation bar!). All proceeds will go toward the Dreamland Ballroom renovation efforts.
Take a look at our Facebook Event
For information: http://www.dreamlandballroom.org or
Contact: friends@dreamlandballroom.org
Phone: 501-255-5700
May
5
Drive-In Movies are Back in Little Rock
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Drive-In Movies are Back in Little Rock
May 5, 2010 12:00 AM
Kerry Kraus
NaturalStateBlogger@gmail.com
http://www.visitmyarkansas.com/kerry-kraus/default.aspx?id=573
How long has it been since you’ve been to a drive-in movie? For some people, the question is, have you ever been to a drive-in movie? Experience the nostalgia of the drive-in movie while helping a good cause this Saturday as the Friends of Dreamland Ballroom hosts the first of six showings.
The May 8 showing of Charade begins at sundown, approximately 8:30 p.m. The 1963 romantic thriller stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Concessions selling hot dogs, soft drinks, bottled water, Yarnell’s ice cream and Diamond Bear Brewery beer are on-site.
The screenings are projected on the back of the historic Arkansas Flag and Banner building, also known as Taborian Hall, with the audio broadcast through your car radio, courtesy of AV Arkansas. Viewers should find their spot in the rear parking lot behind Arkansas Flag and Banner.
The subsequent movies are going to be shown every second and fourth Saturday from May through September. According to Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, the movies to be shown cover a broad spectrum in hopes of having something for everyone.
Taborian Hall is one of Little Rock’s most important historic structures. During its heyday, the ballroom played host to Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra, B.B. King, Duke Ellington, Arkansas-native Al Hibbler, Nat King Cole and his Trio, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzie Gillespie, and Arkansas’s-own Louis Jordan.
Admission is $20 per car or $5 for walk-ups, who should bring their own lawn chairs. Arkansas Flag and Banner is located at 800 West 9th Street in downtown Little Rock. More information on the ongoing work on the ballroom, visit www.dreamlandballroom.org/.
Proceeds from the movie series go toward restoration of the ballroom. Other scheduled showings are:
May 22: Reefer Madness/Sex Madness (1936/1938 – two exploitation films)
June 12: Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero’s 1968 cult favorite)
June 26: The Outlaw (1943 Howard Hughes-directed film starring Jane Russell)
July 10: The Little Princess (1939 classic starring Shirley Temple)
July 24: The Fast and The Furious (1955 starring John Ireland)
