Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy

Born in the small town of McGehee, Arkansas, Trent Montgomery has grown into a dancer, teacher, and drag queen with a long list of accolades. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Performance and Choreography from the University of Arkansas and a Master's in Performance and Choreography from Florida State. While living in Florida, he performed with The Tallahassee Ballet and served as the Associate Artistic Director at the Ballet Arts Conservatory of Tallahassee. In Arkansas, he has worked as a dancer and teacher with the Arkansas Festival Ballet, and continues to foster a love of dance through education. Trent's current...

Born to blue collar workers in rural Illinois, Peggy McCall-Robertson inherited a strong work ethic, and from her father gained a love of tinkering and learning how things work. Peggy served as a Youth Director for the Methodist Church in central Arkansas for nearly 20 years, followed by retail work that gave her the experience needed to develop a business plan of her own. The first Miracle League was created in Georgia in 2000 with the goal of providing opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball, offering a huge boost to their physical and mental wellbeing. Inspired, Peggy partnered with the...

Susan Altrui has worked for the Little Rock Zoo since 2005, but it wasn’t until director Mr. Mike Blakely announced his retirement in 2020 that she moved from head of marketing to become the acting director. Later she cemented her role when the late City Manager Bruce Moore promoted Susan to the full-time position of Arkansas’s Little Rock Zoo director. Little Rock is lucky to have such an accredited Zoo. Interestingly, it is the largest family destination in Arkansas, conveniently located in the center of the State, and in the heart of the Capitol City. The Zoo not only cares for...

Witty actor and singer Jacob Keith Watson is making waves on the Broadway stages. He appeared as Enoch Snow in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of Carousel. Jacob has also been seen on Broadway in Hello, Dolly!, Brian Crawley’s Violet, Craig Lucas’ Amélie as Joseph Buquet, Monsieur Reyer in The Phantom of the Opera, Robert Livingston in the acclaimed Encores! revival of 1776, as well as Amos Hart in the National/International tour of Chicago the Musical. Regional and Opera credits include the title role in Shrek with the Sacramento Music Circus and roles in Benny & Joon at the Papermill Playh...

This week we revisit Kerry's two prior interviews with Arkansan painter and sculptor, Kevin Kresse. Kevin has exhibited his work around Arkansas, New York, Washington DC, Memphis, and Atlanta. His work has been featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Times, Soiree magazine, and more, and he has been featured in pieces produced by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS television, as well as a short film by Garret Lakin. The journey toward a career in art began with Kresse and his wife Bridget’s decision to pare down their lives financially. Both of the Kresses had “job-jobs,” as Bridge...

Spring is finally here and there's no better way to kick-start the season than by hanging out with landscape designer and entrepreneur, Chris Olsen! He and Kerry talk all about his time at Oxford University, the challenges of running a seasonal business, and his renovation of the historic Edgemont House in North Little Rock.

Keith Jackson was born April 19, 1965 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He began playing football at the age of 9 with the Sunset Tigers in his hometown. His love of the game continued throughout junior high school on into high school at Little Rock Parkview, where he was Parade All-American and three-sport letterman. While in high school, Keith played the cello in the orchestra. Upon graduating from Parkview, Keith attended the University of Oklahoma (1984-1987) on a football scholarship as a tight end. During his college career, he assisted the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record and a national championship in 1985. He recorded...

Roy Dudley is one of those fortunate people that found his passion early in life. He was a mere boy in elementary school when he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and began treasure hunting at garage sales and reselling his finds in Aunt Hazel’s perpetual yard sale. Hear how Roy took his aunt’s sage advice and parlayed it into a successful business called Roy Dudley Estate Sales. When asked what his favorite find was, his answer was swift. Finding the papers of school children in Arkansas’ Japanese Internment camp, Rohwer. From 1942 and 1945, more than 8,000 Japanese Americans were intern...

Who doesn’t know the name Dale Carnegie, founder of the Dale Carnegie Courses? Born 1888 on a farm in Missouri, this farmboy-turned-salesman-turned-actor, teacher, author, and self-help guru has helped thousands of people through his teachings, and 100 years later, they are still relevant, and we are still remembering him. Part of the Dale Carnegie legacy are Mr. Jerry Wilson and Ms. Jessie Wilson (no relation). Jerry Wilson is the franchise owner for Dale Carnegie Training in Arkansas and other territories of the midwest. A certified trainer, Jerry has spent the past 30 years working with thousands of companies to develop effective management so...

Virgil Miller, Jr. has a long track-record of integrity and hard work across multiple banks, including Worthen Bank, Bank of America, Metropolitan National Bank, and more. As of 2024, Miller fills the role of Community Reinvestment Officer for Arvest Bank, where he works to meet the credit needs of low-income communities. Virgil's career in the banking industry dovetails well with his long-time commitment to community service that began as far back as 1981, when he was a Rally team member for the Boy Scouts of America. Since then, Mr. Miller has served on no less than 35 boards ranging from President of the...

Jim Guy Tucker, Jr was born on June 13, 1943, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to James Guy and Willie Maude (White) Tucker. His father was one of the first 50 employees of the newly formed Social Security Administration in February,1936. His family moved to Little Rock in February of 1945 when his father was relocated as the manager of the Arkansas Social Security Administration office. Jim Guy was educated in public schools. He graduated from Harvard with a BA in government in 1964, after which he enlisted in the marines. Despite two appeals, Tucker was discharged for health reasons after three months. Stints in 1965 and 1967...

Originally Aired 6/24/2022 This week on Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy, we interview Mr. Arlo Washington, president of PEOPLE Trust Loan Fund, a financial institution offering small loans to neighbors in need. Arlo is a self-made man with a Cinderella story. He is the epitome of a hardworking, creative entrepreneur, who sees opportunities and listens to where life leads him, all with the heart of a teacher. Learn what the term “unbanked” means and how Arlo turned his barber’s chair into a barber school (Washington Barber School), and his school into a financial institution, eventually founding the PEOPLE Trust...

John Cain is program director of community radio station KABF-FM 88.3 and host of KUAR's 52nd Street Jazz for more than three decades. He has been on the air in some capacity for "51 years and counting." Cain got his start in the early 1960s working as an engineer and overnight disc jockey at Little Rock R&B station KALO-AM 1250. It was there that Cain developed his program niche. Cain said, “I featured material that you don’t hear normally. It was overnight radio that really gave me the opportunity to become a preservationist of sorts, a musicologist, a mixologist or whatever you...

Ann McCoy really needs no introduction because everyone knows her as either the successful million dollar club (when that meant something) real estate agent, or as the Governor’s Mansion Administrator for Governor Clinton, or as the Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Social Secretary and Director of Personal Correspondence for President Clinton’s administration. There was a time when she could have boasted that she had met all the leaders of the Free World and had her picture taken with every living US President, but she doesn’t. She is the most gracious and lovely person I have ever had th...

Born in Gould, Arkansas, Janis Kearney was one of eighteen children of parents Ethel V. Kearney and James Kearney. After graduating from Gould High School in 1971, Kearney attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, earning a B.A. in journalism in 1976. She continued on with her education while working, earning thirty hours towards a M.P.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. After earning her B.A. degree, Kearney was hired by the State of Arkansas in 1978, where she spent three years as a program manager for the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program, and another six...

Originally from Oklahoma, Carlton Saffa fell in love with northwest Arkansas, graduating from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He currently lives in Little Rock with his wife and children, and serves as the chief market officer for the Quapaw Nation's Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Saffa was Saracen’s first employee and oversaw the licensure of the enterprise in all forums, including the property’s casino gaming license. In addition, he served as a representative in the construction of the Saracen Annex, a facility that features 300 slot machines and which was completed and operational in 100 days. Saracen’s main p...

Originally from Oklahoma, Carlton Saffa fell in love with northwest Arkansas, graduating from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He currently lives in Little Rock with his wife and children, and serves as the chief market officer for the Quapaw Nation's Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Saffa was Saracen’s first employee and oversaw the licensure of the enterprise in all forums, including the property’s casino gaming license. In addition, he served as a representative in the construction of the Saracen Annex, a facility that features 300 slot machines and which was completed and operational in 100 days. Saracen’s main p...

On this episode we look back at Kerry's interviews with guests who moved to Little Rock, fell in love, and chose to make the Natural State their home. For some it's the southern cuisine; others the rich ecosystems. Folks may stay for the bounty of history or for the earnest communities that thrive here to this day. Whatever the reason, plenty of people find cause to build a life here in central Arkansas.

Ruebel Funeral Home, the oldest funeral service establishment in the city of Little Rock, had its beginning in early 1901 on the corner of Sixth and Main Street. For over a hundred years, Ruebel Funeral Home has continually offered services of its facility, equipment and staff for immediate response to central Arkansas families of every religion preference, race and socioeconomic circumstances. George H. Wittenberg was acquired by Ruebel Funeral Home in 1953, becoming its Secretary and part owner. At the time, Jack Reed was made Vice-President and Treasurer, while Alfred Leymer held down the position of President. In 1978 Thomas C. Wittenberg, son...

Billy Mitch Chandler, Jr, was born in Little Rock, AR and raised in North Little Rock. Like his doctor father, Mitch is smart. But unlike his father, Mitch has been unable to settle on one career. In school he studied many areas of interest. In work, the same. In chronological order: His beginning career, and longest, was as program director and producer for local and regional TV news stations. Next, Director of business and public relations for Arkansas Economic Development Center (AEDC). Before becoming the director of Sales for Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, he tried his hand as an entrepreneur by...

Kerry McCoy will speak with New York advertising executive Madonna Badger, creator of the We Are #WomenNotObjects ad that debuted at Cannes Film Festival and has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube. Badger left the advertising industry for more than a year after a tragic house fire on Christmas morning that claimed the lives of her three young daughters and both her parents. After the tragedy, Badger spent a few months in psychiatric hospitals for manic depression and suicidal ideation. Badger contacted her college roommate, Kate Askew of Little Rock, for refuge. During that year of recuperation, Badger...

Born in Maryland, Colin MacKnight is an organist who has been described as "a stunning player of exceptional ability" by composer/conductor Bob Chilcott. A skilled composer and conductor in his own right, Colin learned his trade at The Juilliard School in New York, receiving a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree and writing a prize-winning dissertation on Johann Sebastian Bach's "Art of Fugue". With numerous accolades under his belt, Colin moved to Arkansas after landing a job at Little Rock's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where he is now the Director of Music. At Trinity, Colin oversees choral scholar programs, a concert...

Arkansan native John Steven Clark was raised in Leachville, Arkansas watching his father dabble in local politics and decided early in life that he wanted to be a politician as well. He graduated from ASU and attended Law school in Fayetteville. In 1973, Clark became assistant dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law. It was there he met and became friends with Bill and Hillary Clinton. In 1976, Clark left the Law School to become chief of staff for Governor David Pryor. After Clinton was elected Governor, Clark became Arkansas’s Attorney General and was the longest serving attorney general in...

You could call today’s show a “second coming” because this will be the second time Reverend Dr. Chris Keller has appeared on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy. Dr. Keller, III, is an Episcopal priest and theologian who, through his ministry and life, has blended scholarly pursuits with pop culture knowledge into an innovative leadership style. I liken him to EF Hutton because “When he speaks, people listen.” Today, we listen as he speaks about his new book, Getting On Toward Home, a thoughtful collection of funeral sermons written during his career as a priest and theologian. There are mounta...

Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Trey Reid is the Assistant Chief of Communications for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. His primary role is executive producer and host of Arkansas Wildlife TV, the AGFC’s weekly television show that documents The Natural State’s many outdoor recreational opportunities and AGFC’s myriad conservation work. Additionally, Trey is editor of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine and Strung Sporting Journal; and host of The Wild Side radio show on 103.7 The Buzz (which airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m.). He makes more than 250 radio and TV appearances per year representing the Commission and educating Arkansans on our...

This week on Up in Your Business I had the pleasure of interviewing (to quote from the Dos Equis ad campaign) “the most interesting man in the world,” Mr. Bob Traylor. If you are from North Little Rock, you will know exactly who and what I am talking about. My friend, Bob, is a 96-year-old man who sired 7 children, held the office of Arkansas state representative in 1971, made a living in real estate, smuggled gems out of Columbia, gave up alcohol in his 50’s and proudly became an early advocate of the healing powers of marijuana, all while exploring his talent...

UIYB with Alan Leveritt, Publisher of the Arkansas Times by Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy

Virgil Miller, Jr. has a long track-record of integrity and hard work across multiple banks, including Worthen Bank, Bank of America, Metropolitan National Bank, and more. As of 2024, Miller fills the role of Community Reinvestment Officer for Arvest Bank, where he works to meet the credit needs of low-income communities. Virgil's career in the banking industry dovetails well with his long-time commitment to community service that began as far back as 1981, when he was a Rally team member for the Boy Scouts of America. Since then, Mr. Miller has served on no less than 35 boards ranging from President of the...

This week's guest is The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk, Susan McDougal. She and her ex-husband were part of the Whitewater prosecution during the Clinton Presidency. She went to prison on contempt charges for refusing to answer questions for a grand jury. President Clinton pardoned her during the final hours that he was in office.

This week's guest is The Woman Who Wouldn’t Talk, Susan McDougal. She and her ex-husband were part of the Whitewater prosecution during the Clinton Presidency. She went to prison on contempt charges for refusing to answer questions for a grand jury. President Clinton pardoned her during the final hours that he was in office.

Deborah Troillett is the former executive director for the Arkansas House of Prayer. She also served 22 years as a Mount St. Mary Academy teacher and administrator, with the last 14 years as president, ending in 2011.

This week, tune in for Kerry’s conversation with long-time local TV and radio personality Lisa Fischer, who has become an integrative nutrition health coach, and host of her new show “Lisa Fischer Said.” Listen to learn how Lisa has overcome a lifetime of chronic illness and six autoimmune diseases by making adjustments to her diet; and how she’s helping listeners take control of their health by interviewing health experts and coaching on the benefits of intermittent fasting.

This week Kerry sits down with Talk Business and Politics host, Roby Brock, and learns all about his broadcasting career, his political start in the 1992 Clinton Presidential campaign, and his thoughts on the state of the media.

Born in Maryland, Colin MacKnight is an organist who has been described as "a stunning player of exceptional ability" by composer/conductor Bob Chilcott. A skilled composer and conductor in his own right, Colin learned his trade at The Juilliard School in New York, receiving a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree and writing a prize-winning dissertation on Johann Sebastian Bach's "Art of Fugue". With numerous accolades under his belt, Colin moved to Arkansas after landing a job at Little Rock's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where he is now the Director of Music. At Trinity, Colin oversees choral scholar programs, a concert...

Former Razorback David Bazzel may be one of the most recognizable names in Arkansas. He played linebacker for the UofA in 1984 and had a total of 113 tackles. He was sidelined due to shoulder and back injures. “I think all of the football I played taught me a lot of discipline and taught me to grind and work hard,” says Bazzel. He created the Broyles Award, now going on 25 years, and the Touchdown Club, which brings in big names from all over the country. He is also responsible for the “Battle for the Boot,” and the Tusk Fund. For David, it’s all abou...

David Soos was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1949. A move to Arkansas during his Air Force enlistment from 1968 to 1972 started David on his path in stained glass. While stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, he spent most of his free time at the Arkansas Arts Center, enrolled in classes of many different media including, ceramics, sculpture, and glass blowing. The glass blowing experience led to his interest in stained glass. After his Air Force discharge, he returned to Cleveland and enrolled in classes at a local stained glass studio. He returned to Arkansas in 1974 and was self-employed in stained...

Today on Up In Your Business you will be swept away as art history professor Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, teaches us about Arkansas’s history and culture. Gayle wrote the grant that led to the 60-year Central High Little Rock Nine reunion where President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker. We will hear how Gayle commissioned the Cuban born composer, Tania Leon, to score a dramatic opera about the “Little Rock Nine” and enlisted Henry Louis Gates to write the libretto (words). This project has been stalled due to the pandemic of 2020, but we...

JP Francoeur, owner of JP Fitness & Recovery returns to the show to talk about NeuFit, the revolutionary therapy and training technique that uses electrical stimulation. Join Kerry as they talk all things fitness.

Born and raised in Batesville, Cecelia Wilson graduated from Batesville High School and earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Cecelia lives in central Arkansas with her husband, Dennis, and has two children, a grown son and daughter, Cody and Cheyenne. For more than a decade, Cecelia has been the Feature Writer for Searcy Living magazine. Over the years, she has penned articles introducing readers to governors, senators, Grammy Award-winning musicians, and individuals from all walks of life. In addition to writing articles, books, and youth plays, Cecelia is a singer, pastor's wife, play director...

This week we revisit Kerry's two prior interviews with Arkansan painter and sculptor, Kevin Kresse. Kevin has exhibited his work around Arkansas, New York, Washington DC, Memphis, and Atlanta. His work has been featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Times, Soiree magazine, and more, and he has been featured in pieces produced by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS television, as well as a short film by Garret Lakin. The journey toward a career in art began with Kresse and his wife Bridget’s decision to pare down their lives financially. Both of the Kresses had “job-jobs,” as Bridge...