>>
>> BILL
>> BILL WILL NOW BE SENT TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE FOR CONSIDERATION LAST YEAR. AT
THIS TIME ONLY FORTY SEVEN
THOUSAND PEOPLE COULDN'T FIND A
JOB IN ARKANSAS. HISTORICALLY
LOW LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT. YOU
COULD HAVE HELD A JOB FAIR AT
WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM AND STILL
HAD SOME EMPTY SEATS
>> BUT WE ALL KNOW WHAT CAME
NEXT SIX
>> WEEKS LATER ONE HUNDRED
FORTY ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE LOST
>> THEIR JOBS. THAT'S ENOUGH TO
FILL RAZORBACK STADIUM TWICE.
WE'VE YOYO BACK TO SOMEPLACE
BETWEEN THE LOWS AND THE HIGHS
BUT THAT'S A LOT OF LIVES AND
WORKERS AND BUSINESSES TAKEN
FOR A ROLLER COASTER RIDE.
WELL, AS WE TAKE STOCK AND
APPROACH THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE
START OF THIS MESS, WE WANTED
TO
>> ASK WHO MADE AND WHO DIDN'T.
I REALLY HOPE IT LOOKS AT THREE
BUSINESSES AND HOW FAR THEY'VE
COME BACK
>> FROM THE BRINK.
>> OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A VERY,
VERY SCARY TIME. PEOPLE WANT TO
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AS LITTLE
AS POSSIBLE. ONE OF OUR HARDEST
THINGS WAS KEEPING THE
EMPLOYEES HERE TO HELP US RUN
THIS SHOW. THREE
>> VOICES FROM THREE BUSINESSES
ON WHAT THEY FACED LAST YEAR A
BASEBALL COMPANY FACED WITH NO
BASEBALL. A LOT OF UNKNOWNS AS
WE, YOU KNOW, WALKED INTO APRIL
,A HARDWARE STORE
>> GOING FROM HAMMERS AND NAILS
TO HAND SANITIZER. I THINK FOR
A COUPLE OF MONTHS WE WERE THE
ONLY PLACE IN TOWN YOU COULD
GET TOILET PAPER, A LONG
>> STANDING BARBECUE JOINT GOES
FROM SMOKING MEAT TO SELLING
SMOKES. WE HAVE MIXED
>> EMOTIONS BECAUSE WE'RE SAD
BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT
THERE ARE SAD. WE HAVE STOPPED
SMOKING MEADORS TENESSEE
>> SPORTS FOR INSTANCE HARDWARE
AND KAMBIZ EACH ADJUSTED ON THE
FLY JAMIE BEARDEN KELLERS
BUSINESS LOOKS THE MOST
DIFFERENT. A YEAR LATER HER
DAD OPENED MICKEY'S BARBECUE
JUST OUTSIDE HOT SPRINGS
NATIONAL PARK 32 YEARS AGO. BUT
RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, ANYTHING
HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN PUMMELED.
BEURDEN KELLER
>> AND HER SISTER GAVE IT A GO
FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
>> WHEN THIS PANDEMIC HIT US
AND EVERYBODY EITHER HAD TO
SHUT DOWN OR YOU KNOW, IF YOU
HAD TO DRIVE THROUGH WINDOW YOU
COULD OPERATE LIKE THAT AND
THAT KEPT EVERYBODY HERE
WORKING.
>> BUT THE NUMBERS FROM THE
ARKANSAS HOSPITALITY
ASSOCIATION TELL THE REST
OF THE STORY SURVEY THE END
OF THE YEAR SHOWED FOUR OUT
OF FIVE RESTAURANTS OPERATING
BELOW THEIR NORMAL STAFFING
LEVELS. ABOUT A THIRD OF THOSE
PLACES CUT STAFF BY MORE THAN
20 PERCENT BEURDEN HELLER SAYS
WAITERS AND COOKS WHEN FACED
WITH LIMITED HOURS INSTEAD TOOK
ADVANTAGE OF STIMULUS CHECKS
AND ENHANCED UNEMPLOYMENT. SO
THE SISTERS CLOSED THE
RESTAURANT BECAME A COFFEE AND
SMOKE SHOP SOMETHING THE TWO
OF THEM CAN RUN THEMSELVES
WHILE WAITING FOR FOOD WORKERS
TO RETURN
>>. WELL, YOU KNOW THEY'RE OUT
THERE SOMEWHERE. THEY'RE JUST
NOT IN THIS AREA. THEY ARE
THEY'RE HIDING. THEY'RE IN
HIDING.
>> MY HEART BLEEDS FOR THE
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. THE
RESTAURANT INDUSTRY VINCENT
RALLY
>> CAN OFFER THAT SYMPATHY
AFTER STARING INTO A SIMILAR
ABYSS HIMSELF, TURNER SPORTS
MAKES ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT
>> FOR RAWLINGS AND VOLKAN.
WELL, ARKANSAS FOR BETTER OR
WORSE RESUMES SCHOLASTIC SPORTS
PRETTY QUICKLY. CICARELLI SAW A
BARREN ATHLETIC LANDSCAPE. I
DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HOW WE WERE
GOING TO STAY AFLOAT. HE HAD TO
>> FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH
DOZENS OF WORKERS
>> AND SPECIALIZED FACTORY
EQUIPMENT ABOUT THE ONLY GROWTH
INDUSTRY HE SAW MAKING MASKS.
BUT
>> OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ATHLETES
AND I DIDN'T SEE ANY MASKS THAT
WERE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO
YOU KNOW, FOR ATHLETES THAT ARE
BREATHABLE VOLCAN
>> KIND OF WAVE PROLEAGUE
PICKED THEM UP SALESROOM OFF AT
THE SAME TIME THE LOW IMPACT
ROCKET GAME PICKLEBALL PICKED
UP IN POPULARITY. CICARELLI
CALLS IT A CASE STUDY IN SMALL
BUSINESS SURVIVAL
>> ENTREPRENEURS HAVE TO THINK
CREATIVELY. YOU'VE GOT TO THINK
OUTSIDE THE BOX. YOU'VE GOT TO
REIMAGINE YOUR BUSINESS
>> OR THINK OUTSIDE THE BIG BOX
.WE TAKE CARE OF OUR CUSTOMERS
IN A WAY THAT THE BIG BOXES
CAN. FOR INSTANCE
>>, HARDWARE WILL BE 100 YEARS
OLD IN TWENTY TWENTY ONE. JEFF
FULLER IS THE FOURTH GENERATION
RUNNING THE FIVE STORES IN
LITTLE ROCK IN THE SUBURBS WHEN
HOME IMPROVEMENT MADE HOME
CONFINEMENT MORE BEARABLE, THEY
CAUGHT A BREAK ESPECIALLY AS
CROWDS LINED UP AT THEIR BIGGER
COMPETITION
>>. THEY WANT TO MAKE
>> ONE TRIP TO THE STORE, GET
THE RIGHT THING, GET IT FOR THE
RIGHT PRICE, GO HOME AND GET IT
DONE. FOLARIN
>> CICARELLI SAY THEY HAVE A
LOT OF CONFIDENCE HEADING INTO
THIS YEAR. THEY'RE BOTH MOST
PROUD OF THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT
>> THAT EMERGED FOR BUSINESSES
LIKE THEIRS. THAT'S WHERE
THEY'RE PINNING THEIR HOPES.
>> THIS IS WHERE WE WORK. THIS
IS WHERE WE LIVE. THIS IS OUR
COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO BE
THAT PLACE. IT'S EVERY WE HAVE
SURVIVED AT LEAST FROM A
BUSINESS STANDPOINT THE WORST
OF THE WORST AND WE'RE READY TO
GO AND WE'RE READY FOR A GREAT
TWENTY ONE.
>> SAME GOES FOR THE SISTERS AT
ACMD THAT
>> MAKES US FEEL CONFIDENT NOW
THAT WE CAN GET WHERE WE NEED
TO BE AND PROBABLY A FEW