Episode 244

full
Published on:

13th Sep 2023

Conserving Arkansas's Natural Treasures with Austin Booth

This week on the podcast we kick off a new series called the Business of Outdoor Recreation series where Brent will sit down with leaders in the outdoor recreation industry in the state of Arkansas. For the first episode, Brent sits down with Austin Booth, director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The conversation explores Austin's role in conserving and preserving the diverse landscapes of Arkansas, including our state's unique fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Austin shares his philosophy of conservation, contrasting it with preservation, and emphasizes the public trust and use of these natural resources. He also shares more about his background, growing up in a small town in Arkansas, his journey through law school, and his time serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, which culminated in his return to Arkansas and his current role.

Transcript
Austin Booth:

For you to succeed as a leader, you're gonna have

Austin Booth:

to be very honest with yourself about how you're doing. And that

Austin Booth:

just takes hard work for self reflection.

Brent Williams:

Welcome to the be epic podcast brought to you

Brent Williams:

by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of

Brent Williams:

Arkansas. I'm your host, Brent Williams. Together, we'll

Brent Williams:

explore the dynamic landscape of business and uncover the

Brent Williams:

strategies, insights and stories that drive business today.

Brent Williams:

Today, I have with me, Austin Booth. Austin is director of the

Brent Williams:

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Austin, welcome to

Brent Williams:

the be epic podcast.

Austin Booth:

Well, thank you for that. It's really good to be

Austin Booth:

here. Thanks for having me.

Brent Williams:

Well, I'm excited for you to to join us

Brent Williams:

today as someone who gets to live in Northwest Arkansas, I

Brent Williams:

grew up in the Arkansas Delta, for the majority of my life,

Brent Williams:

I've been able to experience outdoors in Arkansas. And it's a

Brent Williams:

big part of the quality of life here. And I know you play a big

Brent Williams:

role in that.

Austin Booth:

We live in an incredibly diverse state in

Austin Booth:

Arkansas, you know, people are very familiar with the size of

Austin Booth:

Arkansas compared to size of Texas. And we have just as many

Austin Booth:

diverse eco regions in Arkansas, as they do in Texas. So that's

Austin Booth:

that that's one of the many reasons why we have the immense

Austin Booth:

treasures that we do in Arkansas in our natural resources. And

Austin Booth:

it's an honor to be able to lead the Arkansas Game and Fish

Austin Booth:

Commission as the state's conservation agency.

Brent Williams:

Well, then, I guess, you know, maybe kind of

Brent Williams:

jumping right into a little bit of what your agency does, and

Brent Williams:

we'll kind of we'll kind of integrate that with your

Brent Williams:

background. But from my viewpoint, you know, I see I see

Brent Williams:

your agency as probably both growing and protecting those

Brent Williams:

assets that Arkansas has, how do you think about that in your

Brent Williams:

role?

Austin Booth:

Yeah, so if you go back to our foundational

Austin Booth:

mission, it is amendment 35 to the Arkansas constitution, which

Austin Booth:

is to conserve fish, wildlife, their habitat, and that

Austin Booth:

essentially, bring that to the public. Now, I ask this, this

Austin Booth:

kind of philosophic question all the time of what's the

Austin Booth:

difference between preservation and conservation? And the

Austin Booth:

difference between those two concepts is one with

Austin Booth:

preservation. You're just trying to guard you're trying to

Austin Booth:

protect you're trying to keep things the status quo, with

Austin Booth:

conservation, the difference between preservation and

Austin Booth:

conservation is this idea of a public use, public trust in

Austin Booth:

perpetuity. So if we were a preservation agency, I would

Austin Booth:

without hesitation, say that the Arkansas Game and Fish's natural

Austin Booth:

resources and we're here to protect them from everybody

Austin Booth:

else. And that's not the case when it comes to conservation,

Austin Booth:

which is what we do. We hold all of our natural resources in

Austin Booth:

public trust for the enjoyment of the public, as our name would

Austin Booth:

suggest, that includes game species like ducks and deer,

Austin Booth:

critters that people like to chase and hunt. Same on the

Austin Booth:

aquatic side too. But when you go to amendment 35, it includes

Austin Booth:

all species, so we are just as protective, conservingly of

Austin Booth:

critters like the Ozark Hellbender. And some of the

Austin Booth:

threatened and endangered species we have in Arkansas,

Austin Booth:

just as much as we are the white tailed deer, the black bear, you

Austin Booth:

know, the eastern turkey, the mallard duck, all of those kinds

Austin Booth:

of household names as well.

Brent Williams:

Yeah, well, well, I'm interested in I guess

Brent Williams:

how you found yourself in Arkansas because I think here's

Brent Williams:

the you know, I think I think your story, but would love for

Brent Williams:

you to elaborate on it. Undergraduate in business and

Brent Williams:

went to law school and you were in the Marine Corps, US Marine

Brent Williams:

Corps for eight years. Maybe a little more than that before

Brent Williams:

coming to Arkansas. So maybe kind of tell us a little bit

Brent Williams:

about where you grew up, that journey, and what brought you to

Brent Williams:

Arkansas.

Austin Booth:

So I grew up in Lonoke County in a little town

Austin Booth:

called Scott. Dad was an outdoor motor mechanic and mom worked

Austin Booth:

full time inside the home growing up, by nature of my

Austin Booth:

parents', hard work and sacrifice. I was the first

Austin Booth:

person for my family to be able to go to college. And I I say

Austin Booth:

somewhat jokingly that one of the one of the greatest miracles

Austin Booth:

in my life was that I was immature enough to know that or

Austin Booth:

sorry, I was immature enough to need to go to military cool but

Austin Booth:

mature enough to recognize it. So I left the state in 2004

Austin Booth:

after graduating from Catholic High School for Boys and went to

Austin Booth:

the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, had a great four years

Austin Booth:

at the Citadel and then after that went to law school at the

Austin Booth:

University of South Carolina, and there was a recruiter that

Austin Booth:

came around to law school and important context for this is I

Austin Booth:

watched 9/11 happen in my in my sophomore homeroom classroom,

Austin Booth:

then got to Citadel. A lot of my buddies were in either Iraq or

Austin Booth:

Afghanistan. So when this recruiter came around our law

Austin Booth:

school in 2000 2008, I walk in late for the recruiting lunch,

Austin Booth:

auditorium packed full of folks. And as you would expect, one of

Austin Booth:

the only seats open was on the front row. So I sit down on the

Austin Booth:

front row Marine Corps major up on the stage in his dress blues.

Austin Booth:

And he said, raise your hand, if you think practicing law in

Austin Booth:

Helmand Province, Afghanistan sounds exciting. And I just

Austin Booth:

thought, man, that sounds incredible. So I raised my hand.

Austin Booth:

And I turned around thinking surely that there will be like

Austin Booth:

50 to 100, like minded law students and I was the only one.

Austin Booth:

And so the recruiter said, alright I need to talk to you up

Austin Booth:

here, for everybody else that just came here for free lunch,

Austin Booth:

we got Chick fil A in the back. But that was 2008, in 2010 I

Austin Booth:

went to Officer Candidate School, accepted my commission,

Austin Booth:

and then hit the fleet in 2011, had an incredible first four

Austin Booth:

years in the Marine Corps where I mostly served as a criminal

Austin Booth:

prosecutor and went to Afghanistan for a combat tour in

Austin Booth:

2015. And because of the work we were doing over there, at the

Austin Booth:

time, have a lot of interaction with Congress. And then from

Austin Booth:

there went to work in Washington DC as a congressional

Austin Booth:

appropriations liaison where I was responsible for advocating

Austin Booth:

for a $14 billion slice of the Marine Corps budget. During that

Austin Booth:

time period, it was just incredible. I was a small town

Austin Booth:

kid with blue collar roots from Lonoke County and got to see

Austin Booth:

about 20, 21 countries and about 24 months. So that was a

Austin Booth:

incredible experience for me getting to see how government

Austin Booth:

works overseas. And then came home in 2019, with my wife and

Austin Booth:

three kids, and in tow, where I became the chief of staff and

Austin Booth:

the CFO for Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. And then

Austin Booth:

people asked me how I got this job, thinking there was some

Austin Booth:

kind of convoluted, mysterious way that that happened. And they

Austin Booth:

look at me in disbelief when I say that I'm an old soul and I

Austin Booth:

read the newspaper every day, and I read in the newspaper

Austin Booth:

where the game and fish director was retiring. And they're gonna

Austin Booth:

hire a headhunter. So I googled the headhunter, he had a link to

Austin Booth:

the job on his website, and I, I sent in a one page cover letter

Austin Booth:

and a one page resume and we were off to the races. And I

Austin Booth:

took over, what's the today's the seventh a year and six days,

Austin Booth:

I'm sorry, two years and six days ago.

Brent Williams:

Well, congrats on on being in the role for a

Brent Williams:

couple of years. And, you know, a lesson to our students out

Brent Williams:

there, always be on the watch out for the opportunity. You

Brent Williams:

never know what's coming.

Austin Booth:

That's exactly right.

Brent Williams:

Well, and I think, you know, the I know,

Brent Williams:

clearly you have, you know, a team underneath you and a team

Brent Williams:

out in the field throughout Arkansas. And then I think, if I

Brent Williams:

understand the structure, right, you have a set of commissioners

Brent Williams:

that represent our state. And so maybe kind of explain to us how

Brent Williams:

the how the whole structure and agency works.

Austin Booth:

Yeah, so we're, we manage roughly 3.8 million acres

Austin Booth:

throughout the state. We manage those for wildlife and for fish.

Austin Booth:

And then in addition to the acreage we also have not 96,000

Austin Booth:

miles of rivers and streams. So it comes as no surprise then

Austin Booth:

with that, with that understanding that we have

Austin Booth:

roughly 650 employees that are present in all 75 counties. The

Austin Booth:

way we administer conservation, both on the natural resources

Austin Booth:

side and the people side is we have a wildlife management

Austin Booth:

division that is responsible for the majority of that three 3.8

Austin Booth:

million acres that manage public lands. We also have a Fisheries

Austin Booth:

Division that manages the public waters and our fish hatchery

Austin Booth:

system which produces anywhere from from 12 to 14 million fish

Austin Booth:

every year. We also have our enforcement division, which has

Austin Booth:

180 Game Wardens throughout Arkansas and all 75 counties. We

Austin Booth:

have a private lands division, which is responsible for working

Austin Booth:

with private landowners to help them meet their conservation

Austin Booth:

goals. And, in a couple of weeks we'll have a recreational

Austin Booth:

shooting division, which is really aimed at at increasing

Austin Booth:

public access to public shooting, and really driving

Austin Booth:

that nexus between conservation and recreational shooting to

Austin Booth:

more communities throughout Arkansas. And then the last

Austin Booth:

major division that we have is our education division.

Austin Booth:

Northwest Arkansas is home to our Johnelle Hunt Ozark

Austin Booth:

Highlands Nature Center, which is a tremendous place that we

Austin Booth:

have nature centers throughout the state and educators in every

Austin Booth:

single county that help educate all Arkansans, but especially

Austin Booth:

that next generation of outdoorsman, just what's under

Austin Booth:

our feet here in Arkansas.

Brent Williams:

You know, one thing you the one way that you

Brent Williams:

and I got connected was was around leadership development.

Brent Williams:

And you know, not not too long ago, you were connecting with

Brent Williams:

the Walton College on developing leadership programming for for

Brent Williams:

your team through through Walton College executive education. But

Brent Williams:

I know in kind of getting to know you a little bit leadership

Brent Williams:

and leadership development is something you're passionate

Brent Williams:

about. And so kind of where does that come from? How's that maybe

Brent Williams:

connect in I assume probably to your time in the Marine Corps?

Austin Booth:

Sure. Well, I would say it comes from two

Austin Booth:

motivations. I probably should have said this at the beginning.

Austin Booth:

But I don't want any of our listeners to think that I'm a

Austin Booth:

Gamecock fan. I am I am forever a Razorback even though I don't

Austin Booth:

have a diploma from from from there. And so from that

Austin Booth:

perspective, Sam Pittman is not the only one focused on his

Austin Booth:

depth chart. And Arkansas Game and Fish is an outstanding place

Austin Booth:

to work. And oftentimes what that means is that we have bands

Austin Booth:

of employees that have been here for a really long time, that

Austin Booth:

from a succession or an attrition perspective is a

Austin Booth:

challenge for us as an agency. So from day one, I've I have

Austin Booth:

really tried to get the agency to focus on how do we build a

Austin Booth:

bench? Alright, not bench by necessity, but that how do we

Austin Booth:

build a bench of actual leaders that we want? And that will be

Austin Booth:

what Arkansas deserves? So that's the first motivation is

Austin Booth:

where does the future of this agency look look like for what

Austin Booth:

we can deliver back to the people of Arkansas. The second

Austin Booth:

motivation is, leadership is just branded all over me. For my

Austin Booth:

time in the Marine Corps, I wanted to enlist out of high

Austin Booth:

school, given 9/11, and the tremendous impact that had on

Austin Booth:

me, mom and dad said, no, no, no, you'll always be able to

Austin Booth:

enlist, why don't we give this college thing a try? So I ended

Austin Booth:

up taking a commission in the Marine Corps. And one of the

Austin Booth:

things that really set the Marine Corps apart from my mind

Austin Booth:

when I when I was trying to decide what service I wanted to

Austin Booth:

join was that in the Marine Corps, it doesn't matter whether

Austin Booth:

you're a pilot, an infantry officer, a lawyer, an artillery

Austin Booth:

officer, fill in the blank, whatever job you have in the

Austin Booth:

Marine Corps, your fundamental responsibility is you're an

Austin Booth:

officer of the Marines. And, and, and that really resonated

Austin Booth:

with me even as a you know, 21 year old. And the Marine Corps

Austin Booth:

really prides itself on building quality leaders, now, and I'm

Austin Booth:

not tooting my own horn, I can assure anyone listening that I

Austin Booth:

have learned much more from my failures than I have my

Austin Booth:

suc-successes. But it didn't matter whether I was in the

Austin Booth:

courtroom, advising commanders on Capitol Hill or even in

Austin Booth:

combat, one of the things that I learned very quickly, is at an

Austin Booth:

institution is only as good and healthy and productive as its

Austin Booth:

leadership, not as supervisors, right. We supervise processes,

Austin Booth:

but we lead people. And I'm always thinking about

Austin Booth:

leadership, and whether we're delivering as much as we need

Austin Booth:

to, not just to outcomes, not just to processes, but are we

Austin Booth:

really delivering the best possible thing that we can people.

Brent Williams:

Well, and maybe you know, you mentioned you're

Brent Williams:

both successes and failures. And often we learn for both, there's

Brent Williams:

no doubt and sharing those actually can be some of the

Brent Williams:

greatest ways to help develop leaders in our organizations.

Brent Williams:

You know, one of the questions that always comes to mind when I

Brent Williams:

get to talk to leaders is, you know, what's what's one of the

Brent Williams:

biggest lessons learned for you thus far, and one that you

Brent Williams:

really tried to share? Not only with your organization, but with

Brent Williams:

others?

Austin Booth:

Yeah. I think that I will have to go back to a

Austin Booth:

quote by General James Mattis. I had, I had the opportunity to

Austin Booth:

spend a little bit of time with then Secretary Mattis when he

Austin Booth:

was Secretary of Defense. And he always said that the number one

Austin Booth:

challenge facing young leaders is the the lack of time that

Austin Booth:

they make for self reflection. I have a, a leadership flaw that

Austin Booth:

I'm working on right now, where I don't like books on

Austin Booth:

leadership. I'm trying to grow beyond that. But for for, for

Austin Booth:

years, my preferred source of reading is biographies, where I

Austin Booth:

can learn from other people's mistakes and from other people's

Austin Booth:

successes, and then really reflect on on what it is that

Austin Booth:

went wrong or went right within their lives and the things that

Austin Booth:

I can try to emulate. But you can read all the books that you

Austin Booth:

want to, you can fail, you can try out, but that time for self

Austin Booth:

reflection, is especially important for young people. And

Austin Booth:

it's incredibly hard for young people too because they feel all

Austin Booth:

these external demand signals of how they should be spending

Austin Booth:

their their time. So that was one way that I did not do well,

Austin Booth:

when I was a young leader is just making that time for self

Austin Booth:

reflection. And I try, every way that I possibly can to beat that

Austin Booth:

into people's head here is for you to succeed as a leader,

Austin Booth:

you're gonna have to be very honest with yourself about how

Austin Booth:

you're doing. And that just takes hard work for self reflection.

Brent Williams:

Well, what what great advice not only for, for

Brent Williams:

our students, but people developing their careers and and

Brent Williams:

beyond, well, maybe maybe switching gears just a little

Brent Williams:

bit. I wanted to talk about outdoor recreation in our state

Brent Williams:

and how it maybe connects to economic development, and even

Brent Williams:

how employers can be thinking about how they leverage the

Brent Williams:

wonderful assets that we have in Arkansas, as you, you know, are

Brent Williams:

quite aware of I'm sure, Governor Sanders in our state

Brent Williams:

has made outdoor recreation a high priority in her

Brent Williams:

administration. And you know, so just as you is you've been in

Brent Williams:

the role for a couple of years, how are you able to see the Game

Brent Williams:

and Fish Commission and the use of these assets throughout our

Brent Williams:

state really starting to continue to lead toward economic

Brent Williams:

development?

Austin Booth:

Yeah. So if you look at the Arkansas game, and

Austin Booth:

fish budget, and Marines are known for many things, and math

Austin Booth:

is not one of them. But this is math that's simple enough that a

Austin Booth:

marine can do if you just look at how much what our budget is,

Austin Booth:

compared to how much land we we manage 3.8 million acres for $25

Austin Booth:

an acre. All right, that is an incredible value. All right,

Austin Booth:

that excluding education cost, if you just made the assumption

Austin Booth:

that 100% of our budget was for land and and water conservation,

Austin Booth:

$25 dollars an acre, right. So for decades, Arkansas Game and

Austin Booth:

Fish has been a what what I would describe as a value

Austin Booth:

company. Alright. That's something that we're proud of,

Austin Booth:

and that Arkansans should be very proud of. All right, what

Austin Booth:

have we gotten for that value? We estimate that the outdoor

Austin Booth:

recreation economy in Arkansas is roughly $9.6 billion. All

Austin Booth:

right. Tourism is our second industry behind ag. And if you

Austin Booth:

look at the outdoor rec numbers compared to tourism, we can say

Austin Booth:

with a high level of confidence that the large majority of that

Austin Booth:

tourism is flowing from that outdoor recreation economy. All

Austin Booth:

right, let's take that one step further. If you break down the

Austin Booth:

outdoor recreation economic impact into segments, the number

Austin Booth:

one outdoor recreation segment that we have in Arkansas is

Austin Booth:

fishing, that the number three is hunting. Number two is RVing.

Austin Booth:

And what we don't know, but what I would love to know is how many

Austin Booth:

of that of those people in the RV category are pulling their RV

Austin Booth:

behind him so that they can hunt or fish, do one of those number

Austin Booth:

one or number three activities. So in terms of economic return,

Austin Booth:

on the $25 per acre cost, it is just tremendous what the

Austin Booth:

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is able to support

Austin Booth:

from a value perspective, now coming more towards the

Austin Booth:

governor's incredible vision for outdoor recreation in Arkansas

Austin Booth:

and how we elevate that. For over two years now, the Arkansas

Austin Booth:

Game and Fish Commission has 100% been in a growth phase

Austin Booth:

where we're trying to pivot from becoming a value company that

Austin Booth:

we've always been proud of more to something analogous to a

Austin Booth:

growth company where we are massively trying to reinvest in

Austin Booth:

the infrastructure and in the conservation practices that we

Austin Booth:

have now that have secured Arkansas as one of the best

Austin Booth:

fastest growing deer herds, world renowned trout fishing,

Austin Booth:

world renowned duck hunting. How do we how do we keep that,

Austin Booth:

reinvest for the next generation but also diversify outdoor

Austin Booth:

recreation as Arkansas Game and Fish knows it into a more

Austin Booth:

diverse set of pursuits, and basically what that looks like,

Austin Booth:

from our perspective is more emphasis on recreational

Austin Booth:

shooting, which is one of the fastest outdoor recreation

Austin Booth:

pursuits in the country. More emphasis around river trails,

Austin Booth:

paddle sports, and then opening up our wildlife management areas

Austin Booth:

to more 21st century pursuits such as, you know, gravel bike

Austin Booth:

riding wildlife watching, hut to hut concepts. And we're we're

Austin Booth:

trying to do those things in tandem with reinvestment, which

Austin Booth:

is a lot of work and very tricky to pull off. But I'm really

Austin Booth:

proud of the progress that we've made in two years.

Brent Williams:

Well, thank you for for moving our state forward

Brent Williams:

in that way and continue to invest in in those in those

Brent Williams:

assets that we all know about, you know, like you said the

Brent Williams:

world class fishing and duck hunting and deer hunting, but

Brent Williams:

also diversifying it so that everyone can can enjoy the

Brent Williams:

outdoors. And I'm sure that's an important focus for you.

Austin Booth:

Yes, it is. You know, we have a wildlife

Austin Booth:

management area in south Arkansas called Barrel Anthony

Austin Booth:

Wildlife Management Area. It's an incredible place, we were

Austin Booth:

happy to add roughly 500 acres to it in fiscal year 22. And we

Austin Booth:

had a gentleman from the state of Alaska, who drove from Alaska

Austin Booth:

to Arkansas to Barrel Anthony Wildlife Management Area, to see

Austin Booth:

a rare bird that we're proud to have down in south Arkansas. He

Austin Booth:

spent a couple of days out on the wildlife management area, he

Austin Booth:

saw the bird, he turned and drove back. And so Arkansas'

Austin Booth:

natural resources are just incredible. As someone that

Austin Booth:

lived here, until I was 18, and then moved away for 15 years. I

Austin Booth:

don't think I'm going to hurt anybody's feelings when I say we

Austin Booth:

take them for granted that we have national national treasure

Austin Booth:

here. And in the longest term, we're trying to answer that

Austin Booth:

question of how do we open this up to more people in a way that

Austin Booth:

that best serves Arkansas but also doesn't disenfranchise the

Austin Booth:

people that we have now.

Brent Williams:

Yeah, totally makes sense. Well, I was really

Brent Williams:

glad to hear that you're Razorback at heart. And and so I

Brent Williams:

think maybe the way we'll close is you know, when you think

Brent Williams:

about this, our students at the Walton College in the University

Brent Williams:

of Arkansas, that point at that you're at in your career,

Brent Williams:

clearly doing something you're passionate about and love, what

Brent Williams:

advice would you would you share with students about how they

Brent Williams:

pursue, you know, their own passions and make a real impact

Brent Williams:

in in the fields that they want to make an impact in?

Austin Booth:

Yeah. Well, I would just point to my own

Austin Booth:

resume and say that if someone that didn't know me looked at my

Austin Booth:

resume, they would, they would probably rightfully think this

Austin Booth:

guy has no idea what he wants to do when he grows up. I mean,

Austin Booth:

everywhere from a criminal courtroom to combat to

Austin Booth:

Washington DC to veterans to now to now Game and Fish. And I can

Austin Booth:

I would just offer this encouragement to any students

Austin Booth:

out there. That do despite what might be the perception of

Austin Booth:

aimlessness or lack of continuity in in any one area, I

Austin Booth:

have had a remarkable, remarkable professional career,

Austin Booth:

just over 12 years, and is deeply, deeply rewarding. And so

Austin Booth:

my advice to them would be to find something that they're

Austin Booth:

passionate about, and do the best possible job they can at

Austin Booth:

it. And if a door opens, that seems to be outside of what

Austin Booth:

someone may say about well this is what your background says, or

Austin Booth:

you have a experience doing this, just walk through that

Austin Booth:

door and fight like crazy. And if the Lord closes the door,

Austin Booth:

then keep your nose down and keep doing the best possible job

Austin Booth:

that you possibly can. In addition to that, and probably

Austin Booth:

no surprise to anybody, I, I would say be the best subject

Austin Booth:

matter expert that you can but never, ever neglect how you are

Austin Booth:

as a leader, read as much as you read as much as you possibly

Austin Booth:

can. And then thirdly, get a mentor. I'm a huge advocate,

Austin Booth:

that, that it doesn't matter how old you are, having a mentor to

Austin Booth:

tell you what you're doing, right, what you're not doing

Austin Booth:

wrong, learn from their failures, that mentor role is

Austin Booth:

just critical. And I think it's something that that's heavily

Austin Booth:

undervalued in 2023.

Brent Williams:

Well, Austin, I agree with with those points,

Brent Williams:

you know, from, you know, the basics of working hard. And

Brent Williams:

doing your absolute best in whatever position, role you're

Brent Williams:

in to, you know, saying yes, sometimes, you know, to, to a

Brent Williams:

potential role that may not seem like it fits or, you know, may

Brent Williams:

seem like it has some risk in your career. I mean, there's

Brent Williams:

value in being able to move across different parts of an

Brent Williams:

organization or different organizations is hard to

Brent Williams:

understate. And then I hear mentor over and over, you know,

Brent Williams:

as I talk to leaders throughout our state and beyond, as

Brent Williams:

something that's been really important in their lives. So

Brent Williams:

thank you for sharing those three points with our students.

Brent Williams:

I couldn't agree more. And thank you for what you're doing as

Brent Williams:

director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. And I

Brent Williams:

really appreciate you sharing your insights and your thoughts

Brent Williams:

and your wisdom with us today.

Austin Booth:

Well, thank you for having me. And I've really

Brent Williams:

Thank you. On behalf of the Walton College,

Brent Williams:

enjoyed this.

Brent Williams:

thank you for joining us for this captivating conversation,

Brent Williams:

to stay connected and never miss an episode, simply search for be

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Be EPIC Podcast

About the Podcast

Be EPIC Podcast
Welcome to the Be Epic Podcast featuring Brent Williams, interim dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. In each episode, you will hear from guests that will inspire you to be epic. As experts in their field, they will emphasize strategy, leadership, and entrepreneurship. This programming will highlight innovation and cutting-edge information that will leave you wanting more. Be sure to connect with Brent Williams on LinkedIn to join the conversation, access show notes and discover fantastic bonus content.