A Northwest Arkansas entrepreneurship podcast: Sharing the stories of the people building Northwest Arkansas
NWA Founders is a Northwest Arkansas business podcast hosted by Cameron Clark and Nick Beyer: 50 long-form conversations since November 2024 with the founders, owners and operators building the region's companies.
Cameron and Nick both grew up in Northwest Arkansas. The podcast's goal is to inspire entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas by highlighting the founders and owners who make it a special place to live. So far that's about 74 hours with the people behind the region's restaurants, banks, builders, software companies, manufacturers and family businesses. NWA Daily lists the show among the best podcasts in Northwest Arkansas.
How it works
A new episode comes out every other Tuesday. Each one is a single conversation, typically about an hour and a half, recorded on location, usually at the guest's own business. We don't script it. We talk about how the business started, the mistakes along the way, and what they'd tell someone in the same spot. We usually end on the same two questions: Why build a business in NWA? How do you define success? Every episode is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music, with a full transcript on this site.
There's a list of resources for Northwest Arkansas entrepreneurs on this site, from Startup Junkie to the SBA.
Your hosts
Cameron Clark
Fayetteville native and founder of CJC Development, a commercial real estate acquisitions and development firm. Before that he was a broker at Bennett Commercial Real Estate and led business development at B-Unlimited. University of Arkansas, 2015. LinkedIn
Nick Beyer
Founder of Neat Commercial Cleaning, a commercial cleaning company serving Northwest Arkansas from Rogers. University of Arkansas, 2018, then corporate sales before starting Neat. LinkedIn
Partners
NWA Founders is presented by Greenwood Gearhart and supported by Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners. We're thankful for both. Interested in reaching the region's business owners? See how sponsorship works.
Common questions
Who hosts NWA Founders?
NWA Founders is hosted by Cameron Clark, founder of CJC Development, and Nick Beyer, founder of Neat Commercial Cleaning. Both grew up in Northwest Arkansas and run their own companies here. They launched the show in November 2024 to inspire entrepreneurship in the region by sharing the stories of the people building its businesses.
What does NWA mean?
NWA is short for Northwest Arkansas, the corner of the state around Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville, with Benton and Washington counties at its core. NWA Founders is a business podcast from there. It has no connection to the hip-hop group N.W.A.
Is NWA Founders an Arkansas business podcast?
Yes. NWA Founders is an Arkansas business podcast made in Northwest Arkansas, the corner of the state around Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville. Every conversation so far has been with a company based in the region, in Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale, Bentonville, Lowell, Gentry, Johnson and Siloam Springs. It is a Northwest Arkansas show rather than a statewide one.
Is NWA Founders an entrepreneurship podcast?
Yes. Cameron and Nick's goal for the show is to inspire entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas, and Apple Podcasts lists it under Entrepreneurship. Each episode is a long-form conversation with one or more of the region's founders and operators about the story of their business.
Does NWA Founders cover Little Rock?
Not as its subject. The show is about Northwest Arkansas, and every guest's company so far is based there, in Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale, Bentonville, Lowell, Gentry, Johnson and Siloam Springs. Little Rock still comes up: several guests grew up there, and several of their companies have opened a location or an office there.
Where can I listen to NWA Founders?
On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music, or in any podcast app with the RSS feed at https://feeds.transistor.fm/nwa-founders. Every episode also has its own page on nwafounders.com, with the chapters and the full transcript.
Which NWA Founders episode should I start with?
Cameron and Nick's own three picks are Todd Simmons, Burt Hanna and Andrea Allen. Each is a full conversation with a founder, and every episode page has the chapters, so you can jump to the part you want.
How long is an episode, and can I read it instead?
Episodes run about 89 minutes on average and come out every other Tuesday. Every episode page carries the full transcript, so you can read it, search it or jump to a chapter.
Is NWA Founders only about startups?
No. The show talks with the people behind businesses of every kind: venture-backed companies like AcreTrader and Crisp, but also fourth-generation family businesses, a bank founded in 1907, restaurants, builders, manufacturers and professional firms. The common thread is a founder or owner building in Northwest Arkansas.
Where is NWA Founders recorded?
Episodes are recorded on location in Northwest Arkansas, usually at the guest's own business in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale or a neighboring town. A new episode comes out every other Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music.
How do I sponsor NWA Founders?
Email nwafounders@gmail.com or visit nwafounders.com/sponsor. Sponsorships are available for the show or for a season.
How do I become a guest on NWA Founders?
Nominate yourself or another founder at nwafounders.com/be-a-guest, or email nwafounders@gmail.com. The show looks for founders, owners and operators building companies in Northwest Arkansas, at any stage and in any industry.
Get in touch
Have a guest in mind, a partnership idea or a press question? Email nwafounders@gmail.com, or nominate a founder.
The NWA Founders letter
The biggest takeaways, every other Tuesday
The new episode and its biggest takeaways, the big moments worth jumping to, and a short roundup of Northwest Arkansas business. No issue has gone out yet, so if you sign up now, you’ll get the first one.