Pea Ridge High School

12 PEA RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL | 12.30.2020 Landon Nobles, President of the Bentonville Marketing firm Kendal King Group, is one of the business partners for the Pathways Program at Pea Ridge High School. He works with Marketing and Logistics Pathway instructor Cathy Segur and Principal Charley Clark to provide a real- life business context for the classroom instruction. "About five years ago they reached out to me and explained what they were doing with the pathways program," Landon said. "I worked with them and helped put together the marketing pathway. On our end, it involves bringing over the Kendal King marketing and business development directors twice a year to engage with the students." When they visit the school, Landon and his team share their marketing story from a retail perspective. To graduate from the program, each student is given a challenge to open up a business and put a marketing plan together. They then pitch their plan to the experts at Kendal King. "We give them input and suggestions and they go back and tweak their plan and do a final presentation back at school for their grade," Landon said. Landon Nobles graduated from Pea Ridge High School 28 years ago and went on to graduate from John Marshall University after that. Both of his boys went to PRHS as well, one has already graduated and the other is a senior. Landon took over as President of Kendal King Group two years ago. The firm is a retail execution company that, for more than 30 years, has helped leading brands and agencies deliver point-of-purchase solutions. Their customers include Walmart and Sam's Club and many national and international brands like Microsoft and the NBA. Landon believes the Pathways Program is a powerful way to educate students and prepare them for the workplace. "Thirty years ago when I went to school they didn't have this this type of a program," he said. "I think it's an innovative way to get them engaged. People learn differently today than they did back in my day. When these kids come in and interact with business professionals, it gives them a different level of confidence. They receive a real hands-on experience. I've just been involved with the marking pathway but I've watched students going through the nursing program and technical pathways and I see the same thing. It's not sitting at a desk with your nose in a book, which is of course important, but getting out in the workplace. I think sets them up for much more success than coming out of high school with no experience at all." Setting the stage for success Community engagement key to innovative learning model By Randy Rice Landon Nobles Landon Nobles: A business partner giving back to his alma mater For PRHS graduate Brett Kirby, the Marketing and Logistics Pathway just made sense. "Much of my family works in the business sector so the Marketing and Logistics Pathway seemed a good choice for me if I wanted to follow them into the business world," said Brett. "The pathway isn't as much about learning a specific technical skill like some of the other pathways that teach welding or how to run a forklift. It is more about getting some business basics plus some college credits under your belt while still in high school." Brett pointed out that the pathway wasn't an easy one, but gave him skills he needed for the business world. "Ms. Segur, who teaches the Marketing and Logistics Pathway, makes you work hard. She challenges you. But the discipline and time management skills you learn pay off once you are in the business world," he noted. "She also always made sure we learned not just the class material but things like business etiquette: when you meet someone you don't just say 'hi,' you walk up to them and look them in the eye, introduce yourself and shake their hand." Brett recalled that seemed a small thing at the time but, in the business world, it's something he uses every day. In Brett's two-plus years in the program, he estimated that he and his fellow Marketing and Logistics classmates visited about 20 different businesses as part of their education. They met with the business owners and managers and got behind- the-scenes looks at what they were doing. One such tour took place at JB Hunt. On that tour, Ms. Segur pulled Brett aside and said the company was starting a new program to hire students still in high school and that he should go for it. "So, I started with JB Hunt as a Utilization Office Specialist in November of 2017 when I was still a senior. I was only seventeen years old at the time and apparently the first person of that age to be hired in the JB Hunt corporate office," Brett said. "In August of 2020 I left JB Hunt to work for Crain Kia of Fayetteville. I am a Sales Consultant with the dealership and I'm loving the experience that I'm obtaining under management of General Manager Paul Robertson." Brett values his high school experience and encourages others to follow his "pathway." "I don't think any other schools in the area are doing quite what Pea Ridge is doing and I would highly recommend Marketing and Logistics to anyone who wants to have a career in business." Brett Kirby Brett Kirby: 2018 PRHS Graduate, Marketing and Logistics

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