Walton MBA - Marketing Career Track

Undergraduate: Marketing, University of Arkansas
Hometown: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Background: Former co-owner of Penguin Ed's Bar-B-Que; Co-founder of the Fayetteville Independent Business Alliance

As a local restaurant owner, Liz Slape has done it all, from “washing the dishes to creating a regional manager position. I was in charge of all the hiring, firing, training, financials, ordering, customer service; you name it, I did it.”

So why did Liz want to return to school and enter the Walton MBA program? “I’ve always wanted it; I just didn’t know it would take me a decade to get back up here! Technology and information changes extremely rapidly these days, so what I had learned in undergrad needed a major update. I knew that a MBA from the Walton College would arm me with the tools needed to succeed in a hypercompetitive marketplace.”

In addition to running a successful local business, Liz also created Keep Fayetteville Funky and co-founded the Fayetteville Independent Business Alliance.
According to Liz, “I saw what was happening nationally as small, independently-run companies went belly-up. I didn’t want that to happen to Fayetteville. I became passionate about the plight of the small business owner as I observed trends in retail towards consolidation of power and the rapid disappearance of local businesses nationwide. I want to make sure our community values entrepreneurship and individuality: I believe it is the foundation of our country.”

“FIBA (Fayetteville Independent Business Alliance) is the more professional extension of the same sentiment that is behind Keep Fayetteville Funky. It organizes and aligns local business owners with other community groups and people of the community who support shopping locally. Our main goal is to educate people on the countless benefits of shopping locally, in an effort to keep our local businesses alive and thriving.”

While “the full time program is extremely demanding on your time,” one of Liz’s favorite aspects of the Walton MBA program has been the support: “I have received support and encouragement from the Director and the Assistant Dean, as well as from professors and other staff.”

Liz also has some words of advice for future applicants: “As with all things, you get out what you put in. I definitely feel welcome and very valuable. If you don’t fit into the traditional MBA student description, it’s OK: there is a place for you here.”