unleashing
national impact
igniting local
transformation
After moving to Little Rock in 2011, Brent and Tracy Cryder envisioned adding their own concept — a craft brewery and dog friendly taphouse — to the local food-and-beverage scene.
"We believe in the opportunity here. Our desire was to fill in and complement what was here," says Tracy. "We wanted a place to 'sit' and 'stay,' to use dog words, a space for when you don't want to have everyone at your house but to still be comfortable."
They also saw an opportunity for Little Rock to become a microbrewery hub like Asheville, N.C., Grand Rapids, Mich., and even Cleveland, Ohio — places where clusters of craft breweries turned into tourism magnets.
The Cryders started the search for a funding partner in 2019, and for the next three years pitched banks and other potential funders on the idea.
With their executive backgrounds, the pair had been in plenty of boardrooms. But the combination of a hospitality-and-alcohol startup run by first-time operators was a hard sell for capital funding.
"When we started the banking process, we heard, 'That will work in North Carolina, not here,'" Brent recalled.
"There was no way a brewery was not going here," Tracy Cryder said flatly. "We knew what this had to be and held true."
With sheer doggedness and support from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the Cryders brought their idea to life.
Even with the property in hand, they tried over a dozen potential financing options before striking a multi-million-dollar deal with Arkansas Federal Credit Union.
ASBTDC Business Consultant Brandon Horvath was their guide and sounding board throughout the process — a "critical advisor," Tracy said.
"We've both done a lot of presentations, but not for lending," said Brent. "Brandon was very transparent with us and said, 'This won't be easy.'"
Horvath offered different financing alternatives and showed them the things to highlight — and to leave out — to best tell their story to lenders.
"Brandon's knowledge, dedication, and coaching have been invaluable," said Tracy.
The financing was approved in October 2022. They broke ground in June 2023 and celebrated their grand opening on Oct. 1, 2024.
Over the five-year journey, the Cryders developed a deep appreciation for their local ASBTDC, located at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
"That longitudinal relationship is so important. It wasn't just help with a business plan, but all the things the center does. We don't see it as a one-time deal but an ongoing relationship with ASBTDC," said Tracy.
Housed in a sparkling new 11,000 square-foot facility, Southern Tail serves up an array of craft beers and comfort food.
The inviting space includes indoor and outdoor seating, a lawn for games and a stage for live music outside, and a cozy fireplace and high ceilings inside. Dogs are welcome on the patio and can enjoy their own dog friendly menu.
With a crew of nearly 50 employees and growing, the Cryders are intent on creating an environment that attracts workers and guests. They want to provide a first-rate experience for customers (and their furry friends) and high-quality brews that bring in craft beer enthusiasts from far and near.
Southern Tail purposefully sits within walking distance of other breweries, just off the new downtown Exit 140 on Interstate 30.
Combining their love for craft beer, local food, and animals, Brent and Tracy are proud to be a part of making Little Rock a national craft brewing and spirits destination, anchored in the East Village neighborhood.
FR8relay wants to transform long-haul trucking. Trucks move over 70% of freight in the U.S., and the company is developing innovative software that pools shipments and matches drivers with trailers and cargo in a patented relay system.
FR8relay's technology allows for greater flexibility and responsiveness in freight operations so that goods move swiftly and with reduced environmental impact. This innovative approach ensures trucks and freight keep moving while returning long-haul drivers home each night.
Aayush Thakur and his wife Deme Yuan launched FR8relay in Memphis, Tenn., in 2016. Two years later, the young couple relocated their startup to Northwest Arkansas. Thakur attended college in the U.S. with intentions to return home to India to help run his family's businesses. Instead, he became an entrepreneur himself.
Aayush, the CEO, and Deme, the COO, envision creating a more efficient, profitable, equitable, and sustainable trucking logistics ecosystem. To advance their technology and scale up FR8relay, they needed capital.
"The ASBTDC has been an invaluable partner in FR8relay's SBIR journey since 2020, helping us secure five SBIR awards and three state matching grants. Their dedicated team provided exceptional guidance on proposal strategy and development, ensuring our success across multiple agencies."
With guidance from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the company began pursuing federal Small Business Innovation Research seed funding, getting its first win in 2021.
The center's services have helped FR8relay secure five SBIR awards, as well as matching grants from the State of Arkansas. The company has utilized the specialized consulting and training offered by the Arkansas SBTDC network, particularly the statewide innovation specialist and the University of Arkansas regional office. FR8relay has also participated in SBIR training and events provided by ASBTDC, including the 2024 America's Seed Fund Road Tour.
Most recently, FR8relay received a $998,234 SBIR Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation. The Phase II project will pilot FR8relay's machine learning model, designed to improve the efficiency of the company's relay concept and predict travel time disruptions. "This project will bring us one step closer to a more efficient and sustainable freight transportation system for the entire country," Thakur said.
NSF Phase II proposals must include a robust commercialization plan to ensure the technology solution has a clear path to market. ASBTDC's Catherine Corley was instrumental in helping the company craft its plan. "Catherine played a pivotal role again in guiding us through the development of a compelling proposal," said Deme. "She helped us refine and highlight our competitive advantage."
The prestigious Phase II grant further cements FR8relay's role as a key innovator in the trucking industry. With federal funding accelerating the development of its technology, FR8relay is poised to reduce shipping times and operational costs while also addressing key industry challenges such as truck driver retention and environmental sustainability.
The company's team of six has learned to balance work funded by multiple federal agencies. The FR8relay team previously won SBIR Phase I and II awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a Phase I from the Department of Energy.
ASBTDC helped FR8relay "strategize how to ensure that there would be no perceived overlap between each of the three projects we proposed to NSF, USDA, and DOE," said Aayush. "We have set up and will continue to maintain very organized work plans, with clear role delegation and strict timekeeping regimens for each project," he added.
When the Goddard family acquired the Red River Trout Dock in 2023, they saw an opportunity to create a fun, relaxing, first-rate experience for visitors and locals.
Established in the early 1990s, the business became available when the original owner died and his wife decided to sell. As similar docks in the area closed over the years, they became private residences.
“Our purpose was to keep the resort and trout dock open as a shining treasure for the Heber Springs area,” said John Goddard.
For John and his wife, Kasey, graduating from vacation rental owners with three cabins on VRBO to owning and operating a resort was a big step.
“We decided to join what we know about this area with our love of taking care of customers. We want our guests to feel like they have had the most peaceful and exciting vacation at the same time,” Goddard said.
Talking to their bank about buying the business and surrounding property, the Goddards learned about the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. They reached out to the center’s Ryan Cole, who has assisted a number of outdoor recreation businesses.
He guided Goddard through securing Small Business Administration-backed financing for the large project.
“Ryan and his team helped us acquire an SBA loan for our resort,” John said. “Without their research on existing resorts and a comparison business plan, it would have been a harder process for us.”
Cole also consulted with them on their vision and plan for the early months following the acquisition.
“With a project this big, it was hard to identify the first things to work on,” said John. “Ryan’s estimated sales gave us a number to shoot for that we could use on budgeting the task ahead of us.”
From sunup to sundown, the family-owned-and-operated business is all about fishing.
To achieve the revenue projections laid out in the business plan, they first needed to update the cabins and make a website to reach more customers. Year one was a lot of hard work, with repairs and updates and starting from scratch with marketing.
Ten members of the family, including John and Kasey, their children and spouses, and Kasey’s brothers, have helped transform the land and facilities in their first year of ownership.
They took over operations the week of Memorial Day in 2023. For the holiday weekend, they rented five of eight cabins, no RV spots, and 13 boats. However, Memorial Day weekend 2024, was a different story, with all cabins, 10 RV spots, and 20 boat rentals booked.
On a weekly basis, they saw a 40-100% increase in stays and services from the previous year.
The Arkansas SBTDC helped the Goddards map out a plan for success, and they are well on the way.
“It was nice to see that our vision was verifiable with the information that Ryan and his team gave us. We are not a big company that takes over resorts. We are a family that has a dream,” he said.
The goal is to add more RV spots and cabins. “Hopefully we can enter the building process next year. We want to be a premier destination for people’s vacations with the facilities to accommodate all group functions.”
