Adam Jackson (pictured on the right wearing a white T-shirt) poses with members of the company he founded with his mother Lisa Ferrell (pictured on the left wearing a white shirt).

As the pandemic surged in March 2020, the company ceased normal operations. Honors student Adam Jackson and his mother Lisa Ferrer, lawyers representing Little Rock clothing manufacturer TY Garments, decided to re-use her client’s machine. Production of cloth masks. Together, they founded a company called ARClothMasks and immediately started selling masks. Initially, their goal was to make 100 masks for them to share with family, friends and other members of the community. However, demand convinced them to expand their business.

"Things started very quickly," Jackson recalled. "Every week there are news about shortages in different states. We filled this gap." Jackson, Ferrell and the five employees they hired worked hard to send masks to as many companies and schools as possible as quickly as possible.  

"Our goal is to become a mask supplier that customers can trust and deliver safe products on time," Jackson explained in an article recently published on the Honors College blog. "Our competitive prices, short delivery times and high-quality products have helped us win customers across the country." Due to lack of trust and long delivery times, many companies are hesitant to purchase masks from overseas suppliers . Using ARCrothMasks to conduct business locally is a safer choice for many companies.

To date, ARClothMasks has sold more than 1 million masks to more than 1,000 companies, hospitals, schools and universities, and overseas military forces across the United States. The company was shortlisted for the 2021 Arkansas Enterprise of the Year award. 

Despite its great success, the company still faced considerable challenges in the early stages.

"One of the toughest weeks in our company's history was when we were banned from using Square, PayPal and Stripe for 7 days," Jackson explained in his blog. "We started using Square because its easy-to-use user interface made it the most compelling company. However, as soon as the funds began to flow in, our account was marked as suspicious and therefore suspended. We quickly adapted to using it. PayPal, but once the invoice started to be paid, it was also banned there. Stripe was the last straw, which disappointed us. We ended up using our contact at the local bank to connect us with the invoice platform InvoiceASAP, which does not Will shelve any shelving in our name." 

Jackson is an information system major in the blockchain major of Sam M. Walton Business School. He had to use marketing strategies to attract customers. This includes spending hours designing flyers, shipping mask samples, and writing personalized emails and letters, but these emails and letters are not always successful. 

"Start-up companies are risky," he admitted. Nevertheless, Jackson emphasized that anyone can follow in his footsteps. "The ability to adapt and persist is the reason I spent this day. The best secret I have is to understand what you can learn on your own and what you need to outsource. The best leaders know their limitations and know when to seek Help," he said. 

Hiba Tahir, Senior Editor, Honors College 479-575-7678, ht005@uark.edu

Kendall Curlee, Director of Communications, Honors College 479-575-2024, kcurlee@uark.edu

The researcher is the 9th and 10th U of A faculty introduced to the Arkansas Research Alliance Scholars College across the state.

Navam Hettiarachchy, professor of protein chemistry in the Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas, has been appointed as a member of the American Association of Petrochemists.

Many virtual "Mindfulness Writing Retreats" and the launch of the Arkansas Literacy Lab are planned for the spring semester of 2022.

Haley Clancy Inyart, a graduate student of the School of Art, collaborated with artists in the Midwest to hold an exhibition "Among the Beasts" at the sUGAR Gallery before Friday.

Attend an informative and free one-hour webinar on Wednesday, December 15th at noon, including Kerry Melton's presentation on "Truck Freight Fleet Design and Analysis."