Jonesboro, Arkansas is the home of Sparq’s very first development center, established in 2004. We talked to Development Center Director Darrell Runyan to learn more about what it’s like to live, work, and play in “The Natural State.”
The importance of giving back
Community involvement is core to Sparq’s corporate ethos. There are many community engagement projects that Jonesboro colleagues have been proud to be a part of over the years, including efforts in the business and educational communities, as well as at non-profit organizations. Darrell himself is a frequent speaker at schools where he teaches about what it’s like to work in technology, and is also on Arkansas State University’s curriculum advisory board. Jennifer Rorex, the Human Resources Manager in JBR is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce and is on the Home Selection Committee for Habitat for Humanity. The entire office has also enjoyed volunteering for the organization. Besides being a community of charitable people, Jonesboro is also a thriving agricultural and industrial center, and is home to large production facilities including Post, Unilever, Nestle, and NicePak.
A family-like atmosphere
Because of the Jonesboro center’s longer history, many of the colleagues in JBR have worked together for a very long time. This has created a family-like culture, where everyone knows each other and their families, and they enjoy spending time together at work, and out of the office. Darrell shares, “Colleagues here love to play games together and celebrate holidays, even random ones like ‘National Chocolate Cake Day.’ And even though our NERF guns haven’t been used as much recently, they’re still in the office. If it’s your birthday, watch out for the birthday NERF bullet!”
Hometown pride
In Jonesboro, you’re working with a team who truly loves what they’re doing, and brings a lot of passion to the table. Darrell says, “Many of our developers graduated from right here in the Northeast Arkansas area, and not only do they love what they do, but they love where they do it.”
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