Arkansas Business Publishing Group's Jeff Hankins to close out fall speakers series

November 4, 2009 -- Jeff Hankins, the president and publisher of Arkansas Business Publishing Group in Little Rock, is the final speaker for the fall semester for the Arkansas State University Journalism Alumni Speakers Series. Hankins will be on campus Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 9-10.

The 1987 graduate of ASU will visit classes in the College of Communications, including News Writing and Mass Communications in Modern Society (9 a.m., COM 233), News Editing (10 a.m. and 11 a.m., COM 218), and Feature Writing (2 p.m., COM 217) during Monday’s session.  On Tuesday, he will attend the News Reporting, News Writing, and the First Year Experience classes in COM 233.

As president and publisher of Arkansas Business Publishing Group (ABPG), the company produces 16 national award-winning niche publications across Arkansas, including “Arkansas Business,” “Little Rock Soiree,” “Little Rock Family” and “ArkansasSports360.com.” ABPG also develops Web sites through its FLEX360 division. In addition, Hankins co-founded the monthly “Jonesboro Occasions” magazine.

Hankins launched his 29-year journalism career at the Pine Bluff Commercial at age 14 as a sports writer. A native of Pine Bluff, Hankins received the Distinguished Service Award and was named the Society of Professional Journalists Outstanding Senior while attending Arkansas State. He is a 1986 graduate of the Institute on Political Journalism at Georgetown University.

While a student, he served as editor of The Herald on two separate occasions and was selected to receive a Newspaper Fund internship with the Tulsa World. He also worked for ASU’s Sports Information Office and was a correspondent for the Associated Press.

He was editor and general manager of the Pocahontas Star Herald from 1987-93 and worked as founding editor and general manager of the Northeast Arkansas Tribune in Paragould from 1989-93. He became editor of “Arkansas Business” in Little Rock in 1993, was promoted to publisher in 1996 and became president of the company in 1999. His career also includes sports writing work at the Arkansas Democrat. Hankins has led a number of additional publication and Web site launches, including the “Northwest Arkansas Business Journal,” “Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School” and www.arkansasbusiness.com.

Hankins has also worked in broadcasting for the past 16 years, most recently reporting business news and providing political analysis on KTHV, Channel 11, and as a panelist on AETN’s “Arkansas Week.”

He is past president of the International Alliance of Area Business Publications and a past board member of the Parenting Publications of America. He is a member of the Baptist Health Foundation Board of Trustees, the ASU Department of Journalism Advisory Committee, the Arkansas Executives Forum and the UALR College of Business Administration Advisory Council. In 2004, he served on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Higher Education.