Mercy Names Pianalto Hospital’s President

— Eric Pianalto said his life has come full circle.

The Tontitown native was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers in 1966. He's now the hospital’s president.

St. Mary’s transferred to the St. Louis-based Sisters of Mercy Health System in 1995 and is now called Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas.

“This is a great personal and professional opportunity for me,” Pianalto said. “Being a local guy it’s all about providing quality medical care to the community, my family and friends.”

Pianalto replaced Scott Street who served as the hospital’s president since March 2010. Jessica Eldred, Mercy spokeswoman, said Street is assigned to special projects with the Mercy system.

Health care wasn't the route Pianalto expected to take after graduating from the University of Arkansas in 1989 with a degree in administrative management. His first job was with a manufacturer, Heekin Can Co., now Ball Corp., in Springdale. It’s the same company his father worked at for 40 years.

The job at Heekin eventually took Pianalto to Indianapolis.

“I didn’t like the cold weather and had an opportunity to come back and work for a physicians’ group in 1991,” he said. “I had no visions of working in health care.”

Pianalto worked for the Family and Occupational Clinic in Rogers until taking a position at St. Edward’s Hospital, now Mercy Fort Smith, in 1994. He has held Mercy leadership roles the past 19 years.

Most recently he served as chief operating officer of Mercy Clinic in Arkansas and Oklahoma. This position allowed him to live in Tontitown with his wife and children, but he spent a lot of time traveling.

Fast Facts

Eric Pianalto

Eric Pianalto was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers in 1966.

He graduated from Springdale High School in 1984 and the University of Arkansas with a degree in administrative management in 1989.

He later earned his master’s degree in business administration from Webster University.

He and his wife, Dawn, have three daughters: Nicole, 20; Brooke, 17; and Mikayla, 13. The family lives in Tontitown on land that once was his grandfather’s first grape vineyard.

Source: Staff Report

“This position is great because I get to be a full-time dad again,” he said. “It’s good to really be home again.”

A large part of Pianalto’s background involves recruiting physicians to Northwest Arkansas, something he sees as a key in the hospital’s future.

“Ten years ago it was harder to get physicians here to interview, but once here many liked what they saw and wanted to stay,” he said. “Today we are on the map a bit more, and it is a little easier to recruit.”

Raymond Burns, president and chief executive officer of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, said health care is a key part of recruiting any business to Northwest Arkansas.

“The health care system of a community is one of the basic needs a community has to have,” he said. “Eric knows the people around here and will help the hospital connect to the community.”

Burns said he has been friends with Pianalto for about 30 years and said he is a great leader and a real people person.

“I think Mercy made a great choice,” he said.

Greg Hines, Rogers mayor, said the city and Mercy have always had a strong and collaborative relationship and he expects that to continue under the new leadership.

“I think the transition will be quicker and smoother because of his local ties and making a name for himself growing up here,” he said.

Dick Trammel, a member of the Mercy Board, said he was ready to remove the word interim from Pianalto’s title soon after he took the position.

“Eric is the complete package; he has the intellect, a heart truly aligned with the spirit of Mercy, and well, he’s a hometown boy that I’ve enjoyed working with before,” Trammel said. “I respect him as a leader and mentor to the people of Mercy Northwest Arkansas. What else could we have asked for?”

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