Rogers Main Street hires market manager

NWA Democrat-Gazette/File photo - The Rogers Farmers Market has hired a new manager.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/File photo - The Rogers Farmers Market has hired a new manager.

ROGERS -- Main Street has brought in a homegrown native to run a downtown Rogers Farmers Market set to open this spring.

Ryan Neal started as the market's manager earlier this month. Neal previously worked as the garden educator at Heifer International in Little Rock.

Vendors wanted

Vendors wanting to sell produce or products at the Main Street Rogers Farmers Market are encouraged to contact Ryan Neal, market manager, at (479) 936-5487 or [email protected].

A farmers market run by Main Street Rogers was announced in October. The City Council approved design work for renovations of a building to house the market last month.

Neal said he has learned skills useful for the manager position through his job at Heifer.

"I was working with farmers around the state," Neal said. "I helped them become organic certified along with troubleshoot other concerns they had."

It has been his desire to move back to Rogers and use those skills for some time, Neal said. He said that's why he started a blueberry farm in the city in 2012.

Mayor Greg Hines said he's impressed with Neal's resume.

"The leadership of a venture of this sort is crucially important," Hines said. "It appears that Main Street has been able to find a good fit."

The city has committed some money to Main Street for the start of the market. The city increased its contribution to Main Street from $60,000 in the 2015 budget to $85,000 in the 2016 budget.

An additional $20,000 was approved by the city for design work on a building it owns at 101 Cherry St. The city purchased the property the building sits on for $365,000 last year.

The building will allow the market to run year-round. Previously an auto transmission repair shop, the building still has roll-up doors to help a market function throughout different seasons.

Jessica Rush, Main Street Rogers executive director, said design work for the building should be completed by the end of the month. She said construction is expected to be completed by mid-April.

Work already has started for the market season, Neal said. A survey has been distributed via social media to the public, he said. This includes questions about what people want to buy from the market and the times and days it should be open.

The next step is recruiting vendors, Neal said. He said an application will be available for vendors next week.

Rush said a marketing campaign is also in works. She said it includes logo design along with creating a brand for the market.

The nonprofit Rogers Farmers Market previously operated downtown for many years. Officials with the market were told in October they would no longer be able to use city property to run the market downtown.

Manager Kimberly Scott said she felt the city was pushing the market out of downtown.

The Rogers Farmers Market has since opened in Frisco Station Mall. It also will run year round.

Dennis McGarrah has been selling vegetables and fruit at the Rogers Farmers Market for 21 years. He said he's excited about the new Main Street Rogers market.

"I'm excited that the city is getting involved and that will have a permanent place with shelter in place," McGarrah said. "The Rogers market has not progressed as much like the Bentonville and Fayetteville markets have. I think we will have an opportunity to become a major farmers market in Northwest Arkansas with the city's involvement."

McGarrah owns about 20 acres in Pea Ridge, Garfield and Lowell. He grows berries, tomatoes, peppers, corn, watermelon, squashes and cucumbers on the land. He also has been selling his produce at the Bentonville and Fayetteville markets.

"My family has been farming in Northwest Arkansas since 1824," McGarrah said. "My heirloom tomatoes are usually a big hit at the markets."

NW News on 01/16/2016

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