Vines Center (again) scores five Arkansas Business Best of Biz titles
Vines Center still a fan favorite for meetings, team-building
Jan. 7, 2022
By the U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- Vines Center’s programs fit educational, business purposes
- Center is 18 miles from downtown Little Rock
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(Newsrooms: With images of teambuilding program: https://flic.kr/p/t3U9FJ, https://flic.kr/p/t3Vw9d
Images of Vines Center as event venue, https://flic.kr/p/2mxMLFh
(436 words)
LITTLE ROCK — For the fourth year in a row, the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center has won five Best of Biz titles as voted by readers of Arkansas Business.
The center won for:
- Best Place for a Business Conference/Meeting
- Best Team Building Center
- Best Place for a Company Retreat
- Best Place for a Special Event
- Best Place for an Employee Outing
It’s a repeat of 2020, 2019 and 2018 when the Vines Center scored in the same five categories.
The Vines Center, and especially its ExCEL team-building program have been earning honors in this awards program for years. Begun in 1986, ExCEL also earned the honor in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018.
Finalist in all five categories was Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute was a finalist in three of the categories: Best Place for a Conference/Meeting, Best Team Building Center and Best Place for a Company Retreat. Twin City Limo and Event Center was also a finalist in the Best Place for a Special Event category.
The center opened in 1980 as the state conference center for the Arkansas 4-H program, operated by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. It is supported by the non-profit Arkansas 4-H Foundation and revenues from events held at the center.
“What a great way for us to close out a year of 40th anniversary celebrations with top honors in five categories for the fourth year in a row,” said J.J. Pittman, director of the Vines Center. “We work hard to provide a place where businesses can enhance their employee teamwork through team-building and retreats, while also providing a friendly and state-of-the-art venue for outings and special events.”
Like other segments of the hospitality business, the Vines Center has been affected by COVID’s surges. However, that hasn’t stopped center staff from continuing to offer top notch educational and other programming and facility upgrades.
“We took advantage of the slowdown to upgrade our virtual meeting capabilities and when coupled by our fiber optic internet system and our meeting rooms, we are more than able to host virtual and hybrid events,” said Tony Baker, operations manager at the Vines Center. “And the past two years have taught us how to manage events to enable everyone to safely enjoy their experiences here.”
The Vines Center is comprised of more than 200 acres of woods and meadows with trails, including a three-acre lake for fishing and canoeing. It is in rural western Pulaski County, just 18 miles from downtown Little Rock. Its motel-style lodging units have 94 rooms.
For information and to book a tour, contact Marcia Shepard mshepard@uada.edu.
Visit the center online.
See past stories:
ExCEL program, Vines Center earn top honors from Arkansas Business
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Vines Center
Opened in 1980, the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center is the locus for education and leadership programs related to the Arkansas 4-H program, as well as other public, private and non-profit organizations. The center is named for the late C.A. Vines, the former director of the Cooperative Extension Service, who envisioned the center in the late 1970s as a way to improve youth development and educational outreach. The center is supported by the non-profit Arkansas 4-H Foundation, the Cooperative Extension Service, and revenue generated by meetings and events it hosts. The Vines Center is located in Ferndale, Arkansas, in the Ouachita Mountains. Find the center online: https://thevinescenter.org/
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu