08/13/2008
CONTACT: Sylvester Smith, 501-801-1974 or Todd Pack, 615-872-5897
Steve Landers Sr. dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, NFIB
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Left to right: NFIB/Arkansas State Director Sylvester Smith, Small Business Champion Steve Landers and Leadership Council Member Jim Davis |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Steve Landers Sr., who began selling cars as a teenager and today runs a company with dealerships in six states, has been named the Solveras/NFIB Small Business Champion for Arkansas by the National Federation of Independent Business and Solveras, one of the nation's leading paying processing companies for small businesses.
"Steve is the model entrepreneur," said Sylvester Smith, state director of NFIB/Arkansas, the state's leading small business association. "He does anything and everything he can to help small business and NFIB."
That included hosting an NFIB Fix-It Forum on healthcare reform on May 1 at Landers Toyota in Little Rock. NFIB President and CEO Todd Stottlemyer was there to discuss Solutions Start Here, NFIB's aggressive campaign urging policymakers to deliver real and meaningful healthcare reform for small business owners, their employees and their families.
Landers, president of RLJ-McLarty-Landers Automotive Group of Little Rock, began selling cars after graduating from high school. He eventually opened a used-car lot with his father in Benton and purchased the Jeep, GMC and Oldsmobile dealerships in Benton.
Landers sold his business to United Auto Group in 1995 and became president of the company's South Central Region. He left UAG in 2003 to join his sons in buying a Toyota dealership in Little Rock. A year later, Landers formed a partnership with Mark McLarty, former chief of staff to President Clinton.
In 2007, the McLarty-Landers Automotive Group merged with RLJ Companies, founded by Robert L. Johnson, majority owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET). RLJ-McLarty-Landers now owns dealerships in Arkansas and five other states.
In addition to his work with NFIB/Arkansas, Landers is involved with the American Heart Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society. "My principle is very simple: Work hard, and put the customer first," Landers said. "That has been my attitude for the 40 years I've been in the car business.
"I'm very proud to receive the Small Business Champion award from NFIB," he said. "NFIB is relentless in its efforts to help small business, and I'm glad to help NFIB in any way I can."
