The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual banquet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27 at the Jacksonville Community Center.
New officers will be Philip Carlisle, president, Jason Wilkinson, vice president, and Jody Urquhart, treasurer.
Carlisle is an Arkansas native and resident of Jacksonville for 51 years. He and his wife, Karen, have been married 30 years and have a daughter, Taylor Carlisle. He is a member of First United Methodist Church.
In 1996, Carlisle was named the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. He is a past honorary commander at Little Rock Air Force Base and a member of the Jacksonville Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, the Lions Club and the Rotary Club, which named him a Paul Harris Fellow.
His hobbies include duck hunting, golf and flying. He is employed at First Arkansas Bank and Trust, where he represents Investment Professionals Inc. as a registered financial consultant. He is also a partner in Subway of Arkansas.
Carlisle’s vision for the Jack-sonville Chamber of Commerce is to continue to build relationships with area businesses as well as the city of Jacksonville. In partnership with the city advertising and promotion commission, the chamber will continue to promote Jacksonville.
His hope is that the courts will allow Jacksonville to have its own school district and that the chamber will play a leading role in bringing the city, businesses and residents together to achieve this important goal.
Wilkinson is a native of Jacksonville and a graduate of Jacksonville High School. After attending the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, he returned to his home town to work as a certified public accountant. He is also a certified fraud examiner.
He worked in public accounting for Arthur Andersen and Rasco, Winter and Associates before joining in the formation of G and K Home Solutions, a local real estate investment and development company. He is a deacon and treasurer of Second Baptist Church in Jacksonville.
Wilkinson is married with two children, ages 2 and 6.
His vision for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is “to create a positive atmosphere between the businesses of Jacksonville, the city of Jacksonville and the customers of Jacksonville.”
He said he believes in “the fostering of strong networking among chamber members in order to further all of our business ventures.”
Urquhart is a Jacksonville native. He and his wife, Keri, have one child. He has been with Arkansas Farm Bureau for 11 years and is coordinator of its 13-county north central district.
He is a graduate of UA Monticello with a degree in animal science and agriculture and an alumni of LEAD AR, a two-year UA Extension Service leadership- development program.
His civic affiliations include serving as board member for the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club and as secretary on the Jacksonville Sewer Commission. He is a founding board member and organizer of the Jacksonville World Class Education Organization, a group dedicated to improving the quality of education for all of Jacksonville’s children.
He was recently reappointed to serve as an honorary commander for the 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
Urquhart wants to see the chamber continue its efforts to build its membership and find new ways to serve and support all members so that they prosper. He also wants the chamber to be an advocate for an independent Jacksonville school district, as part of a community that children will be committed to as a great place to live, shop and play.
“It’s time for Jacksonville to soar higher than it ever thought possible,” he says.
