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About Frank Fletcher Jr.
Frank Fletcher Jr. has built a still-growing string of 20 ultra-successful enterprises in a variety of industries by recognizing the potential in a wide range of situations and anticipating trends to pioneer new businesses.
Born in Little Rock, Fletcher was adopted by Frank and Aline Fletcher as a baby. He was raised on a farm in Tamo, Ark., which at that time had a population of five. Frank went to grade school in Grady, where he was named to the All State basketball team in 8th and 9th grades. At 6-foot-4 when he was 14 years old, Frank went on to play for the Pine Bluff High School team. A fortuitous move in many ways for Fletcher, not the least of which was meeting Judy Hamm, captain of the cheerleading squad, who would later become his wife.
Frank went to the University of Arkansas and joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Judy went to Henderson State University, where she would earn a teaching degree. He and Judy have two children, Chris and Jerilynn. Chris and his wife Lisa have given Frank and Judy three grandsons: Jacob, Sam and Adam.
After earning a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Arkansas, Fletcher joined the Army. After the Army, he worked nights at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor and days at Worthen Bank Trust department while Judy taught 12 th grade at North Little Rock High School.
After a short stay at Worthen Bank, Fletcher landed a job with the DuPont Paint Co., which is how he met Sam Walton at Walmart number two in Harrison, AR. After negotiating with Walton about a $1,500 purchase, Fletcher completed a deal for Walmart to buy 300 gallons of paint. That began a relationship that would last for many years and lead Fletcher down many successful business paths.
About two years after the paint deal, Walton called Fletcher and asked him resign from DuPont and become a manufacturer’s representative for Walmart. Fletcher excelled at being a Walmart rep, but after eight years at that, Walton called Frank into his office and told him Walmart was doing away with manufacturers reps and that Fletcher would be out of a job. Walton told Fletcher all the reps were being terminated and that all factories would be house accounts.
Walton advised Fletcher to go back to Little Rock and rent a garage and manufacture something. He said if the products were good, Walmart would put it in its stores. Fletcher took the advice and started Cheyenne/Silverwood Industries. With modest garage space, the company started making lamps, mirrors and framed art, which sold not only to Walmart but to many companies such as Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Sam’s Club, Costco and other. Fletcher’s startup grew to become the largest lamp company in the United States.
Fletcher expanded manufacturing into Taiwan and then mainland China and grew this business to $100 million-plus in annual sales before selling the company in December 2010.
But this was not Fletcher’s only enterprise over this time period. He also had started Wyndham Riverfront Hotel, Benihana Japanese Steakhouse, Riverfront Steakhouse, the Fletcher Realty Company and the Fletcher Auto Group. The Auto Group began with one store in 1989 and has grown to 13 car dealerships including Dodge Chrysler Jeep in four cities, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Ford in two cities, Nissan, Toyota, GMC, Buick and Subaru. Now, Fletcher Auto Group ranks in the top 100 Car Dealers in USA.
Fletcher is often asked why he has interests in so many varied businesses and industries. His explanation goes way back to his days dealing with Walmart. He says, “Why so much diversity? Mr. Walton taught me to never have all your marbles in one bag.”
Starting and running so many diverse businesses has resulted in a variety of awards and recognitions over Fletcher’s business career. He was named Walmart’s “Vendor of the Year” three times and was given the Promise of Hope Endowment Award in 1996. The Walton College honored him as Entrepreneur of the year in 2000, and his restaurant was named Benihana Franchise of the Year (Worldwide) for 2003.
He was recognized in 2011 as Sales and Marketing Executives International Arkansas Top Manager of the Year.
In 2013, Frank was inducted into the Walton Business Hall of Fame at the University of Arkansas. Fellow inductees that year were Tommy Boyer, Buddy Coleman and William Cravens. In 2016, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni award at the University of Arkansas. The two other distinguished alumni that year included Connie Lewis Lensing, Senior VP of Fed Ex and Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Frank thought he was in good company with all of these honorees.
He is known throughout the business community as being a founder of the Students Acquiring Knowledge through Experience (S.A.K.E.) program at the Walton College, which gives college students real-life, hands-on exposure to business applications and issues to go along with what they are learning in their classes. He has given countless hours of his time to speak to classes and student groups at the Walton College and the University of Arkansas, with leaders of S.A.K.E. lauding him as “our motivational leader and our practical guide.”
Fletcher also sponsors the “Stuff The Truck” charity, is a major contributor to Easter Seals and the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has contributed millions of dollars for the construction of churches in the state. He has given more than $100,000 to Toys for Tots in recent years. He also was one of the major contributors to the construction of a new Kappa Sigma fraternity house on the University of Arkansas campus. Fletcher is a major contributor to his Alma Mater University of Arkansas Razorback Foundation and the SAKE program at the U of A.
Fletcher has been honored many times for his civic and charitable work. Those honors include the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Achievement Award for 2000, American Red Cross awards, the Pulaski County Humane Society Citizen of Hope Award and many others.
He also is an active thoroughbred horse owner and breeder with Rocket Horse Racing Corp., which annually enters horses at top tracks such as Oaklawn Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Saratoga, Santa Anita and others. He has had Breeder’s Cup entries in 2011, 2020 and 2022. Rocket Can won the Holy Bull stakes in 2023 then placed 4th in the Arkansas Derby then finished 9th in the Kentucky Derby. Frank’s Rockette, a 6 year old filly, has won over $1,400,000 in her racing career.
His trainers are Bill Mott, Brad Cox and Bob Baffert.
Frank Fletcher Racing manager is Kathleen Moore Howard. As a rider, Howard was a leading apprentice at Oaklawn and set a record for wins that stood for 17 years. She also became the first female to win a stakes race at Oaklawn when she won the King Cotton aboard Gallant Serenade in 1981. In 1982, she was invited to represent the United States in the Japan Ladies Cup.
The Fletcher History
Fletcher Auto Group was started in 1989 by Frank Fletcher. Fletcher learned his business skills from Sam Walton selling many products to Wal-Mart when they opened their second store in 1966. Walton taught Fletcher the value of taking care of the CUSTOMER. Today Fletcher Auto Group has eleven major brands - Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford and Subaru in 12 stores in Arkansas and Missouri. All of the stores share a common goal to provide the highest quality experience when purchasing a new or pre-owned vehicle and when servicing vehicles in our service department. The Fletcher Auto Group has continued to grow and prosper because of our sound business practices and a total focus on our customers and our associates. While we plan continued growth as an Auto Group, we will always be totally dedicated to growing our business one customer at a time.
The Fletcher Mission
To build our Auto Group one customer at a time by offering unparalleled customer service in our sales and service departments, building and supporting the communities we live, work, and play in, and by hiring and building leaders through training, example, and cultivating an environment of mutual respect and unlimited opportunity for all our associates.
Our Community Commitment
The Fletcher Auto Group is dedicated to each community where we have a dealership by supporting charities, civic organizations, and schools where our people and customers live and work. Frank Fletcher along with Jerry Jones founded S.A.K.E. (Students Acquiring Knowledge through Enterprise) a student-run, non-profit business operated through the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business. Some of our other beneficiaries are University of Arkansas, Toys for Tots, Make A Wish, Big Brothers Big Sisters, United Way, Arkansas Sports Hall Of Fame, March Of Dimes, Youth Home, and many others.
Fletcher Facts
Frank Fletcher is a veteran of the U.S. Army and proud to have served in the U. S. Army for 6 years. He took his basic training in Ft. Polk, Louisiana.