Larry Stephens, P.E.

Larry Stephens

2017

Larry Stephens, P.E.

BSIE 1958

Chairman of the Board (retired)

Mid-South Engineering Company

Larry Stephens was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. After earning his bachelor’s degree at the U of A, he began his career with Dierks Forest, Inc., and served in a variety of positions from 1958 to 1969, including project engineer for the paper mill, plant engineer for the board plant, and senior project manager. His involvement in the wood products industry continued when he and some of his associates formed Mid-South Engineering in 1969.  He served as vice president until 1991, when he assumed the role of president and chief operating officer. The company now has offices in Hot Springs, Arkansas; Cary, North Carolina; and Bangor, Maine.  Stephens recently retired as chairman of the board.

Stephens is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Minnesota, South Carolina, Wisconsin and North Carolina. He is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers, the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers In 2015, Stephens received the Engineer of the Year award from the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers. The same year he was selected as Man of the Year by the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.

Stephens is a past member of the U of A National Development Council and a charter member and past president of the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering. He is a life member and past national president of the University of Arkansas Alumni Association, and he served on the College of Engineering committee for the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century.  Stephens is a member of the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and a 2005 recipient of the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Stephens and his wife, Gwen, have been giving to the university for 35 years, the longest consecutive donors. In October 2014, Stephens received the Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award from the Arkansas Alumni Association. Stephens is also active in civic and professional organizations. He has served as chairman of the Hot Springs Airport Commission and the Hot Springs Civil Service Commission, as well as serving on several other government committee and commissions. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Levi Hospital and the Oaklawn Foundation Board.