Join the QQA as we listen to Sarah Vestal talk about the history of her family's horticulture and floral businesses in Little Rock.

Joseph W. Vestal, a Quaker horticulturist in Indiana, founded in 1861 one of the first U.S. mail order catalog operations. In search of warmer winters, Joseph relocated his thriving floral business in 1881 to the north bank of the Arkansas River at Little Rock.  By the 1890’s, Joseph W. Vestal & Son was one of the largest rose growers in the U.S. and Little Rock became nationally known as the City of Roses. A recent study by Sarah Vestal of the annual Vestal mail order catalogs provides the garden and landscaping trends of the last century. Dr. Vestal will discuss her findings in relation to Little Rock history.

As an active 5th generation member of Joseph W. Vestal’s horticultural legacy, Sarah Vestal grew up in cut flower operations. In 2002, Sarah was recognized by the US Department of Agriculture for developing the first USDA Certified Organic greenhouse range in the U.S. In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service designated Sarah as the national expert on cannabis based on her extensive case work in Marin and Sonoma Counties, CA.

Over a 40-year professional career, Sarah has owned and led small to mid-size manufacturing, research & development, import-export, and agricultural organizations in addition to her decade of service for the federal government. Sarah’s negotiation of the first technology transfer from Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union put Sarah in the world news in the days leading up to the first Presidential summit between Clinton and Yeltsin in Vancouver, B.C. (1993).

Sarah has an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas (1979), MBA degree in technology management (University of Phoenix, 2001), and MS degree in taxation from Golden Gate University (2010). Her doctorate is in organizational leadership (University of Phoenix, 2015). 

Event Info:

• When: November 19, 2020
• Where: Virtual Venue, using Zoom and Facebook Live. You'll be sent a Zoom link 24 hours before the event.
• What Time: 6:00 pm (lecture)
• RSVP: The event is free and open to the public. If you choose to join us via Zoom, please RSVP so we can send you a link.

Questions? Call 501-371-0075 ext. 3 or email [email protected]