Page 30 - ATR 1 2012 web 2

Keene said. “He’d get up and talk to the
distribution guys. And he kept that rou-
tine until the day he passed away.”
If Keene has taken anything from
Don Tyson’s example, it is that approach-
ability.
As he strolls through the airy, mod-
ern headquarters, Keene encounters one
employee after another who greets him
with his nickname “Blue.”
Keene’s uncle, Floyd Keene,
bestowed the nickname when Keene was
a boy. While the name’s meaning is a be married to both of them.”
“trade secret,” Keene said, he indicated Whether resisting his nickname or
the origin might not be for print. not, Blue has carried the tradition and
“Uncle Floyd tells about five differ- nicknamed all four of his grandchildren—
ent stories and let’s just say it depends Landon, for example, is called “Scooter.”
on the company and how late at deer Yet it is without a hint of irony that
camp it may be,” Keene said. Keene, on his Founder’s Room tour,
Keene admits he has tried to shake points to an old Tyson logo in its original
the nickname but to no avail. color—blue.
One day, Jackie came across a past Standing next to a full-size photo
acquaintance of Keene’s. She said she cutout of Don Tyson, it is clear that Keene “Tyson is so innovative,” Keene said.
had known both Larry Keene and Blue simply revels in the company’s past while “It’s a good fit for me because I like to be
Keene and, “There’s no way Jackie could looking forward to its future. creative and do things in a new way.”

At A GlAnce

larry “Blue” Keene

Born: November 11, 1959
FAmily: Jackie (wife); Rex (son); Haley (daughter-in-law); Natalie, Emily and Max
(grandchildren); Ashley (daughter); Justin (son-in-law) and Landon (grandson)
educAtion: BS in Business Administration Arkansas Tech University
FAvorite Food: Jackie’s homemade lasagna
First cAr: Chevy truck
FAvorite BooKs: anything by James Patterson and John Grisham
FAvorite Actor: Morgan Freeman
FAvorite tyson product: boneless, skinless chicken breast
FAvorite meAl to cooK: Prime rib
HoBBies: Fishing, golfing and traveling with family
lAst BooK reAd: James Patterson’s Kill Alex Cross
FAvorite ipHone App: Google Maps
FAvorite vAcAtion destinAtion: In a hammock on the beach in St.
Thomas with a good book
lAst movie you sAw in tHeAters: One for the Money
your BiGGest vice: Watching Fox News
most endeArinG quAlity: Kind heart
wHen i retire: I want to travel with my wife and spend lots of time with my
grandkids

30 arkansas truCking rePort | issue 1 2012