Huge Dedication Event in NWA Celebrates Airport Bypass Road and Philip Taldo
There are many ways to measure the success of a highway project: costs, tons of materials used in construction, daily usage numbers, jobs created, and finishing ahead of schedule are just a few metrics. But another might be the number of people willing to show up for a dedication event when the temperature is near 100 degrees, and there is no shade anywhere on site.
This was the case in Rogers recently for the very long-awaited moment when traffic would start to flow on the Springdale-Northwest Bypass / XNA Connector Road. After years of planning, it is now officially faster and easier to access the Northwest Arkansas National Airport.
More than 1,000 people turned out for one of the largest project dedication celebrations in Arkansas history. These two projects are unique in that they will both have significant local impact, but as ARDOT Director Jared Wiley told an enthusiastic crowd, “It is rare for two projects of this size, scope, and impact to literally come together at the same time. ARDOT and the Arkansas Highway Commission are committed to delivering highway projects that better connect us all.”
Aaron Burkes has been the CEO of XNA since 2018. He says most airports in the United States probably operate at a blend of roughly 50% business travelers and 50% leisure travelers. At XNA, on any given Thursday, that number is probably closer to 70% business travelers. These business road warriors bring their products and investment dollars to this region in a way that creates jobs and economic growth. Better integrating this thriving airport into the overall economic equation here is a milestone event. More than 1.3 million people are expected to travel in or out of the airport this year.
The airport opened in 1998, and the first congressional earmark to study the creation of the access road came out of Washington in 1999. It has been a long road to get to this celebratory Friday morning moment.
But if there is one person who has consistently been in the middle of this effort to get these two roads open, it is Arkansas Highway Commission Chairman Philip Taldo. Being Chairman of the commission means your time in the appointment is nearing an end. This day was about celebrating regional progress but also about celebrating this humble, funny, kind man who always puts the work well ahead of his own ego. He is not your typical personality in a position of power like this.
In classic Taldo fashion, he made it clear to ARDOT leadership that he did not want to make this dedication about him. He was adamant that it be about celebrating a meaningful partnership between the airport and the region. He is also determined to maximize his final months as chairman and move on to the next thing. “At the dedication, it was great to see a lot of old friends. And it was good to see so many people who have helped bring this project to completion. But honestly, I am ready to move on to the next big thing.”
Whenever possible, Taldo gives credit to others. He says Congressman Steve Womack has worked for years to bring federal funding to infrastructure projects in his district: “Congressman Womack has done a lot over the years to find the funding and resources for roads we need, utilities, and water infrastructure. He has done a lot for small towns in this region, and I always try to remind people of the difference he has made.”
Taldo says that when he joined the highway commission, there were three primary regional projects he wanted to see brought to completion.
These were the Springdale Bypass, the XNA Connector Road, and the Highway 112 expansion and improvement. He has now checked off all of them on his list.
Wiley says, “As Chairman, Philip is always there when I need him. I appreciate how steady he is. His opinion on any issue is not going to change when the winds blow. In any situation, he is going to have a consistent outlook. He is always strong and steadfast in terms of the work we do together.”
Taldo is a Springdale real estate broker also involved in development and construction projects. He attended Springdale High School and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville after growing up in Tontitown. He has three daughters and nine grandchildren.
One of his granddaughters is Ashlyn Brothers, a reporter and anchor at KNWA TV in Northwest Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas broadcasting department and did stints on TV in Tulsa and New Orleans before coming home to work closer to her family. It might be safe to say that on this historic dedication day, Philip Taldo is prouder of his granddaughter covering the event than any other part of the celebration.
The love obviously goes both ways. Brothers is clearly proud of her grandfather, maybe most proud of the things he does that no one ever sees: “People don’t realize how much he quietly does for others behind the scenes. He is a two-time cancer survivor who genuinely cares about people. There are very few people who have his combination of heart and brains.”
“He is one of the kindest, most humble people I know. He comes from a modest background, and his first job in life was pumping gas. To see him doing what he does now is really a full-circle moment. He always wanted to be involved with this work because highways and roads touch every community in the state.” — Ashlyn Brothers, KNWA TV reporter and anchor and Taldo’s granddaughter
Ashlyn followed her career path back home for a great opportunity at KNWA, but also because it meant she would be closer to her large family and her grandparents.
She says of her grandfather, “He is one of the kindest, most humble people I know. He comes from a modest background, and his first job in life was pumping gas. To see him doing what he does now is really a full-circle moment. He always wanted to be involved with this work because highways and roads touch every community in the state.”
While some people in public life post confrontational themes in Facebook comments, Philip often starts Saturday or Sunday by posting pictures of the healthy breakfast with fresh ingredients he and his wife put together. (Taldo tip: Guacamole always goes well with eggs and toast.) He breaks a lot of stereotypes about what political power looks like.
Ashlyn works a morning news shift at KNWA. On the day we talk about her grandfather, she is about to grab four or five hours of sleep, get up at 1:00 a.m., and then start a new shift in the newsroom. Hard work comes naturally to her siblings and cousins.
As we close our phone conversation, Brothers offers wisdom perhaps beyond her years when she says, “He doesn’t do any of this for the accolades. He genuinely believes his time on the commission has been about creating opportunities for future generations.”
When we were planning a Good Roads meeting in Rogers in July, Taldo would call me a couple of times a week to see what he could do to help. He runs a thriving business, sits in one of the most powerful political appointments in the state, and is the loving patriarch of a sprawling family, but always finds time for others and for his beloved Arkansas. In the angry, often conflicted world we live in, we need more servant leaders like this.
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