“Privately owned businesses only. No exceptions.”
Rich Creyer, Member Care Manager, calls this our Battle Cry. That distinction is one of the keys to our success, and is THE thing that sets LTP apart from other trade exchanges throughout the country. We are here for the little guys. We are here for you.
Owner, Rolf Wilkin, could see from the beginning the incremental boosts that come with being an active member of a trade exchange. Those incremental boosts have turned into exponential growth, not just for Eureka Pizza, but for many of our members, and for the Local Trade Partners’ community at large.
Meet the Team
Kady Bright
Administrative Broker
Kady is a driving force behind our success at Local Trade Partners!
Kady has been actively engaged in the Northwest Arkansas community since 2015. Often referred to as a “bridge,” she seamlessly connects individuals, fostering relationships that go beyond transactions. She has an innate ability to recognize the smallest details while keeping sight of the big picture, making her an invaluable asset to our team as well as to our member’s businesses. Kady is the one to call if you have LTP questions, need help finding something, or just need an extra set of eyes on something. She has skills for miles and a heart dedicated to local businesses’ success, and she shows up every day eager to help. Get in touch with Kady today and let her know how she can help you!
Rich Creyer, CTB
Senior Broker + Member Care Manager
Rich is a Certified Trade Broker (CTB), lives in Prairie Grove and is a member of the Springdale Rotary Club where he holds the honor of Paul Harris Fellow. As an Economist and a student of Trade Exchanges, he is eager to help you grow your business profitably through the resources and opportunities Local Trade Partners has to offer.
Rich’s business background began with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Lehigh University and post-graduate work at New York University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Arkansas. He has 39 years of business experience including CEO of the Employee Benefits Resources Center, Inc., sales experience with IBM, Digital Media, and AIG. He also has extensive experience in the construction industry.
When he’s not helping trade members, you might find him riding motorcycles or working out!
Rolf Wilkin CTB, CTE
CEO
Rolf is a Certified Trade Broker (CTB), and one of the few Certified Trade Executives in the world, the highest accreditation within the barter industry.
His career began in Arkansas in 1988 as a publisher serving college students and small businesses. In 1992, he founded Eureka Pizza, which has been voted Best Pizza multiples times. Eureka Pizza was named Northwest Arkansas Business of the Year, and he was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. He received the Salut au Restaurateur award from the Arkansas Restaurant Association, where he later served as president. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Arkansas Hospitality Association. He currently serves on the board of National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE), is an active member of the Springdale Rotary Club where he’s previously served as President, and is an Eagle Scout. He’s an active member of the Northwest Arkansas community, serves in school PTOs, and is a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Rolf has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance) from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!) and has post-graduate studies at the University of Arkansas. He studied Pizza Production at the American Institute of Baking.
Rolf and his wife Ceri, a native of Hamilton, New Zealand, live in Fayetteville with their 3 children. He enjoys cooking, bicycling, weight lifting, reading, hunting and attending Rotary meetings.
Local Trade Partners was founded in 2009 as a twofold mission.
Rolf Wilken, a young entrepreneur of a growing pizza chain in Northwest Arkansas, had friends in other locations telling him about the advantages trade exchanges offered their businesses. He did the research. He studied the successful exchanges. The statistics consistently showed favorable results for small businesses through providing them an extra bump in revenue. And that was just one of the benefits he discovered.
The problem was, he couldn’t find a group close enough to Northwest Arkansas to join. This prompted him to investigate starting his own exchange. Around that same time, his father passed away and left Rolf a small inheritance. Ceasing the opportunity, and as a way to pay tribute to his father’s memory, Local Trade Partners was established with the vision to boost the success of local businesses.
Rolf knew Rich Creyer had the perfect skill set to grow the exchange. He and Rich talked about the possibilities for months as circumstances fell into place for both of them to start something new. Rich was working at AIG at the time, and when the day came to begin building the membership, he shifted his schedule at AIG and hit the streets calling on businesses on behalf of LTP every day at 3pm.
In January 2010, LTP hit 90 members, Rich transitioned to full time, and they turned on the software!
By the 2-year mark the membership was at 250 and grew to well over 1000 members by 2019. Today, Local Trade Partners is still going strong and proud to have deep representation in every area of Northwest Arkansas, reaching as far east as Eureka Springs, south to Fort Smith and the River Valley, west into Oklahoma and north into Southwest Missouri, including the Branson area.
Local Trade Partners was founded in 2009 as a twofold mission.
Rolf Wilken, a young entrepreneur of a growing pizza chain in Northwest Arkansas, had friends in other locations telling him about the advantages trade exchanges offered their businesses. He did the research. He studied the successful exchanges. The statistics consistently showed favorable results for small businesses through providing them an extra bump in revenue. And that was just one of the benefits he discovered.
The problem was, he couldn’t find a group close enough to Northwest Arkansas to join. This prompted him to investigate starting his own exchange. Around that same time, his father passed away and left Rolf a small inheritance. Ceasing the opportunity, and as a way to pay tribute to his father’s memory, Local Trade Partners was established with the vision to boost the success of local businesses.
Rolf knew Rich Creyer had the perfect skill set to grow the exchange. He and Rich talked about the possibilities for months as circumstances fell into place for both of them to start something new. Rich was working at AIG at the time, and when the day came to begin building the membership, he shifted his schedule at AIG and hit the streets calling on businesses on behalf of LTP every day at 3pm.
In January 2010, LTP hit 90 members, Rich transitioned to full time, and they turned on the software!
By the 2-year mark the membership was at 250 and grew to well over 1000 members by 2019. Today, Local Trade Partners is still going strong and proud to have deep representation in every area of Northwest Arkansas, reaching as far east as Eureka Springs, south to Fort Smith and the River Valley, west into Oklahoma and north into Southwest Missouri, including the Branson area.