Harvey Williams, Delta Dirt Distillery
Vance St. Columbia, Partners Bank
Arkansas Business has released the 2026 Arkansas 250, its annual list of the state's most influential leaders. Two of the names on it lead businesses based right here in Helena-West Helena: Harvey Williams, CEO and co-founder of Delta Dirt Distillery, and Vance St. Columbia, president and CEO of Partners Bank.
For a community our size, two spots on a statewide list of 250 is worth stopping to celebrate. It is also a good excuse to brag on two people who have spent years building something in Phillips County.
Harvey Williams, Delta Dirt Distillery
Harvey Williams and his family took what the Delta already had, good dirt and a crop that thrives in it, and built a business nobody else in Arkansas was building. Delta Dirt Distillery grows its own sweet potatoes on a Phillips County farm that has been in the Williams family for four generations, then turns them into spirits at 430 Cherry Street in downtown Helena.
Since opening its doors in April 2021, the distillery has collected national awards, including a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Sweet Blend Vodka. Its bottles are now on shelves across Arkansas and in other U.S. markets, and its tours and tasting room bring visitors to Cherry Street who might never have come to Helena otherwise.
Arkansas Business recognized Harvey for building a company that keeps farming, manufacturing, hospitality and entrepreneurship under one roof. That is the part we admire most. The sweet potatoes are grown here, the spirits are made here, and the family behind the bar is from here.
Asked for his favorite memory at work, Harvey pointed to the one time his father was able to visit the distillery before he passed, and the photo of the two of them together at the bar. For a business built on four generations of family land, that says plenty.
Vance St. Columbia, Partners Bank
Vance St. Columbia is a Helena native who has built his career around community banking in Phillips County. Under his leadership, Partners Bank has added capabilities and grown its reach beyond its traditional Delta footprint, while keeping its home in Helena.
His service runs well past the bank. Vance is a past president and current board member of three local institutions: Helena Regional Medical Center, the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce and the Helena Rotary Club. He is a graduate of Delta State University and the Barret School of Banking.
A locally led bank matters in a place like ours. Decisions about who gets a loan to open a storefront or buy a first home are made by people who know the streets and the families involved. We have seen that commitment firsthand through Partners Bank's support of our Rising Leaders financial literacy program for high school seniors.
What this says about Helena
Both leaders chose to build here, and both have put their time into the community as well as their companies.
At Delta Magic, we spend a lot of energy pushing back on the tired story that nothing good happens in the Delta. Recognition like this makes that job easier. The rest of Arkansas is noticing what we already knew.
Congratulations, Harvey and Vance. Helena-West Helena is proud of you.
You can read both profiles in the 2026 Arkansas 250 from Arkansas Business. Better yet, stop by Delta Dirt at 430 Cherry Street for a tour and a tasting, and tell Harvey congratulations in person.