High Profile: Kerry Krouse Thompson McCoy
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
 Phillis D. Brandon writes about Kerry McCoy for the High Profile section in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Brandon interviews Mrs. McCoy, employees, and family on the past 28 years in the flag business. The following are excerpts from the two page article.
McCoy wound up in selling flags as a kind of last resort. She'd had a difficult time at North Little Rock's Northeast High School, where "I was probably voted least likely to succeed." It would be years before she was diagnosed with dyslexia, which impaired her reading skills. All the while, she was working after-school jobs at Woody's Catering Service, Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Park Theater.
McCoy's mother says she recently read a definition of a chance taker: "It's one who jumps over the cliff and builds her wings on the way down. I said, "That's Kerry - she takes chances and I'm just the opposite.' Her business started with nothing and she has kept it going."
By 1990, the flag industry was becoming computerized and McCoy's business would change dramatically. "People used to come to me for hand-painted banners or sewn banners," she says. "Now, they were going to Fast Signs and having banners digitally cut. So I quickly went to Dallas and bought that machine and started learning how to do computer-cut vinyl banners."
Fisher, who joined Arkansas Flag and Banner in 1989, heads the firm's accounting department. "I could not have done it without him,"McCoy says. "In the early days," says Fisher,"we both did everything, sold traveled, did what we had to do. She is a dynamic individual, always thinking. I am the conservative, she is the outgoing one, and she never quits thinking. She's always trying to improve this company and on the the next project."
"I love the whole business thing," McCoy says." I like the strategy. I'm selling now down in the showroom. For the last three months I've been rotating among departments, even down in shipping, just to see what makes people keep ordering from me."
Posted on June 30, 2002
Kerry McCoy promotes advertising in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette
 I want to share with you how the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has helped my business grow.
When the attack on America happened Sept. 11th, Arkansas Flag and Banner's walk-in sales went through the roof - or should I say out the door and around the corner. My customers were incredibly gracious and understanding, but the truth was I didn't have a big enough or nice enough store for them to shop. I quickly began to remedy the problem and on Thanksgiving weekend, Arkansas Flag and banner opened a new Factory Store with room to shop and display our assorted flags, flagpoles and gift ideas.
to get the word out about our new Factory Store, we decided to try ads in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (even though I was a little skeptical). The results were overwhelming! Advertising in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette proved affordable because the increased sales more than paid for the advertising. Advertising in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is versatile because you can easily change your advertising message and your coverage from the entire state to the Little Rock metro area, and it provides consistency. Also, advertising our new Factory Store in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has created a partnership that helps keep flags flying high all across Arkansas.
Thanks for your help in designing an advertising program that works for us.
Kerry McCoy
President of Arkansas Flag and Banner
Posted on August 13, 2002
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