Larry Stone

Larry is the creative heart of Stone Ward. As co-founder, CEO, and Executive Creative Director, he spends the majority of his agency time shepherding agency brands and mentoring agency people. Not just a creative mind, he is also a sought-after sounding board for all disciplines, not to mention providing counsel to numerous organizations, entrepreneurs, and start-ups.

An art director and design aficionado, Larry knew he wanted to pursue advertising as a career from the time he was a junior in high school. Upon graduating from Louisiana Tech University, he began his career in Little Rock in 1969. Shortly after, he stepped into the role of creative director at age 26. In 1984, along with his partner Millie Ward, he founded Stone Ward, building it into one of the most respected ad agencies in the Southwest.

Larry is an active civic leader, serving on the Board of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches for 25 years and 10 years as its chairman. He is also President of the Board of the Arkansas Cinema Society and an advisor to global non-profit Bridge2Rwanda. As a long-time member of his church, he has also completed multiple mission trips to the Maldives and Africa.

Larry’s personal accolades include being named the Arkansas Advertising Federation Ad Person of the Year, recipient of the Arkansas Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award, and his 2017 induction into the Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame. He is a past recipient of the Arkansas Children’s Award given to him by the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches to honor his career work as a champion of children. He has also been recognized by his alma mater as Louisiana Tech University’s Alumnus of the Year.

A constant student, Larry will devour any opportunity to learn something new, whether it be through a book, a tutorial or hands-on experience from his travels throughout the world. His advice for someone thinking about a career in advertising? “We get to be Holmes to solve the mystery, Edison to invent the solution, and Musk to make it fly. If you like the sound of that, this might be the career for you.”