29 Dec 2023 Outstanding Women In Business Winner: Dr. Sharon Stone

By Rita Halter Thomas and Stefanie Brazile

The annual Sissy’s Log Cabin Women in Business Luncheon honors individuals in the Conway area who have excelled in leadership and community service and have inspired others on both a personal and professional level. The annual awards are overseen by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by Baptist Health-Conway and Insight Enterprises. The awards luncheon was hosted Dec. 12 in the auditorium of Conway Christian High School.

When Dr. Sharon Stone, owner of the St. Francis Veterinary Clinic, learned of her award, she was unaware of the nomination and initially thought it was a joke. When she realized otherwise, she felt honored to be nominated and chosen.

Dr. Stone says she enjoys being a veterinarian because every day is unique, and she gets to hang out with animals “from dogs and cats to lizards, snakes and guinea pigs.” While medical doctors specialize, she gets to address multiple areas of health including dermatology, cardiology, internal medicine, and any type of surgery she’s equipped to do.

Stone is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She and Steve, her husband of 40 years, have three sons: Simon, Sidney and Seth. Simon and his wife, Christie, have a son named Christopher. 

Stone said she’s thankful her parents never told her she couldn’t do something because she was a girl, a common sentiment of the 60s and 70s. Stone said she is grateful for her husband’s unfailing support, and also for the support of their boys. “They probably don’t remember having to sleep on the couch in my office while I attended to emergencies, but they also worked for me at one time or another, and still will … if needed.”

Stone served four-and-a-half years in the Army, serving in a MEDDAC unit and a Veterinary Corps. “We traveled while in the Army and then returned to Conway to raise our family because it was the best place we’d been.” The veterinarian said she’s grateful to the community and her staff. She has built lifelong bonds with clients who have brought generations of pets to the clinic since it opened in 1996. Stone said she is also thankful for those she works with. “They give their all every day, all day, and work harder than any people I know.”

Sharing one valuable lesson she’s learned over the years, she said, “You can’t do everything yourself. Delegate to the people who want to help you.”