Carty, Harding & Hearn
Public Finance
Improving Your Community
Financial Experts
Areas of Expertise
Select Transactions
Finance Team
Improving Your Community
Our veteran public finance team has a passion for helping communities. We leverage the tax-exempt and taxable bond markets, along with other available federal and local incentives to fund critical and quality-of-life infrastructure.
From state and local governments to non-profit organizations, Carty, Harding & Hearn funds community-improving projects, like facility and land acquisition, new construction, refinancing, improving and expanding facilities, equipment acquisition, and more.
Our Experienced Financial Experts Can Help
At Carty, Harding & Hearn, our priority in Public Finance is to help our customers efficiently access capital. In an ever-growing and crowded marketplace, we continue to emphasize customer service, honesty, integrity, and client education. If you are interested in funding a public finance project, contact our experienced team today.
Areas of Expertise
State & Local Governments
Public, Private and Charter Schools
Economic Development
Energy Performance Contracting
Healthcare
Higher Education
Special Districts
Public & Affordable Housing
Solar Projects
Water & Sewer
Select Transactions
Energy Conservation
$6,760,000
City of Bridgeport D/B/A Park City Communities
(Energy Performance Equipment Lease/Purchase)
Lease Revenue Custodial Receipts
Series 2025
Sole Senior Manger
Charter School
$35,810,000
Utah Charter School Finance Authority
(Salt Lake Academy)
Charter School Revenue Bonds
Series 2025 A (Tax-Exempt) Series 2025 B (Taxable)
Sole Senior Manager
Road Improvements
$10,470,000
Mississippi Development Bank
(Carroll County, MS GO Bond Road and Bridge Improvement Project)
Series 2025
Placement Agent
Government Facilities
$16,000,000
Jefferson County Building Commission (WV)
(Government and Judicial Complex)
Lease Revenue Bonds
Series 2025
Sole Senior Manager
Road Improvements
$5,962,000
Mississippi Development Bank
(Noxubee County, MS GO Bond Project)
Series 2025
Placement Agent
Education
$25,590,000
Searcy Special School District of White County, Arkansas
Construction Bonds
Series 2025
Sole Senior Manager
Utilities
7,000,000
City of Starkville, Mississippi
Water & Sewer Revenue Bonds
Series 2025 A
Sole Senior Manager
Housing
$75,000,000
Arkansas Development Finance Authority
Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds
(Mortgage-Backed Securities/Mortgage Loans Program)
Series 2025 A
Co-Manager
Utilities
$43,250,000
Berkely County Public Service Sewer District
West Virginia
Sewer Refunding and Revenue Bonds
Series 2025
Sole Senior Manager
Public Safety
$18,500,000
Louisiana Local Gov. Environmental Facilities
Revenue Bonds
(City of Slidell Project)
Series 2024
Senior Manager
Utilities
$22,260,000
Central Arkansas Water
Capital Improvement Revenue Bonds
Series 2024 A
Sole Senior Manager
Education
$20,175,000
Board of Education of the County of Wyoming, WV
Public School Bonds
Series 2024
Sole Senior Manager
Education
$15,000,000
Oklahoma County Finance Authority, Oklahoma
Charter School Revenue and Refunding Bonds
(SFS Development, Inc. – Santa Fe South Schools Project – Phase II)
$13,455,000 Series 2023 A (Tax-Exempt)
$1,545,000 Series 2023 B (Taxable)
Sole Senior Manager
Economic Development
$15,000,000
Dallas County, Arkansas
Taxable Economic Development Rev Bonds
(Carthage Forest Products Project)
$11,000,000 Series 2023 A (ADFA/AEDC Guaranty Programs)
$4,000,000 Series 2023 B
Sole Senior Manager & Placement Agent
Higher Eduation
$5,510,000
Board of Trustees of Southeast Arkansas College
Student Tuition and Fee Revenue Improvement Bonds
(Energy Performance Contract Project)
Series 2022
Sole Senior Manager
Housing
$5,790,000
City of Hillsboro Housing Finance Corporation, Texas
Residential Development Revenue Bonds
(Madison Highlands)
Series 2022A
Placement Agent
Meet the Public Finance Team
Edmond G. Hurst
Senior Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets and Public Finance
With more than 30 years of experience in investment banking, Edmond joined Carty, Harding & Hearn as a stockholder to lead the firm’s Capital Markets and Public Finance endeavors. Edmond has spent the majority of his career facilitating taxable and tax-exempt financings. Through these transactions he has helped raise billions to fund projects in various parts of the country. Working from the firm’s Little Rock office, Edmond is active in his community and loves spending time outdoors with family and friends.
Rush “Buddy” Harding IV
Senior VP, Managing Director
Buddy joins Carty, Harding & Hearn as a Senior Vice President, stockholder, director, and manager of the Little Rock office. After playing basketball on scholarship at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Buddy received his BS degree in health sciences and began his successful tenure at Crews and Associates where he was a consistent top 5 producer. Since 2008, Buddy has specialized in fixed income sales and trading to institutional and retail investors. In the past, Buddy served on several boards including UALR athletic board and strategic planning committee, Arkansas Baptist College athletic board, Junior Deputy and Centers for Youth and Family. Buddy and his wife Rachel are involved in and support many charitable organizations. Outside of the office, Buddy enjoys coaching their two boys, Rush “Five” Harding V (8) and Wilder (4) in soccer, baseball, and basketball.
Greg Isaacs
Senior Managing Director, Public Finance
Greg Isaacs joined Carty, Harding & Hearn in 2022 to lead the firm’s public finance efforts in West Virginia. With over 28 years’ experience in municipal finance, Greg has spent most of his career facilitating bond issues in his home state, participating in 400 transactions totaling more than $10 billion. He has broad experience in healthcare, housing, higher education, transportation, economic development, and water and sewer utility bond financings. A graduate of West Virginia University and West Virginia Wesleyan, Greg actively donates his photography to youth sports and non-profits throughout the state.
Steve Shields
Public Finance Relationship Banker
Steve Shields joined Carty, Harding & Hearn’s Little Rock office in 2023 to serve municipalities throughout the region. Steve is the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s winningest basketball coach in history and most recently the Director of the City of North Little Rock Parks and Recreation. He will help communities throughout Arkansas find the funding they need to grow and prosper.
EJ Gregory
Public Finance Banker, Managing Director
In May of 2024, E.J. Gregory III joined Carty, Harding & Hearn as a Public Finance Banker and Managing Director. He established the Carty, Harding & Hearn office in Tupelo, Mississippi, and from this base he brings more than 20 years of experience in public finance municipal bond banking. Gregory’s goal is to assist Mississippi governmental entities at every level in attaining their objectives of funding projects that will better the lives of their citizens.
Brent Whisnant
Head of Underwriting
Brent joined Carty, Harding & Hearn’s Little Rock office in May of 2022 and is responsible for coordinating negotiated bond sales with the sales team and public finance. In addition to handling the negotiated transactions, Brent also bids on regional competitive new issues and partners with other firms to bid nationally on competitive new issue transactions that come to market. Since he joined the firm as Head of Underwriting, the firm has already served as Co-Manager on 358 competitive transactions totaling over $6.69 billion. Brent graduated from the University of Arkansas with a double major in accounting/finance and joined a regional investment banking firm in 2009 as a municipal bond analyst specializing in high yield bonds. In 2015 Brent moved to the underwriting desk to assist with competitive and negotiated new issue transactions. Soon thereafter, Brent was promoted to head of the underwriting department.
Heath Pyle
Analyst
Heath joined Carty, Harding and Hearn’s Little Rock office after graduating from the University of Central Arkansas in 2025, where he completed his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in Economics. His primary responsibilities include communicating and coordinating amongst public finance professionals within the firm to generate analysis and reports on debt structuring and restructuring as well as aiding the head of underwriting on competitive issues.
Did you know…
Tax Free Income
Federal and state tax-free income is achievable with municipal bonds.
