By John R. Schirmer
News-Leader staff
About 200 business, industrial and community leaders gathered at Midtown Social in Nashville Friday, April 10, for State of the Southwest, a conference hosted by the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance.
The two-hour session included a keynote address by the secretary of the Arkansas Department of Commerce, two panel discussions, an update on the Southwest Arkansas Community College Consortium.
Lunch was served during the presentations, and attendees had the opportunity to visit before and after the event.
Vanessa Weeks, Howard County economic development director, welcomed the crowd, many of whom arrived early to visit in the patio at Midtown Social before going inside for the speakers and lunch.
Weeks reviewed the history of the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, noting that it was formed “to bring education, economic development, industries and businesses together so they would communicate, work together and stay connected.”
Progress “does not happen by accident,” Weeks said.
SADA is headquartered in Hope and works with communities in 11 counties, including Clark, Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Sevier and Union.
UA-Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole was next on the program, telling about the Southwest Arkansas Community College Consortium before introducing the keynote speaker.
In 2013, officials from five Southwest Arkansas community colleges met at SAU Tech in Camden to discuss economic development in their regions and determine ways in which they could help.
From that small beginning, the group went on to receive a multimillion dollar grant, Dr. Cole said, and the colleges started working with their respective communities.
“There’s a lot going on here, and the two-year colleges are proud to be part of it,” he said.
The chancellor returned to the lectern later in the program for an update on the consortium and a review of the workforce in SADA’s counties.
In his introduction of Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald, Dr. Cole said there are “people who talk and people who do. Our guest speaker is a do-er.”
McDonald discussed the “Conditions of Success” with the conference attendees.
“You’re in the heat of the battle,” he said. “Without local leadership, nothing happens. I appreciate all of you. You are creating the conditions of success.”
Every community in a region “benefits when one county gets a factory. Open, honest dialog and friendly competition between counties is healthy. You’re building trust every day,” McDonald said. “We have to work regionally. We win when we work as a team.”
McDonald said he is “so excited that they [the community college consortium] are working together. Community colleges are so important.”
Arkansas “is on the rise,” McDonald said. The state has made a commitment to an improved workforce and is working on a comprehensive workforce strategy.
By doing so, “We are creating conditions for success,” he said. “Our mission is to champion the economic health of the state.”
McDonald cited the decision by Cantex to open a facility in Nashville as an example of the state’s success.
Cantex acquired the former Husqvarna warehouse in a move which McDonald praised.
“It used to be that a building would remain empty for years when an industry closed. Now, it’s only a year or two,” the case with Cantex coming to Nashville.
“We have thriving industries in Southwest Arkansas. We’re on the right trajectory,” McDonald said.
“There’s momentum in our state. We need to keep pulling together. This is no time for a victory lap. There’s more work to do.”
Following McDonald’s address, there was a panel discussion on infrastructure, utilities and economic outlook with representatives of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, SWEPCO and the Genesee and Wyoming Shoreline Railroad. McDonald was the moderator.
A second panel dealt with Southwest Arkansas industry leaders and included representatives of Hostess Brands, Weyerhaeuser and Standard Lithium. Randy Zook from the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce moderated.
Between the panel sessions, Dr. Cole offered his update on the community college consortium.
“Community colleges figure out how to get it done. We’re helping with every CEDS [Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy] in our area.”
CEDS determines the greatest needs and strengths in a city, county or other location.
“Housing is the highest need” throughout Southwest Arkansas,” Dr. Cole said.
“Each of our colleges has assets. We’re going to push them from Mena to El Dorado. We want to train students to build workforce housing” and meet other needs determined by CEDS.
Anna Powell of Hope- Hempstead County Economic Development and chair of the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, concluded the program.
Sponsors for the event included the following:
Presenting sponsor
-Southwest Arkansas Community College Consortium
Regional partners – City of Nashville, FRIENDS, Sevier County Economic Development, Ideal Construction
Community partners –
Albemarle, AR-TX REDI, Chevron, Developing Howard County, DNT Media, Exxon Mobil, Farmers Bank and Trust, Performance Services, Tyson Foods, Southwest Planning and Development District
Friends of the Southwest
– Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance, Baldwin and Shell, City of Prescott, Cromwell Architects Engineers, Domtar, El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, Hempstead County Economic Development, Highland Industrial Park, Sen. Steve Crowell, Siplast.
