2018 EASTERN ARKANSAS RURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

 “Retooling Rural Arkansas:  Getting Rural Arkansas Back into the Game”

Equipping rural residents with the skills and tools needed to create and expand small businesses and engage in job creation activities are the goals of an upcoming regional business conference to be held in Forrest City, Arkansas.  Funded by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (ADWS), Arkansas Human Development Corporation (AHDC), and the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (USDA, RD), the 2018 Eastern Arkansas Rural Business Development Conference, with a theme of “Retooling Rural Arkansas: Getting Rural Arkansas Back into the Game”  will bring together approximately 20 private, state, federal and nonprofit organizations with a singular mission of equipping small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and resources to start and expand their businesses.

Hosted by the AHDC, Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center (APAC), East Arkansas Enterprise Community (EAEC), Forrest City Chamber of Commerce, Forrest City Mayor’s Office, RMI, Inc., St. Francis Assisted Living, St. Francis County Community Development Corporation (SFCCDC),  University of Arkansas at Little Rock-Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the conference will be held Friday, November 30, 2018 from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm at the Forrest City Civic Center, 1335 N. Washington St., Forrest City, Arkansas 72335.  Topics will include but are not limited to, building effective business relationships, securing the right kind of capital, how to sell goods and services to the government, and how to use the many services of the ASBTDC and the EAEC to develop and/or expand your business.

Join us at 8:30 am for a “Breakfast with the Lenders Roundtable,” where participants will network with local, regional and statewide lenders. Organizations invited to participate include Arkansas Capital Corporation Group, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Communities Unlimited, FORGE, Hope Credit Union, RMI, Southern Bancorp, and a host of local lenders.

Current business owners and those just getting started, youth entrepreneurs, business and technical school students, apprentices, veterans, faith-based leaders and community and economic development professionals, are invited to attend.  You will engage with other business owners, receive help with research and business planning, learn how to increase your networking results and learn to do more business with government and private industry.  Mr. Randy Zook will deliver the luncheon address.  He is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Arkansas and serves on the boards of KIPP Schools in Helena-West Helena, Economics Arkansas and McGehee Farm & Real Estate Co.

Don’t miss the opportunity to help your community create needed JOBS by learning valuable tools to help your small business GROW! And, INNOVATE!

AN INVESTMENT OF TIME IS THE COST TO ATTEND BUT REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED.

You may register by calling Arkansas Human Development Corporation toll free at (800) 482-7641 or (501) 374-1103, ext. 10 or online at https://bit.ly/2Dq1qzT

 

Don’t miss the 2019 Annual State Chamber/AIA Legislative Reception, which will be held from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019 under the big tent on the parking lot of the State Chamber offices in Little Rock. We would like to recognize the following Legislative Reception sponsors:

Presenting – Cox Communications, Southland Gaming, Walmart Inc. and XTO Energy, Inc., an ExxonMobil subsidiary

Premier- Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp., Delta Dental of Arkansas, Entergy Arkansas and McGeorge Contracting Company Inc.

Host – Arkansas Learns, Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance, Black Hills Energy, Farm Credit Services of Arkansas, Nabholz Construction Services and Nucor Arkansas.

Supporting – Brent Stevenson Associates

If your company or organization is interested in helping sponsor the 2019 Legislative Reception, contact Bill Watson at bwatson@arkansasstatechamber.com or 501-802-1740.

Arkansas Good Roads Foundation, joined by the State Chamber/AIA, released a study during a press conference at the State Chamber on Oct. 16 detailing the economic impact of increased investment in Arkansas roads and highways.

The study, conducted by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), found that an additional annual investment of $478 million needed to maintain and preserve Arkansas’s existing highway system would result in a statewide economic impact of at least $1.3 billion, while creating 5,729 jobs throughout all sectors of the state’s economy.

The study also shows that construction activity from $478 million in additional highway investment would increase sales outputs for business in all sectors of the state’s economy by $941.6 million each year and would result in increased state and local tax revenue of $56.7 million annually.

To see the full study, visit www.argoodroads.com.

Recognition is the first thing that comes to mind, but for those that understand the process it’s about improving organizational performance.  Preparing an application itself can be used as a system of accountability for continual improvement.  It involves work (you don’t just fill out a form), but the rewards are a thorough assessment of priorities, goals and results…making sure everyone is on the same page.

Choose from four levels of award with different requirements at each level:

• Challenge
• Commitment
• Achievement
• Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence

At all levels of award you’ll receive a feedback report with strengths and gaps prepared by examiners, trained professional volunteers from across Arkansas.

We can help you write your application at Applicant Training workshops.  We use the Baldrige Excellence Framework, a set of 200 potential questions that set the highest benchmark for organizational excellence. All training is at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, 1200 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock. Training dates for the 2019 award cycle are:

Applicant Training II – Processes: How Your Work Gets Done (Achievement/Governor’s Awards), Tuesday, December 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Identify key processes in your key work systems and assess their effectiveness in deployment through evaluation in the six categories of Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Knowledge Management, Workforce and Operations.  This training is for Achievement and Governor’s Award applicants. Click here to register.

Applicant Training II: Commitment Award, Thursday, December 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  In this workshop you will learn how to write a Commitment Award level application by assessing overall processes in the seven categories of Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Knowledge Management, Workforce, and Results.  Click here to register.

 Applicant Training III – Results: Focusing on the Details, Tuesday, January 8, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Determining key measures, their metrics and how they are used to improve processes for greater output will be the focus of this workshop.  This training is for Achievement and Governor’s Award applicants.  Click here to register.

Contact Sue Weatter at sweatter@arkansasstatechamber for additional questions.  Sign up today!

 

Twenty-five organizations from throughout the state were presented Arkansas Governor’s Quality Awards by Governor Asa Hutchinson during the 24^th Annual Awards Celebration for the Governor’s Quality Award Program on Thursday evening, September 13^th at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Little Rock.

More than 350 business and civic leaders from throughout Arkansas attended the celebration.

J.V. Manufacturing, Inc. of Springdale, Springdale Water Utilities, Unity Health – White County Medical Center of Searcy, and Washington Regional Medical Center of Fayetteville took top honors in receiving the Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence.

The Achievement Level Award was presented to North Arkansas Regional Medical Center of Harrison and Unity Health Harris Medical Center of Newport.

Organizations receiving the Commitment Level Award were: A & A Fire and Safety Company of Cabot, Allen Engineering Corporation of Paragould, Arkansas Department of Labor of Little Rock, Briarwood Nursing & Rehab of Little Rock, and Salem Place Nursing and Rehabilitation of Conway.

Organizations receiving the Challenge Level Award were: Arkansas Department of Career Education of Little Rock; Ash Flat Healthcare and Rehabilitation; Avenir Memory Care at Fayetteville; Avenir Memory Care at Little Rock; Highland Court, A Rehabilitation & Resident Care Facility of Marshall; Mercy Crest Assisted Living of Barling; Northwest Health of Springdale; Premier Health and Rehabilitation Center of North Little Rock; Saline County Emergency Communications of Benton; Seven Springs Rehabilitation and Health Center of Heber Springs; Southridge Village Nursing and Rehab of Heber Springs; Summit Health and Rehabilitation Center of Taylor; Valley Springs Rehabilitation and Health Center of Van Buren, and Window Mart, Inc. of Royal.

The awards ceremony includes four award levels of Performance Excellence (in descending order of qualifications): the Governor’s Award, the Achievement Award, the Commitment Award, and the Challenge Award. As well as the recognition, recipients receive an in-depth evaluation of their management systems and a written feedback report citing strengths and areas for improvement.

The goal of the Governor’s Quality Award Program is to encourage Arkansas organizations to engage in continuous quality improvement, which leads to performance excellence, and to provide significant recognition to those organizations. Created as a not-for-profit organization, the program is dedicated to assist in building a strong infrastructure for Arkansas businesses. That dedication is reflected in the program’s vision to be a catalyst for excellence in organizational performance. The Governor’s Quality Award program partners with the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce.

The Chairman of the Board of the Governor’s Quality Award program is Myla Petree, NEMA plant manager, ABB. Organizations and companies interested in participating in the program should contact Governor’s Quality Award Executive Director Sue Weatter with the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce by calling 501-372-2222 or go to www.arkansas-quality.org.