Ron Starner

Winning in economic development requires great infrastructure, favorable taxes, low business costs, and a strong workforce. These factors are non-negotiable for companies that are locating a new facility or expanding an existing one.

It all started with a phone call. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called SIG SAUER President and CEO Ron Cohen during his first week in office, inviting Cohen to come to Arkansas and consider doing business in the Natural State.

The name “Ford” is synonymous with “business” in the United States. In Detroit, it conjures up images of automobile manufacturing and assembly lines – dating back to Henry Ford and the Model T Ford.

Trex Company Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of high-performance composite decking and railing, cemented its long-term commitment to Arkansas on August 22, 2024 when it celebrated the topping out of its newest U.S. factory: a $400 million plant in Little Rock.

Arkansas Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald calls the gigantic lithium deposit discovery in the Smackover Formation a game-changer for the Arkansas economy, but that’s not the only change coming to the state, he says.

Corporate executives and site consultants have a new reason to consider Arkansas as a business destination: Arkansas has emerged as one of the most popular relocation spots for workers and their families.

It should come as no surprise that the third least expensive state in which to start a new business is getting a jump on the competition when it comes to entrepreneurship.

If you want to know why so many companies thrive in Arkansas, it pays to listen to the people who run these firms.

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