Executive Testimonials: The Business Case for Arkansas
Arkansas has a long history of producing notable business leaders. Names like Sam Walton, William T. Dillard, J.B. Hunt, Don Tyson and Jack Stephens come to mind. They built companies into household names during their time in Arkansas.
But did you know that Arkansas is producing another class of notable leaders? While they might not be as famous worldwide as the founders of Walmart and Tyson Foods, they are nonetheless making a huge difference in the business world, and they are doing it from their home base in Arkansas.
One thing they have in common is their commitment to Arkansas as a business destination, not just for their own companies and employees, but for the firms they’d like to see join them as neighbors in the state one day. In their own words, here are what some of these modern-day leaders said about why they chose to do business in Arkansas.
“It’s a great success for U.S. Steel. I can’t speak highly enough of the cooperation and the partnership that we’ve gotten across Osceola, Mississippi County, and the state of Arkansas to get this done. It was a big deal for us. I mean, a $3 billion project… which, in our company’s history, 120-plus years, the largest project in U.S. Steel history, the largest project in the state of Arkansas history. It’s a huge deal for us bringing this plan online.”
— Dan Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Big River Steel
“This state has an incredibly collaborative culture. I’ve never been told no by somebody in the state of Arkansas. The folks at the top of the largest companies in the state have been willing to take time out of their day to help our business.”
— Carter Malloy, CEO, AcreTrader
“Between Arkansas, Little Rock and Dassault, it has been an affectionate relationship. We have been here now for 50 years. It is important to continue that tradition and carry over to bring the future here.”
— Thierry Betbeze, CEO, Dassault Falcon Jet
“We explored numerous states, yet nothing truly resonated with us until we discovered Arkansas. After my initial visit, I was truly blown away. The economic and political advantages are impressive, and it’s the beautiful surroundings, the vibrant community, and the warmth of the people that truly captivated me.”
— Anne Faymonville, Team Leader for Marketing, Faymonville Group.
“This is a calling, and I’m so blessed to be part of that calling; to aid our men and women at the tip of the spear, to have the tools to win. Arkansas is the center of that effort for SIG.”
— Ron Cohen, CEO, Sig Sauer
“You name a sports dynasty and study all the various interconnections that are not only in front of you, but that take place in myriad places behind the scenes, and that’s what Arkansas is for entrepreneurs and businesspeople. This is the greatest place to be an entrepreneur, to be an investor, to be a capital deployer in commercial for-profit businesses in the world.”
— Scott Ford, CEO and Co-Founder of Westrock Coffee