Better Roads for Business

Transportation is vital to Arkansas's future as a key location for shipping and manufacturing goods. In April, the U.S. Transportation Dept. awarded the state $30 million for multiple highway projects. Twenty-seven-million dollars of this fund will go to border and corridor projects, from federal highways to any of the 10 river ports that funnel goods off and on the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers.
        Smoothing the way for a newer breed of company is also paramount. In 2001, the legislature amended the state's Economic Infrastructure Fund (EIF) to cover the aircraft and aerospace industries and also fund port and waterway improvements. While such sectors as meat and plastics showed healthy increases in exports during 2001, the aerospace sector made them look tiny with a 585-percent increase from 2000.
        Amending EIF funds may have just been the impetus to keep Goodrich Aerostructures and Aviation Technical Services in Arkadelphia. The company had originally announced plans to close its facility, removing 175 jobs. The state's economic development agency, as well as local officials, stepped in to aid the firm.
        Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control announced in June 2001 that it had selected its Camden plant as the site for new PAC-3 Missile production. A new partnership with the state of Arkansas will allow the company to expand the facility by 40,000-sq. ft. (3,716 sq. m.) and add more than 200 workers over the next few years.
        But be it guns or butter, Morris says that future growth in adding value to ag products will only increase the value of products and jobs across all sectors.
        "This will be the future for the state of Arkansas," he says. "We're ripe for massive expansion ... food processing is a natural for us."

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