Arkansas Economic Development Guide 2025

ARKANSAS IN ALL ITS GLORY

From the rugged peaks of the Ozark Mountains to the waters of Lake Ouachita, Arkansas’ natural beauty can only be described as awe-inspiring.

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.

Launching a tech startup is challenging no matter where you are. It takes more than just a groundbreaking idea — success demands capital, mentorship, talent, and an environment that nurtures growth.

Behind the scenes of the Arkansas film industry, one will find a network of support dedicated to enabling creative freedom.

Dozens of firearms and ammunition manufacturers have operations in Arkansas, because they know a firearms-friendly state when they see one. Governor Sarah

Standing in front of a crowd at the USA Partnership Pavilion’s Forum Main Stage of the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow, Taber Extrusions President Chuck Stout announced that the company would be expanding its operations in Russellville, Arkansas.

Alarm bells began to go off among forestry officials in Arkansas during the summer of 2023.

For a uniquely American success story, look no further than Helena, Arkansas, and Delta Dirt Distillery.

Once known as Plum Point before incorporating in 1853, Osceola, Arkansas, has become the plum spot for steel.

Top 20 Projects of 2023-2024

From the state’s most populated metropolitans, to smaller communities, new and expanding companies are finding a place for themselves in diverse communities across Arkansas.

Collectively, the four Arkansas companies featured in the 2024 Fortune 500 saw more than $733 billion in revenue in 2023 and employed more than 2.2 million people — that’s more than 7.3% of the entire Fortune 500’s employment base.

Four international companies have created about 1,600 new jobs in Arkansas in the past year, and combined they invested $425 million in the state.

When it comes to economic development, there’s a lot of momentum in Arkansas. From entrepreneurs to established companies expanding and locating new facilities, Arkansas is winning more than its fair share of economic development projects with more in the project pipeline.

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.

Pilots from five nations friendly to the United States are beginning to arrive at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Could Smackover become a name as affiliated with the Arkansas lithium boom as it was with the Arkansas oil boom when prospectors struck oil in 1921 in El Dorado?

The simple pleasures that come with building a life outside of a bustling urban landscape are not lost on Arkansas residents. Of the over 3 million residents who call the Natural State home, a majority choose to reside outside of Arkansas’ largest metros.

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.

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.

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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