Culture of Excellence: Arkansas Wins in Economic Development
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.
At the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), our initiatives and resources, and most importantly – our team – are focused on keeping this momentum going by helping communities be prepared to win economic development projects and on helping businesses be successful in Arkansas. This is encapsulated by our mission statement:
“At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn’t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success.”
Our team at AEDC tackles a wide scope of responsibilities – from working to recruit new businesses, helping entrepreneurs succeed, partnering with rural communities, and putting Arkansas on the radar screen of executives through our marketing initiatives. But there is one quality that unites all these divisions – no matter what their job responsibilities are. From our Business Development team to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development team and from Community Development to our Business Finance teams and beyond, AEDC strives to provide the highest levels of customer service to help businesses and communities reach their full potential in Arkansas.
Every day, the AEDC team is motivated to help businesses and communities by collaborating with them to meet their goals and by being forward-thinking to anticipate any challenges or opportunities for growth. We are dedicated to our mission, and we’re committed to getting results for Arkansans.
AEDC employees Mallory Race, Cory Ingram, and Laura Kingrey.
Photo courtesy of AEDC
It’s that customer service that is helping Arkansas get results and win economic development projects.
In October 2024, Luxembourg-based trailer manufacturer Faymonville Group announced plans to locate its first U.S. manufacturing facility at the Port of Little Rock. This $100 million investment will create 500 new jobs in the central Arkansas region.
It was not a given that Faymonville would choose Arkansas. The company conducted a nationwide site selection search for suitable locations before learning more about Arkansas from one of their major distributors, Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel in North Little Rock. From this point, the AEDC team, working in collaboration with the Little Rock Regional Chamber, began actively pursuing the project, providing high-touch customer service to reel this project in.
AEDC’s Business Development team and the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s economic development team hosted Faymonville executives in June 2024 for a tour, showing the company potential locations in the region and introducing them to key business stakeholders. This was followed by a meeting between Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald, Little Rock Regional Chamber President and CEO Jay Chesshir, and company executives at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.
Faymonville executives returned to Arkansas in August for a final visit. This is when the Arkansas team turned up the heat to win the project. Knowing that the company executives were car connoisseurs, Governor Sanders sourced a classic car to chauffeur the Faymonville executives during their stay in Little Rock. In between visiting potential sites, Faymonville executives got the chance to see Arkansas landmarks and eat at Natural State staples like Wright’s Barbecue.
“We explored numerous states, yet nothing truly resonated with us until we discovered Arkansas,” said Anne Faymonville, team leader for marketing, Faymonville Group. “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.”
Faymonville is only one of the companies that AEDC has provided this white-glove service for. The AEDC team meets with companies across the world, including traveling to Japan and South Korea with Governor Sanders to meet with executives and having a whirlwind tour of India, visiting with companies that have operations in Arkansas and companies considering new locations.
When Arkansas was competing to win a project with Tate Inc., a global leader in raised access floors manufacturing, AEDC worked alongside the local team in northeastern Arkansas to treat company executives to a duck hunt dinner. This dinner gave Tate executives a slice of what life is like in Arkansas – and they took this experience back home with them to Ireland. It led to a new manufacturing facility in Pocahontas that will create 148 new jobs. Cutting-edge information technology company Provalus also made a significant investment in northeastern Arkansas after executives were treated to a fine dinner at the local mayor’s home in Walnut Ridge. Provalus saw the customer service that Arkansas brings to the table, and they decided to put a facility in Walnut Ridge, creating up to 200 new jobs.
This high-level customer service is what it takes to win in economic development, and it is what companies and communities can always expect when working with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
“AEDC has a culture of excellence that drives everything that we do, whether that is working with entrepreneurs or helping a local community,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “We know that Arkansas is a great state to live and do business, and we work hard to ensure that our stakeholders and prospective companies get the best experience possible in the Natural State while working alongside our team.”
AEDC’s Fred Lewis and Alicia McCloria.
Regan Pugh and Bethany Duncan are part of AEDC’s Business Development team.