Dixie Creates Rogers Expo Center

Ben Israel has changed the agenda for his $1 million investment in the old Consumer IGA Supermarket Building off of Walnut Street in Rogers.

Once tagged as Zocalo Plaza, the original plans for the 53,410-SF building announced in September 2003 called for a Latin market, Hispanic bakery, restaurant, retail space, boxing gym and arena.

Hispanic Holdings LLC, originally a partnership between Larry Bouchet of Springdale and Israel, bought the building in 2003 from Phil Martz for $2.3 million.

Now Israel is going solo, changing the name of the space, which in Spanish means “The Center,” to the Rogers Expo Center. The owner is now Dixie Management and Investments LP. The facility is expected to be ready for events by fall.

Israel said the expo center will have the largest floor space of any convention center in Northwest Arkansas, citing the Springdale Convention Center’s 28,000-SF of available space compared to the expo center’s 53,000 SF.

“We realized that the original format with the Springdale Mercado (market) was not as successful as we wanted,” Israel said.

Israel developed the 20,000-SF Mercado Mexicano with Bouchet. It opened in February 2003.

Israel decided to change his plans for the former IGA market building around February of this year.

The space will have catering facilities, concession areas, a ticket booth and temporary seating for 1,000. It will have the capacity for about 200 booths. The $1 million in upgrades includes new air conditioning units, new lighting and new restrooms. Dixie Construction is the general contractor. Arkansas National Bank N.A. of Fayetteville provided the financing.

“The whole space will serve as an expo center,” Israel said. “We will probably have some boxing events in the facility, but it could be used for concerts, home and garden shows.”

In May, Kim Polite joined Dixie Development as the director of events for Israel’s expo/event space. Polite will also coordinate events at Studio 265, the 9,000-SF space at the intersection of Arkansas Highway 265 and U.S. Highway 412 in Springdale. Polite came to Dixie with five years of special event experience at the University of Arkansas, most recently serving as the UA’s assistant director of events.

“I hope that we can bring in the kinds of events that haven’t been here before,” Polite said.

Polite has researched Tulsa venues, such as the 354,000-SF expo center at Tulsa Expo Square, to get an idea of what the Northwest Arkansas Market would support. The Tulsa Square facility hosts more than 400 events per year.

“The key is that we haven’t been able to have certain events here because of the lack of space,” Israel said. “This space is big enough that the larger shows, things they are having in Fort Smith and Tulsa, we can have here.”

Jan Skopecek, executive officer of the Northwest Arkansas Home Builders Association, said she could see great opportunity for the expo space. She said she is excited about having something that size.

The NWAHBA, Skopecek said, is constantly looking for a space that could potentially hold events.

“There are a number of events that are not in need of being in a facility that is more geared toward meeting space,” Skopecek said. “When you have a meeting space facility, you are talking about something that is carpeted, something with features to it that you don’t necessarily need.”

Israel said they’ve set their goal to have 24 events per year in the Rogers Expo Center.