Gov. Mike Beebe urges support of education, economic development
by January 22, 2010 5:39 pm 87 views
story by Michael Tilley, photos by Joel Rafkin
The messages at the annual banquet of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce were upbeat and optimistic, with Gov. Mike Beebe encouraging the crowd to continue to focus on regional education and economic development improvements.
Roger Meek, outgoing chamber board chairman, said the chamber has come a long way from its leadership struggles in early 2009.
“One year ago today … the chamber did not have a president,” Meek reminded the crowd, estimated at a little more than 500.
Former chamber president Tom Manskey resigned in mid-December 2008, with his resignation effective Jan. 30. Sandy Sanders was tapped to serve as interim president, and he was in the post until veteran Arkansas chamber executive Paul Harvel was hired in April. Harvel has served as president and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce for two years, and served more than 20 years as the president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is now a commissioner on the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
Harvel has been in the chamber business for 41 years. Meek joked that he didn’t know what a chamber was 41 years ago.
Meek, with Coca-Cola Bottling of Fort Smith, acknowledged the tough regional economic conditions, but said employee recalls at area manufacturing plants and new plant announcements reflect a regional economy that continues to survive.
John McFarland, chairman and CEO of Fort Smith-based Baldor Electric Co. and the incoming chamber board chairman, praised Meek and the board for ending 2009 with a stronger chamber. McFarland also told Beebe that years ago Maria Haley, the executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, worked a trade show booth to help generate sales in Asia for Baldor’s newly opened office in Singapore. Today, more than $1 million a month in sales comes through the Singapore office, McFarland said.
McFarland, a Fort Smith native, stressed that the chamber will need to again raise funds to help support economic development efforts, promising that the money will be used “wisely” and only for job-generation purposes. He also said one of his key goals during his one-year term as chamber chairman is to improve the chamber’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. and Little Rock.
“If they (government officials) help us with just a little bit of seed corn, we’ll grow a good crop,” McFarland said.
Beebe told the crowd that the top issues of his administration are education and economic development, and encouraged regional business and civic leaders to work together on those issues.
“If you get those two things right first off, the other” socio-economic issues will begin to fall into place, Beebe said.
He also said Arkansans must get out of the “Thank goodness for Mississippi” mindset. He said Arkansas is moving up in most key national statistics and Arkansans should instead have the self-esteem to realize that more improvements are possible.
“Arkansas is on its way up, and the rest of the country is figuring that out,” Beebe said.
Beebe praised area leaders on landing the U.S. Marshals Museum and aggressively pursuing funding to build and operate the museum. He also said the Fort Smith area has shown impressive resolve in surviving the tremendous downturn in the U.S. manufacturing sector.
