Stephens lands economic development job in Johnson County

Fort Smith native Travis Stephens didn’t expect to land a top job so soon, but he’s eager to begin work as the CEO and chief economic development officer for the Clarksville-Johnson County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Clarksville-Johnson County Regional Economic Development Organization (CREDO).

Stephens will begin May 2 in a role that immediately hands him the responsibility of hiring a new director for the chamber of commerce.

“That’s what I went to school for. Thats what I wanted to do, to be an economic development professional,” Stephens said when asked about his decision to take the job. “The opportunity came along, maybe a little sooner than expected, so I had to jump on it. I don’t really know how many of these will come along.”

According to a statement from CREDO, Stephens’s prior experience includes the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District, the Fort Smith Housing Authority, Bank of the Ozarks and B&B Management Co.

He earned a masters degree in community and economic development from the University of Central Arkansas, and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He is also a recent graduate of the Community Development Institute in Conway.

“With over 60 applicants for this position, our committee devoted a lot of time and care to making sure we found someone who was talented, capable and would be a good fit for our community. We’re confident that we have someone in Travis, who has not only the necessary educational qualifications, but also a heart for doing what it takes to grow our community,” Matt Wylie, chair of the Joint Executive Committee which conducted the search and hiring process, noted in the statement.

Stephens says he grows more excited about the job as he learns more about the county of about 25,000 people. In an interview, he quickly noted the county has many assets — four year college, regional hospital, available land for development, rail, river — one might see in a metro area like Fort Smith or larger. Some of the major employers include Baldor Electric Co., Tyson Foods, Hanesbrands, and a Wal-Mart distribution center.

“They have a lot of pieces in place already, from an economic development standpoint,” Stephens said.

The county’s population grew about 10% in the last Census, more than in Fort Smith and Sebastian County. The unemployment rate in the county was 7.7% in January, up from 7% in December 2010 but down from 8% in January 2010. The county has a workforce that has recently hovered between 11,000 and 11,600.

The county also completed a strategic plan for economic development. The plan, developed by Little Rock-based Boyette Strategic Advisors, is part of the county’s involvement with the Fort Smith Regional Alliance. The alliance includes six counties in Arkansas (Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian and Scott) and two counties in Oklahoma (LeFlore and Sequoyah.) Communities in the alliance are Alma, Altus, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, Greenwood, Fort Smith, Ozark, Paris, Poteau, Roland, Sallisaw, Van Buren and Waldron.

The alliance, formed in early May 2010, hired Boyette Strategic Advisors to conduct a strategic analysis and plan for the alliance.

“He (Boyette) basically handed the community a road map. Most of what I’m going to be doing is following that road map,” Stephens explained.

To better follow the road map, Stephens seeking advice from a wide range of more experienced chamber and economic development professionals, to include Paul Harvel, president and CEO of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce; Ivy Owen, director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority; and Mat Pitsch, head of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Authority.

“I’ll also be in the county (Johnson) at least once or twice a week to begin meeting with people and leaders from all the cities there,” Stephens said. “That’s part of being a community developer, getting everyone on the same page and working together.”

Stephens will begin making the transition with his wife, Kelli, and their four daughters over the coming year.