NWA Council staffs up to push growth plan

The Northwest Arkansas Council has hired Michael Harvey to help lead the group’s effort to work with area chambers and communities to push an aggressive economic development plan approved in January.

Harvey, president of the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development since 2007, begins Aug. 1 as the council’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said Jim Walton, presiding co-chair of the Northwest Arkansas Council. Mike Malone continues to serve as the council’s CEO.

The Greater Northwest Arkansas Development Strategy, according to a council statement, “identifies a number of initiatives and activities that must be accomplished for the Northwest Region to remain economically viable.” The initiatives include:
• Infrastructure – invest in physical infrastructure, improve connectivity to other metropolitan areas for tourism and freight purposes and improve mobility for current residents.

• Regional Economic Development – develop a comprehensive, regional approach to raise Northwest Arkansas’ profile with businesses and companies looking to relocate.

• Educational Excellence – elevate educational attainment and workforce skills, reduce the dropout rate and increase the number of residents with Bachelor’s degrees.

Also, the strategy identified job clusters — professional services; sustainable technology; university-developed technology; health care; and arts, entertainment and tourism — prime for growth.

“We’ve developed a plan to serve Northwest Arkansas into the future, and now Mike steps in to work closely with the region’s chambers of commerce and to help carry out the mission of delivering high-quality job growth,” Walton said in a statement. “We want to identify opportunities and ensure that Northwest Arkansas remains competitive.”

Based in Charlottesville, Va., the non-profit Thomas Jefferson Partnership led by Harvey served a 10-county area with 320,000 residents. Harvey’s previous experience includes work with the Jobs Now! Partnership in Knoxville, Tenn., the East Tennessee Economic Development Agency in Knoxville, and the Marshall County Economic Development Council in Gunterville, Ala.

Harvey graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He has a master’s degree in economic development from the university.

The council also hired Rob Smith, a former newspaper reporter and editor with 22 years of journalism experience, as the council’s communications and policy specialist.

Also, University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart takes over as the presiding co-chair for 2011-12, replacing Jim Walton. The council also named Brian Cornell, president and CEO of Sam’s Club, as its presiding co-chair for 2014-15. Cornell follows John Tyson (2012-13) and Kirk Thompson (2013-14) in the co-chair rotation.

According to council literature, Sam Walton, J.B. Hunt, Don Tyson and other business leaders created the Northwest Arkansas Council, in 1990. The organization’s work has historically focused on regional projects such as the development of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and the construction of Interstate 540 from I-40 to Fayetteville.