Harvey: Education is a priority in 2012

ROGERS — More than 550 local civic and business leaders filed into the Hammons Center Thursday evening (Feb. 2)  to celebrate a stellar 2011 for the City of Bentonville, but more importantly look at the ongoing economic challenges that face the region in 2012 and beyond.

Mike Harvey, chief operating officer for the Northwest Arkansas Council, delivered a sobering look at the local and national economy now four years into recovery since the 2008 recession.

He said the local workforce has declined more than 2% since its peak in 2007. Nationally there are still between 13 and 15 million people looking for work. A big part of the problem he relates to education, or a lack thereof.

Since 2009 the number of job openings nationwide continue to rise, while hiring slows. Harvey said there is a mismatch between dislocated workers and the job skills needed for the open positions. This is a fundamental shift that can’t be corrected overnight.

In the past 30 years many industrial and mechanical jobs have become technology-based. During the same time frame the U.S. population grew from 237 million to 305 million, but the number of college graduates majoring in computer science, chemical engineering, math and science has remained flat, according to Harvey.

He said it’s no surprise the skilled labor force is working longer and earning higher wages, when you consider the shortage in certain fields, like welding, engineering and industrial mechanics.

Finding a solution to the mismatch is one of the four missions the Northwest Arkansas Council and local chambers of commerce hope to tackle in the new few years. Harvey said lack of education is one area holding region back.

“That means knocking on the doors of local high school dropouts, putting career coaches in the area high schools and reaching out to the 22% of local folks who have ‘some college’ but never finished,” Harvey said.

He summed up his speech with a positive note, saying the NWA Council and area chambers visited with 77 local companies over the past quarter who plan to bring nearly 300 more local jobs online by 2013 and spend $130 million in capital investment.

2011 Chamber Award Winners Include:
• David Short, a longtime local banker, received the coveted Sam Walton Award that was  established and first presented to the Walmart founder in 1979. The award recognizes selfless civic contributions within the Bentonville community. Other former recipients include:John Cooper Jr. in 1998, Bob & Marilyn Bogle in 2001 and Dr. Gary Compton in 2007.

Short came to Northwest Arkansas from Little Rock in 1980 to work at the Bank of Bentonville. He went on work in Siloam Springs and Bartlesville, Okla., before returning to Bentonville in 1998 as President & CEO of Arvest Bentonville which is now Arvest Benton County. Short will retire from Arvest in April.

Short also serves on the Bentonville Public School Foundation Board, the Cancer Challenge Board, the NWACC Foundation Board and Downtown Bentonville Inc. Short is the former chairman of the Beaver Water District, is a director with the Bentonville/Bella Vista Adult Chapter Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce.

• Debi Havner, winner of the 2011 R.E. (Ed) Buck Award, has been active in all phases of business, civic and philanthropic activities within Bentonville and the surrounding community for three decades.

She serves as president of her family’s investment business, Arend LLC, and has since 1975. Her civic activities include:
Bentonville’s representative on the Ozark Regional Transit Board;
President of the Bentonville Public Schools Foundation Board;
Planning Commissioner for the City of Bentonville; and,
She formerly served as president of the Bentonville Garden Club and treasurer of Downtown Bentonville Inc.

• Chris Sooter, the 2011 recipient of the Rabbit Dickerson Award, was honored for his service contributions to the city of Bentonville.

Sooter has served since 2002 as the Alderman Ward 1 on the Bentonville City Council. His other work includes:
Executive VP of Finance and Operations at Member Services Inc.;
Chairs the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau;
Vice President of the Bentonville Public School Foundation Board;
Board of Directors for the Bentonville Noon Rotary Club;
Formerly a member of the Board of Directors for Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce; and,
Board member for Benton County Sunshine School and YMCA of NWA