Regions Profile Continues to Grow (Opinion)

I’m sure you enjoyed the fall foliage. Bursting with color from Bella Vista to the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, this year’s annual leaf change undoubtedly rivaled those in the upper Midwest and New England.

I was reminded of how beautiful autumn is in Northwest Arkansas while driving to the Bentonville Square along Central Avenue. An old house. A yard strewn with red leaves and a gray sky. A photo of that simple scene made its way to Facebook and was “liked” by people across the United States.

Indeed, Northwest Arkansas went national. That Facebook post got me to thinking about this region we call home. It’s a great place to live, and these days, an exciting place to be.

Silicon Valley technology whiz Peter Mehring was just here presenting his ZEST food tracking system, a system 10 years and $90 million in the making. And then there’s Larry Robertson of Bella Vista, who recently acquired the worldwide rights to IsoTruss, a composite grid developed at Brigham Young University.

In an interview with Don Vanhooser, who repurposes over-the-road trailers into wood furniture, I asked where he was from. Indiana, he said, and quickly added that he’s been in Northwest Arkansas for about seven years and that he’s glad to be here.

Just north of the Bentonville Square, a husband and wife from Siloam Springs had lunch at Crepes Paulette. They had recently returned from a big road trip, and they said the beauty of this region compared favorably to just about anything they’d seen.

With Northwest Arkansas, however, there’s a bit more to the story than beauty. This region continues to grow as a destination for people from all over and for technology created by the finest minds in the country.

Northwest Arkansas, it seems, is going natural.