Many Happy Returns (EDITORS NOTE)

Happy New Year.

It’s hard to believe we’ve said goodbye to 2014 and welcomed 2015.

Did you ring in the New Year on Fayetteville’s downtown square at Last Night Fayetteville? If not, check out our cover story on the tech-heavy community festival, which happens to be the state’s largest public New Year’s Eve party. Then, make sure it’s on your calendar in 12 months.

As I reflect personally on 2014, most memorable was the continued good health of my family and friends.

On a more local level, 2014 will again be remembered for what many of us know: Northwest Arkansas, with its fast-growing and dynamic economy, is a great place for business.

Of course this is home to Fortune 500 behemoths like Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart Stores and J.B. Hunt, and our prosperity will always be tied in some way to their achievements.

But a growing number of startup technology companies are also beginning to write their own success stories, like Fayetteville companies BlueInGreen and Ozark Integrated Circuits, both tenants of the bustling Arkansas Research & Technology Park. You can learn more about what those two companies are up to in this issue, as well.

Those are just a few of several examples, and we enjoy sharing those successes. I encourage readers to contact any of our reporters with suggested story ideas for the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. Let us know your organization’s plans for 2015 and how we can help with our coverage. 

Also, if you are interested in submitting a guest commentary for consideration, contact me for details. Contributions on all topics related to our
region’s business community are welcome.

And, as always, we thank you for reading. We remain committed to being the area’s most comprehensive source of local business news.