Delta Regional Authority says it helped bring investments of $26 million to Arkansas in 2016

Delta Regional Authority’s programs brought about $26 million in investment to eastern Arkansas last year, according to the DRA’s annual report.

It worked on 13 projects in the state, directly investing about $4 million in public infrastructure, transportation improvements and workforce development training.

Meanwhile, the DRA report said it leveraged about $21 million in public investment and $500,000 in leveraged private capital investment. The investment leverage ratio for Arkansas was listed as 5.51 to 1.

According to the report, 964 jobs will be created and retained and 849 people will be trained for the workforce as a result of the DRA’s efforts in Arkansas.

All in all, 1,270 families will be affected by the programs, according to the report.

As part of the DRA’s State’s Economic Development Assistant Program, the organization, headquartered in Clarksdale, Miss., works with communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.

Overall, 91 DRA projects brought in $296 million in investments in those states, showing an investment leverage ratio of12.77 to 1 and adding about 5,000 jobs.

Direct investment from the DRA totaled about $22 million. Leveraged public investment was $137 million and leveraged private investment was about $138 million.

The DRA report says its efforts in 2016 will affect about 23,000 families.

The largest overall investment was shown in Louisiana, about $81 million, and Tennessee, about $100 million.

The largest direct investment from the DRA went to the organization’s home state of Mississippi, at about $7 million.