Via Zoom, researchers to release state of Northwest Arkansas report Oct. 8

The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas will release Oct. 8 the ninth annual State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report.

The report, in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Council, will be presented in a Zoom webinar starting at 11:30 a.m. Registration is required for the event. Link here to register.

CBER Director Mervin Jebaraj will share economic highlights in the report and will provide economic data and insights about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report has been viewed as one of the best measures of the area’s economy and has compared it to peer regions such as Madison, Wis.; Raleigh, N.C.; Provo-Orem, Utah; Des Moines, Iowa; and Austin, Texas, according to a news release.

Mike Harvey, the chief operating officer for the Northwest Arkansas Council, will give an overview of the council’s efforts to attract talent to the area and highlight quality of life and job opportunities. Finding NWA, a program of the Northwest Arkansas Council, uses social media sites such as LinkedIn to help recruiters identify talent from cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas and the Kansas City area for careers at Walmart, Tyson Foods and other companies. The Finding NWA program was expanded in June and has received praise from human resources managers at those companies, according to the council.

Karen Roberts, the 2020-2021 presiding co-chair of the Northwest Arkansas Council, will moderate the event. Roberts is executive vice president and general counsel for Walmart. In her role, she oversees the legal department, which is responsible for handling all legal matters affecting the company in its domestic and international markets.

The deadline to register for the event is Oct. 7.