Job growth, alliance plan focus of Aug. 9 meetings

Aug. 9 is shaping up to be economic development day in Fort Smith, with attendance at two events to include half of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation, Gov. Mike Beebe, the head of Arkansas’ Economic Development Commission and the deputy director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

The first, and more high-profile event, is the unveiling of a 5-year strategic plan of the Fort Smith Regional Alliance. The rollout of the 8-county plan (Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian and Scott counties in Arkansas; Le Flore and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma) is scheduled to begin 11:30 a.m., Aug. 9, and will be held in the Reynolds Room of the campus center at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

Scheduled to attend are U.S. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., Mark Pryor, D-Ark., U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, Beebe, Maria Haley, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Sandy Pratt, deputy director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

“The governor and the AEDC are really emphasizing these regions. He (Beebe) is coming to talk about what he sees as important as regional cooperation,” explained Paul Harvel, president of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and former member of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

ALLIANCE HISTORY

Efforts at a third attempt to create a regional economic development alliance began in early 2010 with regional meetings with chamber and city officials conducted by Rob Ratley, Arkansas manager for OG&E and chairman of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce Economic Development division, and Harvel.

Those meetings resulted in the formation of an alliance that gave all member cities two votes. The regardless-of-size voting structure helped convince smaller communities in the area that the alliance would not be dominated by larger towns. (See timeline box at end of story.)

On May 3, an executive committee for the alliance was formed, with Harvel serving as the interim executive director in addition to his chamber duties. Also on the executive committee are: Ratley, chairman; Fred Williams (Van Buren), vice chair; Lundy Kiger (eastern Oklahoma), vice chair; Jerrod Yarnell (First National Bank of Paris), treasurer; Kay Johnson (superintendent, Greenwood Public School District); and, Linda Hixson, (Paris Chamber of Commerce); and Dr. Jo Alice Blondin (Ozark, Arkansas Tech University-Ozark campus).

REGIONAL PUSH
Harvel, who lead the effort to create the Metro Little Rock Alliance during his tenure as the chamber chief in Little Rock, said regional development alliances in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas meant that it was important that the Fort Smith region to create a similar organization.

“The main thing is that this has been one of the Governor’s goals, one of his objectives, to get everyone organized,” Harvel said. “In Arkansas, and in Oklahoma, the state officials really want to work with regions that have found a way to work together. … I should add that the uniqueness of this region, of what we did in this area, is we created an alliance that takes in two states.”

Harvel said having top federal and state officials is an indication the alliance will improve the region’s ability to communicate with government officials on important economic development issues and projects.

The sentiment expressed by Harvel is contained in the opening language of the alliance’s executive summary.

“There is a trend in economic development at the state and national level to create regional partnerships where cities and counties, and in some cases states, partner together to develop comprehensive regional strategies leveraging all assets of the region. Prospects find regional partnerships attractive because companies are looking for cohesive communities where the localities work well across jurisdictional lines.” (Link here for the PDF of the alliance’s regional strategy.)

The summary also includes the following points about regional cooperation.
• The Fort Smith Region can capitalize on all assets throughout the eight-county area including a regional population of more than 350,000.

• The Fort Smith Region can also capitalize on the presence of eight higher educational institutions including the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Arkansas Tech University – Ozark Campus, the University of the Ozarks, Carl Albert State College, John Brown University Fort Smith Center, Webster University, Kiamichi Technical Center and Indian Capital Technology Center, as well as the location of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville within approximately 60 miles of the region.

• From a transportation perspective, all of the Fort Smith Region benefits from the presence of I-40, the navigable Arkansas River and the potential of I-49.

• The Chaffee Crossing development also creates opportunities that should benefit the entire region.

• Regional alliance have the opportunity to provide companies seeking a new location with the kinds of advantages they would find in larger areas, such as collective workforce and opportunities for financial incentives, while at the same time, enticing companies with small-town advantages, such as responsive and personal interaction with local decision makers, lower cost of doing business and lower cost of living.

DIVISION OF LABOR?
The Fort Smith Regional Alliance follows the creation of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Alliance (RITA).

RITA was formed in August 2009 with the broad goal to maximize the use of all forms of transportation — rail, barge, air, interstate — so as to reduce shipping costs and increase service options for regional business and industries. Start-up funding for RITA came from $325,000 in Arkansas General Improvement Fund secured primarily through the efforts to then Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren.

The authority was formed with the approval of Crawford County, Sebastian County, Fort Smith and Van Buren. Each government agreed to contribute at least $25,000 each to help fund RITA through Dec. 31, 2011.

RITA officials have taken the lead in working with federal and private-sector officials to fund and build railroads and improve port facilities in the Fort Smith region.

Also, the Fort Smith chamber has an active economic development effort.

How do all the groups work together and avoid duplication of efforts?

“I’m not really worried about that,” Harvel said, adding that there is plenty of communication between the groups to ensure better combined support for regional efforts.

“I think what you will see is just the opposite of that (duplication of efforts). It will be more about how we all work together on those shared goals,” he explained.

TOWN HALL
While in Fort Smith, Womack plans to conduct a “Putting America Back to Work” town hall meeting. The event is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Fort Smith Public Library (main branch).

Mat Pitsch, director of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Authority, and John Taylor, a financial expert and vice president with Sterne Agee, are expected to attend and talk about government obstacles in the effort to create and maintain jobs.

Womack’s Fort Smith town hall is the first of five he plans to hold in the 3rd Congressional District.