$205,000 Grant Awarded to Accelerate Arkansas
by February 2, 2004 12:00 am 128 views
Capital Resource Corp. has been awarded a $205,000 grant and developed a three-way partnership with the Milken Institute and an arm of the University of Arkansas’ Walton College of Business that could thrust economic research at the UA into the national spotlight.
Capital Resource received the grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Little Rock and will use the money to support the work of Accelerate Arkansas, a statewide volunteer organization created to grow the state’s knowledge-based industries.
Tim McFarland, Accelerate’s chairman, said Capital Resource is partnering with Milken and the UA Center for Business and Economic Research in hopes of growing knowledged-based business in Arkansas.
Milken is a a nonprofit economic think tank in Santa Monica, Calif., that last fall rated the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area as the No. 1 performing metropolitan market in America. The Rockefeller Foundation is a $143.3 million private, nonprofit organization.
“Together, they will examine the state’s current economic conditions, assess the comparative position of its industry structure, and benchmark Arkansas’ position in technology and science,” McFarland said.
Findings by Accelerate will be used to propose policy initiatives that can be acted on by the state legislature and other interested economic action groups in Arkansas, McFarland said.
Work on the project began in January and will be completed this fall.
TAB CHART
The A-Team
Accelerate Arkansas volunteer committee members include:
| Member | City | Affiliation |
| Jerry Adams | Conway | Acxiom Corp. |
| John Ahlen | Little Rock | Arkansas Science & Technology Authorityt |
| Susan Allen | Jonesboro | Arkansas State Universityt |
| Jeff Collins | Fayetteville | University of Arkansast |
| Jerry Damerow | Little Rock | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |
| Watt Gregory III | Little Rock | Kutak Rock LLPt |
| James Hendren | Little Rock | Task Force for the Creation of Knowledge-based Jobs |
| Carmie Henry | Little Rock | Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas |
| Les Lane | Little Rock | Arkansas Science and Technology Authority |
| John Lewis | Fayetteville | Bank of Fayetteville |
| Uvalde Lindsey | Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Council |
| Emon Mahony | Eldorado | Mahony Corp. |
| Mike Maulden | Little Rock | Entergy Corp.t |
| Tim McFarland | Harrison | Arkansas Venture Forumt |
| Alan McVey | Little Rock | Arkansas Department of Economic Developmentt |
| Elise Mitchell | Fayetteville | Mitchell Communications Group Inc.t |
| Tim O’Brien | Little Rock | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciencest |
| Bill Thomas | Wynne | Cross County Economic Development Corp.t |
| Sam Walls | Little Rock | Arkansas Capital Corp. Groupt |
| Doyle Williams | Fayetteville | University of Arkansast |
Source: Accelerate Arkansas