Medicine Man

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Northwest Arkansas only has about 83 percent of the health care workers needed for a region of this size.

Cameron Smith, head of recruiting agency Cameron Smith & Associates, said he’s well aware of that shortcoming. In fact, he said that by the end of next year, he hopes to have either merged with a medical recruiter or have bought a medical recruiting agency outright.

He’ll bring in doctors and all manner of support staff for University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Mercy Northwest Arkansas and Northwest Health System, among others. Smith is plotting this move as the market for medical office space is expected to expand with an aging population.

Smith, one of the top headhunters in the nation, knows a thing or two about convincing top-level, big-city talent to come to a place that does not yet have a Jaguar dealership.

“You have to sell the job and you have to sell Northwest Arkansas, and we can do both,” Smith said.