Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
From the Chamber’s President/CEO
Summer’s here and we hope you’re enjoying it. The Chamber team took a breath in June but stayed focused on growing the community’s prosperity, as we ramp up in July for the second half of a very busy year.
As you’ve likely heard me say, or read here, economic development is a complex subject. It’s not just creating jobs and opening new businesses. While there are many components, workforce training and housing are integral to economic development, and we’ve been concentrating on these two issues.
Workforce training is the hot topic. Businesses have many employees reaching retirement age. In our region, that’s hundreds of people. In addition, businesses are acquiring technology to help them be more efficient and productive. The combination of needing new employees with new skill sets requires smart recruitment strategies and customized training programs. We’ve taken on the latter challenge.
The Workforce Initiative Network (WIN) introduced by the Boone County Economic Development Corporation was handed off to the Chamber in late 2019. WIN is aimed at changing the conversation that “it’s OK not to attend a four-year degreegranting school and that working in manufacturing is quite acceptable.” WIN connects businesses with their future workforce: high school students. Partnering with the O.U.R. Education Services Cooperative, we’re excited to launch the third edition of the WIN Textbook this Fall, engage with select career and technical education teachers in the WIN Leadership Academy, and host a WIN Summit, educating the educators – all with our business partners.
Skills training for the workforce is equally important. We’re thankful to North Arkansas College and the community team that helped bring the Center for Robotics and Manufacturing Innovation to center stage. A groundbreaking for this multi-million-dollar, state-of-theart technical training facility is planned for later this year. In its walls, using the newest equipment and processes, career employees and students will be given the latest skills needed by our local manufacturers and businesses. The CRMI is our centerpiece for increasing the community’s economic prosperity.
And I’m sure that most people realize the regional housing inventory has dropped substantially. People wanting to move and work here can’t find housing. No new developments have been started in many years. That’s about to change. A small group of community leaders has been working for months, collaborating with local builders and developers. The process is quite complex. The cost of materials, supply chain issues, interest rates, and qualified construction labor all play in the business decision to develop and build. There are interested parties across all fronts now and we have a site picture in front of us. Keeping our head down and focused, we are hopeful for a major breakthrough soon.
We are taking Care of Business!
Cheers, Bob