Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
From the Chamber’s President/CEO
Hello friends… March passed us by faster than usual this year. With the spring break holiday we compressed 4 weeks worth of programming and events into three. Here are some of the highlights.
Early in the month we hosted our second Entrepreneurship and Coffee event with Rhett Bramley from Ozark Trailer Manufacturing and Sales at Neno’s Place in Downtown Harrison. Rhett has been learning about entrepreneurship since he was in elementary school and his story of business lessons takes many turns. Seven years ago his trailer manufacturing vendor closed up shop. Rhett and his team decided they would learn how to manufacture and service their own trailers - which has been the key to their growth from five to now supporting thirty five employees and their families. Each time I’m around Rhett I learn something new and that morning we were reminded and inspired about building a team around your strengths and weaknesses. It takes humility to admit where your gaps are, then recruit and partner with those who will strengthen those areas.
March 12 we hosted the largest gathering of business and community leaders all year long at our annual awards luncheon presented by Equity Bank. We celebrated our community and held a panel discussion about our current and future workforce. One noteworthy comment that brought a round of applause during the panel: When it comes to reading readiness in the State of Arkansas there are 3 contiguous school districts in the top 11… Harrison, Valley Springs, and Bergman school districts. We’ve got a lot to be proud of here in Boone County.
March 14 was another gathering of business and community leaders over breakfast at City Hall presented by Black Hills Energy. Mayor Jackson and his department heads gave a State of the City address highlighting some of the major projects around the City. Updates on our development of sidewalks/trails, the Creekside Community Center, housing at the Rock Springs Apartments, and downtown development. Too much to include in an article like this, but lots of projects are underway in our community.
We are at our best when convening community leaders, inspiring entrepreneurship, and generating dialogue about the future of our region. We invite you to join us in these important conversations and to be a part of shaping the future of our community. Tune in weekly for our video podcast “This Week at the Chamber” and catch the top four things happening in the Chamber world. As I was reminded lately, “raindrops make oceans.” These small wins over time are accumulating to have a huge impact. Let’s keep our foot on the gas.
Thank you and stay blessed.