BOND.AI, a financial growth platform that uses conversational artificial intelligence to help individuals meet financial goals and provides banks with AI infrastructure, recently announced it would be relocating its headquarters from New York City to Little Rock, Arkansas. Bond.AI was part of the second cohort of the Venture Center FinTech Accelerator Powered by FIS. Little Rock is considered the birthplace of FinTech when Systematics was founded in Little Rock in the 1950s. 

Headquartered in Little Rock with roasting and distribution facilities in Conway and North Little Rock, Westrock Coffee Company is the leading integrated coffee, tea, and extract service provider in the United States. With offices in ten countries, Westrock Coffee sources coffee from 35 origin countries. In 2021, Westrock Coffee Company announced plans to expand its operations and beverage capabilities with the purchase of a 524,000 square-foot facility that, when fully built out, will be the largest facility of its type in the United States. The company is investing over $300 million and creating 850 new jobs in Central Arkansas over five years with average annual salaries around $70,000. 

Fortune 500 company FIS is the world’s largest provider of dedicated banking and payment technologies. FIS’s global location in Little Rock employs 1,300 professionals that provide technology solutions in multitude of areas. FIS also powers the FIS FinTech Accelerator out of The Venture Center in Little Rock. The rigorous 12-week program draws cutting-edge FinTech startups from all over the world to connect with mentors and business solutions.

Kimberly-Clark has had a presence in Metro Little Rock since 1970 and continues to invest in the region. The company’s plant in Maumelle, AR is a model of efficiency. Established nearly 30 years ago, the manufacturing plant employs approximately 300 skilled workers to produce Huggies® brand baby wipes. In 2015, the company announced a $68 million expansion in Maumelle, increasing the sprawling 400,000 square-foot facility by another 40,000 square feet.

According to Marcie Miller, Plant Manager at Kimberly-Clark, Maumelle is a great choice for a business to select for a number of reasons. “Number one is accessibility,” Miller said. “You’ve got the interstate; you’ve got rail; and you’ve got the airport just down the road. The cost of operation is really competitive for an industry. And, lastly, it’s the relationship with the city and the support that they offer to the industry that takes root in their community.”

“The employees that work here are top-notch,” Miller continued. “You will see strong technical skillsets, skilled labor, qualified professionals. I’ve found the employees here to be some of the best I have come across in my career.”

Kimberly-Clark is also proud of its caring workforce in Maumelle. The employees dedication to getting involved and giving back to the community is evident through the donations they make in the annual United Way Campaign, and the numerous volunteer opportunities they participate in.

The Skippy Peanut Butter production facility opened in Little Rock in 1977. Since that time, two other production facilities consolidated into the Little Rock plant, making it the world’s sole producer and packager of Skippy Peanut Butter. Hormel Foods, LLC purchased Skippy in 2013 and chose to retain operations in Little Rock.

The 158,000 square-foot production and packaging plant has succeeded over the past few decades, thriving on the innovative spirit of the Metro Little Rock workforce, with its ability to adapt and streamline production to stay ahead of the curve in modern food processing.

The facility also relies on Metro Little Rock’s extensive rail system for deliveries and distribution. Approximately 750,000 pounds of peanuts are brought to the Skippy plant by rail car each day, allowing the facility to produce 11 varieties and more than 3.5 million pounds of peanut butter each week.

Dassault Falcon Jet's largest facility in the world is located in Little Rock, with more than one million square feet at the Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport. In 2023, a $100+ investment was announced that will lead to the creation of 800 new jobs. The facility is the site of two strategic Falcon operations: the main Completion Center for all Falcon jets worldwide, and the company-owned Service Center, which is dedicated solely to Falcon customers. Current production model Falcons are manufactured in France, then flown in "green" condition to the Completion Center where optional avionics and custom interiors are installed and exteriors are painted. Little Rock operates a “one-stop-shop” for all inspection, maintenance, modification, completion and repair needs, and is 100% dedicated to supporting only the Falcon product line.

When Dillard’s was searching for a location for a new high-tech facility, it didn’t need to look far. The Arkansas-based Fortune 500 retail leader chose Maumelle, AR for an 850,000-square-foot internet fulfillment center. Approximately 350 workers process orders – preparing and packaging clothes, home decor items and other products ordered by customers.

The facility is equipped with advanced distribution and fulfillment capabilities, including robotics that enhance efficiency and safety while reducing noise. The center is also easy on the environment. It uses less power due to reduced conveyor usage as well as advanced, energy-efficient lighting systems. These low-impact operations have an even greater impact on the company’s costs thanks to already-affordable utilities offered in the region.

Since the facility combines tech and distribution, Dillard’s taps into Metro Little Rock’s talent pool that includes everything from skilled operations workers to systems engineers.

Apptegy has grown from an education-technology startup with no investors, to a company that works with school districts in all 50 states. The foundation of Apptegy's success is its unique workplace culture of high performance and thoughtfulness.

With the help of in-state venture capital funding in April of 2015, Jeston George founded Apptegy, an education-technology company in Little Rock, Arkansas. As an uncle, Jeston wanted to know when his nephew's school programs were and discovered that local schools lacked a centralized tool for sharing information with students' families. 

In response, Apptegy built Thrillshare, a communication platform built for school leaders. Thrillshare allows K-12 administrators to enter news, stories, and media to a single platform, which then distributes the content to linked tools like social media accounts, SMS, voice calls, and websites.

Apptegy has grown from an education-technology startup with no investors, to a company that works with school districts in all 50 states. The foundation of Apptegy's success is its unique workplace culture of high performance and thoughtfulness. That approach has gained recognition as Apptegy was named one of America's Best Startup Employers by Forbes in 2020 and 2021. Apptegy was also awarded a spot on Inc. 5000's list of the fastest growing private companies in 2021. 

Apptegy is growing rapidly and in search of new employees to hire for our team. Learn more about working for Apptegy in Little Rock.