LITTLE ROCK, AR (September 20, 2023) – The Metro Little Rock Alliance released today a video series focused on targeted industries for economic development recruitment. The videos will be used to market to economic development prospects with the goal of attracting investment and jobs to the region. Industries include advanced manufacturing, food processing, supply chain and logistics, corporate operations, corporate operations, and financial technologies.
The project was organized by the Metro Little Rock Alliance, a coalition of economic development organizations in Central Arkansas led by the Little Rock Regional Chamber. Economic development partners within the Metro Little Rock Alliance have been successful in attracting jobs and investment in recent years, totaling over 10,000 announced new jobs and over $2 billion in capital investment since 2020.
“Word of mouth is one of the oldest marketing tactics in the book and our goal with this campaign is to leverage the voices of world-class companies with strong influence,” said Jack Thomas, Vice President of Economic Development at the Little Rock Regional Chamber. “We often say that our best salespeople are other Arkansans and this campaign will take our message of business-friendliness, speed-to-market, and quality of life to the world.”
Executives commented on the business-friendly environment, skilled workforce, and quality of life amenities that has drawn attention to the Little Rock area from organizations such as Business Facilities, Forbes, and Livability.
“Little Rock is an area that will truly surprise you,” said Nate Westover, Executive Operations Leader at Amazon. “I would highly encourage anyone to come here because of the strong partnerships that exist and the support you will get when you come here.”
Little Rock’s central location with multiple modes of transportation has led to tremendous growth in the distribution and logistics sector in recent years. Companies such as Amazon, Dollar General, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply have selected the region for distribution and logistics facilities.
Sean Bowie, President of Bryce Corporation, commented on the reliability of the transportation systems in the region. “To be able to serve our customers nationally, we must have access to high-quality infrastructure on both the roads and railroad,” said Bowie. “That (infrastructure) is something we have here in Central Arkansas.”
The Metro Little Rock region is home to 63 foreign-owned companies, representing 22 countries and over 6,000 employees. Sébastien Deltheil, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Dassault Falcon Jet, praised the business climate and hardworking nature of the workforce in Little Rock.
“Arkansas is the perfect fit for Dassault Falcon Jet because it has an environment that encourages business and attracts the best people,” said Deltheil. “The people are key to our success.”
The Little Rock region has experienced tremendous economic growth in recent years as more people are working in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway MSA than ever before. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report from May 2023 indicates there are 356,209 individuals employed across the Little Rock region. The 183,049 individuals employed in Pulaski County is the highest on record in the 21st century. According to the labor analytics software platform Lightcast, the population of the Little Rock region is expected to increase by 2.3% between 2022 and 2027, adding 17,099 people.
The videos can be found at metrolittlerockalliance.com or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@MetroLittleRockAlliance.
About the Metro Little Rock Alliance
The Metro Little Rock Alliance (MLRA) is a twelve-county economic development organization marketing a population of over one million people within a 60-mile radius of downtown Little Rock. Created to cultivate regional growth and prosperity throughout the area, MLRA markets the region’s strengths and advantages to prospective companies and site location consultants for the purpose of attracting investment and creating jobs. For more information, visit metrolittlerockalliance.com.