Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Replacing, creating jobs is CCIC's goal

Replacing lost jobs and creating new ones are the priorities the Clark County Industrial Council has for 2002.

At its annual meeting Thursday, Jan. 17, CCIC President Brown Hardman said the organization has to do a better job in the community and have its priorities in order.

The CCIC worked with two prospects in 2001, he said. One was UPS, with the company wanting an acre of land with interstate visibility.

UPS had planned to put up a temporary trailer so drivers could drop their trucks off during the holidays while they were with their families.

This prospect, though, fell through, with UPS eventually going to Malvern.

The other was a company called Paper Tiger. Representatives from Paper Tiger first contacted Blaine Smith, executive director of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce, who turned them over to the CCIC.

The company wanted a 50,000 or 60,000 square foot building on a railroad spur.

Hardman told them the CCIC could build a building where they needed it, but it couldn't be done quickly enough for the company as it was on a two-month time line.

Paper Tiger would have hired 12 people, while UPS wouldn't have hired anyone.

"We need to pull together and work as a team," Hardman said.

Kevin Copeland, executive director of the CCIC, will be working closely with the Arkansas Department of Economic Development to get industry to Clark County, he said.

Hardman said the CCIC's mission statement is to create high paying, environmentally safe jobs. The CCIC works with industry, while the Chamber works with retail business, he added.

Debbie Sorrells, chairman of the new industries committee, said a video was made for the CCIC 15 years ago and is being updated for use in the CCIC's recruiting efforts.

The committee, she said, is also working to produce a brochure.

Dr. William Downs, with Ouachita Baptist University, produced the first video and was contacted about helping with the new one.

"He gave us some ideas," Sorrells said. "The committee met and decided what needed to be highlighted."

She said people are the most important aspect of the community and will be featured at the beginning and end of the video. It will also show the industrial park, recreational facilities and education, along with the hospital, fire department, railroad, airport and interstate-30 traffic.

Copeland showed the board binders for the new members detailing what the CCIC is all about.

He said the manuals provide orientation for new members, showing the leadership and history of the organization, along with an ongoing CCIC calendar for the next year of projects to be completed.

It also includes procedures the CCIC has in place for plant closings and layoffs, along with committee breakdowns, plans for growth, the goals and missions and member contact information.

At this time, he said, the CCIC has several projects going, including getting a new spec building constructed to show prospects.

The CCIC will increase its marketing and recruiting efforts, he said.

One of the reasons the CCIC has been able to do so well, he continued, is Hardman worked as executive director several years for no pay.

The problem the CCIC faces is the lack of permanent funding. During 2002, Copeland said, the organization will be working to secure some type of permanent funding.

Camden, he said, recently passed a tax strictly for economic development, with the tax expected to raise $6 million over four years.

"If we're going to keep up with others around us," he said, "we need to start now."

New members were recognized at the meeting. They are: Philip Shuffield, Sherry Kelley, Phillip Giles, Lonnie Jackson, Blake Mitchell, Tom Kirkwald, Al Lynch and Wilma Gill.

The board members whose terms expired were: Hal Bass, Euodias Goza, Bobby Jones and Nick Stover.