Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Industrial News Is Good For County

There's so much good news in Clark County, it's hard to know where to begin.

Once again, the county has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.2 percent.

Then, in Thursday's regular meeting of the Clark County Industrial Council (CCIC), representatives from Petit Jean Poultry announced the company is increasing its lines and hiring an additional 100 workers.

The next bit of news for the CCIC dealt with the access road to the proposed mini-industrial park near Interstate 30. According to Brown Hardman, CCIC president, the owners are in agreement with signing over easements and deeds have been sent out.

He said when these deeds are signed and returned, the City of Arkadelphia will begin work. The city agreed to construct the road, and is ready to begin.

The group got more good news on the membership drive, as there are now 250 members in the CCIC, with more than $9,000 collected to date.

Though the "official" membership drive ended last week, the committee will continue working to get members until 500 have signed up.

And, the CCIC now has a vice president. Hardman joked with the members present telling them the search for a V.P. went nationwide, then international before they finally found the right man for the job -- Dolphus Whitten, a long-time member of the group.

Executive Director Peter Lawson took over, telling the members the CCIC committees are being updated as well. These committees include the executive/industrial; existing industry; the membership; and the media committees.

Once the good news was disseminated, Ernest Whitelaw, with Entergy's Teamwork Arkansas, spoke to those present.

He said Teamwork Arkansas was created 10 years ago to market the state, with Entergy (then Arkansas Power and Light Co.) dedicating $15 million to the project.

The group's goal was to advertise the state and make people aware of where Arkansas is and letting the rest of the world know what kind of people live here.

The advertising campaign, he said, has helped bring industry to the state and create more jobs.

Creating jobs and community development are other facets of Teamwork Arkansas overall plans.

Whitelaw said without the commitment of the people, the state can't succeed in attracting businesses and industries. "The competition is too keen," he said.

Then came one of the most important aspects of the project -- working with existing industries to continue meeting their needs so they will remain in Arkansas.

He said statistics show 75 to 80 percent of all new jobs in Arkansas are created from existing industries. These industries, he continued, need to be cultivated and worked so they continue to grow.

Whitelaw said 1,147 residents of Clark County work outside the county, while 1,418 people who live outside the county come to work within its borders. "This state has a labor force that will commute," he said. "I think some of those people working out of the county would like to stay here."

Because of this, he said, existing industries need to be courted as if they were preparing to locate in the county.

Whitelaw suggested the CCIC meet with plant managers on a regular basis to see what they need, and remind them of services and supplies available locally or regionally.

"Companies need to feel wanted and appreciated," he told the board. "They should get some incentives. Industry can be anywhere in today's market."

Kelly Tackett, also with Entergy, then spoke, talking about results from a survey taken by the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission (AIDC), on the major issues business and industry has.

She said the results show industry is having problems finding and keeping trained workers.

This, she said, is because employees will leave for better pay, better environments or benefit packages.

On the other hand, she said, the survey results showed the workers need to be better trained before entering the labor market, or at least be trainable when they enter the market.

Another major headache industry has is dealing with governmental regulations. She said the permit process, as it currently exists, is time consuming and cumbersome.

One of the biggest problems for small businesses, she said, is their having access to capital for expansion.

"Industries need communities to improve," Tackett said. "They need local technical training, better infrastructure (primarily roads), and a friendly tax structure."

One of the biggest concerns of industries polled was the need for community-based day care centers. She said businesses would like to partner with someone to provide such services to their employees.