Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott Is ACE Certified

Business news in Nevada County was mixed during 1996.

The good news was Prescott's being named the state's 31st Arkansas Community of Excellence, while the bad news came with the closing of Prescott Manufacturing.

A total of 58 jobs were lost when Prescott Manufacturing closed n April. The problems the clothing company faced stemmed from its inability to compete with cheaper foreign labor because of the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA).

Those who lost jobs with the plant's closing were assisted through the Governor's Dislocated Worker Task Force, which helps displaced workers find jobs or get the training they need for new ones.

But the red letter day came Wed. Dec. 11, when Gov. Mike Huckabee officially announced Prescott's being named an ACE community.

In ceremonies held at the Prescott Elementary School cafetorium, it was told work on the ACE project started in 1993 when the city and county governments agreed to form an economic development office.

The Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office became a reality in the summer of 1994.

The Interlocal Council's efforts, along with the work done by the EDO, Huckabee said, resulted in the certification as an ACE community.

The Gov. told the packed house ACE certification is not an award given by the state, but an honor earned by the citizens of a community. "This isn't a governor's prize or earned through a vote," he said., "This takes place when a town, on its own initiative, rises and meets established criteria and earns the right to be an ACE community."

Huckabee told of the criteria which had to be met: the creation of an economic development organization; developing an industrial program for existing industry; meting infrastructure requirements; getting community information together for prospects; having a three- year economic development plan and a one year action plan; and creating a marketing plan for the city.

These had to be met before Prescott could be certified, Huckabee said.

He called the certification a celebration for Nevada County, as well as Prescott, that happened because the leaders saw what was needed and did what had to be done to achieve it.

Four signs have been erected denoting Prescott's ACE status, with one on Highway 67 North, another on 67 South, one on Highway 24 and the final one on Interstate 30.