Business Weekly E-Newsletter
March 3-7, 2008
Next Leadership Arkansas Session, Board Meeting Slated for Fort Smith
Economic development and manufacturing are on the agenda for the March 27-28 Fort Smith Leadership Arkansas Session.
- The State Chamber and AIA Boards of Directors will meet as part of the Leadership Arkansas Session at 4 p.m. on March 27 at the Holiday Inn City Center in Fort Smith.
- After the board meeting, directors will join members of Leadership Arkansas Class II for a reception and dinner at the Town Center. The reception at 5:30 p.m. will offer excellent networking opportunities with members of the class and will be followed by the dinner.
Leadership Arkansas Class II is sponsored by Southern Bancorp. Sponsors to date for the Fort Smith session include Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Arkansas Tech University, AT&T, CenterPoint Energy, First National Bank of Fort Smith, Golden Living, Hiram Walker – Pernod Ricard USA, Northwest Arkansas Community College, OG+E, Rheem, UA-Fort Smith, Van Buren Chamber of Commerce and Warner Smith & Harris, PLC.
If you plan to attend the regional board meeting, please RSVP to Deb Mathis at dmathis@arkansasstatechamber.com or 501-210-4212.
We have a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn City Center for Thursday evening. If you plan to spend the night and need a room, please contact Susie Marks at smarks@arkansasstatechamber.com or 501-210-4206.
Leadership Arkansas Plans Four Final Sessions
In addition to the Economic Development and Manufacturing Leadership Arkansas Session on March 27-28 in Fort Smith, the Jonesboro/Paragould session on May 22-23 will focus on education and the Northeast Arkansas economy, the Fayetteville/Springdale session on June 26-27 will cover infrastructure challenges and the Northwest Arkansas economy, and the Graduation Session in Springdale on June 27 will focus on the members of Class II.
These remaining Leadership Arkansas sessions represent outstanding investment opportunities in which companies and organizations can participate. Leadership Arkansas takes a statewide view of the economic and political challenges that face our state, offering leadership opportunities that expand the impact of community leaders. It builds a sense of community by identifying and training individuals with the passion and commitment to become personally engaged in issues, programs and activities aimed at building a better Arkansas.
By helping sponsor one of the remaining activities – sessions in Fort Smith, Jonesboro/Paragould and Northwest Arkansas as well as the graduation – companies and organizations have the chance to personally meet and get to know these individuals who will be leading Arkansas in the future. Our sponsorship goal is $20,000 for each of these four events.
Partner sponsorships at $1,000 include an invitation to a reception and dinner with Leadership Arkansas class members, signage at the event and inclusion in the promotional and printed materials for the session. Presenting sponsorships at $2,500 include all of the above plus an opportunity to present during the session and an opportunity to place a company brochure or message in the participants’ notebooks.
For further information on Leadership Arkansas, contact Susie Marks at 501-210-4206 or e-mail her at smarks@arkansasstatechamber.com.
Congressional Dinner Will Highlight Annual Washington Fly-In
Participants in the State Chamber/AIA’s 49th Annual Washington Fly-In and Congressional Dinner can plan on a busy night on Monday, April 28, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va.
The evening begins with a 6 p.m. reception and continues into the dinner hour at 7 p.m., with both events featuring ample chances for productive contact with members of our congressional delegation and their staffs. The fun and tradition – along with excellent networking opportunities – continue after dinner in the Hospitality Suite, once again hosted by the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Executives.
We will also meet and greet our senators and representatives and their staffs at their offices and at district dinners, luncheons and breakfasts April 27-29.
The Crystal Gateway is serving as our headquarters, and for your convenience the State Chamber/AIA has booked rooms at the hotel April 26-29. Registration forms have been mailed, so if you have not filled out yours yet, please do so and return it to us.
Click here for our Web site calendar and to access hotel and contact information for the event. The registration form is also on our Web site.
Small Business Regulatory Fairness Forum Set for Rogers
The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce will host the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Regulatory Fairness Forum for Small Business on Tuesday, March 18, at its office at 317 West Walnut in Rogers.
At the forum, which will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., small business owners will have an opportunity to discuss issues regarding federal regulatory compliance and enforcement. SBA National Ombudsman Nicholas Owens and members of the Region VI Regulatory Fairness Board will hear issues and comments about federal regulatory enforcement and compliance actions.
Members of the small business community, trade organizations and media are encouraged to attend. There is no fee to attend, and it is open to the public.
To RSVP, contact the Rogers-Lowell Chamber at 479-636-1240 or Gretchen@rogerslowell.com.
Participate in Political Process by Contributing to State Chamber/AIA PACs
With the candidate filing period already started, the State Chamber/AIA is in the process of evaluating prospective candidates and reviewing the possible legislative races. One way you can participate is by contributing to our Political Action Committees.
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce PAC and the Associated Industries of Arkansas PAC were founded to elect business-minded candidates who will fully support Arkansas’s business community in the state legislature. Your help is critical. Your contributions will go toward electing a pro-business General Assembly that will continually enhance the economic climate in Arkansas.
A “person” may contribute up to $5,000 per calendar year to each PAC. “Person” includes any individual, proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, business trust, company, corporation, association, committee, or any other organization or group of persons acting in concert. The name and address of each “person” who contributes more than $500 to a PAC must be reported to the Secretary of State.
Checks should be made payable to either the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce PAC or the Associated Industries of Arkansas PAC and mailed to P.O. Box 3645, Little Rock, AR 72203.
You can also help by providing information on pro-business candidates and your knowledge of all potential candidates in your district. Please send this information to Kenny Hall, our executive vice president, by e-mail at khall@arkansasstatechamber.com.
Welcome to Our New Members
Thanks to the following companies and organizations that have recently joined the State Chamber/AIA:
Argenta Community Development Corp.
Best Park, LLC
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Central Bank
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Simplex Grinnell
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Thanks to Our Pinnacle Members
Thanks to increased financial support from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the company is now among our Peak members in the Pinnacle list.
We wish to express special thanks to all of our Pinnacle investors, the respected companies that support the State Chamber/AIA at the highest annual investment levels. We appreciate all that they do for us.
APEX
Alltel Corporation
Entergy Arkansas, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
SUMMIT
Chesapeake Energy, Inc.
Cox Communications
Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods
Tyson Foods, Inc.
PEAK
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Arvest Bank
AT&T Arkansas
CenterPoint Energy
Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas
FedEx Freight - East
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Harps Food Stores, Inc.
Kraft Foods
Oaklawn Jockey Club
Pathfinder Exploration LLC
Petrohawk Energy Corporation
SemGroup LP
Southern Bancorp, Inc.
Southland Park
Southwestern Energy Company
State Farm Insurance
Weyerhaeuser Company
Windstream Corporation
XTO Energy, Inc.
CROWN
Acxiom Corporation
AEP Southwestern Electric Power
Albemarle Corporation
Alta Resources LLC
American Greetings Corporation
American Insurance Association
Arkansas Employees Federal Credit Union
Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation
Arkansas Western Gas Company
Bank of the Ozarks
Deltic Timber Corporation
Dynegy
Entegra Power Group LLC
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc.
Forest Oil Corporation
Glad Manufacturing/a Clorox Company
Golden Ventures
International Paper Company
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Lion Oil Company
Metropolitan National Bank
Murphy Oil Corporation
Nabholz Construction Corporation
Nucor-Yamato Steel
OG+E
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
Philander Smith College
Pinnacle Foods Group LLC
Potlatch Forest Products Corporation
Pulaski Technical College
Rheem Air Conditioning Division
Riceland Foods, Inc.
Signature Bank of Arkansas
Simmons First National Corporation
Stephens, Inc.
Storm Cat Energy
Suez Energy North America
The Clorox Company
The Trane Company
US Bank
Waste Management of Arkansas
Wright Lindsey & Jennings
Calendar of Events
March 27 – 28 Leadership Arkansas Class II Session
Economic Development and Manufacturing
Holiday Inn City Center, Fort Smith
March 27 State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
4 p.m., Holiday Inn City Center, Fort Smith
April 27 – 29 Annual Washington Fly-In and Congressional Dinner
District Dinners, Lunches and Breakfasts
Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
April 28 State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
Crystal Gateway Marriott
Arlington, Virginia
May 22 – 23 Leadership Arkansas Class II Session
Education and Northeast Arkansas Economy
Jonesboro/Paragould
June 3 Annual Small Business Awards Luncheon
11:45 a.m., Embassy Suites Hotel
Little Rock
June 26 – 27 Leadership Arkansas Class II Session
Northwest Arkansas Economy/Infrastructure Challenges
Fayetteville/Springdale
June 27 Leadership Arkansas Class II Graduation
Presented by Harps Food Stores, Inc.
