Business Weekly
June 1 – 5, 2009
- State Chamber Hosts Procurement Conference
- State Chamber/AIA Hosts Small Business Awards Luncheon
- Final Leadership Arkansas Class III Session and Graduation Slated
- Leadership Arkansas Class IV Applications Now Available
- State Chamber/AIA to Publish Second Membership Directory in July
- Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber Now Largest Chamber in Arkansas
- Welcome to Our New Members
- Thanks to Our Pinnacle Members
- Calendar of Events
State Chamber Hosts Procurement Conference
The Arkansas State Chamber partnered with the U.S. Small
Business Administration, the office of U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, the office of
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, the office of U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Arkansas
Workforce Development Services to bring the Arkansas Procurement
Opportunities Conference to
The event kicked off with remarks by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and Congressman Snyder. Dan F. Sturdivant, II, assistant to the director, outreach programs for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization for the Department of Homeland Security provided a presentation on “Doing Business with the Government (State, Local & Federal) for Newcomers.”
The Procurement Opportunities Conference matched 225 small business representatives from 10 states with 60 buyers – government agencies, nonprofits and corporations – from eight states.
Sponsors for the Procurement Conference included Title Sponsor Department of Workforce Services; Gold Sponsors Aerojet Corporation, Entergy Arkansas, Tyson Foods, Inc. and Verizon Wireless; and Supporting Sponsors AEP/SWEPCO, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Arkansas Employees Federal Credit Union, Bank of the Ozarks and the Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center.
State Chamber/AIA Hosts Small Business Awards Luncheon
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated
Industries of Arkansas hosted the 19th Annual Arkansas Small
Business Awards Luncheon Tuesday at the
The Small Business Awards Luncheon honors the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Arkansas Small Business Persons of the Year. Roby Brock, host of Talk Business, was the MC for the event. C. Sam Walls, CEO of Arkansas Capital Corporation Group, was the guest speaker. Approximately 250 people attended the event.
The event was sponsored by CenterPoint
Energy, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Metropolitan National Bank,
Below is the list of winners:
Veteran Small Business Champion AND Entrepreneurial Leadership – Two Awards
Major General William D. Wofford
Financial Services Champion
James G. Coffey
Metropolitan National Bank
Minority Small Business Champion
Emma Agnew
Beacons & Bridges
Women in Business Champion
Lisa Massey
Taylor, Rodgers and Turner PLLC
Arkadelphia
SBA 7(a) Lender – Highest Volume – FY 2008
Metropolitan National Bank
Resource Partner of the Year
Jennifer Bonds
SBA 504 Lender FY 2008
Six Bridges Capital Corporation
Small Business Journalist
Roby Brock
Talk Business
Small Business Persons of the Year
Robert H. Blair & Sharon Welch-Blair
Empress of
Final Leadership
Leadership Arkansas Class III will hold its final session
covering the Northwest Arkansas Economy on June 25-26 in
Sponsors for the Session to date include Presenting
Sponsors CDI Contractors and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Participating Sponsors Arvest Bank, Tyson Foods,
Leadership
The Chairman for this year’s Leadership Arkansas
class is program founder Paul H. Harvel. Curriculum Chairman is Michele Bond.
Leadership Arkansas Class III is sponsored by
If you would like to be a sponsor for the final session, contact Jeff Thatcher at 501-210-4205 or e-mail him at jthatcher@arkansasstatechamber.com. If you need further information about Leadership Arkansas, please call Susie Marks at 501-210-4206 or e-mail her at smarks@arkansasstatechamber.com.
Leadership
The Arkansas State Chamber of
Commerce is pleased to announce applications for Leadership Arkansas Class IV
are available. You have an exciting opportunity to apply for membership
in Class IV of what is quickly becoming one of
Leadership
Class members will be chosen to participate in a
stimulating and thought-provoking educational program that consists of a
series of six day and a half sessions held in locations throughout the state.
The sessions will include programming on issues critical to
Graduation from the class will not signify the end, but the beginning of a lifetime of opportunity as a member of Leadership Arkansas. For the graduates of the Leadership Arkansas program, we will convene regular meetings, regional and statewide, to facilitate continuing issues-oriented education, advanced leadership training, networking and the opportunity for members to work together toward shared goals.
Selection Criteria
The Leadership Arkansas Selection Committee is charged
with identifying those individuals most likely to utilize their leadership
abilities for the long-term benefit of
- A
commitment, motivation and interest in serving
- A
concern for
- An interest in seeking key volunteer and/or appointed state leadership roles
- Potential or existing occupational responsibilities that have significant influence on important issues facing the state
- A commitment to continued involvement in Leadership Arkansas
To apply or learn more about the Leadership Arkansas Program click here. Should you have any questions about the application, or about Leadership Arkansas, please call Susie Marks at (501) 372-2222.
State Chamber/AIA to Publish Second Membership Directory in July
The State Chamber/AIA plans to publish its second
Membership Directory in July. The 2009 State Chamber/AIA Membership
Directory and Buyer’s Guide will be an excellent resource
guide for the
Each member will be listed along with the type of business
and contact information. This is your opportunity to promote and market your
business to more than 1,000 businesses and organizations throughout
For information on ad rates and specifications, contact
Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber Now Largest Chamber in Arkansas
The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce recently
announced it has become the largest chamber in
The Chamber also achieved a Five Star Accreditation through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Criteria used to rank a chamber at that level include financial and governance structure.
The Rogers-Lowell Chamber is the only chamber in
Thanks to the following companies and organizations that have recently joined the State Chamber/AIA:
American Data Network
Comfort Systems
Haldex
Hickingbotham Investments, Inc.
Highpoint Manufacturing
Premier Lighting Group Inc.
Summit Bank
The Technology Edge
Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson, Inc.
Thanks to Our Pinnacle Members
We would like to express 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.
Chesapeake Energy, Inc.
Cox Communications
Tyson Foods, Inc.
XTO Energy, Inc.
PEAK
Arvest Bank
AT&T Arkansas
CenterPoint Energy Southern Gas
Electric Cooperatives of
FedEx Freight - East
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Kraft Foods
Nucor/Nucor-Yamato
Oaklawn Jockey Club
Southern Bancorp, Inc.
Southwestern Energy Company
State Farm Insurance
Verizon Wireless
Windstream Corporation
CROWN
Acxiom Corporation
AEP Southwestern Electric Power
Albemarle Corporation
Alcoa Inc.
American Greetings Corporation
Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation
Bank of the Ozarks
BP America, Inc.
CardinalHealth
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company
Crossland Construction
Deltic Timber Corporation
Dynegy
Entegra Power Group LLC
Evergreen Packaging Company
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc.
Forest Oil Corporation
Glad Manufacturing/A Clorox Company
Golden Living
International Paper Company
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Lion Oil Company
McKee Foods Corporation
Metropolitan National Bank
Nabholz Construction Corporation
OG+E
Petrohawk
Philander
RebeccaRice & Associates
Rheem Air Conditioning Division
Riceland Foods, Inc.
Russellville Steel Co. Inc.
Signature Bank of
Stephens, Inc.
Storm Cat Energy
The Clorox Company
The Trane Company
US Bank
Waste Management
Weyerhaeuser Company
Wright Lindsey & Jennings
June 25-26 Leadership
June 26 Leadership
Graduation
July 9 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
August 12 State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
10 a.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
August 12 New Member Luncheon
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
September 3 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
October 19 State Chamber/AIA Annual Meeting
State Chamber/AIA Board Meeting
DoubleTree Hotel
November 5 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
State Chamber Conference Room
