Kristi Barr Director, Workforce Development & Education of Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce Kristi Barr is the Director of Workforce Development and Education at the Little Rock Regional Chamber. She works to support the advancement of public schools; monitor and increase the talent pipeline for employers; and increase the labor force participation rate in Little Rock and Central Arkansas. Prior to this position, she worked as the Director of Business Retention and Expansion at the Chamber and is fueled by a passion to help area businesses find the qualified labor and talent they desperately need.
Matthew C. Boch Member at Dover Dixon Horne PLLC Matthew C. Boch is a member of Dover Dixon Horne PLLC in Little Rock. Matt advises clients on navigating state and local tax issues and leveraging economic development incentives to further their business goals. Matt represents clients seeking economic development incentives and regularly negotiates and implements incentive packages, helping clients address any obstacles that may arise along the way. Clients also rely on Matt for his multistate tax experience as well as his deep understanding of the Arkansas tax world. He guides clients through all the stages of tax controversies, from the point of an initial audit, through administrative appeals, and on to litigation when necessary. He advises companies on tax planning and compliance as well. As a leader in the field, Matt frequently publishes and speaks on tax and incentive issues for national and local organizations (IPT, COST, American Bar Association, Telestrategies, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Society of CPAs, etc.). As a leading Arkansas tax lawyer, Mr. Boch is a member and former chair of the Arkansas Tax Advisory Council, serves as Vice-Chair of the Arkansas Bar Association Section of Taxation, advises the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce Tax Committee, authors the Arkansas Tax and Incentives Update blog published by Dover Dixon Horne (http://www.doverdixonhorne.com/ARTaxandIncentivesUpdate), and also coauthors Bloomberg BNA’s Arkansas Corporate Income Tax Navigator and Arkansas Pass-Through Entity Navigator.
Jon Chadwell, CEcD Director of Newport Economic Development Commission As Executive Director for the Newport Economic Development Commission, Jon Chadwell is actively involved in helping develop a rural Arkansas community. Through trial and error (plenty of errors) Jon has learned some things that work well and many that don’t. His personal goal is to keep in mind that the end result of developing any community is to improve the quality of life for the people who live there.
Lisa Ferrell President at Rockwater Village/North Bluffs Development
Lisa Ferrell President at Rockwater Village/North Bluffs Development Lisa Ferrell is founder and CEO of Rockwater Village, a regionally recognized real estate development corporation. Ferrell is a practicing Corporate Attorney and a former State Legislator and Advisor to foreign governments.
Shelby Fiegel, PCED Director - Center for Community & Econ. Dev. of UCA's Center for Community & Economic Development Shelby Fiegel, PCED Director - Center for Community & Econ. Dev. of UCA's Center for Community & Economic Development https://uca.edu/cdi/ Shelby Fiegel is the Director of the University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) and the Community Development Institute (CDI). She is an Honors graduate of Arkansas State University and holds a degree in public relations and minors in marketing and English. Shelby is a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED), designated by the Community Development Council, and is a 2016 graduate of CDI.
Laura Fine State Director of Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center Laura Fine State Director of Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center http://asbtdc.org/ Laura Fine is State Director of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), which is headquartered in the College of Business at UA Little Rock. The ASBTDC is funded by a statewide network of seven university-based offices in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Jim Fram, CEcD CCE FM Principal & Founder of Community Growth Strategies, LLC Jim Fram is a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) with 30+ years successful economic development and senior level chamber of commerce management experience in Little Rock, AR, Bartlesville, OK, Killeen-Fort Hood, TX, Lincoln, NE, Tulsa, OK, and most recently Hot Springs, AR capping a highly successful career that began in Harrison, AR in the early 1980s.
Danny Games, CEcD, EDFP Director of Business & Economic Development at Entergy Arkansas Danny Games is the Director of Business & Economic Development for Entergy Arkansas. Based in Little Rock, Entergy’s team of economic development professionals focuses on assisting the state and local communities in becoming more competitive for attracting new businesses and supporting existing businesses throughout the Entergy Arkansas service territory.
Daniel Hintz President/CEO of Velocity Group Daniel Hintz founded the Velocity Group in 2014 to provide a systems-based approach to placemaking, focusing on the dynamic ways the individual parts of a project interrelate within the larger community context. As CEO/Chief Experience Officer of Velocity, Daniel has worked on a wide variety of projects all over North America, including downtown master plans, regional economic development initiatives, branding and marketing strategies, private development projects & tenant programming, event production, art and cultural initiatives, restaurant and hospitality concepts, public outreach and engagement, public policy work and small business COVID recovery plans.
Katherine Holmstrom, PCED Senior Project Manager, Business Development at Arkansas Economic Development Commission Katherine Holmstrom, PCED Senior Project Manager, Business Development at Arkansas Economic Development Commission https://www.arkansasedc.com Katherine Holmstrom is a Senior Project Manager in the Business Development Division at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC). Her primary responsibility is facilitating the growth of both new and expanding companies in Arkansas including recruitment and expansion projects. Since becoming a project manager she has worked with companies such as Mars Petcare, Simmons Foods, Walmart, Tyson, Aerojet Rocketdyne, SAF Holland, FMH Conveyors and American Airlines to help them expand or locate within the state.
Brandon Horvath, EDFP Capital Access Specialist at Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center Brandon Horvath, EDFP Capital Access Specialist at Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center http://asbtdc.org/ Brandon Horvath became the capital access specialist in April 2020. He is focused on increasing capital investment in ASBTDC client companies.
Linsley Kinkade, PCED Senior Director, U.S. Programs of Winrock International Linsley Kinkade, Deputy Director, U.S. Programs, is responsible for developing, managing and implementing entrepreneurship, innovative ecosystem, community and workforce development projects for Winrock’s U.S. projects.
Nancy Lee McNew, CEcD, PCED Vice President, Economic Development at Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, Arkansas Nancy Lee McNew is the Vice President of Economic Development of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, Arkansas. She is an Honors graduate of Arkansas Tech University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing. Nancy is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED).
Itzel Meador SBA Regional Manager of Sales & Business Development at Simmons Bank Simmons Bank named Itzel Meador as Small Business Administration (SBA) Regional Manager of Sales & Business Development for its eight-state footprint in May 2019. Meador's responsibilities include SBA loan production, oversight of Simmons' SBA lending processes and customer experience.
Charles Parker Project Director of The Retail Coach Charles Parker is a Project Director for The Retail Coach, a national municipal consulting firm that specializes in retail recruitment and development. Charles brings a strong background of economic research and entrepreneurship to his work with communities, which helps him build successful strategies for communities looking to attract new businesses, restaurants, and developers as well as revitalize their downtown districts. The Texas native earned his MBA from Mississippi State University and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and Main Street America. Charles is a frequent speaker at conferences, municipal leagues, and economic organizations.
Mike Preston Secretary at Arkansas Department of Commerce Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed Michael “Mike” Preston executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) in March 2015 and Secretary of Commerce in July 2019. Preston is highly regarded as a leading advocate in economic development.
Shelle Randall, CEcD Director of Workforce Development & Existing Industry at Jonesboro Unlimited Shelle Randall is a Certified Economic Developer and staffing professional with over 16 years of experience in workforce development, talent attraction, project management, human resources, strategic planning, and business retention and expansion.
James Reddish, CEcD Executive Vice President at Little Rock Regional Chamber James Reddish joined the Little Rock Regional Chamber in March of 2018. In his capacity as Executive Vice President, James has responsibility for the chamber’s full suite of programs, events, communications, sales and member relations. He also provides strategic guidance to the chamber’s economic and workforce development team.
Mark Young, CEcD President and CEO of Jonesboro Unlimited Mark Young is President and CEO of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, serving in that capacity since April 2006. The mission of the Chamber is to enhance the quality of life in our community through service, leadership and economic development. Mark also leads the economic development organization, Jonesboro Unlimited, serving as President. Jonesboro Unlimited has recently embarked on a bold five- year strategic plan to increase prosperity in Jonesboro.
David Rumbarger, CEcD, FM President at Community Development Foundation David Rumbarger has over 30 years of economic development/existing industry and chamber of commerce management. He has been involved in economic development at the state and local level and working with natural gas and electric utilities.
Shelley Short, IOM Vice President, Programs & Partnerships at Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/AIA Shelley is responsible for the development, management and execution of the chamber’s programs and strategic partnerships. She also serves as the executive director of Arkansas Economic Developers & Chamber Executives (AEDCE), the professional association of local chamber executives and economic developers in the state. Shelley is a native Arkansan with more than thirteen years of economic development experience, most recently serving as the Director of Marketing for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission before joining the State Chamber in 2015. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Management from Regent University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Central Arkansas. Shelley serves on the Arkansas Department of Education State Coalition for Family and Community Engagement, the Board of Directors for the MAKO Conference, and is a member of the Census 2020 Arkansas Counts Complete Count Committee. She is a member of the International Economic Development Council, the Southern Economic Development Council and is a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management and the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute.
Jeff Standridge Managing Director of AR Conductor Dr. Jeff D. Standridge helps organizations and their leaders generate sustained results in the areas of innovation, strategy, profit growth, organizational effectiveness and leadership. Formerly a Vice President for Acxiom Corporation, he has led established and startup business units in North & South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Jeff serves as Managing Director for the Conductor (www.ARConductor.org), is Co-founder of Cadron Capital Partners, and teaches in the College of Business at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA.edu).
Bentley Story Director, Business Development of Arkansas Economic Development Commission Bentley Story is the Director of the Business Development Division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC). A native of Forrest City, Arkansas, Bentley began working at AEDC in 2007 as a Project Manager working with companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Dillard’s, Windstream and Kimberly-Clark. In 2012 he was promoted to Division Director, where he oversees the work of a professional team of project managers, international representatives, and community developers who are responsible for recruiting new business to Arkansas, helping existing businesses grow, and preparing communities to take advantage of economic development opportunities.
Jim Walton CEO of Brand Acceleration With more than three decades of experience, Jim Walton is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading experts in economic development marketing. A powerful ally for economic development professionals, Brand Coach Jim is regularly invited to share his knowledge about community branding and location marketing at conferences and meetings. Audiences appreciate the practical, actionable advice he delivers.
Sarah White Principal & VP of Site Selection at Global Location Strategies Sarah has worked in site selection and economic development her entire career. Her first experience was a three-year internship with the South Carolina Department of Commerce's (SCDOC) Coordinating Council for Economic Development, the incentive granting entity for the state. She then joined McCallum Sweeney Consulting for 10 years to advise corporations on their location strategy. Her experience included conducting property evaluations, workforce analysis, and incentive negotiations in the industry sectors of manufacturing, distribution, and office headquarters. Prior to joining GLS in 2019, Sarah was Director at Quest Site Solutions, a spin-off of McCallum Sweeney, where she facilitated site selection services for industrial clients as well as provided economic development consulting services.
