Candice Lawrence Vice President of Programs & Partnerships | Executive Director at Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/AIA | AEDCE
Candice Lawrence Vice President of Programs & Partnerships | Executive Director at Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/AIA | AEDCE Candice Lawrence is a dynamic communicator, motivational leader, and dedicated keynote speaker, known for championing workforce development initiatives.
Danny Games Director, Business & Economic Development of 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.
Jack Thomas Vice President, Economic Development at Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce Jack Thomas is Vice President of Economic Development at the Little Rock Regional Chamber. In this role, Jack leads a team of economic development professionals tasked with Business Attraction, Business Retention and Expansion, Small Business Development, Diversity Initiatives, and Workforce Development. Jack manages key relationships with company executives, site selection consultants, city and county officials, state agencies, utility providers, and economic development partners including the Port of Little Rock and Clinton National Airport. Jack also leads the Metro Little Rock Alliance (MLRA), a twelve-county economic development organization marketing Central Arkansas. 2023 featured eleven project wins for Central Arkansas, totaling 2,302 new jobs, $131 million in new payroll, and over $387 million in new capital investment.
Katherine Holmstrom, PCED Existing Business Project Manager at Entergy Arkansas Katherine Holmstrom joined Entergy’s Business and Economic Development Team in September of 2021 as the Existing Business Project Manager. In this role, she focuses on facilitating the growth of existing customers, project coordination and external affairs.
Mike Rogers Chief Workforce Officer at The office of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Mike Rogers Chief Workforce Officer at The office of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Mike Rogers is the Chief Workforce Officer for Arkansas. He chairs the governor’s workforce cabinet, which consists of the departments of commerce, corrections, education, human services, labor and licensing transitioning and shared services, and veteran affairs. Formerly, he was the senior director of maintenance and refrigeration for Tyson Foods, INC. Prior to Tyson Foods, he taught agriculture and industrial maintenance at Siloam Springs High School for 20 years. He was the energy manager for the Siloam Springs School District for 16 years. Mike received his bachelors of science degree in agriculture from the University of Arkansas and minored in agriculture mechanics and poultry science. In 1997, Mike completed his master’s degree in education. Through high school, college and the first five years of teaching, Mike was employed full-time at Frez-N-Stor in industrial maintenance and anhydrous ammonia. During his 20-year career at Frez-N-Stor, he took refrigeration apprenticeship classes through the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association, received a universal HVAC/R license and boiler operator’s certifications.
Andrew Parker Director of Governmental Affairs | Executive Director, Be Pro Be Proud at Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/AIA Andrew Parker is a director of governmental affairs for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, the leading voice on promoting and advocating for a constructive business climate for Arkansas businesses.
Shelby Fiegel, PCED Director of Central Arkansas CCED and CDI at University of Central Arkansas Shelby Fiegel, PCED Director of Central Arkansas CCED and CDI at University of Central Arkansas 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. Shelby is a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED), designated by the Community Development Council, and is a 2016 graduate of CDI.
Corey Parks Chief Economic Development Officer at Conway Development Corporation Corey Parks is the Chief Economic Development Officer for the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and Conway Development Corporation. He manages the organizations' community and economic development efforts and oversees talent and workforce development initiatives.
Clint O'Neal, CEcD Executive Director of Arkansas Economic Development Commission Clint O’Neal is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Clint has 16 years of economic development experience and is passionate about making a difference by helping communities win economic development projects and helping companies to be successful in Arkansas.
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.
Jim Fram Consultant & Economic Development Leader at Community Growth Strategies, LLC Jim Fram is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) with 30+ years of successful economic development and senior-level chamber of commerce management experience in Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Missouri.
Sam Walls III CEO of Arkansas Capital Corp. Sam Walls, III has been with Arkansas Capital Corporation for more than 21 years and was named CEO in January 2022. A 1996 graduate of Bowen Law School in Little Rock, Arkansas, Mr. Walls has helped Arkansas Capital Corporation deploy almost $2 billion in capital through small business lending and project finance.
Itzel Meador SBA Director of First Security Bank As of May 2021, Itzel Meador became the SBA Director for First Security Bank. In this role, Ms. Meador created a new SBA Lending platform for SBA 7(a), SBA Express, and SBA 504 loans. In a short period of time, FSB has been ranked as the top 5 SBA lender in the State of Arkansas. Based in Searcy, AR, First Security bank is privately held and can meet any financing need with 78 locations in AR and over $7 billion in assets. Ms. Meador is proud to be leading the efforts for future growth by handling all aspects of loan origination, processing, servicing, and liquidation of SBA loans for First Security Bank.
Jon Chadwell, CEcD Director of Economic Development at 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.
Jeff D. Standridge Managing Director of Conductor / Cadron Capital Partners Dr. Jeff D. Standridge helps organizations and their leaders generate sustained results in the areas of innovation, strategy, profit growth, organizational transformation and leadership.
Bentley Story Sr. Project Manager at Entergy Arkansas
Bentley Story Sr. Project Manager at Entergy Arkansas Bentley Story is a Senior Project Manager on the Business & Economic Development Team at Entergy Arkansas. A native of Forrest City, Arkansas, Bentley started his career in economic development in 2007 at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission as a project manager and was promoted to the director of the business development division in 2012. Prior to 2007, Bentley worked as a budget analyst with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration and worked in Tyson Foods’ Corporate Strategy Division.
