So, why Arkansas?

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

• Forbes named Fayetteville, Arkansas, a Best Place for Businesses and Careers.
• Travel + Leisure named Bentonville, Arkansas, one of the hottest travel destinations for 2012.
• The region, relatively insulated from the macroeconomy, offers a high quality of life and low cost of living.
• Northwest Arkansas is home to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, as well as thousands of their big-brand suppliers.
• In 2011, Arkansas was cited by CNBC as having the lowest overall cost of doing business in the nation.
• The Kauffman Foundation ranks Arkansas as the 15th most entrepreneurial state in 2011 in the current issue of its annual report, the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. The calculated index for Arkansas is at 0.34%, which means there are 340 entrepreneurs per 100,000 adults per month in the Natural State.
• The nation is seeing progress, innovation clusters and cultural revival in the Midwest and American South.
• Northwest Arkansas is the sixth fastest growing region in the country, surrounded by the beautiful Ozark Mountains.
• The Northwest Arkansas MSA has grown 35% since 2000 and now numbers more than 463,000 residents—the fastest growing population in Middle America.
• Northwest Arkansas is a hub at the center of a regional market including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, St. Louis, Little Rock, and Memphis metropolitan areas.
• Northwest Arkansas has a welcoming entrepreneurial culture with quick-start networking opportunities.
• Northwest Arkansas sees a high degree of philanthropic engagement from its citizenry, as well as creative and business communities.
• Northwest Arkansas has the most billionaires per capita than anywhere in the United States.
• As part of a regional strategic economic development plan, Northwest Arkansas has an intentional focus on nurturing mobile and Internet startups.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

• Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked Little Rock #1 in the USA on its 2013 list of Great Places to Live.
• Outside magazine named Little Rock among its Best Towns in 2013, calling it a “runner’s paradise” because of the Arkansas River Trail System, a 34-mile network that loops around the metro area, connecting 38 parks that cover more than 5,000 acres.
• Forbes Travel Guide named Little Rock a “secret foodie city” in January 2014, citing its abundance of great restaurants offering everything from gourmet meals to (of course) authentic Southern barbecue.
• Central Arkansas is home to leading companies across a variety of industries, including finance (Stephens Inc.), data analytics (Acxiom), aerospace (Dassault Falcon Jet), information technology (Windstream), biosciences (National Center for Toxicology Research), high-tech manufacturing (Caterpillar, Molex, LM Wind Power, Welspun Tubular), and fashion (Dillard’s).
• Little Rock is a seat of government as the capital of the State of Arkansas.
• A recent report said that Central Arkansas has an “emerging economy in which high-quality urban environments seem to provide the backdrop for innovation culture.”
• Central Arkansas is within a short drive of some of the most picturesque scenery in the nation, with mountains to the north and west, and the Mississippi Delta region to the south and east. There are innumerable outdoor activities available, from camping, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and more, as well as the resort cities of Hot Springs and Eureka Springs.
• The region has many historic and cultural attractions, including the William J. Clinton Presidential Center & Library, the Central High School National Historic Site, the Old State House, the Arkansas Arts Center, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and much more.
• The region boasts a high quality of life and a low cost of living, as well as many excellent public and private colleges and universities.
• In 2011, Arkansas was cited by CNBC as having the lowest overall cost of doing business in the nation.
• The Kauffman Foundation ranks Arkansas as the 15th most entrepreneurial state in 2011 in its annual report, the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. The calculated index for Arkansas is at 0.34%, which means there are 340 entrepreneurs per 100,000 adults per month in the Natural State.
• The nation is seeing progress, innovation clusters and cultural revival in the Midwest and American South.