In Regional Development, Tools Range from Education to Generations (Sponsored Content)

Residents of larger cities like Austin, Texas, and Atlanta may have been noticing some advertising luring them up north, to Arkansas. “Make Texas one of your exes,” a billboard in Austin says. “You belong here,” it continues.

The effort to attract generations of talent is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Northwest Arkansas Council. And it’s not just advertising that entices potential new residents, but incentives such as offering $10,000 in cash and a bike to remote STEAM education workers to relocate to the area.

“We know the region has so much to offer for people of all walks of life – whether it be young professionals seeking somewhere to start a career and create their own path, or older adults looking to spend their golden years in a location with a high quality of life and low cost of living,” says Nate Green, Communications Director for the NWA Council.

Results of these efforts? Council officials say they received over 66,000 applicants, with 100 recipients, bringing 89 additional new family members in tow.

Green notes the efforts had to overcome a few obstacles, including stereotypes of what it means to live in Arkansas.

“On the national landscape, some folks might have preconceived notions of Arkansans or where we call home,” he says. “We are beyond proud of our region and excited to highlight the rich cultural offerings, world-class art and cuisine, rich natural resources and more.”

Richard Ollis, a Springfield City Council member and CEO of Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors, says that visiting the region in September with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce was really aspirational to experience a unified mission and message.

“It’s an interesting and unique environment,” Ollis says, noting the efforts of corporations such as Walmart, Tyson and J.B. Hunt to work together to build up the region and brand, rather than focus on a specific community. “These companies invested in housing, workforce development and in entrepreneurship.”

Luring new talent is part of a multifaceted approach in regional development, Ollis adds. With multiple generations working together in the same organization, many companies are looking at workforce development to strengthen their employees’ skill sets.

“They are attracting and retaining a generational workforce,” he says, “which includes both students coming out of college as well as young people and families relocating, and semi-retirees locating to the area, and then everyone in the middle.”

Companies in northwest Arkansas are investing in workforce development, from kindergarten to 12th grade, and through higher education, he adds. According to the 2021 NWA Council annual report, the Arkansas Office of Skills Development offers K-12 students “free training opportunities in certified nursing assistant, construction, NCCER/OSHA and manufacturing,” and will be offering more opportunities in aviation, computer science and culinary arts, among others. Green says the council has built partnerships with the University of Arkansas and community colleges as well, “working with each of them to develop training, education programs and upskilling programs that match the needs of area employers.”

Ollis believes southwest Missouri has a similar potential with its robust regional educational community.

“We have many strong K-12 education systems around the region in Springfield, Nixa, Ozark and Republic,” he says, also pointing to Springfield’s 40,000 higher education students at Evangel, Drury, Missouri State University and OTC.

Springfield Public Schools has recently announced a partnership with the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to enable students virtual training to be career-ready upon graduating high school, including tuition-free programming.

Something that holds the region back, according to Ollis, is the lower-than-average household income.

“We’re at $38,000,” he says of 2016-20 census data on Springfield’s median income. Comparatively, communities in northwest Arkansas range between $84,000 in Bentonville and $47,000 Fayetteville.

“We have got to move that needle,” Ollis adds. “We have to continue to elevate the level of jobs and continue skilling up our workforce. There are some really great jobs that are going unfilled because people don’t have the skills to fill them.”

However, Ollis is hopeful with Springfield’s emphasis on enhancing quality of place, businesses will thrive and move in and expand, causing an increase in higher-paying careers.

“We need to encourage and celebrate growth, quality of place and development,” he says. This content is brought to you by Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors.

This content is brought to you by Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors.