In 140th Year, Chamber Leads, Serves Region’s Business Community

The Chamber
The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce is the principal business-driven leadership organization responsible for fostering the economic growth and development of the Little Rock Region to ensure that business and industry may operate profitably and enhance the earning opportunities and quality of life for every citizen.

Founded in 1866, the Chamber has provided business leadership in nearly every major area development for the past 140 years. A private organization, funded by business and organization members’ annual investment, the Chamber boasts almost 2,000 member business/organizations employing with approximately 150,000 employees throughout Central Arkansas.

The Chamber’s state-of-the-art headquarters, opened in December 2000, is considered the finest facility of its kind in the nation. Coincidentally, the building sits exactly one block east of the Chamber’s original, 1866 meeting place.

With the May 2006 selection of Jay Chesshir as the new President and CEO, the Chamber is under new management. With that comes a new energy and vision for the future unrivaled since the opening of our building at the turn of the century or even the last change in executives over two decades ago. Sustained and bolstered by members’ personal and financial investment, the Chamber will continue to lead the community in realizing its greatest potential.

Chamber members are part of an important leadership group which has chosen to take responsibility for Central Arkansas’ future. Most importantly, members’ investment funds the Little Rock region’s economic development engine, which enables Little Rock to compete and win against many of the nation’s top metropolitan areas. With more economic development activity than at any time in recent memory, the Chamber’s economic development team is hard at work ensuring that Central Arkansas’ economy remains robust, diverse and growing. In addition to representing the business community’s interests at all levels of government, the Chamber also provides the finest business networking opportunities of any organization in Central Arkansas. Further, the Chamber’s programs, events and publications present a myriad of opportunities to grow business while building the community.

All Chamber members are listed in the online Little Rock Regional Business Guide, which, during the past year, has become the best business marketing value in the region. In June alone, 15,416 searches were made in the Chamber directory (www.littlerockbusinessguide.com). Potential customers and clients reached Chamber members’ websites from the directory 2,725 times. Also in June, 16,682 visits were made to the Chamber’s website, up a staggering 5,406% over the same period last year. And, average per day visits to the site has grown from nine in July 2005 to 556 in June 2006, an increase of 6,078%.

The Community The Little Rock area has seen tremendous economic growth and job creation. In fact, the MSA showed 17,831 new jobs created from January 2005 to December 2005, outpacing comparable cities within the region. This type of growth is not a recent trend. Since 1980, Little Rock has continued to foster impressive good job growth as noted in, Employment Growth in America/Exploring Where Good Jobs Grow, by Christopher H. Wheeler of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. This research stated that good job growth equaled 64.6% in Little Rock versus the national average of 37%. To create this type of productive environment, the political and regulatory bodies of the region have to be partners. This is very true in Little Rock.

Others have noticed as well, as witnessed by the following national rankings:

• 2005’s Great American Place (American Heritage Magazine)
• 2nd Most Diverse Economy (Moody’s Investment Service)
• 6th in Income Growth (Forbes)
• 14th Best Mid-sized City for Entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur Magazine)
• 20th Best Public High School – Central (Newsweek)
• 21st in Cost of Living (Forbes)
• 22nd Best Place for Business & Careers (Forbes)
• 23rd Best City to Find a Job (Forbes)
• 27th in Cost of Doing Business (Forbes)
• 50th Best Public High School – Mills University Studies (Newsweek)
• 50 Hottest Cities for Business Expansion (Expansion Magazine)

These are just some of the reasons why Pinnacle Business Solutions, Ring Container Technologies, Cardinal Health, FTD.com and others have recently opened new operations in the region.  The Chamber’s economic development staff regularly works with city, county and state authorities to discuss new job growth opportunities and how they can assist in expansions and locations within the region.

The Region
The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce is proud to be a part of the Metro Little Rock Alliance (MLRA). The Alliance is a coalition of 11 counties (Conway, Faulkner, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Jefferson, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, Saline and White) dedicated to central Arkansas’ becoming recognized as the premier location for new and expanding business within the mid-south. The region is marketed through MLRA’s newly designed website, www.metrolittlerockalliance.com. With leading-edge technology, the targeted web site allows a user to view and analyze building and site information from a geographic overlay perspective (GIS), search available locations and sites in each of the 11 counties, view demographic tables by county, and instantly receive customized information by industry. This web site and the communities that actively participate in the Alliance ensure it’s successful in its mission to cultivate regional growth and prosperity throughout the area by marketing the region's strengths and advantages to prospective companies and site location consultants for the purposes of attracting investment and creating jobs.

GOT STOCK IN LITTLE ROCK
The Chamber’s strategic economic development campaign, GOT STOCK IN LITTLE ROCK,offers an opportunity to invest in the bright economic future of the Little Rock region and earn big dividends.  The primary goal of the program is to fund an aggressive economic development program that will maximize the Chamber’s marketing and recruitment capabilities, while preparing the region to face the growing competition for new jobs and economic development in today’s global economy.  To invest or for more information, call 501.374.2001.