Regional Venture To Focus On New Jobs

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Gov. Asa Hutchinson shakes hands with Taylor Michie, a student at Farmington High School, prior to speaking last week at the high school's performing arts center.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Gov. Asa Hutchinson shakes hands with Taylor Michie, a student at Farmington High School, prior to speaking last week at the high school's performing arts center.

FARMINGTON -- A partnership between the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and the Tahlequah, Okla., Regional Development Authority, along with a host of other entities, is establishing a regional medical manufacturing initiative with plans to create high-paying jobs and to support area economies.

The coalition involves entities in both states, including eight cities, three counties and the Cherokee Nation, and was touted last week in Farmington with elected officials, Chamber of Commerce representatives and Gov. Asa Hutchinson in attendance.

Farmington Mayor Ernie Penn welcomed everyone to the formal announcement about the new venture, dubbed Heartland Advanced Medical Manufacturing Regional Cluster, in a public forum held Sept. 7 at Farmington High's performing arts center.

The regional organization aims to identify, attract and keep health care manufacturers in the Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma area. The plan focuses on manufacturing devices, components and gear for the health care industry that will create jobs and careers for workers and high school graduates.

Hutchinson said the initiative and the cooperation of all its varied players is good for Northwest Arkansas, the state and the region and will help meet the future needs of Arkansas and the nation in the area of medical technology. He said a goal is to make the Northwest Arkansas region one of the top 20 health care destinations in the world.

"That's a bold statement whenever you think about that," Hutchinson said.

He said the initiative will give both Arkansas and Oklahoma a chance to participate in the drive over the next decade to bring major medical manufacturing back to the U.S. Hutchinson recalled an incident early in the coronavirus pandemic when personal protective equipment bound for Arkansas from China was seized in Spain and never made it to the state, highlighting the need for U.S. suppliers for key medical equipment.

Hutchinson said the venture should benefit from a bipartisan federal infrastructure bill that's expected to pass, along with increased Economic Development Administration grants including the Build Back Better Regional Challenge program and American Rescue Plan funds, the state's focus on creating a talented and skilled workforce and expanded high-speed broadband investment in rural communities along U.S. 62.

Steve Clark, president and chief executive officer of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, said the venture plan was two years in the making and capitalizes on the state's initiatives to educate and train a modern and tech-savvy workforce. He said the jobs the initiative hopes to attract for young people and other Arkansas workers typically pay in the area of $25 to $35 an hour.

"That's a pretty good wage," Clark said.

He said plans are to fund the program in part through the Building Back Better program grants with a target of $75 million, of which $20 million would go to a data center.

A feature of the program will be a website that will centralize most aspects of attracting a major company to the region, including available land and a streamlined and uniform permitting process that can all be initiated through the site.

"We're not dreaming any more. We're acting," Clark said.

Penn said the regional initiative will allow the city of Farmington to "participate and take an active role in the future economic growth and development for this corridor. We look forward to working with the leaders and all participating cities to promote medical manufacturing jobs for our graduating students and adults in our work force. We're excited about the job opportunities that will result from this partnership."

Penn pointed to the growth in western Washington County during the past 10 years, based on the recent data released for the 2020 Census.

"Farmington had a 27% growth in the last census," Penn said. "Prairie Grove had 46%, which is unbelievable. Lincoln had growth, so this is the growth pattern where our cities and western Washington County is going to go."

Penn thanked the Farmington City Council for its commitment to financially join the program. The city council unanimously voted to join Heartland on June 14. Members are asked to pay $1,000 per month and are asked for a three-year commitment, though the agreement has a clause that a member can withdraw with a 30-day notice.

Invitations to join also will be extended to the cities of Prairie Grove, Lincoln, West Fork, Greenland, Elkins, Stilwell, Okla., and Westville, Okla., according to Wayne Mays, director of the regional cluster. Fayetteville Chamber's Economic Development Authority and the Tahlequah, Okla., Regional Development Authority are founding members. The second tier of members are the small cities and nations and, to date, Farmington and the Cherokee Nation have accepted the invitation to join. Sustaining members so far are SWEPCO and Ozarks Electric.

Heartland's office is located at 21 W. Mountain St., Suite 300, in Fayetteville.

Lynn Kutter with the Enterprise-Leader contributed to this report.

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER
Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks on Sept. 7 in the Farmington Performing Arts Center about a two-state initiative to bring companies to this region to manufacture medical devices.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks on Sept. 7 in the Farmington Performing Arts Center about a two-state initiative to bring companies to this region to manufacture medical devices.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER
Ernie Penn, Farmington mayor, gives the welcome last week for an announcement on the formation of a new two-state organization that will focus on economic development for the small communities in the Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma region.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Ernie Penn, Farmington mayor, gives the welcome last week for an announcement on the formation of a new two-state organization that will focus on economic development for the small communities in the Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma region.