Hugh McDonald, Arkansas’ Secretary of Commerce, will headline next week’s Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance (SADA) on Friday, April 10 at the “State of the Southwest” luncheon in Nashville. The event is focused on the partnerships and investments shaping the future of Southwest Arkansas.

McDonald spoke with The Glenwood Herald ahead of the event to talk about the region and to preview his comments for those planning to attend.

“Southwest Arkansas has a lot happening – from lithium development to timber to outdoor recreation to aerospace and defense – it’s just fantastic, the amount of growth that’s happening there,” he said.

McDonald noted there has been nearly $2 billion privately invested in timber-related transactions across all of south Arkansas in the last couple of years, including the reopening of the Domtar sawmill in Glenwood, which he called “exciting.”

“I think you look at that [timber], you look at lithium, you look at aerospace defense. And then just we’ve seen over the last couple of years, just a lot of small towns, rural Arkansas towns with a good solid labor force of manufacturing opportunities,” he added.

McDonald said the state has had success recruiting companies to smaller towns in rural parts of the state for a number of reasons. The quality of life in a small town with the ability to treat employees like family is one factor. Offering Natural State amenities like being in the outdoors is another. He said the primary reason for the attraction involves good workers.

“Number one, it’s the quality of the workforce. We have hard-working people who aren’t afraid to put in a hard day’s work, show up on time, which is absolutely essential, of course,” said McDonald. “We’re not talking projects with a thousand jobs here. We’re talking anywhere from 50 to a couple hundred jobs. And a 100-person job in Pocahontas or in Nashville – that’s a big deal.”

“We’re proud to do those all day long to provide great careers for people in local communities.  It gives them a reason to stay there and raise a family,” he added.

McDonald said the upcoming summit is a chance to build on another critical asset Arkansas provides and that Southwest Arkansas needs to continue to enhance.

“Certainly, the folks in the room know their communities better than I do, but they all also know that this is a team sport. One community cannot do it by themselves. The state cannot do it by themselves. We all have to work together and we have to work together regionally,” he said. 

“The region of Southwest Arkansas, they all need to be on the same team. When Texarkana wins, so does Lafayette County. When Magnolia wins, so does El Dorado. We want competition. We’re all competitive, but we also want friendly competition,” added McDonald. 

“When there’s an economic development prospect in town, they can figure out pretty quickly whether or not communities are working together with or without the state because these businesses, they don’t care about where the county line is or where the city boundaries are. They’re looking at a market, a market for workforce. It’s common for folks in Arkansas to drive 45 minutes to an hour to work every day. That happens all the time. That’s why we have to work together as regions all across the state.”

The Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance “State of the Southwest” luncheon in Nashville will be held April 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Midtown Social in Nashville and will also feature Randy Zook, President and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, and regional industry and utility leaders.

Panel discussions will highlight the economic outlook for Southwest Arkansas, including infrastructure investment, utilities, and industry activity across the region.