Welcome to the Fayetteville Chamber Blog

The Lifetime Pillar Award is a great honor that the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce bestows on individuals that exemplify the values of Fayetteville and the communities we serve . The Lifetime Pillar Award is given to individuals who provide support and stability as a foundation for growth of our city and its people. The honorees embody a vision for what could be, and have the compassion and knowledge to make that vision a reality. This pillar supports and contributes above and beyond, making Fayetteville the wonderful place that it is today - exceeding all expectations!

This year’s recipients for the award is Lowell Grisham and Uvalde Lindsey. Celebrate their legacy at the Fayetteville Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 20th. Reserve your seats here.

Lowell Grisham came to Fayetteville in 1997 as the Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where he served for just over 20 years before retiring in 2018. The congregation expanded its community outreach ministry during his tenure and created two ongoing community non-profits, 7hills Homeless Center and Magdalene Serenity House. Lowell grew up in Oxford, Mississippi and remembers the riots there when James Meredith integrated Ole Miss. That experience influenced his advocacy work on behalf of LGBT neighbors, immigrants and other minorities. He writes an opinion column in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Lowell has an interest in contemplative prayer. His book Practicing Prayer is available from Ascension Press.
 
Lowell and Kathy have been married for 43 years. She is the CEO of Community Clinic, a network of 13 Federally Qualified Health Centers in Washington and Benton Counties. They have two children and three grandchildren.

Uvalde Lindsey grew up in Boone County and graduated from Harrison High School in 1958, where he was honored to serve as Student Body President in his senior year.  Lindsey went to college in Fayetteville and graduated from the University in 1962 with a BSBA in Business.

After graduation, Lindsey returned home to run his family’s auto parts business.  Over the next 20 years, Lindsey grew the business until the 1982 sale to the O’Reilly family. During those 20 years, Lindsey served ten years in the US Army Reserve, and ten years on the Harrison City Council.

In 1982, Bill Clinton was re-elected to his second term as Governor of Arkansas, and Lindsey joined the Governor’s staff as the budget officer, a job that built on Lindsey’s experience working with city budgets, and introduced him to the internal workings of state government.

After leaving the Governor’s office in late 1983, Lindsey worked for Senator David Pryor in his 1984 campaign, and in 1985, Lindsey moved back to Harrison as the Executive Director of the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District.

During Lindsey’s five years at the District, the organization partnered with federal and state agencies to build $40 million in new water systems in the rural areas of Northwest Arkansas.  The District also developed the plan for designating US-412 as a new federal highway between Tennessee and New Mexico.

In 1990, Sam Walton, Don Tyson and J. B. Hunt, the founders of the Northwest Arkansas Council, asked Lindsey to become its first Executive Director and assigned him the responsibility for generated plans, support and funding to build a new regional airport and a four-lane link from the region to I-40 at Fort Smith.  By 2000, more than $750 million has been invested to complete those and other regional projects.

Lindsey retired from the Northwest Arkansas Council in 2005, and three years later started another career of public service by running for election to represent Fayetteville in the Arkansas House of Representatives.  Lindsey served two terms, or four years in the House, before being elected to serve in the Arkansas Senate in 2012.  Lindsey will retire from the Senate at the end of 2018 and begin his third retirement.

Lindsey and his wife Jo live in Fayetteville, surrounded by their eight children and eleven grand-children.

Celebrate their legacy at the Fayetteville Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 20th when we announce the Lifetime Pillar Award Winners. Reserve your seats here.

The Wes Gordon Golden Deeds Award was created to honor and support Wes Gordon, the Fayetteville Chamber President & CEO from 1947 - 1972. Wes Gordon “Golden Deed” recipients are people who have gone above and beyond to make Fayetteville a better place to work and live. Recipients are recognized on a rail bordering the gardens of the Fayetteville Downtown Square. This year’s recipient for the award is Dan Ferritor. Celebrate his legacy at the Fayetteville Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 20th. Reserve your seats here.

Dan Ferritor has lived in Fayetteville for most of his professional life since first joining the University of Arkansas faculty in 1967 as assistant professor.  He returned to Washington University in St. Louis to conduct early childhood research. He returned to the UA in 1973 as associate professor of sociology and in 1980 became chairman of the sociology department. He was named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UA in 1985 and was selected as chancellor in 1986, where he led the university until he retired in 1997. He returned to the sociology department from 1998-2005 as a university professor, where he held the Jones Chair in Community from 2002-05.
 
As Chancellor, he led the UA during the renovation of Old Main, the oldest building on the Fayetteville campus, which collected more than $13 million in private and state funding and was rededicated to future students in 1991. While chancellor, the UA added 2 million square feet of classroom, laboratory and library space. It also raised the bar for annual fundraising from $3 million a year to $20 million. In 2000, he received the Chancellor’s Medal, and soon after UA officials dedicated the Daniel E. Ferritor Hall.  In 2005, Ferritor became the UA System’s vice president for academic affairs before taking on a role in 2013 as vice president of learning technologies. In 2015, he returned to the Fayetteville campus to serve as interim chancellor while a search was conducted for the university’s sixth chancellor.

Ferritor has been active in the community for many years.  His community service has included the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the United Way Board, a charter member of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority, the Harvey and Bernice Jones Charitable Trust, Northwest Arkansas Arkansas American Heart Association, the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation, the Fayetteville Public Library Board of Trustees, the Ozark Guidance Board of Trustees and he currently serves as the chair of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Advisory Board.

Ferritor was born at Kansas City, Mo. He married Patricia Jean Hoey of Kansas City, and they have three children and five grandchildren. Ferritor holds a bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst College and master’s and doctoral degrees from Washington University.

The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the Northwest Arkansas Fab Lab has been awarded a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the Bestbuy Community Grant Foundation. The Best Buy grant will generously fund the “Tech for Teens” after school program which will provide underserved teens from Fayetteville Public Schools with hands-on access to technology education and tools that the teens will need to be successful in their future schooling and careers. Students will be trained on all kinds of equipment and technology including 3D printing, laser cutting and engraving, CNC machines, robotics, basic coding with the raspberry pi, digital photography, and much more.

“This generous grant will provide an opportunity for students ages 13-17 to receive STEM-based education outside the walls of a traditional classroom,” said Steve Clark, President & CEO of the Fayetteville Chamber.

This after school program will start in January and will continue throughout the spring semester. Students will rotate through the program and will be allowed access to the Fab Lab during the entire semester free of charge thanks to this amazing opportunity.

The NWA Fab Lab is a community resource that provides access to the tools and resources for education, innovation and invention, using technology and digital fabrication to allow anyone to make (almost) anything. Whether an artist, designer, tinkerer, hobbyist or engineer, there are many ways everyone can get involved with the NWA Fab Lab.

Fayetteville, AR – The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce held their sixth annual Excellence in Business Awards Wednesday, Oct. 24th at the Fayetteville Town Center from 8:00 – 9:30 AM. The awards ceremony focuses on leadership in the Fayetteville community and recognizes Chamber investors who exemplify excellence in best business practices.

Each year the community is asked to nominate local businesses who stand out above the rest in seven different categories. A group of volunteers judges the nominations based on innovation, customer satisfaction, industry leadership, community service and local, regional and national achievements. An individual is also chosen as the Business Advocate of the Year for the work they do in the community to support local businesses.

The winners for the 2018 Excellence in Business Awards include:
Business Advocate of the Year – Joe Donaldson, Sam's Furniture
Large Business – Fayetteville Auto Park
Small Business – Arkansas Physical Health & Rehab
Minority & Women-Owned Business – Clark Law Firm
Green & Sustainable Business – Fayetteville Public Library
Entrepreneurial Business – Rockhill Studios
Startup Company – Rockin' Baker Academy
Nonprofit Organization – Community Creative Center

For the next year the winners will be featured in the Chamber offices on the Hall of Honor as well as spotlighted on the Chamber website and social media pages.

Thank you to our sponsors for the 2018 Excellence in Business Awards:

Chamber staff, Chung Tan, spent a day helping 2018 KFHfL Hydration Celebration get ready for its Run.  There were runs for toddlers, youths, and adults.  Approximately 1,000 runners participated in the Run on Saturday, May 12.  The event is to raise awareness on the importance on staying hydrated when one is taking part in activities.  For more information, check out the Kendrick Fincher Foundation website.

Chung help to sort the t-shirts according to the sizes and made sure we have enough t-shirts for all the runners; prepared packages with information for the run; add tags to bottles of water; gave out packages to the registered runners; and stuff give-away bags.  A full day spent helping a worthy cause.  Tired but satisfied....

On April 17, nineteen area leaders received plaques recognizing their completion of Beaver Water District’s Inaugural Citizens Water Academy. Participants included (from left, front row) Kelly Johnson, NWA Regional Airport Authority; Martine Pollard, Mercy Health System of NWA; Tommy Van Zandt, Sage Real Estate Solutions LLC; Brittney Gulley, Welcome Health; Karen McIntosh, Washington Regional Medical Center; (middle row, from left) Eileen Jennings, Arvest Bank; Tori Bogner, Baldwin & Shell Construction Co.; Matt Crafton, Crafton Tull; Jon Moran, Rogers Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce; Joel Slank, Rockline Industries; Richard Stone, City of Lowell; and (back row, from left) Cal Rose, Wright Lindsey & Jennings, LLP; Greg Lindley, Simmons Bank; Bo Bittle, Bittle Insurance; Jerry Vest, Regions Bank; Adam Rutledge, First Security Bank; Angela DeLille, Cox Communications; and Chris Decker, Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. Not present for photo, Graham Cobb, Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce. (Photo courtesy of Beaver Water District). To be considered for the next class, send an email to Kayla Mhoon at kmhoon@bwdh2o.org.

The purpose of the Citizens Water Academy is to educate a select group of people about the history and organizational makeup of BWD, the drinking water produced by BWD from Beaver Lake, and the Beaver Lake watershed in order to enable them to serve as ambassadors and to advocate on BWD’s behalf. This is beneficial not only to BWD and the protection of water quality in Beaver Lake, but it also supports community sustainability and regional economic growth.

The mission of BWD is to serve customers’ needs by providing high quality drinking water that meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements and is economically priced consistent with our quality standards. BWD supplies clean, safe drinking water, sourced from Beaver Lake, at the wholesale price of $1.34 per thousand gallons to Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville. These cities in Northwest Arkansas then pump, store, distribute and resell the water to their customers -- more than 320,000 people and industries in their cities and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.bwdh2o.org.

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)  

Between 2010 and 2016, the per-watt cost of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems fell about 10% to 15%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA based this information on various sources that estimate the costs.

Analysts estimate the costs of generating technologies using total reported costs and aggregated component costs. Both help to explain the cost of utility-scale solar PV systems.

Reported costs includes actual project data to provide empirical analysis on a range of project costs in the market. These costs comprise of variables in project design, location and real-world timing. Some of the issues with using reported costs are the uncertainty in them related to interconnection costs and financing expenses and that data only shows the projects completed, not the projects started in a given year.

Component costs offer more detail on the impact of change in component-level technology and costs, and this can be significant in the fast-paced solar photovoltaic market. Component costs often take into account the top and common project practices but sometimes don’t include a wide range of project cost factors, according to the EIA. Costs that exclude financing expenses, called overnight estimates, show the cost as if the plant could be built instantly without financing. Component costs might not include all potential costs such as developer profit margins.

In 2013, the EIA started to collect data on total capital costs from project owners. To maintain confidentiality, the agency publishes the value of projects based on capacity. The data includes facilities with at least 1 megawatt of alternating current, and owners are asked to exclude government incentives and financing expenses from reported costs.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory published estimates of total system costs in the Solar PV System Cost Benchmark. The EIA also projects future capital costs as part of its Annual Energy Outlook.
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In 2018, capital costs to install fixed-tilt solar photovoltaic systems are expected to be $1.85 per watt in alternating current, and for single-axis tracking systems, installation costs are expected to be $2.11 per watt in alternating current.

Participating Northwest Arkansas Nonprofits Promoting Generosity on April 5
Fayetteville, March 19, 2018 - Northwest Arkansas nonprofit organizations are joining together to promote an online day of giving to benefit the community. NWA Gives formed to continue the fundraising efforts previously sparked statewide by the Arkansas Community Foundation’s spring giving day (Arkansas Gives, 2015-2017).

The NWA Gives day will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, April 5. All local 501c3 nonprofit organizations are invited to participate and help promote the first annual day of giving. Each participating nonprofit will be listed on the NWA Gives website and will have a form of online donation available on their individual websites.

NWA Gives has partnered with local businesses and networking partners including the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, The Center for Nonprofits at JTL Shop, The Center for Nonprofits at St. Mary’s, KLRC, Rogers Ministerial Alliance and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Each of these organizations will assist in encouraging the people of Northwest Arkansas to give from their hearts.

“We love all the great work that nonprofits do here in Northwest Arkansas. The vision of NWA Gives is to inspire generosity all across our region, so nonprofits can accomplish their mission of serving in the community,” said Chris Haas, President/CEO of Freedom 5:one Ministries and co-chairman of NWA Gives. “We know that nonprofits play a significant role in the life of a caring community and look forward to seeing the generous people of Northwest Arkansas show their support on April 5.”
 
About NWA Gives
NWA Gives is an organization committed to helping nonprofits in Northwest Arkansas through an annual online day of giving via their website (www.nwagives.org). NWA Gives was founded by members of a local nonprofit organization with the goal of encouraging generosity in the people of Northwest Arkansas. NWA Gives works with local business and networking partners to promote the participating Giving Day nonprofits online, via social media and through local community events.

Contact
Jay Langston
Project Coordinator
NWA Gives
479-225-5253
jay@nwagives.org
www.nwagives.org

Grow your small business with LinkedIn by using these seven proven tactics.
 
There are nearly 30 million small businesses in the United States, but only half of them will make it past five years. To ensure your small business is in the successful half, we encourage you to capitalize on the various ways LinkedIn can evolve your business.
 
With LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, you can generate leads, produce sales, and hire top professionals to fuel your growth. Here are seven ways to grow your business using LinkedIn:
 
1. Create a LinkedIn Company Page
 
We’ve found that LinkedIn members are 50% more likely to buy once they’ve engaged with your business on LinkedIn. But they can’t connect with you if you don’t have a LinkedIn Company Page. According to Forbes, only 57% of companies have pages. The remaining 43% are missing out on a free opportunity to generate leads, talent, and, ultimately, revenue.
 
If you don’t already have one, create a LinkedIn Company Page. Personal profiles don’t have the same marketing, advertising, and recruiting features as Company Pages, making them less effective at promoting your business. As you create your page, think about the kind of impression you want to create among potential customers and employees. This will help you select the right photos and messages to use on your page.
 
For a step-by-step guide on how to create an above and beyond Company Page, view our LinkedIn Company Page Best Practices.
 
2. Promote Your Company Page
 
Once you have a Company Page, announce it to your clients, employees, and personal network. This will help you gain your first followers, who in turn will help to promote your Company Page on the content you post to it.
 
Promoting your page on other platforms or via email is also a great way to grow your audience. Here are some simple ways to get the word out:

• Announce the launch of the Company Page on your personal LinkedIn profile
• Encourage employees to follow the Company Page by making it a part of your onboarding process—Social Media Today reports that content shared by employees receives eight times the engagement as brand shared content
• Link to your Company Page in the footer of your marketing emails or newsletters
• Embed a Company Follow button onto your website so visitors can easily follow your LinkedIn Company Page

 
3. Share Content Regularly
 
The more you post, the more people you can potentially reach and convert. Best-in-class LinkedIn Company Pages are consistently updated to ensure that visitors have plenty of new content to consume and share. 
 
To get started, try posting at least once per week. It’s not uncommon for companies to post three or more times per day. Post whenever you have something worth saying. Posting consistently shows Company Page visitors that your company is active on LinkedIn. Use LinkedIn’s Company Page analytics to see your top performing updates, your best times to post, and which members of your audience are the most engaged. With this information, it’s easy to make data-driven decisions to optimize your Company Page content.
 
In addition to posting often, here are a few more stats to help you boost engagement:

• Posts with links receive up to 45% more engagement
• Images see an incredible 98% increase in engagement
• Posts that have relevant “best-of” lists get almost 40% more amplification

 
When a post gets good engagement, consider promoting it to a wider audience with LinkedIn Sponsored Content. Take the Sponsored Content Tour and discover how Sponsored Content amplifies your best content.
 
4. Showcase Thought Leadership
 
Seventy nine percent of buyers say thought leadership is critical for determining which companies they want to learn more about. To get started with thought leadership content, try to provide a unique perspective on your industry, product, or organization. Sharing your opinion on the future of your industry or creating a definitive guide on your product are just two ways to demonstrate your expertise and position your company as a credible partner.
 
For more ideas and advice on expanding your brand’s authority, download our Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to Thought Leadership to learn more.
 
5. Target Sales Prospects
 
LinkedIn has over 500 million users to date. That may seem like a lot to sort through, but LinkedIn also provides you with tools to identify and target your ideal audience.
 
LinkedIn members are more likely than other social media users to keep their profiles up-to-date, making it easier for you to find the right people. Use LinkedIn profile data to search for LinkedIn members based on geographic location, education, experience, and even connections. Once you’ve found prospects using the search feature, visit their profiles. Their endorsements or recent profile views might surface additional qualified prospects, too.
 
For more ways to reach your ideal audience, learn how to advertise on LinkedIn.
 
6. Build an All-Star Team
 
LinkedIn has helped 75% of job switchers make informed career decisions, making LinkedIn a top recruiting network. What are candidates looking for when making those decisions? Our research shows that 66% of candidates want to see company culture over everything else. To take advantage of this preference, consider enhancing your Company Page with a LinkedIn Career Page.
 
Career Pages allow you to target audiences with a personalized look into your company, culture, and career opportunities. They give you dedicated Life and Career Information Tabs on your Company Page that attract and engage relevant professionals.
 
In addition to creating Career Pages, encourage employees to share job postings and “day in the life” content as well. This gives visitors a genuine idea of what it’s like to work for you and adds to your authenticity. If you have a few employees who lead the pack in sharing content, consider linking them to your Company Page’s Life Tab. Their shared articles and recent updates will automatically populate, providing visitors with up-to-date information. Watch our video below on how to use the Life Tab to attract the right talent for your company.
When building an all-star team make sure to do a salary comparison to help with hiring decisions.
 
7. Hire Freelancers
 
You’ve probably had an employee who took on a task outside of their domain. You might have even done it yourself a few times. While the effort is commendable, learning on the fly can also be detrimental.
 
Fortunately, finding the right talent for the task at hand isn’t as tricky as it once was, even if you can’t afford the salary of a full-time employee.
 
LinkedIn ProFinder enables you to post your projects, receive free proposals, and hire trustworthy professionals all in one place. ProFinder will even pair you with local professionals to ensure you have the best experience possible. With 172 professional services available on ProFinder, it’s easy to find the perfect professional for any task.
 
LinkedIn vets all the professionals on the platform to ensure they are qualified and leverages your network to find entrepreneurs your connections have used, so you’re never in the dark about who you’re hiring.
 
By encouraging entrepreneurship, you get access to outside perspectives & broad experience of professionals of all kinds, from creating websites and designing logos to managing your books or crafting your marketing strategy. Plus, with none of the management or competitive salary overhead of a full-time employee, you can focus solely on the job at hand.