Welcome to the Fayetteville Chamber Blog

By Chung Tan, Chief Economic Development Officer

With the new WIOA Act comes new compliance regulations that local nonprofits have to abide by if they are receiving funding from this Act.  Ozark Literacy Council is a Fayetteville based adult literacy council.  OLC has been serving Fayetteville and Washington County for the past 53 years and is doing a wonderful job in helping the local adult residents improve their language and financial literacy so that they may in turn help their families.  

i have the opportunity to volunteer as a Chamber Champion to attend a training session on how to comply with the WOA Act on behalf of OLC in Little Rock.  

By Chung Tan, Chief Economic Development Officer

Each year, during the month of February, the Department of Veterans Affairs pays tribute to our veterans with the National Salute to Veteran Patients event.  The VA works with area schools to have their students design Valentine's Day cards with special notes for the veterans. Then, on Valentine's Day, volunteers and the students will distribute these cards to the veterans visiting the VA Hospitals around the country.

This year, I got to volunteer at our local VA Hospital in midtown Fayetteville on Valentine's Day (February 14) to help distribute the Valentine's Day cards and to visit with our veterans and their families there.  It also gave me and the community an opportunity to say thanks to the veterans for their service to our country.

The volunteers were divided into small groups and VA staff or hospital volunteers led the groups around the hospital.  While visiting with the veterans, we were also given a "tour" of the hospital which was nice.

Do you know that our local VA hire more than 1,500 employees in the community and they serve veterans from several states around us?  We are so grateful to have the VA Hospital here so that Fayetteville veterans do not have to travel far for their healthcare.  

Gift Will Allow Awarding of Scholarship for Next Five Years
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Feb. 21, 2018) – Flintco, LLC, announced its support for students in construction technology Jan. 24 with a $5,000 gift to the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Foundation.
 
The gift, establishing the Flintco Workforce Initiative Scholarship, will allow a $1,000 scholarship to be awarded each year for five years to a student in NWACC’s construction technology program. Preference will be given to students who were a part of high school trades-related programs.
 
Almost 20 representatives from the business attended the Jan. 24 announcement ceremony in the Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies, a Flintco project completed in 2003. Flintco ranks among the largest commercial contractors in the nation with offices in Albuquerque, Austin, Houston, Memphis, Springdale, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Denver.
 
“This gift is a great testimony to Flintco’s commitment to students enrolled in trades and construction studies,” said Karen O’Donohoe, annual giving officer with the NWACC Foundation. “In addition to supporting our two-year college level construction program, Flintco is active in high school and vocational school-to-work programs. Over the years, the company’s employees have offered input on curriculum and financial support to several area construction-related programs.”
 
Brent Farmer, vice president and area manager for Flintco, said, “Offering scholarships and full internships are just some ways Flintco gives back to partnering communities. We’re pleased to be a partner with educational institutions in preparing students for future careers in the construction industry.”
 
Bob Beeler, coordinator of NWACC’s construction technology program, said the scholarship donation will be an invaluable resource for students. “We appreciate the support of Flintco in helping our students pursue careers in construction,” he said. “It’s gratifying to see the support from industry leaders who recognize the need for preparing future leaders in the latest information and practices in the construction field.”
 
Flintco was founded by a Native American family and continued under that ownership for more than 100 years. Flintco’s Native American heritage strongly influenced the organization’s business interactions, and it is this same culture that continues to drive the company today.
 
Photo caption: Flintco, LLC, recently presented a $5,000 check to the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Foundation to establish the Flintco Workforce Initiative Scholarship for a student in NWACC’s construction technology program. Patrick Horath, project manager, left on the front row, Brent Farmer, vice president and area manager, and Klint Kimball, senior estimator, fourth from left, along with other representatives from Flintco, announced the scholarship on Jan. 24. Also attending the presentation were Dr. Evelyn E. Jorgenson, NWACC president, center, front row; Karen O’Donohoe, NWACC Foundation annual giving officer, second from right; Keith Peterson, dean of workforce development; and Bob Beeler, coordinator of NWACC’s construction technology program, center, second row. The gift will be used toward the presentation of a $1,000 scholarship each year for five years.
 
NorthWest Arkansas Community College is a smart choice for students wanting to pursue quality higher education. As an accredited institution through The Higher Learning Commission, NWACC is a public two-year institution that seeks to empower lives, inspire learning and strengthen community through accessible, affordable quality education. For more information, visit www.nwacc.edu.
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​Fayetteville, AR - On February 6, 2018, Chung Tan of Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce received certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) from the National Development Council (NDC). EDFP Certification is a professional credential given to individuals who successfully complete NDC’s intensive economic development finance training series. The training provides individuals working in the field of economic development with instruction in business credit analysis, real estate financing, loan packaging, deal structuring and negotiating and the creation and implementation of development programs.
 
Each of the four EDFP Certification Program courses are five days in length and concludes with an exam. Upon successful completion and passing of the exams of all four courses, the candidate is awarded EDFP Certification. 
 
Chung is the Chief Economic Development Officer with the Chamber and she works with the City of Fayetteville in implementing economic development efforts including business attraction, business retention and expansion, local entrepreneur development as well as infrastructure and community development in Fayetteville.  Chung is also a certified economic development professional, CEcD.  This internationally recognized certification is a professional credential given to individuals who successfully completed and passed a vigorous economic development training program provided by International Economic Development Council (IEDC).  There are less than 5,000 CEcDs in the world. 
 
“We are proud of Chung’s achievements and look forward to using her training to help Fayetteville businesses and the community,“ said Steve Clark, Chamber President & CEO.