 Northwest Arkansas businesses continued to feel the effects of the sluggish economy, but these challenges brought a greater sense of community and discipline to the way we all do business. In response hardships facing many members, the Chamber answered the call for help by offering new and exciting educational programs and events at little or no cost to help businesses find new ways to grow and expand their bottom line. Through special FYI Brown Bag Lunch seminars focusing on social media to programs focused on the importance of certifying minority-owned businesses, the Chamber strived to help businesses succeed and grown in 2010.
Despite the tough economy, the Rogers-Lowell area continues to grow. We’ve seen the population in Rogers increase by more than 20,000 residents over the last decade, while Lowell has seen an almost 50-percent jump in residents. In just the past four years, new and expanding businesses have created or attracted more than 5,200 new jobs, many of those higher wage jobs. New job creation and business expansion creates meaningful opportunities for Chamber members to sell their goods and services to those new businesses or residents.
The Rogers-Lowell area continues to gain national attention for this area’s low cost of living, low crime rate and low unemployment rate. In 2010, Money Magazine and CNNMoney.com and Money Magazine ranked Rogers as the 10th “Best Places to Live” for families. Benton County was also recognized by CNNMoney.com as the 15th best county in the nation for having experienced the most job growth over the last nine years.
The successes of 2010 would not have been possible without the dedication of our members, the Board, Chamber staff and committee members. The Chamber realizes the importance of our members’ willingness to invest and support the Chamber, especially when times are tight and that speaks volumes to the value the Chamber delivers to the business community.
In this annual report, we outline our accomplishments and highlight our leadership. Again, we thank you for a great 2010 and look forward to an even better 2011.
Greg Spragg
2011 Chairman of the Board |
