Boom Town Blytheville Sets the Pace in Arkansas, Thanks to Steel

There was a time when America’s steel industry ruled the industrialized world as the unquestioned leader in steel production. And while the industry took its lumps through the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in the so-called Rust Belt across the upper Midwest, a shiny new chapter is bringing the luster back to the U.S. steel industry. And this time, it’s happening in Arkansas.

When much of the rest of the nation’s steel industry was grinding to a halt, visionary entrepreneurs were quietly laying the foundation in northeast Arkansas for what is today considered one of the most important steel centers in the entire country. And with this new growth has come thousands of jobs paying top dollar to workers in any number of skilled positions.

Arkansas Northeastern College has been an integral part of the steel industry’s success. Not only has the school invested heavily in cutting-edge equipment and instruction, it’s been banging the drum for the opportunities that exist in the trades be it in construction or manufacturing, especially steel.

“Our steel technology program has a couple different pathways,” said Dr. Jamie Frakes, associate vice president for workforce development and allied technologies. “When we look at steel industry technology, you can study the electrical side of the business and be heavily involved in that or you can be involved in the advanced manufacturing piece, the production side. Our students are literally learning the science of manufacturing production and everything that goes into producing steel.

“I think another important piece to the steel industry technology credentials that we offer is we also have an internship program that has been highly successful in recent years. That’s another opportunity for us to immerse our students in that environment while they’re earning their credentials and attending class. That’s a model that, quite frankly, is a best practice for us. We’ve been doing that for some time now and we’ve become a model for other institutions.”

Steel first came to this part of the state in 1987 when Nucor-Yamato Steel built its first mill. That plant was followed by Nucor Steel Arkansas in 1992, which was expanded in 1998. The mills specialize in various types of steel used in production of automobiles, appliances, agricultural equipment and other industries.

In 2017, Big River Steel opened, converting scrap to flat-rolled steel. Additional ventures and expansions by Atlas Tube, Zekelman Industries and Majestic Steel all kept expanding the industry and attracting dozens of companies providing services to the bigger mills. Finally, in January of this year, U.S. Steel announced it would be entering the area, bringing with it 900 jobs and a $3 billion mill loaded to the brim with the latest in technology.

These expansions have upped demand for skilled workers in all fields exponentially, Frakes said.

“At Arkansas Northeastern College, we have a technical center which offers a number of programs to high school students, and those high school students get the opportunity to study computer information systems, aviation, industrial technology, office management and industrial technology, along with health sciences courses,” he said.

“We market those programs to our area high schools, letting them know of these options. The partnerships we have with our high schools are just phenomenal as far as opening doors for these students. Getting the word out earlier is important to our efforts and that’s where we’re seeing a lot of better numbers in that regard. There’s a ways to go, but we are getting better in meeting the demand.”