Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation funds targeted oral health solutions to Arkansans (June 2019)

NORTH METRO

JUNE 2019

Log Cabin Democrat

June is Oral Health Month. This month’s North Metro Business Journal explores how the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation carries out its mission to improve the oral health of all Arkansans.

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Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation: Funding targeted oral health solutions to Arkansans who need it

Foundation seeks partners for 2020 Delta Dental of Arkansas formed the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation in 2008 to further its mission of improving the oral health of all Arkansans. For more than a decade, the dental insurance company has donated at least 30 percent of its net income from operations to its Foundation, contributing more than $22 million and impacting the lives of over 650,000 Arkansans. So far in 2019, the Foundation has invested nearly $1.1 million in communities across the state to support oral-health related programs and initiatives.

Ed Choate, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Arkansas, said the company encourages its Foundation to “spend every penny” to ensure underserved people across Arkansas receive the dental care they need.

“The intent is to be more transformational through funding,” Choate

said. “Our goal is to have a strategic focus which has a collective impact across our state. The need is there; we just have to find the right partners who can really make a difference in improving people’s oral health.”

Chrissy Chatham is executive director of the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation. She echoed the state’s need for improved oral health, stating that Arkansas ranks last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia when it comes to oral health.

“For some, oral health is considered a luxury, especially for individuals who struggle financially,” Chatham said.

“We would love for every Arkansan to integrate oral health care into their routine and for us to raise awareness about the importance of oral health.”

Choate added that oral health goes beyond the cosmetic and even transcends physical health – for some, it’s an economic issue.

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“For those who lose their teeth entirely, getting access to dentures or implants can mean the difference between unemployable and employable. Transformations like these –” he said as he flashed a before-and-after picture of smiling patient “–are what excite us.”

Delta Dental of Arkansas does not have dentists on staff to provide dental services. Rather, the Foundation equips nonprofit organizations with funds for dental care and equipment as well as for oral health education and training. In some parts of the state, it is difficult to find charitable organizations that provide oral health education, prevention and treatment.

“Finding partners in the right areas of the state where the need exists can be a challenge,” said Choate. “In the Delta, for example, there are fewer dentists because there is not a heavy concentration of people, but the need for oral health care is great.

“If there is not a charitable clinic in the community, we cannot provide dental care. However, we can get creative in how we help that community improve the oral health of its people.”

In 2017, Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation invested $1.4 million to improve the oral health of Arkansans.

These funds ranged from more than $450,000 in community grants to distributing close to 80,000 toothbrushes to nonprofit organizations, churches, libraries, and school-based health care programs. The Foundation issued more than $24,000 in mini grants, which support oral health projects that are designed to have an immediate impact in communities.

School-based grants totaled $27,200 in 2017, giving students across the state access to oral health education, treatment, and training. The Foundation also provides ongoing funding in the form of legacy grants to support dental clinics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the CARTI Cancer Center, and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The total legacy grant funding for 2017

was $420,000.

“We want to bring targeted solutions to the people who need it and invest funds in the right way so we can bring the best value for the community,” Choate said.

Community grants take the lion’s share of the Foundation’s contributions. Community grants are annual grants up to $30,000 that seek to establish a sustainable presence in communities and work to improve oral health on an ongoing basis. These grants support a variety of oral health programs and initiatives, including dental education and charitable dental clinics, like Arkansas Mission of Mercy.

Headed by Conway dentist Dr. Terry Fiddler, the two-day charitable dental clinic, sponsored by the Arkansas State Dental Association, provides dental care free of charge to more than 2,000 underserved Arkansans.

The clinic takes place annually in cities across the state and will return to Conway in 2020. For the past 13 years, Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation has been a major sponsor of Arkansas Mission of Mercy and has contributed more than $1 million to the dental clinic since its inception.

Arkansas-based nonprofit or community organizations are eligible to apply for community grant funding through the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation from June to August of each year.

The grant cycle to submit applications for community grants is underway and will remain open through Aug. 30, 2019. Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation will announce the grant recipients by December 2019 and will award the funds in January 2020. The Foundation’s board approved funding for up to $500,000 in community grants to be awarded in 2020. An online application is available at deltadentalar.com.

To learn more about the work of Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation, visit deltadentalar.com/giving-back and click on the Foundation link.

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SMC Packaging Group CEO Kevin Ausburn (far left) takes a photo with Wonder State Box general manager Jimmy Toal (first row) and other Wonder State Box team members at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s June 2019 CEO Luncheon.

SMC Packaging Group top executive speaks at Conway Chamber CEO Luncheon Kevin Ausburn, CEO of SMC Packaging Group, was the featured guest at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s June CEO Luncheon.

SMC Packaging Group is a “full-service provider of corrugated packaging, point-of-purchase displays, protective shipping cartons, and ancillary packaging supplies,” according to its website. Ausburn provided an inside look into the corrugated box industry and highlighted the work of the company’s Wonder State Box division in Conway.

Founded in 1987, Wonder State Box Company Inc. has three facilities in Arkansas – a 103,000-squarefoot facility at 584 Commerce Road in Conway, a 27,000-squarefoot warehouse in Conway, and a 45,000-square-foot operation in Harrison. Close to 100 of SMC Packaging Group’s 465 employees

work for Wonder State Box Company.

The company gets its name from Arkansas’s first official nickname.

SMC Packaging Group has been in business for 47 years and has annual sales of $130 million. In addition to its Wonder State Box division in Conway, the Springfield, Missouri-based company has satellite operations in Kansas City, Missouri, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

At the end of his talk, Ausburn said SMC Packaging Group chose Conway more than 30 years ago because the city was – and remains – “a vibrant and welcoming community for business.”

The CEO Luncheon series is presented by Nabholz Construction Corporation and hosted by Central Baptist College. Klaasmeyer Construction sponsored the speaker Kevin Ausburn, CEO of SMC Packaging Group, spoke at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s June 2019 for the June event.

CEO Luncheon.

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Area experts provide inside look into the North Metro economy Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry announces comprehensive wayfinding sign project

Organized by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and presented

by Smith Ford Inc. and Landmark Certified Public Accountants, the 2019 Outlook Conway event took a deep dive into the regional North Metro economy.

Conway Regional Health System and H+N Architects served as economic sponsors, and Arkansas Business was the media sponsor.

Throughout the day, panelists in the areas of local government, site selection, and the office economy spoke to a packed house at Centennial Valley Events Center. Conway Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Brad Lacy closed out the event with a comparative look at the Metro Little Rock economy and other economies across the region and nation.

Troup and sponsored by Kutak Rock.

The panelists all agreed on the advantages of doing business in Conway: quality of life and a diverse talent pool that leads to great employees. Some of the challenges of doing business in Conway tied into industry-wide challenges technology companies face across the country: government regulation of consumer information, recruiting more women, and keeping up with the pace of the business to be able to hire talent quickly.

Mayors of the Metro The mayors of the Little Rock metro area’s three principal cities shared the stage for the first time at the fourth annual Outlook Conway. Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., and North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith discussed the steps each city could take to improve the region and touted their own cities’ individual strengths. At the conclusion of the panel, Mayor Castleberry announced plans to install comprehensive wayfinding signs for Conway, bridging restaurants and cultural amenities and making these locations easier for visitors to discover. The 150 wayfinding signs will be installed in early 2020.

The “Mayors of the Metro” panel was moderated by Andrea Woods, executive vice president and corporate counsel for Nabholz Corporation, and sponsored by Rogers Group and Nabholz Corporation.

Competitive Position” panel, where they provided insight into how corporations make site-location decisions and shared their opinions about Conway as a destination for business. Liz Hamilton, owner and principal architect at H+N Architects, moderated the panel.

Reeves, a director at real estate advisory firm Newmark Knight Frank, said a qualified workforce that can service a company’s needs is paramount when choosing a site. He added that the ease of departing and returning to the airport, work ethic, and a regional approach to economic development make places stand out.

“At the end of the day, companies don’t see municipal lines,” he said.

Lenio, executive vice president and economist for real estate company CBRE, said a common misconception for central Arkansas is that there is not an educated workforce. He said aspirational metro areas for the Little Rock metro are midwestern cities like Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and Columbus, Ohio. He added that Conway reminded him of Greenville, South Carolina.

Our Competitive Position Site-selection consultants John Lenio and Alan Reeves made up the “Our

Our Office Economy Conway’s office economy represents nearly 5,000 jobs in the market. The

“Our Office Economy” panel explored what the future held for this industry and some of the advantages and challenges that come from doing business in Conway. Drew May, chief customer officer at Acxiom; Carl Harris, ITO service delivery manager at DXC; Bill Flannery, executive vice president of global operations at Ensono; and David Mayer, vice president and general manager for Insight Enterprises made up the panel, which was moderated by Conway Regional Health System president and CEO Matt

Measuring the Metro During the final panel of the day, Conway Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Brad Lacy provided an analysis of how Metro Little Rock compares to other metro areas in the region and nation. Before his presentation, attendees got a look at panel sponsor Conway Corporation’s 2018 annual report from chief marketing officer Crystal Kemp.

Central Arkansas is the largest economy in Arkansas by every metric, said Lacy.

The region includes the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan statistical area, which consists of Pulaski, Faulkner, Perry, Saline, Lonoke, and Grant counites.

The regional population is 741,104, making it the 78th largest metro area in the country. Similarly sized metro areas include Stockton-Lodi, California, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Little Rock metro is a $38.8 billion economy, which is close to Tucson, Arizona, and Bakersfield, California.

Lacy provided detailed statistics on the region’s retail climate and job growth and compared population, educational attainment, and employment numbers among Arkansas counties. The full presentation can be viewed at conway arkansas.org.

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JUNE 2019 9

Finding our ‘peers.’ foolish but we frequently talk in terms of “competing” with other states. And whether we’re discussing policy or access to markets and talent—scale matters.

Next, we look at our two largest MSAs; the Little Rock/North Little Rock/Conway MSA and the Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers MSA. (I’ll refer to them simply as the “Little Rock” or “central Arkansas” MSA and the “northwest Arkansas” MSA for the remainder of the article). As northwest Arkansas has grown in size and influence, it’s become fashionable for Arkansan’s--especially native Arkansans--to fixate on just how different these two places are.

There are differences and we’ll see how the numbers lay out for each. Out of the United States’ 383 MSAs Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas rank as the 77th and 104th largest (The Fort Smith and Jonesboro MSAs rank 170th and 305th respectively).

Beyond static population, when trying to find a relevant peer one of the key factors is rate of growth.

Simply put, places (almost regardless of size) that are growing share a lot of traits and dynamics. The same could be said for those that are shrinking.

While Youngstown, OH MSA has almost the exact same population as northwest Arkansas it will look and feel like a dramatically different place because their economy is a full third smaller and their population is in rapid decline.

No one familiar with Arkansas would be surprised to see the incredible rate of growth in northwest Arkansas’s population. It was the 14th fastest growing MSA from 2010-2017, adding almost 75k people. However, even though the Little Rock MSA grew at a

MSA –

Population

Pop. Growth Rate

Gross Regional

Per Capita

population rank

(2017)

2010-2017

Product (GRP)

GRP

Stockton, CA - #75

745,524

8.77%

$27B

$36,340

Cape Coral, FL - #76

739,224

19.47%

$28B

$37,813

Little Rock MSA - #77

738,344

5.51%

$39B

$52,650

Colorado Springs, CO - #78 723,878

12.12%

$33B

$45,139

Boise, ID - #79

709,845

15.13%

$34B

$47,339

Youngstown, OH - #103

541,926

-4.21%

$20B

$36,453

Northwest AR MSA - #104

537,463

16.03%

$29B

$53,034

Portland, ME - #105

532,083

3.5%

$32B

$60,409

MSA - GRP rank

Gross Regional

Gross Regional Product

Product

Per Capita - rank

Tucson, AZ - #75

$39B

$38,165 - #297

Little Rock - #76

$39B

$52,650 - #129

Bakersfield, CA - #77

$37.3B

$41,808 - #253

Santa Rosa, CA - #93

$28.7B

$56,866 - #94

Northwest AR - #94

$28.5B

$53,034 - #123

Manchester, NH - #95

$28.4B

$69,424 – #37

much slower rate it still added almost 40k people over the same time period. Again, scale matters.

If each area maintains the same growth rate the Little Rock MSA will remain the state’s largest for another 22 years. At that time each MSA would have approximately 875k residents.

Beyond population and growth rate the final metric that helps us find our true peers is gross regional product. It’s the local equivalent of gross domestic product and measures the goods and services produced in an area.

The size and regional nature of the local economy can make a place feel smaller or larger than its population. Also relevant is the per capita gross regional product.

Places with a similar GRP will frequently have similar housing costs and retail options.

It may surprise many that the GRP per capita in the Little Rock

MSA and northwest Arkansas are within 1% of each other. Now remember that there are approximately 200k more residents in the Little Rock MSA. That’s why you see leading brands like Apple, Trader Joes, and more with only one location and only in central Arkansas (Tampa also only has one Apple store by the way). Again, with retail—scale matters.

Northwest Arkansas’s rate of economic growth is as impressive as their population growth. If both northwest Arkansas and central Arkansas maintain their historic rates of growth they will be equal in size in 15 years.

When you take all of the MSAs in the country and rank them by population, rate of growth, GRP, and GRP per capita you do start to get a clearer picture of how Arkansas and our two largest metros stack up. For the Little Rock MSA there are places like Knoxville, TN and

Greenville, SC that match closely.

For northwest Arkansas you see places like Provo and Ogden, UT and even Charleston, SC that have meaningful similarities.

However, when you look up and down the list of all 383 MSAs it’s possible that there are no two that could learn more from each other than central Arkansas and northwest Arkansas. Which might surprise us native Arkansans who know “how different” they are.

What do you think? What places from around the country remind you of somewhere in Arkansas?

Where can the economies of our state look for ideas and direction?

Executive Summary / Key Data Points By looking at population, growth rate, gross regional product (GRP), and per capita GRP we can identify our “peers” around the country.

• Arkansas’s population is approximately the same size as the Tampa MSA. Its economy is approximately the same size as San Antonio’s.

• The central Arkansas economy is more than third larger than the northwest Arkansas economy ($39B vs $28.5B) • Northwest Arkansas is on pace to surpass central Arkansas as the state’s largest MSA in 22 years. It will be the state’s largest economy in 15 years.

• Between 2010-2017 the northwest Arkansas MSA added almost 75k new residents. During that same period the Little Rock MSA added almost 40k.

• My “aspirational benchmark” for central Arkansas is Des Moines, IA. My “aspirational benchmark” for northwest Arkansas is Boise, ID and Santa Rosa, CA. These MSAs share traits and have enviable metrics that are within reach.

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10 JUNE 2019

North Metro Economy at a Glance

Population US 325,719,178 Arkansas 3,004,279 Conway 65,782 Cleburne County 25,048 Conway County 20,916 Faulkner County 123,654 Perry County 10,348 Van Buren County 16,506 Unemployment Rate March-2019 Seasonally Adjusted US Arkansas

3.8% 3.7%

Not Seasonally Adjusted US 3.9% Arkansas 3.4% Conway 2.8% Cleburne County 4.7% Conway County 4.1% Faulkner County 2.9% Perry County 4.3% Van Buren County 4.9% Bank Deposits ($000) June Conway 2018 $1,827,728 2017 $1,686,727 Percent Change 8.36% Cleburne County 2018 $554,248 2017 $524,244 Percent Change 5.72%

Conway County 2018 $358,473 2017 $382,665 Percent Change -6.32% Faulkner County 2018 $2,192,595 2017 $2,052,122 Percent Change 6.85% Perry County 2018 $72,986 2017 $71,596 Percent Change 1.94% Van Buren County 2018 $276,171 2017 $277,646 Percent Change -0.53% Sales & Use Tax Collections May Conway 2019 $2,724,876 2018 $2,159,502 Percent Change 26.18% Tax Rate 2.125% Cleburne County 2019 $517,439 2018 $534,986 Percent Change -3.28% Tax Rate 1.625% Conway County 2019 $460,146 2018 $500,396 Percent Change -8.04% Tax Rate 1.75% Faulkner County 2019 $826,521 2018 $802,728

Percent Change 2.96% Tax Rate 0.50% Perry County 2019 $122,271 2018 $141,300 Percent Change -13.47% Tax Rate 2.50% Van Buren County 2019 $341,225 2018 $344,936 Percent Change -1.08% Tax Rate 2.00% Restaurant Sales* Year to Date (March) Conway 2019 $49,971,852 2018 $48,885,014 Percent Change 2.22% *Includes mixed drink sales Hotel Sales Year to Date (March) Conway 2019 $4,057,348 2018 $3,980,719 Percent Change 1.93% Residential Building Permits Year to Date (June) Conway 2019 120 2018 79 Percent Change 51.90% Residential Units Sold** (New and Existing)

Year to Date (May) Conway 2019 267 2018 321 Percent Change -16.82% Year to Date (February) Cleburne County 2019 50 2018 44 Percent Change 13.64% Conway County 2019 22 2018 14 Percent Change 57.14% Faulkner County 2019 187 2018 187 Percent Change 0.00% Perry County 2019 7 2018 10 Percent Change -30.00% Van Buren County 2019 26 2018 32 Percent Change -18.75% Value of Residential Units Sold** Year to Date (May) Conway 2019 $51,563,391 2018 $59,850,382 Percent Change -13.85% Year to Date (February) Cleburne County 2019 $9,012,250 2018 $9,509,500

Percent Change

-5.23%

Van Buren County 2019 $2,806,050 2018 $3,285,280 Percent Change -14.59% Average Price of Residential Units Sold (New and Existing)** Year to Date (May) Conway 2019 $193,121 2018 $186,450 Percent Change 3.58% Year to Date (February) Cleburne County 2019 $180,245 2018 $216,125 Percent Change -16.60% Conway County 2019 $150,513 2018 $112,221 Percent Change 34.12% Faulkner County 2019 $176,990 2018 $175,119 Percent Change 1.07% Perry County 2019 $136,928 2018 $122,160 Percent Change 12.09% Van Buren County 2019 $107,925 2018 $102,665 Percent Change 5.12%

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JUNE 2019 11

Shop Conway The city of Conway can meet your every shopping need within seconds of Interstate 40.And if you have more than one stop in mind, there is always another shopping district only moments away.

Shopping in Conway is convenient, comfortable, and close-to-home.

MAP KEY EXIT 127 DOWNTOWN Conway’s downtown shopping scene is a perfect mix of old and new.

Whether it’s a jewelry store doing business on the same block for more than 100 years or a high fashion boutique offering the latest trends.Approximately 40 retail businesses and restaurants call downtown Conway home.

EXIT 125 CONWAY TOWNE CENTRE The Conway Towne Centre is an 180,000-squarefoot shopping center located off US Highway 65.

Anchored by a Cinemark movie theatre, Urban Air Trampoline Park, JCPenney, and Of ce Depot, the Conway Towne Centre is also home to several other restaurants and retail stores.

EXIT 129 LEWIS CROSSING Conway’s newest shopping destination is Lewis Crossing. Just off Dave Ward Dr., east of Interstate 40, Lewis Crossing offers more than a dozen nationally known restaurants and stores including Sam’s Club,Academy Sports, Ulta, Michaels and On the Border, Bed Bath & Beyond, and PetCo.

Downtown Exit 127 Conway Towne Centre Exit 125

Lewis Crossing Exit 129 Conway Commons Exit 127

EXIT 127 CONWAY COMMONS Located off East Oak Street, Conway Commons is a regional shopping hub with over 654,000 square feet and 43 stores, including big name brands such as T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods, Belk,Target, Old Navy, Kohl’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

866.7CONWAY | CVB@ConwayArkansas.org | ConwayArk.com

Get back to golfing.

With the new Mako Robotic Technology, replace your knee or hip with more precision.

When you need a hip or knee replacement, know that Conway Regional is the only hospital in Conway to offer the Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology — a more precise surgical experience that’s tailored to your specific needs. And only at Conway Regional will you have the personalized care of RecoveryCOACH to guide you through your surgical journey from pre-op to recovery. Call us today to schedule a consultation.

ConwayRegional.org/Mako

501-513-5569

Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology CW-10016016