CONWAY: BETWEEN THE METRO & THE MOUNTAINS

These pages are typically reserved for the people, places and things within Conway. You’ll find plenty of those stories in this year’s edition, but you’ll also find quite a few pages dedicated to activities just outside the confines of Conway.

We have discussed at the office how to package these nearby amentities and have taken to referring to Conway as “something of a northern frontier for central Arkansas,” located “between the metro and the mountains.” We’ve also talked internally about the stickiness of Conway. I’m sure you have had similar conversations with friends and co-workers, too. Whether it’s the colleges, job market or lifestyle this place affords, something draws you in and keeps you here.

As you’ll see in this year’s CONWAY+, we think the outdoor opportunities right outside our front door add to the stick. You’ll find stories about an unspoiled Ozark paradise an hour north called Bluffton Preserve, fishing holes at Illinois Bayou an hour west of here or Middle Fork an hour up Highway 65, and a 4,000-acre special use area tucked away just over in Mayflower.

As expected, you’ll also get to meet more of the people, places and things that make Conway what it is. 2022 was a transformative year for Conway in many ways, including the arts, recreation and workforce. You’ll find stories on how the efforts of the Windgate Foundation on two of our college campuses has set Conway up as a destination for the arts, as well as how a $24.6 million federal grant will impact the connectivity of our city. Not to mention, a $35 million workforce training center slated for Conway that will bring workers from across the state to Conway. And the new year picked up where 2022 left off with Westrock Coffee’s announcement of a new $70 million distribution center in the industrial park.

Needless to say, whether it’s civic engagement, education, food, high culture, or the outdoors you crave, we should have something for you. And so does Conway.

Lee Hogan Editor, Conway Publications

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Ask The Expert

44 Jessica Gomez: For the Love of Food and Community

46 Toad Suck Daze: A Tradition Returns

High Culture

EDITOR & DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS | Lee Hogan

GRAPHIC DESIGNER | Kara Darling

RESEARCH AND STATISTICS

CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | Corey Parks

ADVERTISING SALES

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER | Lindsay Henderson

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT | Leo Cummings III

ADMINISTRATION

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | Laura Grimes

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT | Jennifer Hiegel-Shelden

CONWAY PUBLICATIONS EDITORIAL BOARD

Human

Johnny Adams

Bill Adkisson

Lori Melton

Lori Ross

Jeff Standridge

PRESIDENT & CEO | Brad Lacy

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | Jamie Gates

900 OAK STREET CONWAY, ARKANSAS 72032 501-327-7788

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