February Chamber Voice 2019 | 2018 Annual Report

FEBRUARY2019 | Vol 14 Issue 2

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

A Letter from the Chairman The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to be the community’s Voice of Business and is celebrating its 97th year as the premier advocacy organization for businesses in our region. Over the years, your Chamber has built a reputation for impacting the community through its economic development and government affairs programs as well as small business outreach, workforce recruitment and retention, destination marketing (attracting visitors to Rogers-Lowell and the region), education and leadership development initiatives and long-range community strategic planning with an intentional focus on quality of place.

I’m pleased to report that 2018 was another successful year for growing business and building community in the Rogers-Lowell area and our efforts were recognized nationally. Rogers ranked 14th on Time/ Money’s Best Places to Live in 2018. The Northwest Arkansas (MSA) also ranked as the 5th Best Place to Live by U.S. News and World Report and 2nd Best Mid-Sized City for Jobs by Forbes.

Let’s look back together at some of last year’s highlights: In 2018, new business growth and expansions resulted in significant job creation and helped to create opportunities for Chamber members and partners to sell their goods and services to new businesses and residents.

Businesses in the Rogers-Lowell area created over 1,100 new jobs last year.

At the end of the year, the unemployment rate was 2.5 percent.

Rogers voters approved a $300 million bond issue in 2018, a 1-cent sales tax extension to pay off existing bonds and fund street improvements, parks and public safety. Projects include a new police Dispatch and Emergency Operations Center and Fire Station No. 8.

New retail and restaurant development performed at a good pace in 2018 with the opening of Dave and Buster’s, Local Lime, Back Yard Burgers and Komodo. During the year, the Chamber spoke with seven retail consultants about new retail options and shopping centers opening within Rogers. In addition, Topgolf announced that it will soon be opening in Rogers. Overall, over $200 million in new commercial development projects were announced in 2018.

The Chamber worked hard last year to promote our attractions and amenities like The Railyard Bike Park, Lake Atalanta Park, the Parks and Trails System and the Downtown Rogers Farmers Market, and worked with Go Downtown Rogers and Downtown Rogers, Inc. (formerly Main Street Rogers) to successfully launch the new monthly Art on the Bricks art walk.

The parks and trails system, historic surroundings and a welcoming quality of life are among the many features that are making Downtown Rogers attractive to a growing number of businesses and investors.

Last year, a total of 39 new businesses opened their doors in downtown, and at the end of the year, 19 additional businesses were scheduled to open in 2019. Other significant downtown development included the opening of two small apartment communities and the announcement of four additional communities slated to open in 2019.

The Chamber also reached out to 100 regional businesses exploring the benefits of expansion into Downtown Rogers.

The Government Affairs division collaborated with other regional chambers and the NWA Council to develop the Northwest Arkansas

Legislative Agenda which will help advance issues key to the continued prosperity of the region. The division hosted public forums and educated members on critical issues that have an impact on the local, state and national levels.

Tourism positively impacted the Rogers-Lowell economy in 2018.

Visit Rogers helped our community host numerous events that enjoyed record attendance and provided revenue for area businesses. Visit Rogers sourced 139 leads representing a potential 72,182 future room nights in the meetings, conventions, sports and group tour market segments; it also sourced 114 new leads and resulting in 10,028 new group room nights, for a total of 28,897, for industry partners.

I’m proud to say that our Chamber is ready to build on its 2018 successes.

At the Board Retreat last November, we reviewed feedback themes and insights from the Chamber’s Stakeholder Survey and used that information to collectively define drivers of change and barriers of success for our businesses and residents. This is helping us to envision the future with our “Roadmap to 2022 | Chamber 3.0” initiative. Chamber 3.0 is not an event, program or policy but rather a filter, a feeling, and a benchmark.

It is a mission, vision and set of values that will lead us to relevancy, necessity and competency in a changing world. It’s an intentional effort to be Cohesive, to Invigorate, and to Influence. These are carefully chosen words that describe how the Chamber evolves its role as a Champion, Catalyst and Convener.

Learn more about this year’s programs in the 2019 Business Plan to be published in the March issue of the Chamber Voice.

On behalf of the entire Chamber, I would like to sincerely thank our community, members, partners and investors for their involvement this past year. We couldn’t have achieved this success without you. You inspired the ideas and hard work and invested your time and resources to enable us to create the ideal environment for businesses of all sizes to prosper.

In this Annual Report, we’ve outlined 2018 accomplishments and highlights of the Chamber’s leadership in our region. I hope you will be impressed by our achievements of the past year and join us this year as we continue working together to create a cohesive and connected community and make the Rogers-Lowell area a great place to live, work and play.

Eric Pianalto

2018 Chairman of the Board Mercy NWA

The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce is one out of just 112 chambers of 7,000+ nationwide accredited with Five Stars.

2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

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CHAMBER STAFF Raymond Burns, CCE

Karen Wagaman

President/CEO rburns@rogerslowell.com

Vice President of Downtown Development karen@rogerslowell.com

J.R. Shaw, IOM

Shey Bland

Executive Director/Executive Vice President | Visit Rogers jr@rogerslowell.com

Executive Director | Downtown Rogers, Inc. sbland@rogersar.gov

Katie Wright

Ross Phillips

Vice President of Operations katie@rogerslowell.com

Director of Community Development ross@rogerslowell.com

Shelle Summers, IOM

Nick Smith

Senior Vice President of Membership Services ssummers@rogerslowell.com

Creative Services Director nick@rogerslowell.com

Steve Cox

Heather Friday

Senior Vice President of Economic Development steve@rogerslowell.com

Brad Phillips

Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications brad@rogerslowell.com

Jon Moran

Senior Vice President of Government Affairs jon@rogerslowell.com

Marni Rogers

Member Relations Manager marni@rogerslowell.com

Kelly Parker

Marketing Communications Manager | Visit Rogers kelly@rogerslowell.com

Luke Wiggins

Meetings & Conventions Sales Manager | Visit Rogers luke@rogerslowell.com

Justin Freeman

Marketing Communications Specialist justin@rogerslowell.com

Sheree Barnes

Ashley Matsumura

Lauren Hildreth

DTR Farmers Market Manager | Downtown Rogers, Inc. lhildreth@rogersar.gov

Vickie Grotts

Account Executive jacque@rogerslowell.com

Finance Manager heather@rogerslowell.com

Operations Manager | Downtown Rogers, Inc. sbarnes@rogersar.gov

Vice President of Accounting & Finance vickie@rogerslowell.com

Jacque Eakins

Information Specialist ashley@rogerslowell.com

Amanda Mills

Information Specialist amanda@rogerslowell.com

Jeff O’Neill

Director of Special Events jeff@rogerslowell.com

WHAT WE BELIEVE MISSION

VALUES

To be the voice of business, to promote and initiate responsible economic growth, and to address community challenges in the Rogers-Lowell Area and the region.

VISION Quality |

Growth | Opportunity

Loyalty Trust Adaptability Valiant Character Passion Optimism Authenticity Service Integrity Respect Unity

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

Chairman of the Board Eric Pianalto Mercy NWA

Chairman-Elect Greg Fogle Nabholz Construction

Treasurer Angie Tucker-Ridley Tucker’s Furniture & Appliance

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

2018 Directors

2019 Directors

Jill Bright, Grand Savings Bank Payne Brewer, Arvest Bank Corry Hull, OneDigital Health and Benefits Erin Kiefer, Assembled Products Corporation Denten Park, Northwest Health Chris Sultemeier, Walmart (retired)

January 4: The 92nd Arkansas General Assembly convened in Little Rock. During the Assembly, staff worked with legislators, other chambers, industry representatives, and the Arkansas State Chamber on the passage or defeat of key legislation affecting the business community.

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TIMELINE: January 2018

President/CEO Raymond Burns, CCE

Tom Allen, Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners Dr. Marlin Berry, Rogers Public Schools Kristen Boozman, Portfolio Luxury Real Estate Redefined Jerry Carmichael, 3C Retail Solutions Larry Cooper, Embassy Suites NWA Russ Daniel, McLarty Daniel Rich Davis, Black Hills Energy Jesica Duert, Walmart Mike Dodge, Carroll Electric Coop. Corp.

Sandy Edwards, Crystal Bridges Museum David Foster, APAC-Central Inc. Dan Hendrix, World Trade Center Arkansas Greg Hines, Mayor, City of Rogers Tom Hopper, Tallchamps, LLC Dr. Evelynn Jorgenson, NWACC Peter Lane, Walton Arts Center Eldon Long, Mayor, City of Lowell Aaron Matthews, First Baptist Church of Lowell Judge Barry Moehring, Benton County Jerra Nalley, Runway Curt Stamp, Cox Business Dick Trammel, Arkansas Highway Commission Jeff Wood, Tyson Foods

Keri Earwood, Shelter Insurance Dennis Ferguson, Simmons Bank Jon Harrell, Generations Bank Jeff Milford, AEP/SWEPCO David Roth, WorkMatters Tina Winham, Spin Master

Leah Acoach Danny Beck, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Joe Donaldson, Sam’s Furniture Brad Hicks, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. Mike Power, First Security Bank David Vaden, Ernst & Young LLP

RIDC President Jerry Vest Regions Bank

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS

Chairman of the Board – Eric Pianalto, Mercy NWA Chairman-Elect – Greg Fogle, Nabholz Construction Treasurer – Angie Tucker-Ridley, Tucker’s Furniture & Appliance Past Chairman – David Faulkner, Pinnacle Hills Promenade President/CEO – Raymond Burns RIDC President – Jerry Vest, Regions Bank

2020 Directors

Past Chairman David Faulkner Pinnacle Hills Promenade

DIVISION CHAIRS

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Community Development - Tina Winham Membership Services - Keri Earwood Economic Development - Jeff Milford Government Affairs - Jerry Carmichael Convention & Visitors Bureau - Larry Cooper

Jill Bright Jon Harrell David Vaden

January 9: The Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) clinic opened in Springdale, signaling a full opening of the brand-new hospital was soon to come in February. ACNW is the region’s first and only children’s hospital offering easy access to complete pediatric healthcare.

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January 11: The Milken Institute ranked Northwest Arkansas as the 25th “Best Performing Area in the U.S.” in its annual rankings, up five spots from the previous year.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

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February 13: Members and the public joined the Chamber and community leaders for a Chamber Night Reception at Rogers City Council. Mayor Greg Hines delivered the State of the City address following the reception.

TIMELINE: February 2018

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February 5: Dave & Buster’s opened at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade. The popular entertainment destination has stateof-the-art games, mouth-watering menu items and innovative drinks.

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February 20: Members and the public joined the Chamber and community leaders for a Chamber Night Reception at Lowell City Hall. Mayor Eldon Long delivered the State of the City address following the reception.

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February 22: The 96th Annual Celebration looked back on 2017 accomplishments and honored award winners that impacted the Northwest Arkansas community.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019 New job creation and business expansion impact businesses by creating meaningful opportunities for Chamber members to sell their goods and services to new businesses and residents. The Economic Development Division works with industries both large and small in our community to increase job growth and business expansion as well as with individuals to increase our growing small business community.

2018 Objectives | Economic Development • Create economic investment and jobs by using a proactive marketing and approach to attract new businesses, both large and small.

• Proactively promote expansion and retention of local businesses and industry.

• Support or lead the process to identify regional community development initiatives to advance the region’s competitiveness for jobs, workers and capital investment.

• Expand services and retail amenities to help attract a diverse, first-class workforce.

• Address employer and jobseeker needs through innovative web tools and other recruitment marketing.

• Recruit and retain a high-quality workforce.

• Engage in small business outreach.

• Engage in downtown development and implement Downtown Initiative Plan.

The following highlights are from the Chamber’s

2018 YEAR-END STAFF REPORT. For the full report visit

IMPACTPOSSIBLE.COM/VOICE

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March 9: Visit Rogers kicked off the 2018 tourism season at its 2nd Annual Tourism Talk event providing insights into visitor trends, updates on marketing efforts and premiering the newest issue of The Good Life Destination Guide.

March 1: The Chamber released its 2019 Business Plan issue of the Chamber Voice outlining specific programs and goals for the year.

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TIMELINE: March 2018

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March 19: Northwest Arkansas was named a top 50 “Happiest and Healthiest” area in the country by Time.com which cited enjoying your work and learning new and interesting things every day as strong predictors of overall well-being.

March 14: Rogers won the award for “Best Tasting Drinking Water” from the Northwest District of the Arkansas Waterworks & Water Environment Association.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

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April 5: Northwest Arkansas nonprofit organizations joined together to promote an online day of giving to benefit the community, called NWA Gives.

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TIMELINE: April 2018

April 10: Northwest Arkansas (MSA) was ranked as the Fifth Best Place to Live by U.S. News and World Report.

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April 18: Hundreds gathered, including state and local dignitaries, to celebrate the completion of the $100 million U.S. 412 Bypass.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

The Member Services Division provides over-the-top customer service for the membership of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce by providing valuable services and programming which delivers a return on their investment. Membership Services impacts the Chamber’s members by offering business building events and educational opportunities that support local businesses.

2018 Objectives | Membership Services • Support the Chamber’s mission of “Growing Business, Building Community” through member recruitment and event sponsorships.

• Increase the number of membership renewals by providing support and meeting the needs of our members through great customer service.

Event Objectives: • Provide engaging and well-attended networking events, business events, and educational programs to help members grow their businesses.

• Offer engaging premiere events that portray the Chamber as a dynamic community leader.

• Put all events through “competitive advantage through differentiation” test, make tweaks,and find opportunities for new events.

• Prepare events department for the Chamber’s evolving membership demographics by making updates that are interactive, unique, and relevant.

• Enhance member experience by providing exceptional customer service and member support.

The following highlights are from the Chamber’s

2018 YEAR-END STAFF REPORT. For the full report visit

IMPACTPOSSIBLE.COM/VOICE

May 16: Forbes named Northwest Arkansas one of the best midsize areas for jobs, based on short-, medium- and long-term job growth dating back to 2006.

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TIMELINE: May 2018

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May 18: Topgolf announced plans to build a location in Rogers. The venue features fun and competitive golf games, climate-controlled playing bays, an impressive food and drink menu, HD TVs and a lengthy music selection.

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May 21: The Chamber launched its Chamber Voice of Business Podcast. Regularly scheduled episodes focus on the areas of Government Affairs, Community Development, Downtown Development, and Economic Development.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

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events

12 events

12 events

The Chamber’s inaugural event,

61% of the businesses who joined from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 are located in Rogers and Lowell.

A total of 77% of the member businesses are located in Benton County.

8%

13%

56%

9% 5% 9%

June 11: The RoArk Group won overall first place at the Chamber’s 2018 Spring Golf Tournament held at the Shadow Valley Country Club in Rogers. They were the winners of the p.m. flight, while Pinnacle Hills Promenade Mall won the a.m. flight.

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presented by Northwest Health and event partner Tyson Foods, Inc., brought together the community in Downtown Rogers on September 14 and 15 to celebrate our quality of life that we enjoy in Northwest Arkansas and to showcase Rogers’ unique culture that magically blends FOOD, ARTS and THE OUTDOORS.

TIMELINE: June 2018

June 15: Leadership Benton County (LBC) announced Class 16. LBC is a program from the Chamber that provides leadership training specific to regional issues facing the county.

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June 20: Walmart announced $22 million in grants supporting Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, LPGA, Mercy Health Foundation, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, TheatreSquared and Walton Arts Center.

June 18-24: The Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented

by P&G returned to Pinnacle Country Club, bringing 144 of the best female golfers in the world to the region.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

Visit Rogers impacts the local economy and community by attracting conventions, sports and tour groups, and leisure visitors to Rogers, growing hotel, restaurant, and retail business and adding to the quality of life of our residents.

Social Enga ement

2018 Objectives | Visit Rogers • Visit Rogers sales efforts will create group sales leads to industry partners for future new and repeat business, resulting in increased, definite future group room nights for Rogers hoteliers, and generating positive, economic impact to the entire community.

• Visit Rogers marketing efforts targeting the leisure and group markets will result in increased web, social media and digital engagements with our defined audiences, driving customers to book visits to Rogers that result in increased overall visitation.

• Establish credibility and awareness of Visit Rogers as the official destination marketing organization of the city.

• Provide excellent customer service to enhance the visitor experience and encourage repeat visits to Rogers.

The following highlights are from the Chamber’s

2018 YEAR-END STAFF REPORT.

29% is up

across all channels

14 Groups

34% over 2017 and requests for

have utilized

Creative Services

The Good Life Destination Guide

K&K Veterinary Tradeshow, AGATE Conference, Teach Them Diligently, Great Plains Leadership, Poultry Federation, Shepard’s Chapel, NCAA Baseball, Arkansas Pharmacists Association, Poultry Festival, Daisy National Championships, Senior Softball, SE Regional Equipment Operators, AR Assoc. of Police, Poultry Federation Symposium

have increased

For the full report visit

21%

IMPACTPOSSIBLE.COM/VOICE

to 1,697 July 1: Rogers Rotary Club announced that long-time Rogers community leader and former state Representative Dick Barclay received the 2018 Dick Daniel Distinguished Service Award.

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TIMELINE: July 2018

July 27-29: The 2018 Rogers Cycling Festival, sponsored by Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders, featured several USA Cycling-sanctioned road cycling and mountain biking events and was held in Downtown Rogers.

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July 27: Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that Arkansas will open a third crime lab in 2019 on a 25-acre site in Lowell.

It is expected to reduce the backlog of the main crime lab in Little Rock and will analyze evidence in criminal cases.

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July 30: Arkansas state tourism officials launched a new Arkansas.com website that offers major advertising innovation available in fewer than half of states.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

The Government Affairs Division serves as the link between members and local, state and federal government by advocating for pro-business and quality of life issues that are important to Northwest Arkansas. Additionally, Government Affairs engages in activities that produce long-term positive impacts including voter registration and education, engagement of members in the political process and continuously improved outreach efforts.

Staff ORGANIZED AND CONDUCTED MULTIPLE FORUMS for candidates seeking election to the

2018 Objectives | Government Affairs

General Assembly, Rogers City Council, and Bentonville Mayor

• Enhance the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce’s capacity to effectively influence local, state and federal legislation.

• Establish regionalism to leverage economic development for coordinated marketing, messaging and advocacy efforts.

• Help Chamber members understand and navigate the governmental process.

• Aggressively advocate for pro-business public policy and issues.

• Pursue transportation infrastructure funding.

in the 2018 ELECTION

Staff worked with the Northwest Arkansas Council to assemble and coordinate the

Government Affairs outreach efforts helped secure successful passage of

ROGERS’ LARGEST NWA COUNCIL REGIONAL BOND ISSUE IN HISTORY LEGISLATIVE AGENDA in 2018 COMMITTEE

Governor Hutchinson kicked off the efforts with an address to the Committee The following highlights are from the Chamber’s

2018 YEAR-END STAFF REPORT. For the full report visit

IMPACTPOSSIBLE.COM/VOICE

August 10: A group of more than 300 young professionals filled the Walton Arts Center for the second annual “Ignite Your Passion” YP Summit.

The summit was formed in 2017 by the Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders organization and Rotary Clubs of NWA.

August 8: More than 1,000 Rogers Public School administrators and teachers gathered at Rogers High School for the 3rd annual Thank-A-Teacher Celebration Presented by Sam’s Furniture.

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TIMELINE: August 2018

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August 16: “Networking with a Purpose” was hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders and the Chamber at Acosta Sales & Marketing in Rogers.

The event was combined with the Chamber’s Business After Hours and showcased local nonprofits.

August 14: Rogers voters approved a $240 million bond issue, a 1-cent sales tax extension and to pay off nearly $60 million in existing bonds, with more than 70 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

The Community Development Division creates and supports innovative leadership and educational programs that impact and enhance the quality of life in Rogers, Lowell and the region by improving lifestyles and amenities enjoyed by residents as well as attracting newcomers and visitors.

30 Residents of Benton County participated in

2018 Objectives | Community Development

LEADERSHIP BENTON COUNTY CLASS 16

• Further leadership potential in Benton County • Introduce progressive leadership skills in the Rogers School District • Convene young professionals to positively impact the community through NWA Emerging Leaders • Support education within our community

The following highlights are from the Chamber’s

2018 YEAR-END STAFF REPORT.

LBC had participants become more knowledgeable and engaged in their community through several sessions spread across the year

For the full report visit

IMPACTPOSSIBLE.COM/VOICE

Arvest First Leadership re-launched in August of 2018 and 18 Participants are set to graduate from the program in April 2019 September 14-15: The Chamber introduced The Good Life Experience, celebrating Northwest Arkansas’ culture and qualityof-life amenities with an outdoors kick-off dinner on Friday night, followed by a marketplace and pop-up workshops on Saturday.

September 7: Cox Communications announced that 100 percent of customers in Rogers have access to Gigablast service, which delivers one gigabit broadband internet speeds.

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TIMELINE: September 2018

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September 24: The City of Rogers Fire Department received a 2018 Arkansas Digital Government Transformation Award for its PulsePoint App. The app allows Rogers citizens to provide lifesaving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

September 17: Rogers was named the 14th Best Place to Live in America and No. 1 in Arkansas by Time Money.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

CHAMBER NIGHT RECEPTION

Hosted

The Chamber’s Education Committee recognized

Kim Hamilton

was held in conjunction with the Rogers Public Schools board meeting on October 16

of Bellview Elementary,

Chridthian Saavedra of Kirksey Middle School,

Margaret Elenbarger

The Chamber gave over

of Heritage High School,

and Kristin Day of Eastside Elementary as EDUCATORS OF THE YEAR

100 prizes $7,800 totaling

to teachers making a big

Academic Awards Ceremonies

local community

took place in the Spring of 2018 for

ROGERS HIGH SCHOOL, HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL, and ROGERS NEW TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL where 1,091 Students

Sam’s Furniture also gave Crystal Stewart a

$10,000 HOME MAKEOVER

in attendance.

CHAMBER NIGHT RECEPTION was held in conjunction with the Rogers City Council Meeting on February 13 as well as one in conjunction with the Lowell City Council Meeting on February 20

75 CHAMBER MEMBERS in attendance.

October 4 & 11: The Government Affairs division of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce hosted two Legislative Candidate Forums at the Rogers City Council Chamber for the November general election.

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50 CHAMBER MEMBERS

There were over

were awarded for high academic achievement

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There were over

October 5: Duluth Trading Co. secured land for their first Arkansas store, which will be between Interstate 49 and South 27th St. in Rogers.

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TIMELINE: October 2018

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October 16: The 2018 Chamber Night Reception at the Rogers School Board of Education was held at the District Administration Office in Rogers.

Members enjoyed the opportunity to meet administrators and board members.

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October 25: Main Street Rogers, Inc.’s board voted to move the organization to the Chamber under the name Downtown Rogers, Inc. (DTR).

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders (NWAEL) exists to engage and connect Northwest Arkansas young professionals through personal and professional development experiences.

2018 Objectives | NWA Emerging Leaders • Engage young business professionals in the region with professional development programs that focus on volunteerism, leadership skills development, board service, and entrepreneurship.

• Increase membership by partnering with other community leadership development organizations from across the region.

The following highlights are from the Chamber’s

2018 YEAR-END STAFF REPORT. For the full report visit

IMPACTPOSSIBLE.COM/VOICE

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE: This initiative is focused on increasing sustainability in Northwest Arkansas and diverting recyclable material out of the landfill.

In 2018, this Initiative had volunteers work several events such as the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County Golf Tournament, WorkMatters, LeaderCast, Roots Festival, and The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks to make all their events waste free.

LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE: This initiative develops a leadership pool and links ready, willing and able emerging talent to organizations, public and private boards and commissions and areas of leadership needed to benefit the community.

In 2018, held two Board Service Certification seminars to prepare attendees to serve on non-profit boards and commissions.

GREENWAYS AND TRAILS INITIATIVE: Links parks, trails and people; to provide, protect, develop and maintain parks, greenways and trails throughout the community: and to promote public awareness of the benefits of green space.

In 2018, they produce the fifth annual Rogers Cycling Festival which promotes access to cycling and supports the Community Bike Program as well as other local cycling Non-profits such as Pedal It Forward.

POLITICAL & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS INITIATIVE: A nonpartisan program intended to assess current political issues and opportunities; educate on political and government processes; and engage and encourage participation in local, state, and federal government.

COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT INITIATIVE: Provides avenues for dialogue and education about community issues as well as opportunities to become engaged in projects that will enrich the region. This initiative offers an avenue for members with ideas that do not fit within existing Initiatives an opportunity to use this Initiative as a platform for any project or program that could benefit the community.

November 13: City of Rogers staff unveiled the new park design for Downtown Rogers, along with a new name: Railyard Park. This event also served as the inaugural Chamber to Community (C2C) event from the Chamber, an opportunity for Chamber members and the community to get together for education and discussions on a variety of issues impacting our community.

November 2: Walmart AMP 20|20, a $13.9 million expansion project for the Walmart AMP, was announced. The project focuses on providing outstanding programming and expanded amenities for patrons.

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TIMELINE: November 2018

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November 27: Hustle In Heels – Ladies Lead NWA held a party for their one-year anniversary at Metro Appliances & More in Lowell. The program is dedicated to empowering, educating, and connecting women with a modern approach to professional and business development.

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2018 Annual Report | FEBRUARY2019

NWAEL held the 5th Annual Rogers Cycling Festival with 750 participants competing in nine different events

Throughout the year NWAEL hosted six (6) Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Trainings & Seminars Topics included:

$16,000 The Festival raised over

NWAEL in Conjunction with Rotary Clubs across Northwest Arkansas hosted the 3rd annual

NWA Young Professional Summit

for local cycling non-profit organizations In 2018 NWAEL hosted a

Community Dinner

which highlighted the DIVERSITY we have in the Northwest Arkansas region.

Over 375 Young Professionals attended this year’s event

NWAEL partnered with Canopy and had the refugees they have resettled here in NWA showcase food from their home counties.

They also shared stories of the

JOURNEY & HARDSHIPS

they have faced since coming to America.

December 7: The Chamber hosted its Door Prize Donation Happy Hour in conjunction with the Holiday Open House, allowing members to donate prizes for 2019 events while also giving them the opportunity to enjoy snacks, meet the staff and tour the building.

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DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE DIVERSITY IN NWA CREATING CROSS-CULTURAL DIALOGUE BUILDING INCLUSIVE TEAMS UNCONSCIOUS BIAS TRAINING CREATING MORE EFFECTIVE & DIVERSE BOARDS AND COUNCILS CHOOSING RESPECT IN THE WORKPLACE NWAEL Held 3

CONNECT with a total of 85 attendees

Connect is an informal event

that allows members and potential members the opportunity to connect with others, connect with the organization, and connect with Northwest Arkansas

December 13: Rogers Historical Museum celebrated the grand reopening of its expanded building that will provide more exhibitions, larger educational space, room for special events, community gathering space, and state-of-the-art storage space.

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TIMELINE: December 2018

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December 31: The Chamber closed out 2018 with a total of 2,005 member businesses, representing 3,541 individual members.

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317 West Walnut Street Rogers, Arkansas 72756 RogersLowell.com

Paid for through Periodical “Chamber Voice” (USPS 492950) is published monthly in January, February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December; semimonthly in April by the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc., 317 West Walnut, Rogers, AR 72756. Periodical postage paid at Rogers, Arkansas.

POSTMASTER send address changes to: ROGERS-LOWELL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWSLETTER, 317 West Walnut, Rogers, AR 72756.

Rogers Chamber Office 317 West Walnut Street Rogers, Arkansas 72756 479-636-1240

Lowell Chamber Office

506 Enterprise Drive, Ste. 105 Lowell, Arkansas 72745 479-770-4400