INTRODUCTION from the RLC SVP of Economic Development

Welcome to the June Chamber Voice! We have put together a great issue of the Chamber Voice of Business Magazine for June. Several of the articles and features, including the cover story, focus on areas I have a hand in each day. Here’s a quick preview of some of my favorite stories that you’ll find inside.

One big thing: In my Economic Development role at the Chamber, I see the number one issue impacting our members and the entire business community is workforce development.

• At the end of May, I had the opportunity to present to our Board of Directors talking about all the ways we’re helping create talent pipelines in our community. This month’s cover story is a recap of that presentation for our membership. You’ll learn how seriously focused we are on helping our businesses and community with this challenge.

Steve Cox, IOM senior vice president of economic development

steve@rogerslowell.com

Listen to the new podcast: One of the best ways to stay informed about the work your Chamber is doing is subscribing to our podcast. Read the article highlighting our Chamber Voice of Business Podcast that I co-host with Nick Smith, Director of Creative Services.

• This bi-weekly podcast focuses on issues impacting our community and showcases the Chamber’s mission-work in our five key focus areas (Mission 5) with some fun conversations and compelling topics thrown in along the way.

• Recent episodes have focused on education and workforce development.

The Voice of Small Business: Here’s your chance to meet the 2023 Small Business Council. These volunteers help keep the Chamber informed on pressing issues for the small business community.

Check out these stories, too: Learn about us hosting a recent visit of city representatives from Frisco, TX where they benchmarked Downtown Rogers for ideas on how to grow their downtown and city. Read the recap of our second quarter Spotlight Series which focused on Healthcare in NWA, an important issue as our region continues to grow at a rapid pace. NWA is now the 100th largest metro area in the country.

• Yes, but: It’s not all about my work initiatives though, enjoy our other articles this month talking about RLC’s community development, inclusion initiatives, government affairs, NextGen programming (such as Hustle In Heels), and upcoming events.

Dig deeper: Each month our staff works hard to capture and tell the stories of the mission-work we’re accomplishing. Stay connected to what’s going on by reading our monthly Chamber Voice of Business Magazine. We hope you enjoy this issue.