Business Weekly E-Newsletter
November 17-21, 2008
State Chamber Stays Tough on Card Check
The State Chamber/AIA continues its efforts to defeat the so-called Employee Free Choice Act.
Recently, the State Chamber/AIA announced the formation of the coalition: Arkansans for the Secret Ballot. To date, the coalition consists of nearly 500 members from various sectors — all united by their desire to persuade members of Arkansas’s Congressional Delegation to vote against this undemocratic measure when it resurfaces in early 2009.
State Chamber President and CEO Randy Zook has spoken to groups around the state to educate Arkansans about the proposed legislation and rally those in the business community to oppose it.
“The bill represents an unfair shift towards union interests,” Zook said, “For the sake of Arkansas workers and Arkansas business, we must do everything we can to persuade Senators (Mark) Pryor and (Blanche) Lincoln to vote against it.”
A recent meeting in Fort Smith generated more than 70 new members to the coalition. Zook has also visited Maumelle, Rogers, Siloam Springs and West Memphis with similar turnouts.
Zook will maintain a busy schedule for the remainder of the year, with meetings scheduled on November 21 in Altus, December 2 at the Little Rock Rotary Club, December 3 in Fayetteville, December 11 in DeQueen and December 19 in Stuttgart.
If you are unable to attend one of these meetings but would like to learn more about EFCA, you may visit the Web site www.yoursecretballot.com. There you will find resources for joining the coalition, as well as tips and instructions on contacting members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation and encouraging them to vote “no” on this harmful legislation. You may also call Arkansans for the Secret Ballot at 501-975-8344.
Please Respond to 2008 Energy Survey
If you have not yet filled out the 2008 Energy Survey, which went out by e-mail to the State Chamber/AIA database, please take the time to complete it. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, November 21.
The State Chamber/AIA is partnering with the Arkansas Energy Office of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, which is also working in partnership with the Arkansas Environmental Federation, Arkansas Farm Bureau and other prominent business organizations in the state for this important effort. If you have questions or need further information in regard to the survey, contact Tim Wilkins of Paliria Energy at (757) 683-5770 or twilkins@paliria.com
Leadership Arkansas Class III Tourism Session Slated
Leadership Arkansas Class III will hold a Tourism Session on December 4-5 at the Best Western in Eureka Springs.
Additional sessions during the coming months throughout the state include:
- Session III – South Arkansas Economy, January 22-23, 2009, Magnolia;
- Session IV – Legislative, February 23, 2009, Little Rock;
- Session V – Economic Development, March 26-27, 2009, Fort Smith;
- Session VI – Northeast Arkansas Economy, May 21-22, 2009, Jonesboro;
- Session VII – Northwest Arkansas Economy, June 25-26, 2009, Fayetteville.
- Leadership Class III Graduation will be held June 26, 2009 in Fayetteville.
All sessions will be in conjunction with State Chamber/AIA regional board and membership meetings.
Leadership Arkansas is a program designed to take a statewide view of the economic and political challenges that face Arkansas. The program offers leadership opportunities that expand the impact of community leaders across the state. Created by the State Chamber/AIA, Leadership Arkansas builds a sense of statewide community by identifying and training individuals with the passion and commitment to become personally engaged in issues, programs and activities aimed at building a better Arkansas.
The Chairman for this year’s Leadership Arkansas class is program founder Paul H. Harvel. Curriculum Chairman is Michele Bond of Tyson Foods. Leadership Arkansas Class III is sponsored by Southern Bancorp of Arkadelphia.
If you would like to be a session sponsor or need further information about Leadership Arkansas, please call Susie Marks at 501-210-4206.
Next Small Business Council Meeting Scheduled for January 22
The State Chamber/AIA Small Business Council will hold its next meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 22 at the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The presentation, which has not yet been finalized, will cover “Governmental Regulations.” There will also be a legislative update.
We are seeking a sponsor for the lunch portion of the meeting. If your company would be interested in sponsoring lunch, please contact Jeff Thatcher at 501-210-4205 or jthatcher@arkansasstatechamber.com .
Small Business Council meetings are open to all members of the State Chamber/AIA.
Below is the schedule for future Small Business Council Meetings through May 2009. Future meetings will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Conference Room at our Little Rock office unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, March 19, 2009 - Employee Benefits
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 - Information Technology
State Chamber to Host Procurement Conference
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the state congressional offices to bring the Arkansas Procurement Opportunities Conference to Little Rock in June 2009.
The Procurement Opportunities Conference will include the Annual Small Business Awards Luncheon, networking, training and procurement opportunities. It will also feature a business exposition/matchmaking event, pairing small business owners with prime contractors, federal agencies and major corporations in a one-on-one setting.
Some 350 local and regional small business owners (SBEs, MBEs, WBEs and DBEs) will come together for a full day of procurement opportunities with 150 buyers from federal agencies, prime contractors and major corporations.
Sponsorship opportunities for this event are possible. For further information, please contact the State Chamber/AIA office at 501-372-2222.
Nucor Scouting for Talent at the High School Level
Nucor, a Pinnacle member of the State Chamber/AIA, was recently profiled in a recent issue of Arkansas Business for its efforts to recruit students at the high school level. According to the article, written by Mark Hengel:
Nucor puts a lot of energy into employee recruiting, and the potential employees it courts are getting younger all the time.
Nucor recently took about 100 students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & the Arts (ASMSA) in Hot Springs to dinner to introduce them to the idea of an engineering career in the steel industry.
“By exposing them to our company at an early level, it gives them the opportunity to look at careers before going to college,” said Wayne Robinson, Nucor’s talent and recruiting manager. “It may have a very dramatic effect on them once they enter college, because it could influence them in what profession they choose.”
For the past five years, Nucor of Charlotte, N.C., has invested time and money in building relationships with colleges. Currently, six “core” schools partner with the company, recommending promising students for Nucor’s intern and co-op programs. The company also recruits from another 15 colleges and universities. With those lines established, the company now is expanding to promising high schools that emphasize math and science, which is how ASMSA became Nucor’s first high school partner.
Nucor and the University of Arkansas-affiliated public boarding school are in the early stages of a partnership. Allowing students to experience their possible career path before investing years of education gives the students a method for testing their career options, according to Janet Hugo, the school’s director.
Nucor and ASMSA have discussed strengthening the partnership. The company plans to return in the spring, Hugo said, and the possibility of establishing scholarships has also come up. The scholarships would benefit ASMSA students attending one of Nucor’s partner colleges, which include Penn State University and the University of Alabama.
Nucor has begun aggressively recruiting in order to fill positions caused by growth, Robinson said. At the company’s varied locations around the county – including divisions in Hickman and Blytheville – about 100 interns and co-ops spend time with the company each year. The company hires only 25 to 30 new engineers each year, and not all come through the internship program.
Small Businesses Are America’s Innovators
Small businesses are the innovators of the American economy as they obtain many more patents per employee than larger firms, according to a study released recently by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Moreover, their patents outperform larger firms on a number of measurements, suggesting that small firm patents in general are more likely to be technologically important than those of larger firms.
The report analyzes a database of 1,293 small and large technology firms and more than 1 million patent records between 2002 and 2006. An Analysis of Small Business Patents by Industry and Firm Size, (http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs335tot.pdf ) written by 1790 Analytics, LLC, with funding from the Office of Advocacy, builds on earlier work of the authors in 2003 and 2004.
Not only do all small firms (<500 employees) obtain more patents per employee than larger firms, but the relationship seems to hold for all size classes. That is, firms with fewer than 25 employees have a higher patent per employee ratio than those with fewer than 50 employees and so on.
The authors found that during the period studied, small firms made up 40 percent of all firms with 15 or more patents. They also found that the smaller patenting firms are younger, with 56.5 percent under 15 years old, while 90 percent of the larger firms were 15 or more years old.
For more information and a complete copy of the report, visit the Office of Advocacy web site at www.sba.gov/advo .
Welcome to Our New Members
Thanks to the following companies and organizations that have recently joined the State Chamber/AIA:
CorVel Corporation
Harvest Texarkana
Management Claim Solutions Inc.
Optus, Inc.
Palette, LLC
Thanks to Our Pinnacle Members
We wish to express special thanks to all of our Pinnacle investors, the respected companies that support the State Chamber/AIA at the highest annual investment levels. We appreciate all that they do for us.
APEX
Alltel Corporation
Entergy Arkansas, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
SUMMIT
Chesapeake Energy, Inc.
Cox Communications
Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods
Tyson Foods, Inc.
XTO Energy, Inc.
PEAK
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Arvest Bank
AT&T Arkansas
CenterPoint Energy Southern Gas
Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas
FedEx Freight - East
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Harps Food Stores, Inc.
Kraft Foods
Oaklawn Jockey Club
Pathfinder Exploration LLC
SemGroup LP
Southern Bancorp, Inc.
Southland Park Gaming & Racing
Southwestern Energy Company
State Farm Insurance
Verizon Wireless
Weyerhaeuser Company
Windstream Corporation
CROWN
Acxiom Corporation
AEP Southwestern Electric Power
Albemarle Corporation
Alcoa Inc.
American Greetings Corporation
America's Car-Mart, Inc.
Arkansas Employees Federal Credit Union
Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation
Arkansas Western Gas Company
Bank of the Ozarks
CardinalHealth
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company
Crossland Construction
Deltic Timber Corporation
Dynegy
Entegra Power Group LLC
Evergreen Packaging Company
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc.
Forest Oil Corporation
Glad Manufacturing/A Clorox Company
Golden Living
International Paper Company
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Lion Oil Company
McKee Foods Corporation
Metropolitan National Bank
Murphy Oil Corporation
Nabholz Construction Corporation
National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR)
Nucor-Yamato Steel
OG+E
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
Philander Smith College
Potlatch Forest Products Corporation
Pulaski Technical College
Rheem Air Conditioning Division
Riceland Foods, Inc.
Signature Bank of Arkansas
Simmons First National Corporation
Stephens, Inc.
Storm Cat Energy
Suez Energy North America
The Clorox Company
The Trane Company
US Bank
Waste Management
Wright Lindsey & Jennings
Calendar of Events
December 4-5 Leadership Arkansas Class III
Tourism Session
Eureka Springs
January 12, 2009 87th General Assembly Convenes
January 22, 2009 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce
January 22-23, 2009 Leadership Arkansas Class III
South Arkansas Economy Session
Magnolia
February 23, 2009 Leadership Arkansas Class III
Legislative Session
Little Rock
March 19, 2009 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Conference Room
State Chamber Building, Little Rock
March 26-27, 2009 Leadership Arkansas Class III
Economic Development Session
Fort Smith
April 18-21, 2009 Washington Fly-In and Congressional Dinner
Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel
Arlington, Virginia
May 6, 2009 Small Business Council Meeting
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Conference Room
State Chamber Building, Little Rock
May 21-22, 2009 Leadership Arkansas Class III
Northeast Arkansas Economy
Jonesboro
June 25-26, 2009 Leadership Arkansas Class III
Northwest Arkansas Economy
Fayetteville
June 26, 2009 Leadership Arkansas Class III
Graduation
Fayetteville
