Arkansas Inc. Podcast: Entrepreneur Resources in Arkansas

In this episode of the Arkansas Inc. Podcast, Esperanza Massana Crane talks with Grace Rains, Kristopher Adams and Danielle Chaney about resources and programs available to entrepreneurs in Arkansas. They discuss programs like ARise, 75Strong, and the Arkansas Business Resource Map.

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TRANSCRIPT

Danielle Chaney:

Hi, my name is Danielle Chaney and I am the senior program manager for Entrepreneurial Ecosystems at the University of Arkansas' Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Kristopher Adams:

Hi, I'm Kristopher Adams. I'm the program manager for ARise, which stands for Arkansas Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs. And I'm at the Conductor and Startup Junkie.

Grace Rains:

Hi, I'm Grace Rains. I'm the executive director with the Conductor, and you're listening to the Arkansas Inc. podcast.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Hello, and welcome to the Arkansas Inc. podcast. I am Esperanza Massana-Crane, director of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Division at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

Entrepreneurship and small business have deep roots in Arkansas, and supporting them is a cornerstone of our state's economic development strategy. Last year, we took a significant step by consolidating divisions to better serve small businesses and entrepreneurs across the state. We've been hard at work launching new initiatives aimed at building a solid foundation for growth and positioning Arkansas as a premier destination for entrepreneurs.

Today, we'll be highlighting three key initiatives that AEDC and our Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Division have spearheaded, the ARise program, 75Strong, and the Arkansas Business Resource Map. You may have seen these mentioned in the news, but we want to dive deeper into what they are and how they're impacting Arkansas's entrepreneurial landscape.

Joining me today are three incredible guests who have played pivotal roles in these initiatives. Kristopher Adams is the program manager for the ARise program, short for Arkansas Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs. The ARise program aims to propel tech and tech-enabled companies in Arkansas to new heights of innovation and economic vitality. Then we have Grace Rains. She is the executive director of Conductor, a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie consulting, which drives innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment in Central Arkansas. And last but not least, Danielle Chaney. She's the senior program manager for Entrepreneurial Ecosystems at the University of Arkansas's Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Kris, Grace, and Danielle, welcome to the podcast.

Okay, so let's get started. Kris, I'm going to start with you. Anybody that lives in LinkedIn and hasn't seen a post about ARise must be living under a rock because you're constantly posting about the program, which is focused on advancing tech and tech-enabled companies. Could you explain what the ARise program is, what the key components are, and what sets it apart from other entrepreneurial support programs?

Kristopher Adams:

Absolutely. ARise is designed to support tech and tech-enabled companies in the state to help them grow and succeed. We want to see these Arkansas-based companies grow in scale and have a positive impact on the Arkansas economy. And we do this through a few core services that we provide our entrepreneurs and startups. We offer coaching and consulting. We help them navigate when and how to access capital. We assist them by making industry connections and connections to other ESOs and groups across the state. And we have a really interesting group of subject matter experts that we're building, so people with expertise in general business like HR, sales, and marketing, and then some really intriguing deep tech experts like cyber security, agricultural tech, biotech, you name it. The list keeps growing bigger and bigger.

And so we provide these things to help them with all the different needs that they have over the long term for the next, at least the next seven years. And so we're designed to be a long-term support program for them.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

That is fantastic. When did you start working in the ARise program?

Kristopher Adams:

Oh, let's see. I think I started in March of 2024 this year.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

And so far, you have worked with how many companies?

Kristopher Adams:

We have worked with, we've had about more than 100 applications. I think we're at 108 or 109 today. It was about 100 companies in 100 days since our start, so it's been a lot of applications that we've been looking at.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

You're not a busy guy at all.

Kristopher Adams:

Not at all, no.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

The program was originally designed to reach out various corners of the state. Can you tell us some of the locations that you have been working with?

Kristopher Adams:

What's really interesting is we've seen applications come in from everywhere, from Texarkana to Wynne, and I'm trying to think some of the far out ones. Jonesboro, Corning. It's been really interesting to see beyond just the Central and Northwest Arkansas spots where we're accustomed to seeing startups. We're really seeing people apply from each and every corner of Arkansas, which is really inspiring and exactly what we wanted to see with the program.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Awesome. And we're not even in year one.

Kristopher Adams:

No.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

We're just some months into the program.

Let's talk a little bit about innovation in the tech sector. In your view, why is Arkansas a prime location for innovation in the tech sector? And how do you think ARise contributes to attracting and retaining talent and businesses in this space?

Kristopher Adams:

I think Arkansas has a really unique place when it comes to tech because the big three organizations that we like to say are here with Walmart, Tyson, and J.B. Hunt. All were innovators in their own right, and all have grown and scaled tremendously over the last half century. And so what's really inspiring for entrepreneurs is that it's not just this story of you can do this, but you can actually look and see companies that have gone and done this before you. And I think that adds a layer of this is what's possible and is really inspirational for them.

And that has really created some interesting inroads for technologists in this area. Walmart has developed retail and supply chain that inspires new innovations to continue to pop up. The same with Tyson and it's food innovation, and J.B. Hunt with transportation and logistics. It's made this area ripe for people looking to expand tech in those specific verticals.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

That's fantastic.

Kris, for any tech entrepreneur listening to us, can you tell us what kind of companies or entrepreneurs are best suited for the ARise program? And how does the program help them scale their operations?

Kristopher Adams:

The companies that are a great fit for our program are companies that are tech or tech-enabled. And so obviously, if you're a tech company, you look like a SaaS company, a cybersecurity company, a company where what you're selling your product is technology.

Tech-enabled is a little bit more of a Pandora's box for us, and that's the hardest one to explain. We explain it by saying that... The best way is through some examples. One is we've got a duck decoy manufacturer, G&H Decoys, that is a tech-enabled company because they're doing work in advanced plastics manufacturing. They're looking to scale, and they're trying to expand beyond just their decoy work to include all sorts of different contracts based on what they have capabilities to produce. While that's not necessarily a company that you would envision as being tech-enabled, duck decoys don't necessarily sound high-tech, what they're definitely doing is, and it's going to have a big impact on the Arkansas economy.

Tech or tech-enabled is the first qualification, and then we're looking for companies that are Arkansas-based. And the other key point is that they're scalable. This isn't designed for mom-and-pop shops. We have some great ESOs that serve organizations like that, Startup Junkie and Conductor being two of them, but this is really designed for companies that are going to grow and scale and bring high wage, high demand, highly skilled jobs here into the state.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Terrific, so listen up, tech entrepreneurs out there. If this is something that you're interested in, this program is for you and is completely free.

You talked a little bit about a company, a success story, but do you have another success story or two that you can share with us?

Kristopher Adams:

I think some news drop today that our friends at Cadron Capital are investing in Path Fertility. And Andy Olson is their founder, and what I have found really interesting about him is Andy is someone who has really, as an entrepreneur, has perfected his pitch. At a recent event, Andy stood up in front of a crowd of people and led with a pitch that drew audible gasps from the audience at first, and it really set the stage.

He looked at a room full of people and said that, and I'm going to butcher his pitch, so Andy, please forgive me, he said, "Male infertility is a women's health issue." And I heard two people gasp in the audience because people were just stunned. And then his next statement of, "Because so many women have undergone unnecessary and unsuccessful treatments when they didn't realize that the problem they were encountering was on the male end." And in two sentences, Andy took an audience, shocked them, and turned the tides and really made a compelling case for what his company was doing.

And he's just done phenomenally well. He's one of the ones that we're actually pointing some of our Governor's Cup students that are receiving ARise services to because he does such a good job with his pitch. To see him now getting some investment from a local VC here in Arkansas and doing well as part of the plug-and-play health tech accelerator, can't say enough good things about Andy Olson and Path Fertility.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Well, that's awesome. Congratulations to Path Fertility. And it's all in the storytelling, and I think you're doing a terrific job telling the story for ARise and for entrepreneurs in Arkansas, so congratulations.

Kristopher Adams:

Thank you.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

And finally, I know the program is fairly new, even though it's a reiteration from the previous Innovate Arkansas, but what does success look like for ARise in your eyes?

Kristopher Adams:

Oh, there's so many different ways. I think the first is we want to see every tech startup and entrepreneur in the state engaged in ARise in some way, shape, or form. We want them enrolled in the program. We want them to know that, whether they're going into an accelerator or coming out of one, we're here for the long term to help them grow and succeed and scale, regardless of if they're at just an idea stage or if they're looking to make an exit. That's the first big success, is if we can get all of our tech and tech-enabled groups engaged in the program.

I think the second big success would be that we have industry and corporate partners supporting this across the state so that we have a really Arkansas's best and brightest as our subject matter experts and coaches and counselors. That's really what we want to see. We want to see this as a movement by Arkansans for Arkansans.

Lastly, it comes down to some really key metrics. We want to see us fight the trend of failing startups and low survival rates. We want to see the one-year and five-year survival rates increase. We want to see more capital access. We want to have more wonderful success stories to tell of companies like Ox, or just any host of startups that have happened here, even Apptegy. We want to see more of that in Arkansas to raise Arkansas's profile as not just the natural state known for its beauty, but a state that's known for its tech in its own right.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Thank you, Kris. And what website? What's the website for ARise, so you can share?

Kristopher Adams:

Yeah. If you're interested in joining the program, you can visit arisearkansas.org. We have a quick application form where we get some metrics from you, and then you'll join me for an onboarding call where I'll get to learn a little bit more about your company and share our resources with you. We also have some stuff on our website for investors if you want to learn more and get on a email list so that you can receive information about our companies when they're raising rounds. And we'll use that same platform on the website to promote things like our events and when we're doing things around the state, so check out arisearkansas.org, sign up, and check back for more info.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Fantastic. And then also industry and corporate partners can reach out to you in case they want to get plugged in and help support.

Kristopher Adams:

Absolutely. We've got a contact form on there. My email's on there. If you're interested in being a subject matter expert, if you are skilled in entrepreneurship or have some experience in deep tech, we'd love to have you speak to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Thank you, Kris, for all that great information. I appreciate that.

Onto our next guest, Ms. Grace Rains. Grace, you are a key leader in the Arkansas entrepreneurial community. Can you walk us through how this 75Strong initiative began? What specific challenges were you aiming to address with this program that you are now managing among many others, of course?

Grace Rains:

Thanks, Esperanza. 75Strong was really born out of some of our work that we've done across the ecosystem. Our organization hosts a yearly Entrepreneur Support Organization Summit at UCA each year. And through that work, we really saw this gap. We had chamber executives and others coming to the summit really desperate to find resources around how do they build support systems like this within their own communities. How do they bring the information they learned at the summit back to those communities? And how can they get connected within the ecosystem?

And so we really saw this gap in capacity-building for some of these key leaders and communities across the state, specifically in our rural and under-resourced communities. And so we wanted to build 75Strong to be a capacity-building program in order to connect those leaders across the state with resources to build their own entrepreneurial ecosystems within their communities to build strategic plans around entrepreneurship within their communities to be able to empower them to grow businesses from the ground up.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

I think that is so important because that is perhaps the number one question that we always get, is, how do I start a business? Or how do I get funding for my business? And especially in communities that are in rural areas, I think answering that question gets even harder. That's the importance of this program.

Can you tell the audience, the 75Strong, why 75Strong?

Grace Rains:

Yeah. The 75Strong program, the name came from the 75 counties across Arkansas, and so we wanted this to be a program that hit all four corners of the state that hit our rural under-resourced communities. That really was a regional approach to, how do we grow grassroots initiatives to build capacity for entrepreneurship across the entire state, hitting all 75 counties?

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Thank you. And can you tell us a little bit about what the program entails and why it's unique? Because there's so many awesome components of the program. And if you've read the press release, you get an idea, but it's different once you explain it. Can you explain to us some of the components of the program that make it very unique?

Grace Rains:

Yeah. The program really exists as a two-year program for local leaders to drive economic growth with entrepreneurship. And so there's three components to the program. The first is leadership development. These leaders will go through an EDP certification program, EDP being Entrepreneurial Development Professional Certification, and that's a nationally recognized certification through the International Economic Development Council, the IEDC. And so they'll go through curriculum with the IEDC, sit for their EDP certification, receive that certification.

Alongside of that, we'll be taking them through some entrepreneurial development curriculum as well. And that'll be around ecosystem-building. How do we build ecosystems that support entrepreneurs within our community? And so that looks at, what are the assets that we have within our community? What are the gaps? And then building a strategic plan in order to push our community forward and create strategic growth for our entrepreneurial development within those communities. And so they'll be building that strategic plan for their community, they'll be building coalitions around that within their communities, and driving that forward.

And then the third component is the business-building and business development curriculum. And that curriculum is where we'll take the existing leaders in the program, they'll recruit three to five businesses from their community or region to go through a business building curriculum. And that serves two purposes. One, they'll be able to bring some resources back to their community. The second is that they'll be able to see firsthand what technical assistance looks like. How do we help these companies grow? And so they'll be able to walk through that program with the companies they recruit.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

I think this is so exciting for the state because we haven't seen an initiative like this-

Grace Rains:

I agree.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

... and it's just a wonderful opportunity.

In your opinion, how do you think this will shape not only the local ecosystem, but the broader entrepreneurial landscape across Arkansas?

Grace Rains:

I really see it as a capacity-building initiative where, instead of us having areas of focus for entrepreneur support organizations, or ESOs, in Northwest Arkansas and in Central Arkansas, we'll see resources for entrepreneurs really spread across the state. We have ASBTDCs smattered across the state, but there are a lot of communities that it's two hours to a resource partner or to someone to help them create a business plan. And so some of this will really generate some of those homegrown initiatives for entrepreneurship support, and so I hope that we're able to grow that just across the entire state.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Agreed. And I think it empowers community leaders and economic developers in this very important area of focus, which is small business and entrepreneurship.

That said, who is ideal participant for 75Strong? And why do you think they should consider getting involved in the program?

Grace Rains:

Yeah, so our ideal target candidates are chamber executives, economic developers, university partners and representatives, community developers, and even some entrepreneur support organizations, depending on who they're serving and where they're located, but really those that have the capability to start and grow an entrepreneurial initiative within their community, and have the interest to do that.

We're going to give preference to communities that have multiple applicants, and that may seem like a little bit of the antithesis of what you might expect, given that we're only accepting 30 to 50 in the program, but we really want to see communities that have traction. And so we have a university partner, a chamber executive, and a municipal leader all interested in being a part of the program. That shows that that community has some traction and some real interest in really building out this entrepreneurial ecosystem. And we're also going to give preference to rural under-resourced communities as well as we're looking through those applications.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Fantastic. These 30 to 50 lucky applicants, how do they apply? Where do they need to go for this process?

Grace Rains:

Yes, so all the information on the program can be found at 75strongarkansas.com. It gives the criteria. The application is there. It's a pretty quick, not very strenuous application, and then they submit resume and a couple of references, and then they're all good to go.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about what that timeline looks like? When do you expect to have applications? They're open right now. When do they close? And then when do you expect to make announcements?

Grace Rains:

Yeah, so applications are open now. We'll be accepting applications through December 1st of this year. December of 2024, we'll have a selection committee that will review those applications and we'll start making announcements in early January on the cohort. And we'll kick off in February of 2025 at the ESO Summit.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Wonderful. For all community developers, chamber executives, community leaders around the state, pay attention to the 75Strong program and apply.

Grace, thank you. I think this is such a wonderful initiative, one that will require a lot of work, but will be very impactful in the state. Anything else you want to share on the program?

Grace Rains:

No, absolutely. I appreciate you letting us be on the podcast today. And anyone that's interested in applying, we'd love to get them in and talk about how we can grow entrepreneurship within their community or region.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Absolutely. I think we'd love to have you back with some communities and some of the applicants, and later down the road see how the process is going.

Grace Rains:

Yeah, absolutely.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

And now I want to welcome our third guest, Danielle Chaney. She is with the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and she has been a leader in supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems. Danielle is going to talk about another initiative that goes very much in hand with these other two initiatives that we just discussed.

Danielle, can you talk about the Arkansas Business Resource Map and how this fits into the mission of supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems? What is this map? Tell us about it.

Danielle Chaney:

Sure. The Arkansas Business Resource Hub, this is an EcoMap tool and it really helps support our mission of fostering our state's entrepreneurial ecosystem by being this one-stop platform where entrepreneurs can access critical resources, whether they're just starting out or looking to expand their businesses. It maps out business resources across the state, across the entire state, not just certain regions, and it brings visibility to all the incredible programs, mentors, funding opportunities, support systems, and collaborative spaces and beyond that our state has to offer in supporting entrepreneurs at every stage and creating a more connected entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

And I should have mentioned that the Arkansas Business Resource Map just got launched literally last week. This is an effort that we have been working with your office for the last year. And can you tell us some of the other partners that are part of this initiative?

Danielle Chaney:

The other supporters of this initiative are the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the Arkansas Community Foundation, the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, and the Asset Funders Network.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

That's wonderful. I always love seeing many community partners coming into this one mission.

Danielle, one of the challenges that entrepreneurs face is accessing resources, and I think we hear that all the time. How does the Business Resource Hub simplify that process?

Danielle Chaney:

Sure. I also hear pretty consistently that there are challenges in finding and navigating our state's vast array of resources. Our resources in our state are spread out across a lot of different regions, so whether our entrepreneurs are new to starting a business or new to our state, they might not know where to start or which resources are most relevant to their needs. And that can be overwhelming. And oftentimes they're depending on entrepreneurial support organizations to connect them to the right resource. And while this is a great way to build connections and those relationships, it's not always the most efficient for either side.

And so the Arkansas Business Resource Hub really helps to simplify this process by centralizing all available resources in an easy-to-navigate platform. The Hub, it categorizes offerings by easy-to-understand keywords so users can easily understand what they're looking at, what they're researching, and how to find it. And in addition, there are different filters that users can filter by for specific needs. Whether they're looking for funding or looking for mentorship opportunities or co-working spaces, the Hub enables our entrepreneurs to quickly find exactly what they need and it helps eliminate the confusion and overwhelm of navigating all of the different organizations' websites, and instead just centralizes them in one easy to navigate.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Okay, thank you. And for those that are listening and are in front of your computer, I would invite you to go to the arbusinessresourcehub.com so you can visualize what this Business Resource Hub looks like. It is very challenging to talk about it on a podcast if you're not seeing it, so if you have the opportunity, I encourage you to visit that website.

Danielle, can you walk us through some of the key resources available through the Arkansas Business Resource Hub? And what can entrepreneurs expect to find when they explore the platform?

Danielle Chaney:

Sure. The platform, it's broken down into a few different directories. We have organizations, we have resources that are offered by those organizations, we have events, we have guides, and we have keywords. And so really, anything that serves entrepreneurs in our state is going to be housed in the Hub. That can look like funding opportunities that exist, like grant opportunities or grant-writing support, microloans, venture capital firms. They can find educational resources, like upcoming ASBTDC webinars, and any other opportunity they might need, like mentorship programs, incubators, accelerators, and things like that.

Additionally, entrepreneurs can find guides, which you can think of like blog posts, which will give them a little bit more context on subjects like what a community development financial institution is and how it can serve them, support that's specific to students, and other content like that. We also have an events calendar that is helpful as entrepreneurs try to find the next networking event, local conference, workshop or webinar that's going to support them. And that's a really nice feature because instead of looking at all the different newsletters, all the different organizations' websites, all of those events are eventually going to be housed in this one events calendar on the Hub.

The platform is really designed to be a comprehensive resource, and it makes it easy for our users to access everything they need to grow and scale their businesses in Arkansas.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

I think that is such a robust tool, and just the events part of it is so helpful because when I first started working in this space, I realized there are so many wonderful resources for entrepreneurs in Arkansas, but they're scattered all over the place. And the best way I can describe this tool, for me, is like a Google for entrepreneurs and small businesses where they can find the information that they need.

And you may want to talk also about the hashtag that they can pull information from the Hub.

Danielle Chaney:

Yeah, so the platform is built on keywords. There is a robust set of keywords that the platform uses, and so you as a user can go into that directory and you can click on anything from a specific location to a certain organization function, like offers funding to ventures or provides networking opportunities. You can also search by resource type, whether you are looking for business plan writing support or mentorship opportunities. Those keywords are really helpful in not only indexing the platform, but also in helping users understand what they're looking for and what an organization does in an easy-to-understand way.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Excellent. Thank you, Danielle.

And looking ahead, how do you envision the Arkansas Business Resource Hub evolving? Are there any additional features or tools that you're hoping to integrate to further support the entrepreneurial community?

Danielle Chaney:

Yeah. We really think of this as a living, breathing resource that will be updated pretty consistently over time. We hope to see it become a standard resource that every entrepreneur will use to start their journey, and one that they'll continue to leverage as new needs and new problems arise.

And I will say that the parent company that built the Hub, so they're called EcoMap Technologies, but they're always working on new features and updates for their tools. A very recent tool they've launched is called Pathways, and so that really helps streamline resource access. And they use their own fancy algorithmic matching, but it offers a personalized guidance for each entrepreneur to help them navigate each stage of their journey efficiently. It's a new offering, and actually one that I'm going to learn about more next week with a live demo. But things like this, EcoMap's always working on new initiatives, but it's also tools like this that we can implement to help our community even more.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Yes. And again, to also make it clear, this is statewide. This tool is for the entire state, and any entrepreneur in any corner of the state can access it.

My next question is actually for Grace and Kris. This is a really helpful tool. How do you both see your organization using the Arkansas Business Resource Hub?

Grace Rains:

One challenge that, as we've worked with entrepreneurs for a number of years now, that I've seen is our team is constantly trying to figure out, what is this organization over here doing? What kind of events are they hosting? What resources are available for my clients from all these organizations? And I feel like the Arkansas Business Resource Hub is such a great tool in our tool belt to stay apprised personally of what's going on, and then to refer our clients so they can stay apprised as well of what's going on across the state and so they can seek resources. Because all of us can't be all things to all entrepreneurs, and so this allows us to open up a whole plethora of resources that they may not even know exist, we may not even know exist, so they can tap into those.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Agreed. I think that connectivity is so key.

Kris, what do you think?

Kristopher Adams:

Piggybacking off what Grace said, I think it also opens the door for really seeing ways that we can better collaborate. It shows us all these different ways in which other ESOs may be doing their work and having their offerings. It becomes really natural then to just reach out and see who might be able to collaborate with us to make similar offerings and team up on what we're looking to present our clients with as well.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

We have had a great afternoon talking about these wonderful initiatives, and I just would love to explore your brains as to, where do you see Arkansas? Where do you want to see Arkansas position in terms of small business and entrepreneurship? What are your dreams for the state?

I'll start with Grace.

Grace Rains:

In relation to the 75Strong program, I would love for Arkansas to be known as a place where entrepreneurship is grown at all levels, from rural Arkansas all the way to the urban areas. We've really seen this focus on traditional economic development, and Arkansas does a fantastic job of that across the state in so many communities. I want us to see just us do just as great of a job in some of our more rural communities on developing entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is a driving economic force across the state. Over 50% of jobs are created by small businesses, about 47% of our GDP comes from local businesses, and so I'd love to see us expand on that, grow that number, and do a fantastic job growing entrepreneurship from home.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

That's a beautiful dream, Grace. Thank you for sharing.

What about you, Kris?

Kristopher Adams:

I think that from an ARise perspective, it would be wonderful to see Arkansas begin to have a really robust reputation as a tech state, as a destination where founders and startups decide to plant roots and grow their business. It would be wonderful to see more capital interest in the companies that we have here and more investments made, and it would just be incredible to see... We mentioned the big three earlier, Walmart, Tyson, and J.B. Hunt. I can't wait to hear the next name that becomes a household name in tech, and I'd love for it to be a company from Arkansas. And I think we have some of the best and brightest here that have a wonderful chance of actually making that possible. Who knows who it might be? But we'd love to see some of these startups and founders make a name for Arkansas as a tech state.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Wonderful. And I'll be following you on LinkedIn to keep up with those stories, for sure.

Danielle, how do you feel about this?

Danielle Chaney:

Sure. I think we can all agree that in our hubs around Arkansas, our entrepreneurs have access to all kinds of resources and it feels very accessible. I think it'll be really important, and I think that the Arkansas Business Resource Hub is something that will really allow for that access and that transparency to exist across the entire state, and to make sure that all of the entrepreneurs throughout our entire state feel connected and feel like they can leverage the same resources, the same training, the same opportunities that those entrepreneurs in our major metropolitan areas also have access to.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Awesome. I think that's great. And we all are filled with wonderful dreams for the state, and we're just going to keep on working for them.

This is my first time hosting the Arkansas Inc. podcast, and it has come to my knowledge that there are some fun questions that are being asked at the end of the podcast, so we will do them this time. For the three of you, first question is, what is your favorite place to visit in Arkansas?

Grace?

Grace Rains:

Ooh, I would say Lake DeGray. I grew up going to Lake DeGray, and it was the first place we took our daughter camping, so Lake DeGray.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Oh, that's so sweet.

Kris?

Kristopher Adams:

I feel like I can ace the question if I say the AEDC Offices-

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Of course.

Kristopher Adams:

... as the first one, but a close second would be, we're just really outdoorsy and we moved to Bella Vista, and so we love exploring the lakes and trails and all that around our home. It's a beautiful place. And if you haven't visited the northwest corner all the way up as far as you can go in Bella Vista, it's a great place to go.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Love it. I'll come visit you sometime to your house.

Danielle?

Danielle Chaney:

It might make me sound like a little bit of a tourist, but I absolutely love Eureka Springs. I'm actually heading up there this weekend to go camping, and I couldn't be more excited to just continue exploring that town.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Oh, well, have so much fun. And since I have you there, what is your favorite restaurant in Arkansas?

Danielle Chaney:

I love Lucky Luke's in Fayetteville. It's just really good barbecue. Good vibes.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Kris, favorite restaurant?

Kristopher Adams:

I'm going to start a fight with Danielle because the best barbecue in Arkansas and best restaurant is Wrights, hands down. And if you haven't had bacon burnt ends, it'll change your life.

Danielle Chaney:

That is true. They do change your life.

Kristopher Adams:

They do.

Danielle Chaney:

But I do have to say, I like the setting of Lucky Luke's a little bit more, but I'm with you on Wrights being great barbecue.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Grace?

Grace Rains:

Forget the barbecue. Yesterday's in Morrilton. Best steak in the state. If you've never been there, you got to go.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Yum. All of those sounds great to me.

Last question. What is your favorite activity to do in Arkansas?

Kris?

Kristopher Adams:

I love kayaking. Being out on a boat, trying to stay afloat with my 10- and 12-year-old, trying to do the same is always a good time. It's a beautiful state if you love the outdoors. And I just can't say enough good things about our Department of Outdoor... What was it? Outdoor-

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Recreation.

Kristopher Adams:

... Recreation.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Yes.

Kristopher Adams:

That has done such a tremendous job with our state parks and all the facilities around here. So, go outside. And I know that's strange coming from someone leading a tech program, but we love the outdoors.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Same here.

Danielle, what's your favorite activity to do in Arkansas?

Danielle Chaney:

Put me in a river, a creek, a swimming hole. I just want to go swimming all the time. I'm so sad that we're getting into fall and winter because it means that I do not get to visit any of those places for the next few months.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Yes, true. It's about to get cold.

What about you, Grace? What's your favorite activity?

Grace Rains:

This time of year, we're getting into hunting season, and my husband and I are big deer hunters. We like to go up to the Leslie, Arkansas area, his family has some land up there, and we're big deer hunters.

Esperanza Massana Crane:

Oh, wonderful. That's such a beautiful area of the state.

Well, that completes our podcast for today. I want to thank our guests today, Kristopher Adams, Grace Rains, and Danielle Chaney. Grace, Kris, and Danielle, thank you for sharing your valuable time with us today.

For our listeners, if you want to write down the websites for the three different programs, the ARise program is arisearkansas.org. For 75Strong, it's 75stongarkansas.com. And for the Arkansas Business Resource Hub, it's arbusinessresourcehub.com. And more information can always be found on our website, arkansasedc.com.

You've been listening to the Arkansas Inc. podcast. This is Esperanza Massana-Crane, director of the Small Business Entrepreneurship Development Division for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. You can subscribe to the Arkansas Inc. podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast apps. For more information about AEDC and to sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit arkansasedc.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and YouTube. Thanks for listening.