In this episode of the Arkansas Inc. Podcast, three Arkansas economic developers discuss foreign direct investment and a recent trip to India and South Korea to promote the Natural State.

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TRANSCRIPT

Neal Jansen:

Hi, this is Neal Jansen, director of the AEDC's Asia office.

Olivia Womack:

This is Olivia Womack, director of Business Development for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

Clint O'Neal:

This is Clint O'Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

Allison Hatfield:

Allison Hatfield, chief of Staff and General Counsel for the Department of Commerce. And welcome to the Arkansas Inc. Podcast.

Clint O'Neal:

Welcome to the Arkansas Inc. Podcast. This is Clint O'Neal. I serve as executive director for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. At AEDC we help businesses grow and expand in Arkansas. Some of these businesses are foreign-owned companies. There are more than 540 foreign-owned businesses across Arkansas employing over 31,000 Arkansans. Attracting foreign direct investment is a key part of AEDC's economic development strategy. We welcome international companies that are looking to grow in Arkansas. And our team puts a significant amount of effort in attracting new international companies and helping our existing international companies expand. Recently, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to travel to India and Korea. For India, we met with four companies that currently do business in Arkansas, and many more. This trip took us to Mumbai, Bhopal, Bangalore, and Chennai.

And in Korea it was an opportunity for us to follow up on the trip that we had taken in March with Governor Sanders to continue the emphasis that we're putting on Korea. I'm looking forward to speaking with my travel partners and colleagues today. So, here on the Arkansas Inc. Podcast we have Allison Hatfield, chief of staff for the Arkansas Department of Commerce. Olivia Womack, director of Business Development for AEDC. And Neal Jansen, the director of AEDC's Asia office. Allison, Olivia, Neal, welcome to the podcast.

Olivia Womack:

Thank you. Happy to be here.

Neal Jansen:

Great to be here.

Clint O'Neal:

All right, we also have Clark Cogbill and Amber Crawford from our marketing team in the podcast booth here. Welcome to you guys also. So, just fun fact, Neal is joining us all the way from his home in Osaka, Japan, where he lives and runs our Asia office. Neal has done obviously most of the traveling for our team at AEDC around Asia. Today we're going to talk about these two countries that we took a combo trip on. So Neal, I'm going to turn it to you first. Let's start with India. Tell us some background on why we would have traveled to India?

Neal Jansen:

And really over the past decade or so, especially South Korea and India alike have both emerged as major sources of foreign direct investment and job creation to the United States. For Korea, FDI was up almost 40% between 2018 and 2023. Some of those major companies like Samsung, SDI, LG Group, Nongshim, SK Group, and SeAH Steel, and many others have executed large scale projects in the U.S., a lot of them in the high-tech sectors, but also in fields like steel making and food and beverage where Arkansas really excels. And Arkansas already has 14 Indian companies operating in the state with many of those setting up just in the past decade. India's GDP also has grown by over 30% and just the past four years and is now ranked as the world's fifth-largest economy. It's truly emerged as a powerful locus for consumer power. There are so many Indian multinational firms already, but now those that don't have a U.S. presence are increasingly in a position to enter the U.S. market.

Clint O'Neal:

Thanks, Neal. Good background, good data-driven approach for the marketing, the business attraction type trips that we take. Neal's been to India several times for myself and Allison, and Olivia was our first trip to India for Olivia. And I, we had been to Korea first trip for Allison. So Allison, I'll turn it over to you. Tell us your impression of getting the trip set up and then the actual trip itself?

Allison Hatfield:

Well, the logistics that went into it in the planning was pretty unbelievable. And I mean, everyone in this room, but also some of our colleagues back at the Commerce building just spent countless hours planning it. So I was fortunate I was just on the receiving end of that, but that was pretty amazing to watch that come together and identify the companies, the needs identified, the individuals and our interest. Once we got there with Indian and Korea, I had done, I think everyone in this little booth would probably joke about the research I had done. And I was like, I knew everything about cricket and Modi and I got there and I was pretty taken back with the people in India when we got there is, and had a huge impact on me. And I think my takeaway from the people and the companies and everyone we met with was, their compassion and their kindness, and they are such hardworking individuals across the board. So I was pretty taken away with that.

Clint O'Neal:

We go into several meetings all across the country in India, and one of the first questions is, "Tea or coffee?" And so, Allison became very predictable. Black coffee every time. Don't have to think about it, it's black coffee. Olivia, on the other hand, not so much of a caffeine consumer, would oftentimes just opt for the water, no tea, no coffee. Olivia, give us your perspective on these meetings in India.

Olivia Womack:

Sure. Well, like Allison, I think I was really impressed and surprised just by how kind and welcoming everyone was. Such great hosts with hospitality. They would give us flowers and ask if we wanted tea or coffee. And it was just such a nice welcoming gesture. I think our meetings all went really well. I was very impressed by the level of sophistication of the companies. They seemed really ready to make foreign direct investment decisions. A lot of times we meet with companies and it's kind of a few years down the line, or they're thinking about it, but it's really in the early stages. And I feel like many of the companies that we met with were very close to making a decision, had maybe already visited the U.S., maybe visited some other of our competing states. Had had conversations with us, so I think it was very encouraging to see just the level of activity as far as project activity that's happening in India. And the excitement that the Indian companies have of entering the U.S. market, and I think Arkansas is very well positioned to take some of those projects.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, it's an honor to represent the state of Arkansas on these trips. It's a lot of hard work. It's grueling, but we do it to go put ourself on the map as an organization and as a state that's welcoming to businesses. And so, the trip was a lot of fun as well. Leading up to the trip, it was going to include Secretary Hugh McDonald, secretary of the Department of Commerce, as well as our friend and AEDC council member, part of our advisory council, Sasha Goyle. Unfortunately, they were not able to make the trip with us, but the four of us all across, we'll go with India first, just busy days, lots of meetings, many prospect meetings, Olivia, as you said, to put Arkansas on the radar, lead generation trying to get in the mix for projects. And then we had the opportunity to visit with four companies that already have a presence in Arkansas to try to expand on those relationships. Neal, can you tell us more about those companies?

Neal Jansen:

Yeah, so as Clint mentioned, the India leg of the mission, we really focused on meetings more with recent prospects, most of those with near-term plans for new investment in the U.S. And those meetings took place across many states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka. Overall, the delegation met with 23 Indian prospect companies in fields like logistics, materials, steel making, IT, renewable energy, textiles, food and beverage. And we are, as Olivia said, in the process of following up with those companies, working with AEDC project managers with the quicker timelines to get them submitting them data and sites. And we will indeed host some of these company representatives for site visits in the coming months. But as Clint mentioned, we also did meet with several of the Indian companies operating in-state, including four, Securetech, Welspun Group, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro.

Three of those four are in the IT sector with Securetech focused more on cybersecurity, TCS and Wipro focus more on customized solutions for their clientele in North America. And Welspun, of course, as many know, a big conglomerate, mostly focused on textiles in their home country of India. But yeah, here in the U.S., or in Arkansas rather, they are building large diameter steel pipes for various applications.

Clint O'Neal:

When we were in India, we were in the middle of discussions with Welspun about a significant investment opportunity at the Port of Little Rock. And I don't know that we necessarily closed the deal, but we can say that when we got back they decided to move forward with the expansion project, $100 million, 175 new jobs. But a lot of this is dating back to 15, 18 years ago, the original project that brought Welspun to the Port of Little Rock. It's about relationships, it's about customer service, as well as having all the things that it takes to put the business case together. Neal, I have my briefing book in front of me, but I never did tally up the meetings. 23 meetings, that's a lot. That's a lot of coffee.

Olivia Womack:

A lot of traffic in between those meetings.

Clint O'Neal:

A lot of interesting traffic. Cars, rickshaws, cows, so yeah.

Olivia Womack:

I'll never complain about traffic in Little Rock again. No.

Allison Hatfield:

No. With regard to Welspun, recently I was with their Little Rock team, and they were talking about the expansion. They're doing a groundbreaking that's coming up. And they started, I asked about the genesis of that project 18, 20 years ago, and they told me the story, which y'all probably heard about, how it came down to another city in Alabama and close to us. But their very first conversations and what led them to hear was Governor Mike Huckabee then, which then led to, I guess the deal closed with Mike Beebe and then proceeded from there. But it was interesting to listen to them talk about that relationship and how much it meant to them and that connection. And they've invited him to come on the 12th and that now fast-forward with his daughter being governor, that it was very special to them that the continuation of that relationship.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, that's really neat. We've heard of a few of these full circle moments of projects that had significant milestones under Governor Huckabee and now significant milestones under Governor Sanders, that's really cool. Olivia, we go into these 23 meetings and we're tired, but we have our executive overview India Edition, and we're laying out the points. What are some of those selling points for Arkansas?

Olivia Womack:

Well, I think it's a lot of the same selling points that any company would want to locate within our state. Talking about infrastructure, the logistical advantages of being in Arkansas with the Mississippi River, the well-connected interstates, the talent pipeline that we have, the workforce that we have, the tax climate business policies. But I think specifically for Indian companies that we were meeting with, I think the real pitch there was we already have success partnering with companies that are from India. We know how to work those projects and help that customer service and facilitate that process and help you feel welcomed and appreciated here. And I think that really spoke volumes when companies saw the map of the logos of Indian companies that have already invested in Arkansas. I think that really spoke volumes to them about the business climate that we have here. And I think hearing just how we'll partner with them and help make sure that they're successful in the long run, I think really meant a lot.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Neal, anything else you want to add on that selling points for these companies in India?

Neal Jansen:

Yeah, I mean, I wanted to touch on just when it comes to Indian and Korean companies alike. Again, for a lot of them, as Olivia mentioned, it comes down to the logistical advantages of the state being central in North America with access to the Mississippi River. Great rail and road access to the rest of the continent. A lot of these companies that we were talking to, their customers are located in Texas and Tennessee, so we're a very good midpoint for manufacturing at a lower overall cost. And that especially applies to SMEs, the small medium enterprises. We're also fortunately insulated relatively speaking from natural disasters, a lot of natural disasters that can disrupt operations, which a lot of Asian companies, they have a keen awareness due to typhoons, earthquakes, mega floods and so on. And so, this actually means quite a bit more than a lot of people realize when Indian, Korean companies, Japanese companies are in their mentality because of how routinely they're affected by these types of disasters.

Clint O'Neal:

Thanks, Neal. So, 23 meetings in India. We go over to Korea, a little bit of a different purpose in Korea. Olivia, you put together a, what about 100 slide PowerPoint presentation so that we could brief our new partners, the firm called Intralink who will be representing the state of Arkansas. Tell us about what that was like?

Olivia Womack:

Sure. Well, it was kind of a daunting task of how do I educate two people who are now going to be representing the State of Arkansas, two companies in Korea who have actually never been to Arkansas yet. They will be coming in January, and we're very excited to host them, but I was like, they need to understand about cheese dip and the history. They need to know about Little Rock Central High School. I don't know, all these ideas kept bubbling up. But then I think really getting down to it, they need to understand about the different regions of Arkansas that we have, the advantages that we were just talking about, the pitch of how we present Arkansas. But then also I do think a lot of what makes Arkansas special are those extra touches that make it fun and exciting and new. And just about the hardworking spirit of the people of Arkansas, the entrepreneurial spirit, talking about the Sam Waltons and J.B. Hunts of the world.

Coming from Arkansas, I think those things are really kind of the heart and soul of Arkansas. So yes, we want to talk about the data and the statistics, but I also try to throw in some fun elements of what makes Arkansas, Arkansas. And surprisingly, we do have a lot of Korean connections in Arkansas. General Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock. We have a Korean gate downtown in Little Rock. The Taekwondo Association headquarters is in Little Rock. So, there's honestly already a lot of Arkansas and Korea connections, and we're looking to increase that even more through this partnership with Intralink.

Clint O'Neal:

In order to try to cover more ground, Olivia, you and I flew to Seoul a day or so before Allison and Neal did. We got to spend some time with Mayor Lee, Hanam City, Korea is a sister city of Little Rock, Arkansas, and we were given the royal treatment in Hanam City. What's your favorite memory of our journey out to Hanam?

Olivia Womack:

Well, I think my favorite memory was finding out that you are a former member of the Backstreet Boys according to some Korean children, they thought you were of the Backstreet Boys. And we're taking pictures and showing all their friends, it was quite hilarious. So little known fact, everyone. You heard it here first on the Arkansas Inc. Podcast.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, I can't deny it audience, there were two occasions where lots of photos were taken. One was in Chennai, India. And there was a group that just wanted to keep taking photos with us, which we were soaking it up, or at least I was, I was enjoying it. And then we get over to Seoul and I could not understand why these teenage girls were acting the way that they were, wanting to take lots of photos. And then our new colleague, Bothra, explained later that they were talking in Korean and thought I was a Backstreet Boy. So, there you have it. Neal, Allison, after an interesting flight that probably don't want to get into too much, but you're welcome to, you made it over to Korea. What's your impression, Allison? The difference between these meetings that we had in India and the ones in Korea?

Allison Hatfield:

It was a very different culture. It was much quieter and seemed maybe more structured in Korea. But in the same vein as India, they both were so invested and educated and interested in Arkansas, and doing business with us. I didn't know what expect, because this was my first trip, but how they were zealous advocates for their companies and their industries, but also their interest in coming to the United States and Arkansas.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, for sure. So many good opportunities in both countries. Neal, you've spent a lot of time in Korea. Tell us a little bit about trends that you see and FDI in Korea and some of the talking points that were brought up in these meetings in Korea?

Neal Jansen:

Yeah, Korea still continues largely to see the U.S. as one of its primary destinations for outward foreign direct investment. A lot of those investment decisions are increasingly driven by factors other than just cost and tax alone. Such as access to skilled labor, the U.S. as a great regulatory situation when it comes to supply chains and data flows. And we also have a growing digital sector and good digital infrastructure. Japan has for a long time been the biggest international job creator, not just in the U.S. but globally. But then again at the same time, South Korea, India and certain markets and Southeast Asia have really moved up the ranks quickly as big investors and job creators in the U.S. Also in Korea especially, even though they've always had their own startup and innovation scene, they're really starting to flex their muscle on the global stage and embrace the American formula of success for startups in their growth patterns. So, at the AEDC we're very lucky to be partnered with Startup Junkie, The Venture Center, Arise, and other organizations that can help those Korean startups find their footing in Arkansas.

Clint O'Neal:

Thanks, Neal. I want to go back just broadly talking about both countries, India and Korea, just a little bit more about any kind of themes or surprises that came out of the meeting. Olivia, you want to go first on that one?

Olivia Womack:

Sure. I think one big theme that came across in the meetings that we had in both India and Korea was first off just educating someone that has never been to the U.S. or maybe has been to the U.S. but has only been to maybe New York or California or Texas. I think the United States is a very big place, and I think a lot of times those of us that are from the U.S. don't necessarily appreciate just how vast and different all of the states can be. So, the first thing was educating our meeting partners on where Arkansas is located and why that's an advantage to them and how our location being centrally located within the U.S. within a day's drive of 40% of the U.S. population they can get their products out across the country. And that's going to be a huge advantage to them.

And that also, even though we are within the middle of the country, I think another big advantage is the access that companies have to the ports. Having the Mississippi River, I think a lot of people don't realize that yes, deep sea ports are very important, but there's also inland ports that can then lead you to the deep sea ports. So, I think that's another huge advantage that we have. And a theme that came across was the interest in shipping products through our port system and then using rail and road to get them to their final destination.

Clint O'Neal:

Alison, what would you add to that?

Allison Hatfield:

I would add that I think the companies were surprised by how much the government, in particular our state government could be helpful to them. And that we were team members to help bring that business to Arkansas. That there weren't these insurmountable hurdles that were going to be ... They were going to be forced to reckon with that we actually could help them. And some of that I see is from the team at Commerce and AEDC, those relationships, and connecting with local partners, whether it's in the county or community where they need licenses or whatever it may be. And also, Governor Sanders and that she is committed to reducing the red tape. And we were able to go and put that forward that I think most of the companies were very surprised and pleased with that.

Clint O'Neal:

So, this particular trip, the focus was on India and Korea, but I want to kick it over to Neal Jansen. If you don't know Neal's background, he's from Arkansas, lived in Asia for the last 20 years or so. We just completed writing out an Asia strategy for the State of Arkansas. So Neal, tell us more broadly than just these two countries, what you see in the Asia-Pacific region and some of the companies from various countries that we're touching base with?

Neal Jansen:

Sure. And as I mentioned before, the APAC region on the whole is still really the engine, the driver of foreign direct investment to the U.S. with Japan sitting at the top of the ranks. We have so many Japanese companies already invested in Arkansas. And the office, the Asia office itself is located in Japan. And a lot of that's from trends going back to the '70s and '80s where you've seen the first wave of automotive investment in the U.S. That country is very well established and still has a lot of runway, especially as more manufacturers are considering moving to the U.S. But we also are taking into account the growing profiles of countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, for example, which does a whole lot of great work on graphite materials that go into the EV supply chain, they go into semiconductors, batteries, things of that sorts.

And also PPE, for example, in medical supplies coming out of Malaysia. I think that we'll be putting more of a focus on some of those emerging markets in Southeast Asia and established markets like Singapore as well, which excels at FinTech and also aerospace, which is a huge sector for Arkansas. Also, we haven't had a lot of direct interaction with Taiwan, but Taiwan is also emerging as a major investor in the U.S. TSMC, some other major semiconductor firms. And a lot of those second-tier and third-tier firms are following them to the U.S., so it's more about retooling our strategy so we can try to track some of those companies as well. And then finally, Australia and New Zealand, there are already quite a few Aussie and Kiwi companies located in Arkansas, but we could probably do more in terms of outreach to new sectors there, especially in the minerals and materials.

A lot of those companies are very clued into our lithium resources in Arkansas, just even in South Korea we met with execs from SK Group, which has continued to do investment in the battery and material sectors, as well as signed a recent agreement with American company to be supplied with about a 100,000 metric tons of Arkansas-sourced lithium, LG Chem and other Korean multinational also announced plans to off take another 100,000 tons of Arkansas-sourced lithium. So, anything related to the lithium industry or materials, products that can be built using it is very much of interest and we're in a very good position right now to leverage that.

Clint O'Neal:

Thanks, Neal. I think one of the most surprising parts of our trip, for me, it should not have been surprising, but impressive parts, was the random facts that Neal Jansen would pull out in meetings. All of the countries that you've studied, that you've traveled to, that you've cover as our director of Asia and all the knowledge. Assuming all those facts were correct, that was pretty impressive. So job really well done leading this trip for us, getting us ready. Just the pipeline that you've built up of prospects in Asia and for this trip, India and Korea specifically for us to go meet with. So, these trips are a lot of hard work. There's many of our colleagues, as Allison mentioned, that are all hands on deck, getting us ready for this trip. It's a grueling trip. For us it was 16 days out of the country meeting with a lot of companies. It's an honor to do it for Arkansas. There's very little time for downtime, but I'll open it up to both countries. And Olivia, I'll start with you. Favorite food in India or Korea?

Olivia Womack:

Indian food is very good. I normally can't handle a lot of spice, but I learned to like it in India. The food was very delicious, the naan, I don't know the names of what I ate, but it was all very delicious.

Clint O'Neal:

Have you gone to any Indian restaurants back home since you've been back to tell them about your trip?

Olivia Womack:

I haven't yet, but Star of India is on the list, because even in India, the Welspun team, they were raving about Star of India, even in India. So, it's world-famous.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, well, when I got back, I got on Amazon and ordered an idli-making contraption that I've tried out. Well, I'll correct that. My wife has tried out a few times and very good, very good. Allison, what about you? Same question. Favorite food?

Allison Hatfield:

Gosh, I joke, y'all know every place we walked in, I just drank the black coffee everywhere we went. But I did kind of self-proclaim myself the raccoon of the trip. Because everywhere in India especially, they're so welcoming, but with flowers and food and hugs and you had to eat the food. I mean, you literally you had to. And so I guess I was tagged as a vegetarian the first day. So, sorry whoever's listening, I'm really not a vegetarian, but I ate vegetarian the whole trip, but I ate everything they gave me. And I don't know most of the things I ate either, but I thought it was great. And I've actually been to Star of India I think twice, just in the last week. So I mean, probably some of the basics, but we had this naan, I'm sure many of us in the United States have had, but they serve it there in so many different ways and manners that I had no idea. And so that was a pleasant surprise, and yeah, it's been great.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah. Neal, you're probably laughing at us rookies. You've taken many trips to India and Korea, but anything you'd like to mention about some food that we enjoyed along the way?

Neal Jansen:

Yeah, I'm kind of the opposite of Olivia in that I really like spicy food, so Indian food is really high on my list overall. But Korean food is also definitely up there as well. One day in Korea it was a really kind of cold and sort of dreary day. We stopped in a local place and I had a bowl of spicy jjigae soup, which is like a red soup with various vegetables, but normally it's with meat. But this one was made with fish. And yeah, it was just really, really good and just kind of the perfect way to hit the spot with a little bit of rice on that cold day.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, there was a restaurant close to our hotel in Seoul that I went in one day. We ate there together once, and I think I ate there by myself maybe twice. Ordered the same thing, some Dolsot Bibimbap, hot stone pot bibimbap. When I left after being there the third day in a row, shook hands with the owner. I thought we were going to hug, but we do a handshake and hopefully we'll be back together at some point. Okay, favorite memory of the trip? No one has mentioned the camel ride yet. That doesn't have to be your favorite memory, but Allison, tell us about your favorite memory?

Allison Hatfield:

It was the honking in India, which I think Clint and I were together the first day in the vehicle or car, which the top speed in India is, I don't know, 7, 8, 9 miles an hour, because there's so much traffic. But they're all, for anyone who hasn't been there, they're all honking at each other all the time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And for us, I think in America we were all pretty alarmed when we got there because we think, you know, something's wrong or someone's coming. I grew accustomed to it, and I think y'all heard me say this, I joked in the end it was just like a communication for them and they were like, "Hey, I'm over here, or look out. You might want to watch out, that bus is coming." And then by the end I joked, it was like songbirds and they were in the trees singing to each other. And I'm going to say I missed it when I got home. I was so used to it. So that was kind of my favorite memory probably is that whole experience.

Clint O'Neal:

Just too peaceful here without the honking.

Olivia Womack:

If you hear honking in Little Rock, it's Allison starting a new trend.

Clint O'Neal:

Well, I remember, Allison, you and I were out on the town in Mumbai doing some shopping at the markets. That was a lot of fun doing a little negotiating. And on the way back we decided that we wanted to ride one of these auto rickshaws. And my favorite quote from the trip was this lady who ran up to us and said, "You know we have Uber." We said, "No, it's just not about safe transportation. This is about the experience," which there was some very, it's chaotic because of the vast population, but very good drivers in that you would think that you would see more wrecks, but a safe ride and a very enjoyable ride in the auto rickshaw. Olivia, what about you? Favorite memory from the trip?

Olivia Womack:

Well, I think a funny story was also related to the road. We were driving out in Bhopal and we saw monkeys just sitting on the side of the road and there were whole little packs of them, and we asked our driver to pull over so we could take pictures, and he was flabbergasted. He was like, what? Why do you want to take pictures of these monkeys? Don't y'all have monkeys on the side of the road in the U.S.? And we're like, "Actually, we don't. This is a very new experience for us." And yeah, people were throwing little bananas out at him and it was very cute. It was like our own little petting zoo, except on the side of the road.

Clint O'Neal:

Neal, what about you? Favorite memory from the trip?

Neal Jansen:

Really, my favorite memory was just getting to see India through the lens of the rest of the teams' experiences, especially for India, which I think several of you is your first time in the country. There's a certain feeling, it's like when a close friend from back home finally makes the trek to Japan and they see how different things are over overall compared to back home in Arkansas. And definitely one funny story, we had visited a company in northern India that sort of as their introductory, part of their introductory ceremony that they showcased an elaborate dance from a local dance group. It was really something to see, but I did not expect that they would ask us to actually join the dance group at the very end. So, we ended up just kind of flailing around and trying to follow the dancers while dressed in suits and ties while what they were wearing looked like much more comfortable dance wear.

Clint O'Neal:

Yeah, they had a videographer there. I have still not seen, not that I want to, but I think there is video footage of that somewhere.

Olivia Womack:

It'll never show the light of day.

Clint O'Neal:

Inside scoop on where that can be found. As a part of that visit, Neal, you and I rode a camel together. Allison and Olivia rode a camel together. We were escorted out to a red carpet rollout of planting our very own mango trees. And so, in the north part of India there is a place where we visited a prospective company. They absolutely and literally rolled out the red carpet for us, the flowers, the dancing, the camel ride, and then the tree with a plaque commemorating the planting of a mango tree where we got down on the red carpet, placed the tree in the hole. They pretty much did all the work for us. My wife pointed out that plaque should not have my name on it, should have the name on it of whoever actually dug the hole and then put the dirt back. But it was a beautiful ceremony.

We were absolutely touched by the hospitality of our new friends in India. We were absolutely honored to go back for a second trip to Korea this year. As we've all said, these trips, the 23 meetings across India, the several meetings that we had with companies and elected officials and organizations in Korea, all to work hard to put Arkansas on the map. There's so many executives from around the world, if you ask them what they know about Arkansas, it would be very little. And we had the opportunity to go fill in the blank. So, as we wrap up, want to give you all just a quick opportunity. Anything else you'd like to say about the trip, Olivia?

Olivia Womack:

I think overall it was a great experience and I was a little nervous, but excited to go, and I would 100% go back to India and Korea.

Clint O'Neal:

Allison?

Allison Hatfield:

Yeah, I echo Olivia's thoughts, and thank you to the team at AEDC and Secretary MacDonald for giving me this opportunity, and the governor, it was wonderful. So, thank you.

Clint O'Neal:

Neal?

Neal Jansen:

Yeah, I just want to thank again the team as well. The goodwill that you generate with these companies and organizations in Arkansas and for prospects on in-person trips like this are very much well worth the efforts. It really demonstrates Arkansas's engagement and shows that we want to understand the businesses we're trying to recruit on a deeper and more personal level. So yeah, great mission overall.

Clint O'Neal:

Final thought for me. I was on an economic development podcast last week, and one of the hot seat questions was, "Who would you put on your economic development, Mount Rushmore? Some of the legacies, the best in the business?" And I said, without hesitation, "It's an honor to represent Arkansas. We have great elected officials, I have wonderful colleagues. We have economic development professionals around the state who are some of the best in the country, but no doubt about it, the Mount Rushmore of economic development, that's the hard-working Arkansans. They get up, they go into work early, they stay late, they work hard. They represent our state well. They get the job done. They give these companies the confidence to expand in Arkansas. They give other companies the confidence that they can make investments in Arkansas."

And that's how we grow our economy in Arkansas. So many great entrepreneurs, Arkansans that are working in existing business. And so, all of that sets up a welcoming environment to our state, and we're going to continue to do this great work of economic development. I want to thank our guest today, Allison Hatfield, Olivia Womack, and Neal Jansen, Allison, Olivia, and Neal, thank you for sharing your valuable time today with us.

Allison Hatfield:

Thank you.

Olivia Womack:

Thank you.

Neal Jansen:

Thank you.

Clint O'Neal:

You've been listening to the Arkansas Inc. Podcast. This is Clint O'Neal, executive director of 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.