Arkansas has an abundance of resources to help food processing companies succeed. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission works directly with food processing companies looking to start-up, expand or relocate. In addition, we assist companies with finding the best incentives so companies are able to make money quickly and efficiently.
There were 522 food and beverage companies in Arkansas at the end of 2022. These companies employed 55,130 people. Arkansas is home to Tyson Foods and numerous other food processing facilities, including Nestle, JBS USA, Kraft Heinz, Mars Inc., Cargill Inc., Hormel Foods Corp, Riceland Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, ConAgra Brands Inc., Land O’ Frost and Frito-Lay, Inc.
Arkansas has the 5th largest percentage of food processing workers in the United States. The growth rate of the food and beverage industry from 2017 to 2022 was 6 percent in Arkansas.
The food processing industry is booming in Arkansas and continues to grow exponentially. Eight of the top 10 food and beverage companies by revenue in the world have manufacturing facilities in the state.
Arkansas is meeting the workforce needs for food processing companies. The state now has the second-largest number of food processing workers in the US and Arkansas has responded to industry growth by modernizing the workforce.
Thanks to Governor Asa Hutchinson’s Computer Science Initiative, Arkansas is the first state to have a website dedicated to connecting jobseekers with technology-driven jobs within industries across the state.
As the number of available tech jobs continues to grow, it’s increasingly important to create a pipeline of talent to fill those jobs. With a goal of creating job opportunities and growing a skilled technology workforce in the state, Governor Hutchinson recently announced the launch of ArTechJobs.com, which will showcase available high-tech jobs across Arkansas.
The website expands opportunities for employers and those seeking high-tech careers in a wide variety of industries including IT, web development and design, database administration, software development, computer network architecture, information security, healthcare and more.
Business leaders from the largest companies in the world to the smallest startups can benefit from the website. Employers and job seekers can participate at no cost. Companies can create accounts and immediately post open positions. Job seekers can create personal profiles and upload their resumes. They can narrow their job search by full time, freelance, and/or intern positions. Nearly 50 companies are already posting technology jobs on the website, including AT&T, Tyson, Windstream, J.B. Hunt, iDatafy, Tenneco, inuvo, Walmart, and the State of Arkansas.
The website is part of the Governor’s Computer Science Initiative to increase the number of Arkansans in high-tech fields. Since its creation, the number of high school students participating in computer science courses in the state has increased nearly 400 percent.
ARCodeKids, a new Little Rock-based nonprofit organization, and the Information Network of Arkansas (INA) created and developed the website at no expense to the state. ARCodeKids is a 501(c)(3) organization focused on building awareness, expanding student participation and enabling new career pathways in computer science across Arkansas. The INA assists the state in exploring and improving citizen and business access to public information and online services.
