Saline County Economic Development Corporation [Press Release]

Saline County Recognized as Having a Select Site

Saline County, AR (June 5, 2006) –

Legendary Washington Redskins football coach Joe Gibbs once said, “The will to win is meaningless without the will to prepare.” The Saline County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), under the leadership of Bill Hope, Jr., has both the will to win and the will to prepare in creating jobs and attracting capital investment to Saline County.

The Saline County EDC was recognized at the Saline County EDC Executive Board Meeting on June 5 by Teamwork Arkansas, Entergy Arkansas’ Office of Economic Development, for being among one of the first communities to receive Teamwork Arkansas’ Select Site designation for conducting a comprehensive review and documentation process for the Saline County Regional Airport Site. The recognition also included a $2,000 grant to the organization to assist in covering some of the expenses incurred in the course of meeting the program criteria.

Teamwork Arkansas introduced the Select Site program to Arkansas communities in August 2005, and Saline County has been working since that time to meet all the documentation requirements. The intent of the Select Site program is to help communities better prepare their sites as winning candidates for office, manufacturing, and distribution projects.

Basing the Select Site program on criteria recommended by Deloitte Consulting, Teamwork Arkansas designed a tool that allows communities to certify their sites with Teamwork Arkansas, and, once certified, communicate the attainment of this status to the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, site location consultants and major employer decision-makers. The Saline County site has met the stringent criteria for certification.

Bill Hope, Jr., chairman of the Saline County EDC, said, “Anytime we can partner with Entergy’s Teamwork Arkansas on a program that enhances our ability to recruit industries, we’re ready to participate. I want to compliment Entergy Arkansas for working to enhance Saline County’s opportunities with programs like this one, the citizens of Saline County for having the foresight to dedicate resources to economic development and the board for administering the funds so that we can take advantage of these avenues to make community even more successful.”

Mike Maulden, director of Entergy’s Teamwork Arkansas, said, “Preparedness is a necessity for economic development success in today’s fast-paced environment. Site location consultants and prospective companies require very fast response times and communities must be able to respond effectively and efficiently on very short notice. This program will help Saline County do just that.”

Saline County and other Select Site community organizations also were recognized February 22, 2006 at the Teamwork Arkansas luncheon in Little Rock.

Teamwork Arkansas, Entergy Arkansas’ Office of Economic Development, now in its 19th year, is one of the largest private-sector economic development initiatives in the country. Teamwork Arkansas partners with communities to create wealth and raise the standard of living for the citizens of Arkansas by providing professional and resourceful expertise in business recruitment, marketing, planning and research. For more information about Teamwork Arkansas resources available to Arkansas communities, contact Teamwork Arkansas at 501-377-4167.