SALINE COUNTY SITE POISED FOR SUPERPROJECTS

The Saline County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) today announced the certification of the I-530 “mega-site” in Saline County that could play a major role in recruiting superprojects to Arkansas.

Governor Mike Beebe, along with state and local economic development officials, revealed details in a news conference at the Little Rock Chamber office about the Saline County property and how it will factor in the region’s and state’s efforts to recruit major economic projects to Arkansas.

The mega-site (meaning it is at least 1,500 acres), has been in preparatory stages for years. It is located near Highway 167 and I-530 and is only 15 minutes from the Little Rock Port and the Little Rock National Airport.
The property has been certified through the Entergy Arkansas’ Select Site program, which means the SCEDC has met a rigorous set of requirements for documentation and pre-qualification of the site for development. Work already done includes cost estimates for grading and clearing, environmental studies, geotechnical reports, wetlands screening, and zoning, permitting and mapping requirements.

While the investment in time, effort and money required to achieve Select Site certification is considerable, it gives the SCEDC the tools needed to immediately respond to inquiries from potential candidates for the site. In the highly competitive realm of site selection, being able to move quickly when opportunities arise frequently makes the difference between success and failure, said Mike Maulden, Entergy Arkansas Director of External Affairs, who leads the company’s Teamwork Arkansas economic development initiative.

“This brings not only a unique economic development opportunity for Saline County and the Metro Little Rock Region, but all of Arkansas,” said Eddie Black, President, SCEDC. “Its strategic location offers limitless possibilities. The Saline County Economic Development Corporation and its partners invested over a year’s effort in securing the Teamwork Arkansas certification for this site. Undoubtedly it was time well spent.”

Certification of sites is a relatively new trend in economic development that is driven by the speed with which site location decisions are made. A mega-site is a location of 1,500 acres or more set aside for large industrial developments. The Saline County mega-site is the largest of the 19 sites certified to date.

Entergy’s Teamwork Arkansas’ “Select Site” program was started several years ago to encourage communities to conduct preparatory work on potential development sites. The program requires communities to meet a 50-point criteria developed by site selection consultants.

“What Saline County has done is exactly what is required to be successful at attracting business to this region and our state,” said Hugh McDonald, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas, Inc. “This site had so much going for it already. Now, with all the documentation and prequalification done in advance, it is perfectly positioned to draw the attention of some major projects.”
With today’s announcement there are 19 Select Site locations certified in 14 communities across Arkansas. Six of the certified sites have been sold: TXD in Morrilton; Welspun, LM Glasfiber, Boyd Metals, and Sage 5 Foods at the Little Rock Port and Pinnacle Biofuels in Crossett resulting in more than $300 million in new investment and 1,900 jobs.

Teamwork Arkansas, now in its 21st year, is the economic development office of Entergy Arkansas, the state’s largest electric utility. As one of the largest private-sector economic development initiatives in the state, Teamwork Arkansas partners with communities to create wealth and raise the standard of living for the citizens of Arkansas.

Teamwork Arkansas’ online address is www.teamworkarkansas.com.
Entergy Arkansas’ online address is www.entergy-arkansas.com.
The SCEDC online address is www.scedc-ar.com.