Chamber honors Business, Citizen of Year at banquet

The Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce last week brought back a long-time tradition, hosting its first Chamber banquet in several years at the University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College Fine Arts Center. The evening featured dinner, presentation of awards, a look at recent economic development in the Forrest City area and a keynote address from Arkansas journalist and author Rex Nelson. Two awards were presented during the banquet. The St. Francis County Area Developmental Center was named Business of the Year, while Allen Calvert, pastor of ConnectPoint Church, received the Citizen of the Year award. Calvert is active throughout the Forrest City community and also serves as president of the Forrest City Mustang Booster Club. Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member and St. Francis County Economic Developer Justin Reeves provided attendees with an overview of economic development activity during the past year. Among the projects Reeves highlighted were the opening of Chubby’s truck stop and the sale of the former Dixie Furniture building to KidSPOT. The evening’s keynote speaker was Rex Nelson, senior editor and columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nelson took attendees on a journey across Arkansas, discussing economic development, growth and opportunities he throughout the state. Nelson told the audience he believes Forrest City’s location positions the community to benefit from economic activity occurring throughout Eastern Arkansas and the Mid-South. “There’s too much going on around you for it not to happen,” Nelson said. “I’m very bullish on the Forrest City area. You can see it building in Mississippi County, to West Memphis, and I think things will continue to move west.” Nelson pointed specifically to Forrest City’s location between Memphis and Little Rock as an advantage for future development. “Think about it. Memphis is the logistics arc of America. Little Rock is growing thanks to Amazon and is a logistics and manufacturing hub,” Nelson said. “And you are in the sweet spot, right between them as things begin to build.” While location provides an advantage, Nelson encouraged community leaders to prepare for opportunities rather than simply wait for growth to arrive. “What do you need to do to take advantage of this opportunity?” Nelson asked. “Logistics, your location, you’ve already got that advantage. You have a huge advantage because you have a college here. That sets you apart from towns that don’t.” Nelson said one of the most important investments a community can make is in its schools. “So, what is the one thing that you need to do?” Nelson asked. “Make your school system as good as it can possibly be because when a family is looking to come to a place and they have children, that is going to be bottom line, folks. Focus on your school district.” He also encouraged residents and community leaders to consider the overall appearance and quality of life in Forrest City. “The other thing you can do is make your city a place where people really want to live,” Nelson said. The banquet also provided an opportunity for Chamber members, business owners and community leaders to gather and celebrate accomplishments from the past year while looking ahead to continued growth in Forrest City and St. Francis County

Chamber honors Business, Citizen of Year at banquet

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