The Arkansas Delta: Why It Still Matters

The Arkansas Delta – why does it still matter?

This is the question that was examined, poked, and prodded on Thursday, April 7 at “The Arkansas Delta: Why It Still Matters,” presented by Simmons Bank. The Simmons Bank conference was offered to community leaders and economic development professionals across the state at no fee thanks to Simmons Bank and other sponsors who supported the event: Ritter Communications, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Lile Real Estate, the Delta Regional Authority, the Agricultural Council of Arkansas, Community Health Centers of Arkansas/Mid-Delta Health Systems, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Garver, the St. Francis Levee District and the Roberts Law Firm.

The day long agenda focused on six main topics: health care, economic trends, education issues, race and ethnicity, agriculture, and the event culminated with a discussion on economic development.

The event kicked off with a welcome from George Makris, CEO of Simmons First Nation Corp., and Rex Nelson, Director of Corporate Community Relations at Simmons Bank. Next, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) Mike Preston gave an overview of the Delta from the perspective of his organization and the state of Arkansas. He encouraged Delta communities to focus on ecotourism, quality of life initiatives, and keeping youth (Millennials) engaged and connected.

Congressman Bruce Westerman of the 4th Congressional District also shared his thoughts on why the Delta still matters. He stated that in life every person must have four necessities: food, water, shelter, and clothing. He then went on to say that the Delta provides one of those four necessities – food. The Delta is the bread basket of America and is crucial to so many peoples’ lives. Westerman implored that the focus of the Delta is agriculture and that we must utilize that asset to its fullest potential.

Chris Masingill of the Delta Regional Authority was introduced next. Masingill relayed concerns about workforce issues in the Delta, but stated these issues are being combated by the growth of local two and four year colleges and their ever developing relationships with industry and local businesses in the area. Local schools and businesses continue to work together to identify workforce needs and develop programs to train the workforce with the skills necessary for our citizens and our businesses to be successful. He urged everyone in the room to remember that Arkansas must be competitive on a global scale, and that education must be at the forefront of our minds as we move toward a brighter future. He remarked on how innovative the state’s new “Be Proud Be Pro” program, aimed at encouraging Arkansans (especially youth) to explore technical careers, is, and stated that, “We can’t continue to demonize workforce training and technical programs. These areas must be showcased as important and we need to encourage our kids to enter these programs; they need to be career ready or college ready when they leave high school.”

Masingill also recognized the importance of growing small businesses and the network of entrepreneurs in Arkansas. He cited statistics to make his point: over 50% of employers in the Delta are small business owners and businesses with seven or fewer employees make up the majority of those small businesses.

He ended by stating, “We can’t keep doing the same thing. We must innovate and change.”

The first of four panel discussions, “Health Care in the Delta,” followed Massingill’s remarks. The panel consisted of: Delta lawyer and businessman Raymond Abramson (moderator), UAMS East Director Dr. Becky Hall, President and CEO of Arkansas Hospital Association Bo Ryall, President of Community Health Center of Arkansas Al Sliger, Chief of Staff at Jefferson Regional Medical Center Dr. David Lupo, and Billy Tarpley, Executive Director of Arkansas State Dental Association. The panel made the following comments about the state of health in the Delta:

• Panelists made comments on the “Red County Report,” released by the Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities at the Arkansas Department of Health. The most shocking statistic from this report shared is that 17 counties in the Delta have a lower life expectancy (10 years less) than counties in Northwest Arkansas.
• More money needs to be funneled into prevention and wellness programs because most of the life threatening diseases diagnosed in the Delta are preventable. Focusing on prevention and wellness will decrease the likelihood of these diseases and will positively change statistics.
• Healthcare is a glaring under served issue in the Delta and education is key to changing that. Medicine is about relationships; leaders in the Delta need to develop relationships with large hospitals and connect with local health organizations to ensure there are no duplication of efforts.
• The amount of primary care and family doctors is shrinking. All of us need to encourage youth to go into the medical field and to stay in Arkansas, primarily the Delta because it is so under served.
• One panelist remarked that Arkansas Works is an excellent program and will continue to provide much needed benefits for those who would otherwise not have access to healthcare.
• Delta leaders need to look into programs where communities/the state help pay for students’ medical school in return for coming to a specific community and working for an allotted amount of time. Encourage a “grow your own” mentality in Delta communities – talk to local youth and inspire them to enter the medical field and return to their hometown to provide healthcare.

Dr. Greg Hamilton of UALR Institute for Economic Advancement then gave a presentation on “Eastern Arkansas Demographic and Economic Trends: An Exploratory Analysis.” Dr. Hamilton analyzed demographic and economic data from all Delta counties and shared his findings with the audience. His research showed that there has been a severe population decline in Delta counties, with the only major growth happening in Northeast Arkansas around Jonesboro. Withholding the Craighead/Greene county area, the Delta has also seen decreases in average personal income (PI) since the 1970’s, which Dr. Hamilton equated to wealth and potential economic development growth.

The second panel discussion, “Education Issues in the Delta,” followed Dr. Hamilton’s report. The panel consisted of: Dr. Fitz Hill of Arkansas Baptist College (moderator), Deputy Commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education Dr. Mark Gotcher, Executive Director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators Dr. Richard Abernathy, Executive Director of the Arkansas Education Association Tracey-Ann Nelson, Chancellor of UAPB Dr. Laurence Alexander, Executive Director of Arkansas Public School Resource Center Scott Smith, and Executive Director of KIPP Delta Schools Scott Shirley. The panel made the following comments about education issues in the Delta:

• Moderator Dr. Fitz Hill shared with the audience that he knew education was a major issue in the Delta when in 2005 he read a newspaper article that stated Toyota wanted to locate a plant in Arkansas, but decided not to because the literacy rate was too low.
• Panelists across the board agreed that we should not put all of our focus on four-year college degrees. We must focus on skills training and technical degrees. We need to change the direction of our local schools on a regional level to insure our students get the education they need to get a job with local industry.
• “A great economy supports a great local school system. Whereas a poor economy tends to support a poor local school system.” Schools systems must be relevant to local businesses and the economy to be successful.
• Where do you find talent? You develop it. Our students are our leaders of tomorrow and we must equip them to be prosperous.
• To create fruitful education systems, we need to: build relationships between educational institutions and businesses, identify and remove barriers for students, teachers, and administrators, and develop education initiatives that stem from local support. Communities must “buy-in” to their local schools.
• Continue to support, mentor, and grow our teachers to keep them relevant in their classrooms.
• Remember: universities contribute to their local communities in a variety of ways, namely research and technical assistance. Develop a relationship with your local university.
• Do a SWOT analysis of your community and work with your local partners to build on your strengths and combat your threats.

During lunch, keynote speaker Dr. John Kirk, a professor of History at UALR, discussed “Race and Ethnicity in the Arkansas Delta: Historical Perspective.” Dr. Kirk discussed the importance of civil rights history in the Delta and encouraged Delta leaders to connect to and record that history. He pointed out that there is a huge opportunity for Arkansas to tell its stories through expanded civil rights tourism. This presentation opened up discussion about Arkansas’ past and the future of race relations.

After lunch, the conference transitioned to the third panel discussion, “Agriculture in the Delta.” The panel consisted of: Ritter Arnold of E. Ritter & Co. (moderator), President of Farm Bureau Arkansas Randy Veach, Executive Vice President of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas Andrew Grobmyer, Deputy Secretary of the Arkansas Agriculture Department Cynthia Edwards, and Arkansas Regional Chairman of Simmons Bank Freddie Black. The panel made the following comments about agriculture in the Delta:

• Agriculture is the powerhouse of the Delta. We need to make sure it is still a primary focus in our minds – we need to explore ways to support Delta farmers and to capitalize our agricultural assets.
• Technology and equipment have completely changed the landscape of agriculture; especially in the Delta.
• Going forward we must accept that automation will grow at an accelerated rate and our farmers need to keep up with the advancing technologies.
• More specialty and organic crops will likely spread across the Delta because the land is so fertile and versatile.
• There is a growing concern among agriculturalists and farmers about how to get youth involved in farming and to get them to stay in the Delta on the farm.

The last piece of the conference was the final panel discussion concerning “Economic Development in the Delta.” The panelists were: Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration at UAPB Carla Martin (moderator), President and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber Randy Zook, Board President of Arkansas Economic Developers Joe Bailey, President and CEO of the Jefferson County Economic Development Alliance Lou Ann Nisbett, Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development at UAPB Dr. Mary Benjamin, and Community and Economic Development Manager at Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation JD Lowery. They shared the following concerning economic development in the Delta:

• We need to look at communities from an institutional perspective: churches, education, government, economy, etc. All of these institutions must work together to make our communities prosperous.
• Chambers need to act as superintendents for communities. They must be leaders, conveners, and communicators.
• Workforce is the number one issue for Arkansas economic development. As leaders, we need to confer with our schools and businesses to assess our current educational environments and offer the right training that will create economic growth.
• To get restaurants and retail, you have to build your population and income base. You must also have good schools for families and a high quality of life.
• In the Delta we have to overcome the negative perception of low skills and educational attainment of our citizens if we want more businesses to come to our communities. If we change statistics and change perception, we will boom. As we continue to develop our workforce, we must play to our strengths and celebrate our successes.
• Key Arkansas Delta economic development takeaways: know your SWOT, get local businesses involved in your community, perception is reality so market yourself properly, focus on raising educational attainment and expectations, create partnerships that add value to your initiatives, listen to Millennials and provide them with what they need to be successful, and don’t be afraid of reinvention.

Overall, “The Arkansas Delta: Why It Still Matters” did three very important things: 1) gave insights into the Arkansas Delta’s current situation and its future, 2) brought together a multitude of community leaders from all across the state to network and discuss how to make Arkansas a more prosperous place, and 3) answered the question, “Why does the Arkansas Delta still matter?”

Our team at the Center for Community and Economic Development would like to thank Simmons Bank for offering this conference and bringing important Arkansas stakeholders together. Our knowledge of the Arkansas Delta has expanded and we look forward to helping Delta communities in the future through whatever means necessary.