Metro Little Rock is a thriving 11-county region, centrally located in the United States, with a low cost of doing business, a diverse business base, future-oriented companies, a culture of entrepreneurship, and a population of approximately 1 million.

Recently, the region has announced three major manufacturing locations. Welspun of India is building a $100 million facility to manufacture large diameter steel pipes for the oil and gas industry, creating 300 new jobs. LM Glasfiber of Denmark is building a $150 million facility to manufacture windmill blades and creating 1100 new jobs. Man Industries of India, also a manufacturer of large diameter steel pipes for the oil and gas industry, is investing $100 million in its new facility and creating 250 new jobs.

The State of Arkansas’s number-one export is aerospace manufactured products. The region is home to Dassault Falcon Jet and Hawker Beechcraft who anchor the region as an aerospace. In 2007, Dassault Falcon Jet continued to set records for the region with its employment announcing two expansion totaling 350 new jobs and $30 million in new capital investment. Dassault’s expanded completion center in Little Rock will be doubling the size of its service center. These announcements coupled with Hawker Beechcraft’s recently announced expansions of 150 new jobs and $16.3 million in new capital investment certainly have aerospace thriving in the Metro Little Rock region.

Other major industries include automotive, biotechnical, financial services, information technology, and logistics and distribution. These industries are a proven match with the Arkansas economy and its available work force, infrastructure, growth trends, cost of doing business, incentives, and available sites.

These industries are served by its central location, which provides access to the country through its transportation systems. Interstates 30, 40, 430, 440, 530 and 630, and U.S. Highways 64, 65, 67, 70, and 167 intersect the metropolitan area. The region is home to two river ports, the Little Rock National Airport, a foreign-trade zone, and Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and Arkansas Midland Railroad.

The nonprofit industry specifically has seen great success with the Clinton Presidential Center, Heifer International’s World Headquarters, Winrock International’s headquarters, Lions World Services for the Blind, and the EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) Initiative. The $165 million Clinton Center anchors the nonprofit corridor, serving as a major tourism magnet and economic development engine for the region. Located on the same ground is the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, offering the only master’s degree of its kind in the world.

The area offers 20 institutions of higher education — including University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and Pine Bluff (UAPB), University of Central Arkansas (UCA), and Harding University — totaling approximately 60,000 enrolled students, along with eight two-year colleges. The region is home to over 50 Arkansas K-12 school districts, 180 elementary schools, 58 middle/junior high schools, 75 high schools, and over 40 private schools. The elected leaders of the region dedicate time and energy to the continued improvement of the school systems and higher education institutions.

A professional work force is drawn to the region because of its affordable and attractive urban, suburban, and rural upscale residential properties that are available at competitive prices compared to national averages. The close proximity of exemplary medical facilities, the availability of educational alternatives, recreational and entertainment options, and programs in the arts are additional assets to the region.