2011 Workforce Needs Survey

The Greater Northwest Arkansas Regional Economic Development Strategy identified four priority areas where the region needs to collaborate around specific goals to enhance the overall community. Regional success in Northwest Arkansas will therefore depend on the success of specific goals being achieved in the areas of Infrastructure, Regional Economic Development, Community Vitality and Educational Excellence. The online survey was distributed to employers through the Northwest Arkansas Community College Workforce Advisory Group, local Chambers of Commerce, Human Resources Professional Groups and other avenues. The survey received 119 respondents. The following report will describe the major findings of the survey

Projecting the Economic Impact of the Fayetteville Shale Play for 2008-2012

In 2006, the Center for Business and Economic Research released an economic impact study of the newly developing natural gas industry related to the Fayetteville Shale. The Fayetteville Shale is an unconventional gas reservoir located on the Arkansas side of the Arkoma Basin, ranging in thickness from 50 to 325 feet and ranging in depth from 1,500 to 6,500 feet. That study concluded that from 2005 to 2008, economic output of over $5.5 billion and 9,683 jobs would be generated as a result of investments in the Fayetteville Shale. Those estimates were based on the best information available when the study was conducted; however, many of the companies involved in the Fayetteville Shale subsequently significantly accelerated their investment plans as the potential of the play was proved. Therefore, this report provides updated estimates, which better reflect the current investment plans of the companies involved, of the economic impact of the Fayetteville Shale natural gas industry on the state of Arkansas

Estimating the Supply of and Demand for Bilingual Nurses in Northwest Arkansas

In 2004, researchers at the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas prepared a report that detailed the projected shortage of minority nurses in the four county region of Northwest Arkansas. The study focused particularly on the Hispanic residents of Northwest Arkansas, as projections showed the estimated proportion of the total population for that ethnicity increasing from 9.5 percent in 2005 to 16.0 percent in 2025. A separate set of projections in the report estimated that the proportion of the nursing workforce with Hispanic ethnicity would increase from 2.1 to 3.9 percent over the same time period. The report concluded that over the 20 year period, there would be an ever-increasing Hispanic representation disparity in the Northwest Arkansas nursing labor force

Projecting the Economic Impact of the Fayetteville Shale Play for 2008-2012

In 2006, the Center for Business and Economic Research released an economic impact study of the newly developing natural gas industry related to the Fayetteville Shale. The Fayetteville Shale is an unconventional gas reservoir located on the Arkansas side of the Arkoma Basin, ranging in thickness from 50 to 325 feet and ranging in depth from 1,500 to 6,500 feet. That study concluded that from 2005 to 2008, economic output of over $5.5 billion and 9,683 jobs would be generated as a result of investments in the Fayetteville Shale. Those estimates were based on the best information available when the study was conducted; however, many of the companies involved in the Fayetteville Shale subsequently significantly accelerated their investment plans as the potential of the play was proved. Therefore, this report provides updated estimates, which better reflect the current investment plans of the companies involved, of the economic impact of the Fayetteville Shale natural gas industry on the state of Arkansas

The Economic Impact of the Fayetteville Shale in White County

Fayetteville Share economic impact in White County Arkansas and how it effects the industry, residents and employees

Estimating the Supply of and Demand for Bilingual Nurses in Northwest Arkansas

In 2004, researchers at the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas prepared a report that detailed the projected shortage of minority nurses in the four county region of Northwest Arkansas. The study focused particularly on the Hispanic residents of Northwest Arkansas, as projections showed the estimated proportion of the total population for that ethnicity increasing from 9.5 percent in 2005 to 16.0 percent in 2025. A separate set of projections in the report estimated that the proportion of the nursing workforce with Hispanic ethnicity would increase from 2.1 to 3.9 percent over the same time period. The report concluded that over the 20 year period, there would be an ever-increasing Hispanic representation disparity in the Northwest Arkansas nursing labor force

Economic Impact of Legalizing Retail Alcohol Sales in Independence County

Converting from a dry county to wet county status would have a number of tangible and intangible economic benefits for Independence County. Legal retail alcohol sales are a signal of a contemporary economic development environment. Quantifying the value of that perception is quite difficult, but it is entirely possible to estimate sales effects, tax collections, and other economic impacts of becoming a wet county. This study was conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research to assess the magnitude of those economic effects

University of Arkansas Athletics Economic Impact

The Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas was approached by the Athletic Department to conduct an economic impact study of its operations and the visitor impacts associated with the athletic events held on the University of Arkansas campus. This study examines the economic impact of the athletic department from three broad categories of activities that produce economic impacts. The first category presented in this study is the direct economic impacts of the operations of the University of Arkansas Athletic Department, using annual expenditures of the department and the associated economic impact. The second category is based on visitor spending at home games on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. In this study, only visitor impacts from home baseball, basketball and football games are assessed. Finally, the third category is based on the construction expenditures of the University of Arkansas Athletic Department. While the first two categories produce recurring annual impacts, the third category generates one‐time economic impacts. The following pages of this report provide a detailed analysis of the above mentioned categories

Economic Impact of Legalizing Retail Alcohol Sales in Randolph County

Converting from a dry county to wet county status would have a number of tangible and intangible economic benefits for Randolph County. Legal retail alcohol sales are a signal of a contemporary economic development environment. Quantifying the value of that perception is quite difficult, but it is entirely possible to estimate sales effects, tax collections, and other economic impacts of becoming a wet county. This study was conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research to assess the magnitude of those economic effects

Estimating the Economic Impact of the Construction and Operation of the Plains and Eastern Clean Line Project

Clean Line Energy Partners LLC (Clean Line) is proposing to build the Plains & Eastern Clean Line project, an approximately 700-mile, high voltage direct current transmission line and associated facilities with the capacity to deliver 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power from the Oklahoma Panhandle region to utilities and customers in Arkansas, Tennessee, and other markets in the Mid-South and Southeast, areas that lack access to low-cost renewable power. The project will deliver enough energy to power more than one million homes annually in the MidSouth and Southeastern United States