Economic Development
Hewlett-Packard building
Hewlett-Packard
The new Hewlett-Packard customer service and technical support center is located in The Meadows Office and Technology Park in south Conway. The 150,000-square-foot building, constructed with CDC investment monies and leased to HP, will eventually house at least 1,400 employees and provide sales, service, and technical support for HP customers. Getting the center was quite a coup for Conway. According to Lacy, when the 181-acre office park was initiated, the CDC and Chamber expected the businesses locating there to be small. Conventional wisdom has in the past held that Arkansas could not recruit technology companies, but would have to grow its own, as happened with Acxiom, which originated in Conway and still has their largest campus here. With the advent of the HP facility, that perception has been proven false. “The very reason that they came here is to access talent,” Lacy said, adding that the Acxiom presence and the three institutions of higher learning convinced HP that the talented workforce is available in Conway. HP is the largest company of its kind in the world and the nation’s ninth-largest publicly traded company. Although not the first to locate in the park, HP is the largest. “Having them there is a best-case scenario,” Lacy said. HP’s decision to locate in Conway was based on factors such as workforce quality, business environment, and standard of living, according to HP executive Gary Fazzinno. According to Mayor Tab Townsell, quality of life was also a big factor in bringing HP to Conway. HP representatives only visited twice before announcing HP’s location here. “One HP executive said Conway reminded them of Corvallis, Oregon (a longtime HP location),” Townsell said. “They paid us a compliment and we didn’t even know it.” “HP truly marks a change in our entire state in economic development,” Lacy said. “It was revolutionary for our state. “This community helped change some perceptions of the state,” he continued. “We take that very seriously.” Since its inception Hewlett-Packard has thought “outside the box,” according to Lacy.
“Historically they chose places — Boise, Idaho; Corvallis, Oregon; Fort Collins, Colorado, for example — that were not urban necessarily,” Lacy said. “I think they are a good match for us.”
Southwestern Energy
Southwestern Energy, a natural gas exploration and production company that was the first to produce natural gas from the Fayetteville Shale, chose Conway for its regional headquarters. Its 100,000-square-foot building will be located in The Village at Hendrix and will eventually house up to 450 employees. In recent years, the Fayetteville Shale has become a significant economic force in Arkansas. It is providing a new source of natural gas and contributing to the nation’s goal of energy independence. It is making a substantial economic impact on Arkansas through the creation of new jobs and tax revenues. “We are thrilled that Southwestern Energy officials have chosen to invest in the City of Conway,” said Townsell. “Their decision solidifies our city’s status as the epicenter of the Fayetteville Shale business community.These new knowledge-based workers are a welcome asset to our already diverse economy.” Founded in Arkansas over 75 years ago as a local gas distribution company, Southwestern Energy today is the largest operator in the Fayetteville Shale, producing approximately 600 million cubic feet of gas per day. With these two companies in place, other industries have followed. “If we don’t invest in our own community, why should business invest in us?” Townsell asked. In order to continue attracting companies like HP and Southwestern Energy, the mayor said, progress must occur on all fronts — new parks, downtown enhancements, office parks, and recreational areas, for example. “It’s all related,” Townsell explained.
ConwayArkansas.org
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