Business Advantages
Metro Little Rock, Arkansas Earning well-deserved accolades For two years in a row, the Little Rock region has been named America’s Fourth Strongest Economy by the Brookings Institution’s MetroMonitor. The Wall Street Journal calls it the nation’s Sixth Best Real Estate Market, while Forbes said it is America’s Seventh Best Place for Jobs. Where miles equal minutes, one million people live within 50 minutes of Downtown Little Rock. So, twelve central Arkansas counties and their unique communities united to compete as one common, globally recognized brand— Little Rock. Six years and over $1.3 billion in new capital investment, $439 million in new annual payroll, and 11,300 jobs later, the results are indisputable and historically unprecedented. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, “Little Rock has one of the lowest unemployment rates of any city in the United States. Little Rock’s regional approach to job creation has resulted in job growth even amidst a deep recession. . . Bringing together regional resources and assets is imperative for communities wanting to build more resilient economies after the recession.” Companies such as Caterpillar, HP and LM WindPower have recently invested in the Little Rock region. If you want to find out why, or if you are interested in Little Rock yourself, just go to our website and check out what we have to offer your company. We’ll see you soon. n 800-905-6577 | www.metrolittlerockalliance.com
Lincoln Breaks U.S. Trends Nebraska Capital grows through national downturn What does $2 billion look like? In Lincoln, Nebraska, it takes on many different shapes. At least that much new investment is planned in Nebraska’s capital city. Bucking national trends, Lincoln has either had the lowest or second-lowest unemployment rate in the nation since 2009. This success is led by private industry. Assurity Life Insurance Corp. and Farmer’s Mutual Insurance have begun construction of new headquarter facilities and Nelnet continues to expand its downtown Lincoln headquarters. Additional significant investments have been made to Kawasaki’s railcar facility, Cabela’s bank headquarters, Dell Services and Fiserv’s bank software division. That mirrors the commitment of Lincoln’s own citizens who recently resoundingly approved the construction of a $250-million, 16,000-seat arena. It will be the new home of the Nebraska Cornhusker basketball team as they enter the Big 10 Conference. The state-of-the-art entertainment venue will open in the fall of 2013. Finally, the most important investment for Lincoln’s future is being made by the University of NebraskaLincoln and private industry partners with the development of a new 249-acre research campus. Dubbed Innovation Campus, construction begins in the spring of 2012. For more information on the nation’s newest hotspot, contact the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development. n 402-436-2350 | www.selectLincoln.org 30 | skyWest Magazine July/August 2011 united express