Growing International Business in Arkansas

International companies are making moves in the United States.

These companies are increasingly looking to locate new operations in the United States or expand their presence in the country.  Drawn by our country’s powerful economy and welcoming markets, companies have their pick for where to locate new facilities.

When doing multi-state site location analysis, more and more international companies are discovering Arkansas – and they are finding success here in the Natural State.

Encouraging foreign direct investment is a major goal for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC). Our team is also focused on supporting the existing international operations in Arkansas so that these companies continue to grow in the state.

That’s why we take part in the annual SelectUSA Investment Summit.

AEDC will be participating in the 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit on May 11-14 at National Harbor, Maryland. Several AEDC Business Development team members and the directors of our international offices, along with Secretary Hugh McDonald and myself, will be in attendance at the summit.

During the SelectUSA Investment Summit, our team will be highlighting Arkansas and why companies are succeeding in our state – from our low costs to our common-sense public policy. At the Arkansas booth, we will be putting a spotlight on some of our state’s key industries and the companies that have found success here.

Just over the past year, Arkansas has had a streak of foreign direct investment wins.

Most recently, Norwegian packaging company Elopak held a grand opening for its new manufacturing facility in Little Rock. Elopak is investing approximately $100 million into this state-of-the-art facility that will produce Pure-Pak® cartons for liquid dairy products, juices, plant-based drinks, and liquid eggs – creating 100 new jobs. Messer, the industrial gases company headquartered in Bad Soden, Germany, broke ground on its new $70 million air separation unit in Berryville, Arkansas, which will create 20 new jobs.

Tate Inc., owned by Ireland-based Kingspan Group, is establishing a new manufacturing facility in northeastern Arkansas to fabricate steel frames for data centers. Tate will be creating 148 new jobs for its facility in Pocahontas, Arkansas and making a significant investment in the area.

Faymonville Group announced that it will be building its first U.S. production facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company is investing more than $100 million in the facility at the Port of Little Rock and plans to create 500 new jobs.

Just days after Faymonville announced its new facility , Welspun Tubular made its own announcement – that it would be expanding its site in Little Rock, Arkansas, investing $100 million. Welspun broke ground on the expansion in December 2024 and plans to create 175 new jobs.

Other international wins include an expansion from Bekaert Corporation (Belgium) at its manufacturing facility in Van Buren, as well as a $30 million expansion of the Walther manufacturing facility in Fort Smith. R2S, a joint venture between Raytheon and the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, broke ground on its new $63 million facility in February 2024.

Arkansas has won more than its fair share of foreign direct investment projects, and we plan to continue this trend. In the coming months, there will be more announcements about new investments, groundbreakings, and grand openings.

We look forward to meeting with you at the SelectUSA Investment Summit. Drop by the Team Arkansas booth – Booth 1301 – to learn how your business can grow in Arkansas.  

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This blog was written by AEDC Executive Director Clint O'Neal and was originally published on LinkedIn.