Texarkana Completes Prospect Readiness Education Program

“It is exciting to bring together community leaders and the Arkansas Economic Development team to work on the Project Readiness Educational Program,” said Mike Malone, president of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce. “It provided a learning experience for everyone on our community, its many assets, and the opportunities. Our excitement continues as we continue to grow our economic opportunities.”

PREP offers communities hands-on training in all aspects of the economic development prospect visit. The program provides local economic development teams with the necessary training and resources to properly prepare for, execute, and follow-up on prospect visits to their respective communities.
“Prospective companies are drawn toward strong communities,” said AEDC Executive Director Mike Preston. “The PREP program gives Arkansas communities the information and tools they need to become vibrant and more competitive in the site-selection process. I would encourage all Arkansas communities to become involved in the program.”

Through PREP, community leaders in Texarkana have:

• Promoted team building and cohesion among community leadership that will have a role in the site-selection process for future economic growth.
• Enabled the community to be better prepared for future prospect visits.
• Provided tools and resources necessary to help make Texarkana more competitive during the site selection process, particularly the site visit.
• Encouraged its local leaders to be more proactive in the site selection process by developing local incentive programs.
• Learned about the site selection process from start to finish.
• Developed comprehensible and achievable strategies that can be used during local site visits.

For more information on PREP, visit aedc.azurewebsites.net or contact Kevin Sexton, AEDC’s Director of Community Development, at 1-800-ARKANSAS or email [email protected].