Arkansas Joins Reigniting the American Dream Compact Focused on Entrepreneurship
August 13, 2026LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (August 13, 2026) – Arkansas is doubling down on its commitment to its innovative entrepreneurs by joining a compact of governors nationwide to advance entrepreneurship in the United States.
The compact, “Reigniting the American Dream,” is designed to promote the importance of entrepreneurship and establish strategies for increasing opportunities for entrepreneurs. The three strategies outlined in the compact include:
- Making entrepreneurship a state priority
- Can include establishing or naming senior positions dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship.
- Establishing a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs
- Can include creating a platform or center for individuals to more easily navigate the process of creating and growing a business.
- Elevating the importance of entrepreneurial opportunity
- Can include teaching entrepreneurial skills in K-12 and higher education and workforce pathways.
“Arkansas was built on the ingenuity and hard work of entrepreneurs both big and small, from Sam Walton, John Tyson, and Witt Stephens to thousands of mom and pop operators across the state,” said Governor Sanders. “By joining the Reigniting the American Dream compact, Arkansas is committing to support a new generation of builders who will shape the next decades of growth and open more doors for Arkansans in every corner of the state.”
As part of the compact, Arkansas will continue to make entrepreneurship a state priority as part of the Governor’s strategic workforce focus. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission will work with the state’s entrepreneurs, providing a “one-stop shop” of resources.
“Entrepreneurship is one of the key pillars of economic development, helping to create jobs and generate innovation in Arkansas,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “Joining the Reigniting the American Dream compact reaffirms the importance of entrepreneurship, and we look forward to supporting entrepreneurs around the state to build new opportunities in the Natural State.”
Nurturing small businesses has always been a priority for Arkansas. In 2023, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission unified its services that support small businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs under one new division: Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development. The division focuses on supporting the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by working with private and public partners to provide a range of services to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurs play a huge role in creating successful economies, and in Arkansas, these visionaries are helping to drive our state economy forward,” said Esperanza Massana Crane, director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Division. “By joining the Reigniting the American Dream compact, Arkansas is making a statement that entrepreneurship is a vital part of our economic strategy, and we are making a commitment to continue providing support and resources for these entrepreneurs.”
As AEDC’s “one stop shop” for small business owners and entrepreneurs, the Division of Small Business and Entrepreneurship has several initiatives to easily navigate the process of starting and growing a business. Entrepreneurial support organizations across Arkansas convene monthly on the ESO Call to discuss the current business climate, challenges, and opportunities. The Annual Arkansas ESO Summit fosters more collaboration while sharing best practices. AEDC launched 75Strong in 2025, a statewide initiative to educate and empower economic developers, chamber executives, and community leaders to better support entrepreneurs and founders in each of the State’s 75 counties.
Arkansas supports statewide technology commercialization and innovation through ARise, an AEDC-funded program that provides technical assistance and advisory services related to creating and scaling ventures, disclosing inventions, and translating technology innovations from lab to market. The goal of ARise is to create high-paying jobs in the knowledge, technology and information-based industries.
AEDC supports OnwardFX, a program designed to address gaps in early-stage funding and startup support by connecting investors and venture capital networks with Arkansas-based founders. Since its inception, the program has assisted more than 330 startups, hosted almost 1,000 one-on-one meetings, engaged 10+ venture capital firms, and hosted five events. The State offers a robust matching grant program for Arkansas-based businesses that receive Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants, as well as tax credits and other incentives to stimulate the knowledge-based economy.
Additionally, AEDC sponsors technology-based economic development through the Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA), a nonprofit support organization for the State’s research universities. ARA generates impact by driving market-driven university research expenditures and engaging the private sector through startup creation, licensing, or technology development partnerships. Arkansas research faculty in the ARA Academy have secured more than $100 million in competitive federal grant funding and founded startup companies that provide high-paying, high-skill jobs across the state.
The compact was developed by National Governors’ Association Chair Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma to promote entrepreneurship in the United States. Stitt signed an executive order to champion business-friendly policies and entrepreneurship in Oklahoma and has encouraged other governors to do the same in their respective states and territories.
The five goals of the compact are:
- Increase the number of Americans who start their own businesses
- Increase the ways that schools, communities, and governments help Americans translate their talents into new successful enterprises
- Increase new jobs and economic growth from startup businesses
- Increase the number of states and territories measuring and reporting progress on the impact of entrepreneurship
- Establish goals for lowering key barriers to business start-ups
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About the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn’t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. AEDC is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. To learn more, visit ArkansasEDC.com.
