A survey conducted by Thumbtack.com in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation found Arkansas is the second easiest state in which to start a small business.

The Thumbtack Small Business Survey, which involved 6,000 small business owners from across the nation, gave Arkansas an overall grade of “A-.”

Arkansas ranked 12^th nationally in overall small business friendliness, the survey showed. Idaho topped the ranking.

Arkansas earned “A” grades for making it easy to start a business, for its licensing practices and its training programs.

The survey found Idaho was the only better state for its ease in starting a business.

The complete survey results are available at the link:

Kauffman Foundation Research

The Census Bureau estimates that Benton County — the state’s second largest county and the home of companies such as Wal-Mart Stores, Arvest Bank and J.B. Hunt Transport Services — led Arkansas in growth in the 15-month period that ended in July 2011. Benton County’s population grew 2.8 percent to 227,556 residents.

Washington County — home of Tyson Foods and the University of Arkansas — ranked fourth statewide in growth rate. With 207,521 residents, the county is Arkansas’ third largest county.

If the overall 2.5 percent growth rate of the two counties were to continue, the combined population would reach 500,000 in 2018.

Benton and Washington counties are the core of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which also includes Madison County and McDonald County, Mo. The Census Bureau reported in April that the four MSA counties’ combined population was 473,830 on July 1, 2011. Only 22 of the nation’s 366 MSAs grew at a faster rate between April 2010 and July 2011.

Other statistics gleaned from the Census Bureau’s information about the 15-month population change:

• Arkansas’ population increased by 22,064. The state’s population should top 3 million in 2015.
• About one in four new Arkansas residents lives in Benton County (28.2 percent).
• About half of the Arkansas population growth occurred in Benton and Washington counties (48.3 percent, 10,673 people).
• Benton and Washington counties’ addition of 10,673 residents is more than Central Arkansas’ four largest counties (Pulaski, Garland, Saline and Faulkner counties combined added 10,162 residents).
• In an area that includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, only three counties added more residents than Benton County, Ark.
• Benton County’s addition of 6,217 people exceeded every county in states such as Alabama, Missouri and Mississippi.
• 28 of the Arkansas’ 75 counties increased in population.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates are available for download at:

Population by County

APAC Central will receive $5.8 million to widen the region’s busiest highway from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Wedington Drive. It is a 1.45-mile segment, and the contract allows for 75 working days to complete the project.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department has promised to widen I-540 to six lanes in a 25-mile course in Benton and Washington counties if voters approve the temporary, half-cent sales tax on Nov. 6. There are six other I-540 sections to widen, and only one of those segments has dedicated funding.

“Our state’s commitment to widening I-540 is critical to reducing traffic congestion, improving quality of life and enhancing our region’s economic vitality,” said Mike Malone, the Northwest Arkansas Council’s president and CEO. “A better I-540 makes Northwest Arkansas a better place.”

Fortune magazine announced its list on Monday, May 7, and the full list is at Fortune 500 2012

Headquartered in Bentonville, Wal-Mart’s annual revenue increased to almost $447 billion, up from $421 billion last year. However, Texas-based oil company Exxon Mobil rose to No. 1 as higher oil prices helped its revenue increase from $355 billion last year to more than $452 billion this year.

Wal-Mart held the No. 1 position in 2010 and 2011 and it has jostled with Exxon Mobil for the top spot over the past decade. Wal-Mart was first recognized as the nation’s largest company in 2002 and it’s been recognized as the nation’s largest company seven other times.

Tyson Foods, which is based in Springdale, increased its revenue, too, and it is No. 96 on Fortune magazine’s annual list. Its revenue rose to $32.3 billion, up from $28.4 billion last year.

In all, Arkansas has four companies in the Fortune 500, more than 24 other states. The other states with four companies on the list are Nevada and Oklahoma.

Arkansas’ other Fortune 500 companies are El Dorado’s Murphy Oil (No. 98) and Little Rock’s Dillard’s (No. 383).

What’s remarkable about Wal-Mart is how much bigger it is than so many other Fortune 500 companies. It’s more than six times the size of Target, ranked No. 38 and one of its top competitors.

Other information about the Arkansas companies on the Fortune list:

• Wal-Mart’s revenue of $447 billion is more than the combined revenue of the 24 Virginia companies on the list ($355 billion) as well as the 15 Georgia companies ($317 billion).
• Just 12 states have more Fortune 100 members than Arkansas. New York leads the way with 17 Fortune 100 members.
• Kansas City, which has three Fortune 500 companies (Sprint Nextel, Seaboard and YRC Worldwide), is the only metropolitan area within a 300-mile drive of Northwest Arkansas with more Fortune 500 companies than Northwest Arkansas (Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods).

A national magazine has recognized Springdale-based Tyson Foods as one of the nation’s Best 100 Corporate Citizens.

The ranking by Corporate Responsibility magazine is based on such things as employee relations, corporate governance, philanthropy and financial performance.

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Proctor & Gamble, which has a large Fayetteville office, is also among the companies recognized by the magazine.

Many of the Top 100 companies identified by Corporate Responsibility magazine have smaller offices in Northwest Arkansas so they can effectively do business with Tyson Foods and the other large companies based in the region.

“Our overarching mission is accountability,” the magazine wrote on its website. “We believe it’s vital for investors, regulators, customers, suppliers, employees, and neighbors to know as much as possible about the companies they invest in, do business with, and work for.”

A complete list of the 100 companies identified on the Best Corporate Citizens list can be found at the link:

Best Corporate Citizens

The GREEN Mobile Solar Energy Laboratory

The mobile laboratory is housed in a converted 33-foot Winnebago and uses a conventional gasoline engine to get around. But it is equipped with six 230-watt solar panels that can power the lab’s equipment, computers, television and other features for two hours at a time.

The mobile lab is the latest addition to an outreach program with a goal of exposing Arkansas students to fun and interactive projects in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“Our objective is to get K-12 students excited about pursuing STEM careers by integrating hands-on solar energy experiments into the Arkansas K-12 science curriculum,” said Vasundara Varadan, director of the GREEN Center at the University of Arkansas. Varadan is a Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and holds the George and Boyce Billingsley Endowed Chair.

Funding to create the vehicle came from a $162,663 grant from the Arkansas Energy Office, which is part of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

The lab on wheels will be unveiled at a ribbon cutting at 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 30, outside of the John A. White Engineering Hall. Chancellor G. David Gearhart will help launch the mobile outreach vehicle, and tours of the mobile laboratory and demonstrations of selected experiments will be offered to anyone attending

The GREEN vehicle outreach project is organized by the Arkansas Green Renewable Energy-Efficient Nanoplasmonic Solar Cells Center, which has units on the University of Arkansas campuses at Fayetteville, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Fort Smith, as well as Philander Smith College in Little Rock.

The Kauffman Foundation calculated the index for Arkansas at 0.34%, which means there are 340 entrepreneurs per 100,000 adults per month in the Natural State.

Arkansas runs slightly ahead of the nation rate of entrepreneurial activity. The national rate is 0.32%. Arizona had the highest entrepreneurial activity rate at 0.54% and West Virginia had the lowest entrepreneurial activity at 0.15%.

A copy of the full Kauffman Foundation report is available at Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity

In Northwest Arkansas, entrepreneurs can find a support network ready to help them seek idea validation, mentorship, physical space and capital. Recently, entrepreneurs in this area have discovered valuable new resources. They include:

• The Iceberg—an initiative of the Northwest Arkansas Entrepreneurship Alliance, which provides collaborative workspace.
• Gone in Sixty Seconds (G60)—a fast-paced, business-idea pitch session.
• The ARK—a group of advisors, entrepreneurs, key cluster experts and investors interested in economic development through the mentorship and acceleration of young technology startups.
• The Natural State Angel Association—Northwest Arkansas’ first formal angel network.

All of these efforts, supported by the Northwest Arkansas Council and its partners, create a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas. See more detailed information on the Council’s Entrepreneurship page, which has links to each initiative.

Northwest Arkansas Entrepreneurship

The tourism association is one of 12 in Arkansas. The State Legislature established regional tourism associations in 1969. They receive grant money each year from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and also raise local money to promote regional tourism venues. More information about the Northwest Arkansas Tourism Association is available at www.explorenwar.com

The Northwest Arkansas Council and other partners are developing a separate regional brand to promote economic development. That brand, which will focus on attracting companies and professional talent to Northwest Arkansas, will be made public later this year.

There’s media coverage of the new “Explore Arkansas” campaign in The City Wire and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Their coverage can be found at the links:

The City Wire

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Paid content)

Featuring: Jessy Lang from Good Things Boutique,
Rebekah Champagne from Terra Tots,
Joyce Robertson from Mountain Air Organic Beds, and
Judy Paynesmith from Lean Green Cuisine.

This is the fourth and last in the series.  The goal of the lecture series is to showcase the importance of sustainability in business and to inspire students to increase their understanding and knowledge of sustainability. Snacks will be served at the event.
  For more information contact Micy Liu at yxl062@uark.edu or Emily.crossfield@gmail.com

Walton, the daughter of Wal-Mart Stores founder Sam Walton and an honorary lifetime member of the Northwest Arkansas Council, opened Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in November 2011 in her hometown of Bentonville.

TIME’s art critic Richard Lacayo described Walton’s unique decision to put a major art museum in a smaller American city.

“With Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, she has placed a daring bet that a small town can become a big art-world destination,” Lacayo wrote. “We’re betting she’s right.”

To see TIME’s complete list of its 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012, visit the link:

Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World 2012