Gov. Asa Hutchinson will visit corporate executives in Europe next week, armed with plenty of examples to show why Arkansas is a good investment.
Mississippi County is quickly expanding steel production. Bentonville is home to the world's largest retailer. The state generates $1.6 billion in aerospace-defense exports. And Arkansas farmers produce more rice than the rest of the nation combined.
"There's a lot of surprises they don't know about Arkansas, so it's showcasing industry that they would be aware of, but they might not make the connection with Arkansas, whether it be Wal-Mart, Tyson's, Dillard's," Hutchinson said in a session with reporters Thursday.
The governor leaves Saturday to spend two days in France and 21/2 days in Germany. He said he will have 17 formal meetings with business leaders and another 15 to 20 casual meetings in the two countries.
Many of the companies already have a presence in the state, and the governor said he hopes to coax them to create more jobs and facilities here.
In France, he will concentrate on the aviation industry. He's attending the International Paris Air Show, along with representatives from 44 different countries.
Hutchinson said 12 French companies already employ 4,300 people in 21 different Arkansas locations.
Dassault Falcon Jet Corp., a French company that has operated in Little Rock for more than 40 years, is currently expanding its facility in the city.
The Arkansas Economic Development Commission provided the company millions of dollars in incentives to retain jobs. Gov. Mike Beebe also used the Quick Action Closing Fund to provide an additional $2 million for building and renovation.
Scott Hardin, spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, said the Paris Air Show would be an opportunity to attract more aviation jobs to the state. This is the first time Arkansas has attended the show, he said.
"The fact that we've not been there -- we've been conspicuously absent," he said. "The fact that we're there now is really going to bring us good attention."
Hutchinson will take a different focus to Germany, where he will attend the METEC International Metallurgical Trade Fair in Dusseldorf.
The governor will talk about Nucor Steel and Big River Steel -- both in Mississippi County.
In 2013, the Arkansas Legislature authorized a $125 million bond issue for the Big River Steel mill near Osceola. That mill is under construction, and the bond issue was the first time the Legislature authorized a "superproject" under Amendment 82.
The amendment to the state constitution, approved by voters in 2004 and amended in 2010, allows the state to issue taxpayer-backed bonds to fund roadway improvements, water and sewer services, rail access, land acquisition and site preparation, training, and other needs to lure large corporate projects to Arkansas.
"We'll be able to boast that Arkansas soon will have one county that will be the leading steel producer in the nation," Hutchinson told reporters. "We've got a real story to tell there."
Outside of aerospace and steel, the governor said he would talk about his computer coding initiative, workforce training and the state's technology companies.
"It's so important to develop the relationships with the parent companies that will make decisions ultimately whether the companies here in Arkansas expand or not," Hutchinson said. "[You have to] create the right climate, make the calls, which I'm doing, and do it every day."
Metro on 06/12/2015