PINE BLUFF -- Jefferson County has obtained certification ensuring prospective employers that the county's Economic Development Alliance owns a shovel-ready parcel of land that is ready for industrial development.
Jefferson County is one of seven locations in Arkansas to obtain Select Site certification from Entergy Arkansas' Office of Business and Economic Development. The program is intended to demonstrate to prospective businesses and industries that many of the initial hurdles of ensuring a site's suitability -- things such as environmental fitness, access to infrastructure and utilities, proper zoning and a clear path to lease or purchase -- have already been cleared.
That process alone can save prospective businesses or industries as much as six months to a year of work and thousands of dollars, said Danny Games, director of Business and Economic Development for Entergy Arkansas.
"When a company is ready to make a move, to make an expansion, they don't have a lot of time to buy," Games said. "They need to act within the current market circumstances, so if they want to site a new location for a manufacturing or distribution operation, time is of the essence. What this certification initiative is meant to do is to reduce time, money, uncertainty and risk."
Jefferson County and Pine Bluff officials have been working for years to try and reverse the flow of businesses and industries leaving the area. Officials said they believe obtaining Select Site certification for a 44.42-acre parcel in the Jefferson County Industrial Park, 5320 Jefferson Parkway, gives prospective investors a quick way to assess the fitness of the property along with assuring potential investors that much of the upfront time, effort and expense of assessment have been done.
To qualify for Select Site certification, the Economic Development Alliance and Chamber for Jefferson County was required to document a number of conditions related to the property. The conditions included availability for sale, access to transportation infrastructure, access to utilities and ensuring that the site meets environmental guidelines.
Once it was confirmed the property met the criteria, Entergy Arkansas awarded its certification along with a $5,000 grant to the Alliance, opening the way for Alliance and Entergy Arkansas officials to nationally market the parcel as a site that is ready for immediate industrial development.
"It's a blood sport in our county sometimes to say what all we've got wrong and bad and whatnot, but we have a lot more good going on here than we do bad," Alliance board member David Beck said Tuesday during the certification announcement. "Let the world know that we are moving forward, and we're doing great things here with help from other people."
As companies evaluate relocation options, Games said, they are faced with risks and uncertainties that often lead to delays and expenses that can lead them to look elsewhere.
Communities that are proactive in their approach and work to eliminate those risks and uncertainties create a competitive advantage for themselves in marketing properties. Games said the Select Site initiative does that by letting prospective companies that are considering Arkansas for new investment opportunities know that Jefferson County is ready now.
"It's really not site selection," Games said. "It's site elimination all the way down to one final site."
Entergy has certified properties in Maumelle, Little Rock, Magnolia, Newport, Russellville, West Memphis and Pine Bluff in the past 14 months, and all seven properties have either been sold or leased.
"That represents a total investment of $1.74 billion and the creation of more than 2,600 jobs," Games said.
Nancy Lee McNew, vice president of Economic Development for the Alliance, said Pine Bluff's process began with a survey of the property, a Phase One environmental site assessment and checks with various state agencies to ensure there were no issues regarding wetlands, endangered species, archeological or historical aspects that could complicate development.
"When a prospect comes, we have this great, green field ready to go; they can see that the Phase One is clean, the survey is done," McNew said. "It just really kind of expedites the process."
State Desk on 12/08/2019