More Notes: ARK Challenge Gets Some Air Time, Exporting Aerospace

The ARK Challenge is up and running in Fayetteville, and getting more air time.

This time, courtesy of KFSM and The City Wire.

IA advisor Jeff Amerine was joined by ARK director Jeannette Balleza and Ryan Frazier of IA client firm TTAGG to discuss the ARK and the overall startup environment in NWA.

Again, here’s the link.

The ARK Challenge drew applicants from all over the state, country and even the world. Its inaugural boot camp runs through Nov. 9.

Many entrepreneurs from the 15 selected startups are being exposed to Arkansas for the first time. You often hear that Arkansas undersells (stereotypes of hillbillies) and and over-delivers (NWA, for example, is on virtually every ‘best of’ list). That should be the case with the ARK, which is optimistic that some of the out-of-state participants will decide to stay and plant roots in Arkansas.

Exporting Aerospace

The Arkansas office of the U.S. Export Assistance Center has put together a series of free seminars, “Enhancing Arkansas’ Capabilities in the Aerospace Industry,” that will highlight unique aerospace export opportunities into Mexico and Brazil.

The seminars are set for:

• Mon., Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers;
• Tues., Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Reynolds Center on the campus of SAU in Magnolia;
• Wed., Sept. 12  from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Sponsors include the U.S. Commercial Service, Arkansas District Export Council, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, PROMEXICO, Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas World Trade Center and the Golden Triangle Economic Development Council (based in Magnolia).

From the U.S. Export Assistance Center Arkansas:

This opportunity features formal presentations from both the U.S. & Mexican Government economic and trade promotion agencies to highlight aerospace opportunities and to help build capabilities of Arkansas companies to compete for export business in these two dynamic markets.  A business panel comprised of Arkansas business leaders will also be presented.

Arkansas companies that attend will learn about the importance of the aerospace sector to Arkansas; learn to sell into Tier 1 and 2 aerospace vendors in Mexico & Brazil; learn to maximize outcomes with international trade show attendance; learn to refine sales capabilities for global sales; and to manage contracts / compliance.

Register here. For more information, contact Eric Johnson in the Arkansas export assistance office at 501-324-6544 or Eric.Johnson@trade.gov.

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