Northwest Arkansas continues to see a stream of newcomers to the region – an average of 30 day – which will push the metropolitan area population above 500,000 by mid 2014.
Business and community leaders met Tuesday (April 23) to discuss and identify ways to assist newcomers in becoming more engaged in their local community.
ConnectNWA, sponsored by Walmart Stores Inc., was hosted by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Northwest Arkansas Council. It brought together 50 leaders for a one-day summit focused on connecting newcomers.
“The summit is an opportunity to bring the community together to better understand the benefits of a diverse workforce,” said Lee Culpepper, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Wal-Mart.
The newcomers consist of immigrant workers and other professionals relocated here for work assignments anywhere from two to five years. Recent University of Arkansas and John Brown graduates often stay in the region as they are recruited by local companies.
“Our ability to engage newcomers in our community and helping them find success here is critical to our region moving forward,” said Mike Malone, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council.
Those participating in the summit represented churches, community organizations, colleges and universities, cities, school districts and businesses.
The summit’s facilitators included United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce CEO Al Zapanta, Migration Policy Institute Senior Policy Analyst Randy Capps and Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation CEO Sherece West-Scantlebury.