As seen in the February edition of the Chamber Voice, the 2018 Annual Report offers a summary of each Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce division’s accomplishments in 2018. An extended version of each division will be profiled on the Voice of Business Blog. The next department summarized is Economic Development.
- Overall
- 1,100 jobs created in Rogers through November 2018.
- Unemployment at 2.5 (lowest in the region)
- NWA ranked 2nd Best Mid-Sized City for jobs in 2018 by Forbes
- NWA #5 Best Place to Live by US News & World Report
- Rogers ranked #14 Best Place to Live in 2018 by Time/Money (top spot in Arkansas)
- Over $100 million in new projects announced in 2018
- Bond Issue Passed in Rogers
- Nearly $300 million
- New roads
- New parks
- Park overhaul
- Public safety
- Development
- Topgolf announced Rogers location
- Three (3) new office buildings and a parking deck are slated for Pinnacle Hills Area
- Pinnacle Heights
- Over 200 apartments
- Hotel
- Mixed used retail/office
- Brownstown residential
- The District Phase 2 under construction along Pauline Whitaker
- Two (2) 9,000 SF restaurant plats
- Retail centers
- Two-story office building
- Promenade Area
- Hilton Garden Inn under construction
- Mercy nearing completion of $250 million hospital expansion allowing creation of 1,000 new jobs
- Cabela’s converted to new Bass Pro format
- Strip center next to Best Buy (two restaurants and three retail spaces)
- Dave and Buster’s opened in old food court
- Local Lime opened in old Texas Land and Cattle building
- Fox Trail Distillery on Bellview Rd.
- Pleasant Grove area
- Multi-family development
- New medical facility under construction
- Burger King on 26th St.
- Back Yard Burger is re-opened
- New strip center behind Taco Bueno
- Hustle In Heels
- First year program averaged over 100 attendees at each event
- First ever Women in Public Service Forum
- Job Fairs
- Over 550 people attended the two (2) Job Fairs in 2018
- 95 Employers participated in the Job Fairs
- Workforce Development
- Five (5) area students were provided with scholarships towards CTE post-secondary education
- K2J Connect Events
- Representatives from 13 different school districts and industry partners
- Hosted Rogers CTE Coordinator twice on Chamber Voice of Business Podcast
- Dedicated monthly column in Chamber Voice printed newsletter for workforce development content
