Arkansas Press Association Paid News Distribution Service
Providing small and emerging business owners in rural communities with the skills, tools, and contacts needed to position their businesses for success and better engage in job creation activities are the goals of an upcoming regional business conference to be held in Hope, Arkansas. Funded by the Arkansas Human Development Corporation (AHDC) and USDA RD, with support from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the 2026 Southwest Arkansas Rural Business Development Conference, with a theme of “Innovation and Disruption: Business Strategies for Success”, will bring together approximately twenty (20) private, quasi-state, state, federal and non-profit organizations to provide businesses with needed resources to position their businesses for growth and success.
Confirmed and/or invited partners include Arkansas APEX Accelerator, Southern Arkansas University-Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASU-ASBTDC), City of Hope, Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Agency (MCAEOC), Hempstead County, Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce, The Roots Agency, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The conference will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm via Zoom and in-person. In-person participation is limited to seventy-five (75) at the conference site, which is located on the campus of the University of Arkansas-Hope and Texarkana, Hempstead Hall, 2500 Main Street, Hope, AR 71801. Topics include, but are not limited to, social media strategies to grow your business, securing the right kind of capital, obtaining technical assistance for your business, and selling goods and services to the government and corporate sector.
Please join us at 8:30 am for a “Breakfast with the Lenders Roundtable,” where business owners will network with local, regional, and statewide lenders. Lenders confirmed and/ or invited to participate include ACC Capitol, Bank OZK, Cadence Bank, Diamond Bank, Farmers Bank & Trust, FNBC, FORGE Community Loan Fund, Southern Bancorp, Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and USDA Rural Development-Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program. Mrs. Megan Whitehead, South Arkansas Regional Director, FORGE Community Loan Fund, will facilitate the lenders session. Mr. Harvey Williams, Jr., Co-founder and CEO, Delta Dirt Distillery, will be the luncheon speaker.
Do not miss the opportunity to strengthen your small business by acquiring the tools, resources, and strategies to position it for success.
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