The Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance and Area Chamber of Commerce joins our regional partners in celebrating Southwest Arkansas’ achievement of an ‘AA’ Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone rating for woody biomass.
This designation reflects a strong regional partnership across Southwest Arkansas. Communities and economic development organizations throughout the region worked together with the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance (SADA), Ecostrat, and the BDO Zone Initiative to provide the information, insight, and local support needed to complete the evaluation and achieve this designation.
The national rating provides rigorous third-party verification of the region’s dense, reliable timber supply and confirms Southwest Arkansas as an attractive destination for clean energy, advanced bioproducts, wood-related manufacturing, and other biomass-dependent industries.
Prescott, a neighboring Southwest Arkansas community, serves as the anchor point for the technical evaluation. However, the designation reflects a much broader regional opportunity. The underlying feedstock basin extends across county lines, supported by timber resources, harvesting operations, processing infrastructure, transportation networks, and communities throughout Southwest Arkansas. As a result, the increased visibility and investment interest generated by the BDO Zone designation can create opportunities across the region, including Clark County.
As a proud member of SADA, Clark County is excited to join our regional partners in promoting this designation and showcasing the industrial assets available to companies considering Southwest Arkansas.
“This ‘AA’ rating validates what our region has known for generations: Southwest Arkansas possesses an extraordinary natural resource base supported by a skilled, dedicated industrial workforce,” said Shelley Short, President & CEO of the Arkadelphia Alliance. “For Clark County, pairing our certified 991-acre Southwest Arkansas Mega Site and Union Pacific rail capabilities with this regional biomass designation gives prospective companies another compelling reason to consider Southwest Arkansas for future investment.”
Timber has anchored the regional economy for generations. Earning an ‘AA’ rating signals to global site selectors and bioeconomy developers that the region offers a strong combination of timber volume, supply logistics, infrastructure, industrial sites, and operating conditions.
The designation also demonstrates the value of regional collaboration. Clark County is proud to join SADA, Ecostrat, the BDO Zone Initiative, and our fellow Southwest Arkansas communities and economic development partners in building on this achievement and using it to pursue new investment, jobs, and economic opportunities throughout the region.
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