AUGUST 2013

Sales managers from left to right: Steve Ostrowski, Reid

Bryant, Brett Berry, Jay Myers, Justin Kervin, Heath Boothby,

Jeff Morrison, Karl Justice. Crain Team’s growin’DEDICATED TO CENTRAL ARKANSAS, CRAIN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

BREAKS GROUND ON NEW KIA DEALERSHIP FULL STORY, PAGE 4

Faulkner County Business Journal To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat2D — Sunday, August 11, 2013

The American Cham-ber of Commerce Exec-utives, an association of professionals who man-age chambers of com-merce, has named the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce the 2013 Chamber of the Year.

The Chamber of the Year award is the na-tion’s only award rec-ognizing the dual role chambers have in cre-ating both leading busi-nesses and communities. The award recognizes excellence in operations, member services and community leadership. Contenders underwent a multi-step process that included the ACCE Op-erations Survey, an ap-plication and portfolio, and an in-person inter-view.

The operations sur-vey pre-qualified ap-plicants for the award.

More than 200 ACCE-member chambers of commerce were invit-ed to compete following the review of data. These chambers were then grouped into four cate-gories based on popula-tion in their service area, number of business-es in their service area, membership and annu-al revenue. Conway Area Chamber was one of three finalists in Catego-ry 3 — the second-larg-est category. The other finalists in this category were Christian County Chamber of Commerce in Kentucky and Mich-igan West Coast Cham-ber of Commerce.

The awards program took place Wednesday, June 24, at ACCE’s an-nual convention in Okla-homa City. The entire Chamber staff was invit-ed to attend the ceremo-ny and witness their or-ganization take home the top award. Brad Lacy, president and CEO, said the Conway Area Cham-ber’s investors and the city as a whole deserve for their Chamber to be the best.

“I can honestly say that Conway is the best city in Arkansas, and our Chamber has the best team in the business,” Lacy said. “The invest-ments of time and re-

sources from our mem-bers, volunteers and community leaders make a difference in our abil-ity to compete at a na-tional level. We are hon-ored that our peers in the chamber industry recognize the work we do every day.”

The awards program was also an occasion to recognize two Con-way Area Chamber staff members who obtained the highest achievement in the chamber man-agement profession. TJ Johnston, executive vice president, and Jamie Gates, senior vice presi-dent, earned their Certi-fied Chamber Executive designation after com-pleting a rigorous four-step process. Johnston and Gates were two of 21 candidates nationwide in the CCE Class of 2013.

The Conway Area

Chamber was also rec-ognized at the ACCE convention for receiving Awards of Excellence for outstanding communica-tions efforts.

The 29th annual Awards for Communi-cation Excellence pro-gram attracted 142 en-tries from chambers of all sizes across the U.S. A three-judge panel of chamber executives eval-uated the entries and se-lected winners in four categories: advertising, electronic, publications and campaigns.

Conway Area Cham-ber received an award in the publications cat-egory for its 2011 “Hid-den Treasures of Con-way” annual report and in the advertising cate-gory for the Conway De-velopment Corporation’s “Forward Together” invi-tation. Conway Chamber

was in the largest class for these awards and was recognized alongside larger organizations in Dallas, Kansas City, Mil-waukee, Nashville, Okla-homa City and Tulsa.

About the American Chamber of Commerce Executives

Established in 1914, ACCE is the only nation-al association uniquely serving the profession-al development needs of individuals who man-age chambers of com-merce throughout the U.S. and several other countries. Representing 7,500 chamber profes-sionals, ACCE enhances the knowledge, leader-ship skills and manage-ment effectiveness of chamber executives and their staffs through ed-ucation, publications, re-search, benchmarking and best practices.

Conway Area Chamber named 2013 Chamber of the Year

Celebrate with us!

Jeff D. Standridge, chairman of theConway Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors

requests the pleasure of your company at a

Chairman’s Toast

to celebrate the national designation as

Thursday, August 22, 2013 from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m.

900 Oak Street Conway, Arkansas

501.327.7788

WHAT’S THAT GONNA BE?

What’s That Gonna Be? Market Square South.

The 30,000 square foot Market Square South building will include commercial tenants on the ground floor and student residences on the upper two floors. The commercial tenants will include the new Conway office of Del-ta Trust and Bank, The Purple Cow, a popular 50’s style diner, and Conway Management, Inc., a hotel management

group.Where is that? In the Village at

Hendrix on the south side of the square.When will it open? The project

should be completed by the end of the year with commercial tenants opening for business in early 2014. Student res-idences should be ready by the begin-ning of the fall semester.

Who’s building it? Nabholz Cont-struction.

Faulkner County Business Journal Sunday, August 11, 2013 — 3D Log Cabin Democrat • Find our online edition at www.thecabin.net

Laura Grimes, chief financial officer at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, received the IOM recognition from Institute for Orga-nization Management, a four-year profession-al development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. As a graduate of Insti-tute, Grimes has com-pleted 96 hours of course instruction in nonprofit management.

The curriculum con-sists of four weeklong sessions offered annual-ly at five locations across the country. Participants learn from university professors, industry ex-perts and leading prac-titioners in the chamber and association indus-tries. Courses topics in-clude advocacy, mem-bership, media training, finance, legal issues, hu-man resources and other facets of running a non-profit organization.

Grimes, who has an accounting background, said that program was

an opportunity to learn more about the Chamber industry as a whole. It also connected her with other professionals who share similar experienc-es.

“After my four years in the Institute for Or-ganization Management program, I walked away

with more knowledge about the Chamber in-dustry as well as great ideas and best practic-es to take back to my or-ganization,” Grimes said. “The program was also an opportunity to con-nect with and learn from other chamber, associa-tion and nonprofit pro-

fessionals.”Grimes joins Con-

way Area Chamber col-leagues Brad Lacy, pres-ident and CEO, and TJ Johnston, executive vice president, in earning the IOM recognition. For more information about the program, visit Insti-tute.USChamber.com.

Grimes earns IOM recognition

RuSSell lAhodny photo

Chief financial officer Laura Grimes earned her IOM recognition from Institute for Organization Manage-ment. She is pictured with fellow Conway Area Chamber staff members Brad Lacy, Mary Margaret Satter-field, Whitney Cummings and Aaron Throneberry.

The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce’s 13-in-13 program will take participants to Nabholz Construction Services and the Uni-versity of Central Ar-kansas this month. The Nabholz visit is sched-uled for Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 11 a.m. un-til 1 p.m., and the tour of UCA will take place Thursday, Aug. 29, from 2:50-5 p.m.

The 13-in-13 program gives individuals an in-side look into 13 busi-nesses that have had a significant role in devel-oping Conway’s econo-my. At each visit, 13 at-tendees will gain insight into the history and op-erations of some of Con-way’s largest employers. Previous visits have in-cluded Acxiom, Kim-berly-Clark, Hewlett-Packard, Southwestern Energy and RockTenn.

“The 13-in-13 pro-gram gives people a unique opportunity to learn more about the community where they live and work,” said Lindsay Wygal, senior vice president of Cham-ber operations. “It’s a value-added benefit to our members and an op-portunity to get a be-hind-the-scenes look at the organizations that have helped shape the Conway economy.”

Conway-based Nab-holz has three distinct brands operating in 10 locations throughout five states. The compa-ny offers more than 15 different services and

has been behind a num-ber of projects, including the installation of an os-cillating orchestra pit for Miami’s New World Symphony.

The UCA visit will include a campus lec-ture and a guided tour of the university’s land-marks, halls and newest facilities. Participants will learn more about the history of the four-year, public institution and will tour the new-est building on campus, Bear Hall. Bear Hall is home to the EPIC Res-idential College (En-trepreneurship, Public Scholarship, Innovation and Community En-gagement) and the lux-ury sky boxes overlook-ing Estes Stadium. As part of the tour, visitors will receive complimen-tary general-admission tickets to UCA’s opening home football game. The game begins at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29.

Future visits with the following businesses are scheduled for this year: Central Baptist College, Conway Public Schools, Conway Regional Health System, Snap-on Equip-ment, The Village at Hendrix and Virco Man-ufacturing.

The 13-in-13 program is free to the employ-ees of Chamber mem-ber businesses. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to make a reservation, email Lindsay Wygal at Lindsay@ConwayAr-kansas.org.

Nabholz, UCA next stops for 13-in-13 program

Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the Conway Area Chamber of Com-merce’s Minority En-terprise Development awards gala. The event will take place Thursday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in McCastlain Hall on the UCA campus.

Williams took over as CEO of Southern Ban-corp in February 2013.

Prior to joining South-ern, he was the manag-ing part-ner of Carney Williams

Bates Pulliam & Bow-man PLLC. Williams ob-tained his law degree from Vanderbilt Uni-versity School of Law

and received his bach-elor’s degree from Hen-drix College. Williams is a current member of the Arkansas General As-sembly. He is a state rep-resentative for District 36, which includes part of Pulaski County.

The MED awards gala is an opportunity to cele-brate the achievements of minority entrepreneurs and the individuals and organizations committed

to advancing minority business enterprise. The nomination process for the five categories has ended, and the recipients will be announced prior to the event.

Limited tables are available. For informa-tion, contact Whitney Cummings, director of membership develop-ment, at 501-932-5411 or at Whitney@ConwayAr-kansas.org.

Southern Bancorp CEO, Hendrix alum to speak at gala

Williams

The Crain Com-panies began as “Paul Crain Wholesale” in

Searcy, Arkansas in the early 1950’s. “Mr. Paul,” Larry Crain Sr.’s father, started out “peddling” tire repair items, health and beauty aids, fishing tackle and other gener-al merchandise out of the trunk of his car. His customers were primar-ily small town “mom and pop” grocery stores and service stations. His business grew first into a van and later to a small “warehouse” (also his garage) and associa-tion with other peddlers, namely Hartsell Capps and Wendal Pettus. The seat-of-the-pants opera-tion grew up to the time Larry Crain, Sr. came on the scene in 1966. Lar-ry had graduated from the University of Arkan-sas with an accounting degree, passed the CPA exam and worked three years for the Peat Mar-wick Mitchell account-ing firm and decided he wanted to go into busi-ness for himself.

In 1966, the compa-ny, then known as Crain Sales Company, built a new sprawling (10,000 square feet) headquar-ters on Highway 36 in Searcy, which in an ex-panded form (50,000 square feet), served as the company’s headquar-ters and main distribu-tion facility until July 1992 when the compa-

ny moved to a new office and warehouse in North Little Rock.

Beginning in the ear-ly 1980s, the company saw an industry trend and customer need for free-standing auto stores and opened its first Kar-Pro auto parts store in Searcy. During the 80s and up until 2000 the company expanded by acquisition and new lo-cations to more than 16 locations. In September 2000 a majority of the automotive parts dis-tribution facility was merged into the O’Reilly Auto Parts operation.

Third generation

Crains joined the fami-ly business after gradua-tion from the University of Arkansas — first Lar-ry Crain, Jr. in 1985, then Chris Crain in 1994.

In 1990 The Crain Companies purchased a Ford Dealership in Ben-ton, Ark., and renamed it Freeway Ford Lincoln Mercury. In 1992 a sister dealership in Memphis was purchased and oper-ated as Midway Ford. In 1999 Crain acquired the Landers North Facility from United Auto Group and was awarded the Kia franchise. Later that year Crain acquired Ser-vice Chevrolet Oldsmo-bile from Cliff Peck, and Crain sold Midway Ford in Memphis to United Auto Group to focus on growing the Central Ar-kansas market.

Crain began operating all dealerships under the Crain Automotive Team umbrella as Crain deal-erships. Throughout the next decade Crain fur-ther expanded the deal-ership operations to include multiple dealer-ship locations and an RV store. Led by company president Chris Crain, in January of this year

the Crain Team acquired two Hyundai dealerships in Northwest Arkansas, marking their first ven-ture in that part of the state. Many stores have recently been relocated or renovated to meet the changing needs of its val-ued customers.

Of all the dealership operations one of the most successful franchis-es are Crain Buick GMC on Museum Road in Con-way. Purchased from Jody Brown 11 years ago, Crain Buick GMC has grown to one of the Top 12 Buick GMC deal-ers in the nation. The GM Giant is led by Gen-eral Manager Jay My-ers. “One of the things we pride ourselves on is

that we don’t just work in Conway and Faulkner County, this is home, our kids go to school here, play little league and soccer here; we invest in this community because it’s important to us.”

The Crain Team pres-ence in the area is hard to miss. Whether you’re at a UCA football or bas-ketball game, Toad Suck Dayz, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Faulkner Coun-ty, Soaring Wings Ranch, Relay for Life or count-less other communi-ty events, you’ve noticed the Crain Team.

Earlier this week Crain broke ground on the all new Crain Kia of Conway. The project is expected to be complet-

ed in the spring of 2014. “We’re excited about Kia” said Myers. “Not only does Kia back every ve-hicle with a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty, they are some of the saf-est and most fuel efficient vehicles on the road.”

The new Kia store will be the second Kia store for the Crain Automotive Team. “We believe in the Kia brand and their vi-sion. The product is fan-tastic; it’s safe, offers the latest in technology and is competitively priced,” said Chris Crain. He continued, “We are look-ing forward to contin-ued growth in the Con-way area. It’s an exciting time for the city and for the Crain Team.”

Faulkner County Business Journal To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat4D — Sunday, August 11, 2013

COVER STORY

Crain Team continues to growDevoteD to central arkansas, automotive group breaks grounD on kia Dealership

The Crain Automotive Team recently broke ground on a new Kia dealership in Conway, the second Kia store for the company.

‘We are looking forward to continued

growth in the Conway area.’

—Chris Crain

President,

Crain Automotive Team

Faulkner County Business Journal To subscribe call (501) 329-2927 • Log Cabin Democrat6D — Sunday, August 11, 2013

Price Address Beds Baths HBA Subdivision SQFT City $ SqFt Built$675,000 21 Sugar Maple Ridge 4 5 1 Nob Hill 6000 Conway $112.50 2004$450,000 880 Acadian Point Drive 4 3 1 Adamsbrooke 4144 Conway $108.59 2003$430,000 4510 Bay Hill 4 3 1 Centennial Valley 3709 Conway $115.93 2000$348,000 1125 Applewood Cove 4 4 0 Applewood Cove 3119 Conway $111.57 2011$337,900 50 Northlake Circle 4 3 1 Northlake 4027 Conway $83.91 2006

TOP 5 RESIDENTIAL HOME SALES

The Conway Area Cham-ber of Commerce invites area businesses to participate in the 2013 Business Expo. The event will take place Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Conway Expo Center and Fairgrounds. Southwestern Energy is the presenting spon-sor.

Business Expo includes a breakfast, a business-to-busi-ness trade show and Taste of Conway. Mary Margaret Satter-field, director of events at the Conway Area Chamber of Com-merce, said that this setup pro-vides businesses with varied opportunities to network with other professionals and exhibit their products and services to a diverse and captive audience.

“The variety of events is what really sets it apart from other expos in the central Ar-kansas,” Satterfield said. “First, the Business Expo Breakfast is attended by more than 150 leaders from Conway’s business community. Second, the trade show provides more than 120 exhibitors with sales opportu-nities and business-to-business networking. Finally, Taste of Conway attracts more than 500 potential customers to Business Expo.

“We anticipate more than 1,000 people will come to Busi-ness Expo throughout the day.”

Business Expo kicks off at 8 a.m. with the Business Expo Breakfast, presented by Con-way Corporation. The breakfast has been part of Business Expo for three years and tradition-ally has served as an occasion for the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce to announce sub-stantial economic development and community initiatives. Since 2010, the chamber has

unveiled the Conway2025 re-sults, the Interstate 40 corridor design and the Lifelong Learn-ers Pre-K initiative.

The Business Expo and Re-tail Showcase, a business-to-business trade show, begins at 9 a.m. and lasts until 3 p.m. Product demonstrations, busi-ness-to-business networking, and the actual selling of prod-ucts and services – all done on the Expo floor – can ultimately increase sales and sales leads for exhibitors, according to Sat-terfield.

Chick-Fil-A will host a lunch presentation at this year’s Expo. Alan Kizer from Chick-Fil-A will present a seminar on customer service. “Chick-Fil-A has become synonymous with outstanding customer service,” said Satterfield. “We’re excited to have Alan share those best practices with our business community.”

Taste of Conway gives the community a chance to sample some of the best food Conway has to offer. The event takes place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the floor of Business Expo, giving food service providers the op-portunity to get in front of more than 500 company representa-tives and community members. Restaurants, caterers, food and drink distributors, and other food service providers that are members of the Chamber are eligible to participate in Taste of Conway at no cost.

Sponsorships and booth space are available for the 2013 Business Expo and Taste of Conway. Contact the Chamber at 501-327-7788 or visit Con-wayArkansas.org to learn more about sponsorship and exhibi-tion opportunities.

As the back-to-school sea-son officially kicks off this month, tens of thousands of central Arkansas residents may experience an unex-plained urge to shop in Con-way. “We want to deliver the message multiple times in a variety of formats.” said Con-way Chamber Director of Destination Marketing Ra-chel Earls. The chamber is executing a marketing cam-paign on behalf of the Con-way Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The campaign is focused on almost 39,000 households in Beebe, Cabot, Maumelle, Searcy and Russellville. Earls said that the Convention and Visitors Bureau wanted to target “swing shoppers” who might be tempted to shop in

other communities. “We chose these specific communities because they have a choice about where to do their shop-ping and we want them to think of Conway first.”

The CVB has done sim-ilar campaigns in previous years that primarily relied on direct mail. This year’s campaign has evolved to in-clude digital marketing products from the Log Cab-in Democrat and KATV. “The Log Cabin created a plan to

reach and track shoppers on-line in our target areas,” said Earls. “We’re also going to “take over” the KATV news app for a day and finally fol-low up with direct mail.” Earls said that the hope is for some area residents to see the campaign in each for-mat multiple times.

The Bureau also included a special promotion to help the mail piece stand out in a crowded mailbox. One lucky winner is promised a $1,000 VISA gift card to jump start their shopping. “Historically, we’ve had a great response and we think the online com-ponent will help. We want to constantly remind central Arkansas that Conway busi-nesses can meet all of their needs,” said Earls.

Sponsorships, booth space available for Business Expo, Taste of Conway

CVB launches back-to-school shopping campaign

#CON0000000817-01 (9col, 9in x 6.5in) 08/06/2013 10:30 EST

Faulkner County Business Journal Sunday, August 11, 2013 — 7D Log Cabin Democrat • Find our online edition at www.thecabin.net

Information provided by pulseofconway.com

Conway Economy at a Glance

Unemployment RateJune 2013

US ......................... 7.6%Arkansas ................ 7.2%Faulkner County .. 6.9%Conway .................. 6.7%*Faulkner County & Conway not Seasonally AdjustedSales Tax Collections

Conway*May

2013............. $2,029,2422012............. $1,863,254Percent Change 8.9%

Annual*2012........... $22,944,1632011........... $22,366,464Percent Change 2.6%*Tax Rate 1.75%

Faulkner County*May

2013................ $744,5902012................ $686,072Percent Change 8.5%

Annual*2012............. $8,465,6862011............. $8,279,301Percent Change 2.3%*Tax Rate 0.5%

Restaurant Sales*June

2013........... $14,206,8242012........... $13,839,197Percent Change 2.7%

Annual Sales2012......... $153,412,9882011......... $144,646,055Percent Change 6.1%*Including mixed drink sales

Hotel SalesJune

2013............. $1,914,2342012............. $1,959,078Percent Change -2.3%

Annual Sales2012........... $18,683,6762011........... $18,662,136Percent Change .12%

Conway Building Permits

Single Family HomesYear to Date July

2013.............. 90 Permits

2012............ 106 Permits Percent Change -15.1%Average Construction

Cost*Year to Date July

2013................ $229,0982012................ $209,530Percent Change 9.3%

Average Square Footage*

Year to Date July2013...................... 2,9942012...................... 2,897Percent Change 3.3%Average Construction Cost Per Square Ft.*

Year to Date July2013.................... $76.522012.................... $72.33Percent Change 5.8%

Annual2012............ 186 Permits 2011............ 153 PermitsPercent Change 21.6%Average Construction

Cost* Annual

2012................ $207,5372011............... $204,387Percent Change 1.5%.*Not including land or lot improvements

Average Square Footage* Annual

2012...................... 2,9102011...................... 2,814Percent Change 3.4%Average Construction Cost Per Square Ft.*

Annual2012.................... $71.332011.................... $72.63Percent Change -1.8%* Total under roof

Lottery SalesFaulkner County

July2013............. $1,126.0102012............. $1,276,389Percent Change -11.8%

Year to Date (July)2013............. $9,736,6302012........... $10,441,637Percent Change -6.8%

Total StateJuly

2013........... $32,483,1662012........... $33,367,514Percent Change -2.7%

Year to Date (July)2013......... $266,770,7222012 ........ $279,962,196Percent Change -4.7%

Natural GasSeverance Tax

DistributionJune

Conway2013.................. $25,1862012.................. $12,394Percent Change 103.2%

Faulkner County2013.................. $20,4482012.................. $10,028Percent Change 103.9%

AnnualConway

2012................ $162,4572011................ $254,822Percent Change -36.2%

Faulkner County2012................ $131,4182011................ $204,052Percent Change -35.6%

Wellhead Price per MCF*

Yearly Average2012...................... $2.662011...................... $3.952010...................... $4.482009...................... $3.672008...................... $7.97

Number of Active Wells*

Faulkner County ...... 350Total in Field ......... 4,481*As of December 12, 2012

Estimated Life TimeValue of Production*

Total Field ......................$11,382,327,198*As of September 30, 2012

By RogeR Lewis

While driving to Little Rock in morning rush hour traf-fic, you might wonder just how many people from Con-way work in the Little Rock area. This number can be es-timated from several sourc-es. The Arkansas Department of Work Force Services notes that during 2012 an average of 54,700 Faulkner County residents were employed. Of those, 40,607 were employed by 2,760 firms in Faulkner County (based on 2012 em-ployment and earnings data). Thus, at least 14,000 work-ers are employed outside the county. Some of them must be driving with you during that morning rush hour.

Commuting to Faulkner County

Of course, some of the 40,607 workers in Faulkner County commute here from other counties, which means that even more than 14,000 Faulkner County’s workers commute to work outside the county. A considerable num-ber of employees of our larger firms, Axiom, Conway Region-al, Kimberly Clark, Hewlett Packard and UCA, commute here from outside the county.

Data collected several years ago by the census bureau and extrapolated to current work-force numbers provides a rea-sonably accurate picture of commuting practices. From this analysis, approximate-ly 8,600 workers commute to Faulkner County (this does not include college students). About 250 of these commute from out of state, leaving 8350

workers who come from other Arkansas counties. Although 46 counties are represented by the commuters, 6830 of them come from the Conway County (2075), Pulaski County (1760), Perry County (1115), Van Bu-ren County (930), White Coun-ty (500), and Cleburne County (450).

The same data indicates that approximately 15,100 workers commute from Faulkner County to other plac-es. Although their destinations include 36 counties, the bulk of them (12,400) go to Pulas-ki County. This leaves 31,000 employees that I call native employees — they live here — work here.

The word commute is a broad term and does not nec-essarily mean a daily drive. In addition the data on origin of workers includes workers from distant counties, other states and even countries. These workers may travel weekly or monthly or perhaps reside temporarily. These character-istics fit many who work in the gas exploration industry.

Traveling to and from Little Rock has been a nightmare for years. In the 1950s and 1960s, before Interstate 40 was built, the commute was on a two-lane highway through May-flower, Palarm and North Lit-tle Rock. It often required an hour or more. The highway in-frastructure has had major improvements to keep up with the growing population. The four-lane I-40 was a god-send for commuters and made com-muting much easier. Then, the I-430 bypass around west Lit-tle Rock and I-630 through the center of Little Rock helped re-

lieve the logjam. The intersec-tion of I-430 and I-630 in Little Rock, now under construction, is the most ambitious and ex-pensive intersection ever built in Arkansas.

Now I-40 from Conway to the I-430 junction is being widened to six lanes to serve a traffic volume that averages more than 71,000 vehicles per day between Conway and that junction.

We are a mobile society when it comes to the work place, which brings up another question. Do we need a mass transit system? Yes, but it will be many years before some-thing like a light rail system will be built in central Arkan-sas. However, I believe it will happen, maybe when the traf-fic volume on I-40 from Con-way to Little Rock exceeds one million vehicles per day. In the meantime we certainly could use some public transporta-tion within Conway and to the Little Rock area. The only transportation we now have in Conway is a few taxis, a cou-ple of medical paratransit pro-viders and vans that serve state employees and clients of non-profit entities. We have no scheduled public transporta-tion system. If you need public transportation to get to work in Conway, forget it. Howev-er, I predict that in just a few years we will have some form of public transportation in Conway.

I thank my friend Chris Spatz for editing and helping me with this ar-ticle. You can obtain more informa-tion on the economy of Conway and Faulkner County by going to the Pulse of Conway website (www.pulseofcon-way.com).

Where do Faulkner County residents work?