Little Rock leaders tout record 380,000 jobs, Port of Little Rock eyes larger projects after mega-site certification

At a Little Rock Regional Chamber event, city and county officials said the Little Rock metropolitan area now counts 380,000 jobs and highlighted recent Port of Little Rock growth, including certification of a 900-plus-acre mega site they said will help attract large industrial projects. Speakers described infrastructure investments and public‑private partnerships as central to sustaining the region’s momentum.

"Today, we celebrate a remarkable moment for our city and region," Nat Lee, 2025 chairman of the Little Rock Regional Chamber and president and CEO of the Arkansas Democrat‑Gazette, said at the event, framing the announcements as the result of coordinated efforts across government and business.

The milestone matters because local leaders said it signals both current strength and potential for more growth. Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the city and regional partners have invested in infrastructure and workforce supports that make Little Rock competitive when companies evaluate sites. "This milestone is about innovation. It's about investment and intentionality," the mayor said, noting the city board of directors has invested in the Port of Little Rock.

Jay Cheshire, president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber, described a three‑part approach to economic development used in the region: supporting and expanding existing companies, attracting new employers, and creating an environment for entrepreneurs to scale. Cheshire said the region must tell its story nationally to continue competing for projects.

Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde said regional economic metrics back the leaders’ claims of momentum; he cited Federal Reserve Bank data that placed the Little Rock metro among the South’s fastest‑growing economies over a five‑year span and stressed that sustaining progress will require continued teamwork among business and government.

Brian Day, executive director of the Port of Little Rock, outlined specific port‑level impacts and ongoing projects. Day said the port will "soon support approximately 11,000 jobs" and that recent announcements have produced nearly $4 billion in economic impact. He said the port is implementing more than $30 million in infrastructure improvements and is seeking to expand real estate holdings to provide "product" — shovel‑ready sites — that prospects require.

Speakers noted a string of project announcements at the port over the past five years: Day and Cheshire said there have been 14 project announcements at the Port of Little Rock since February 2020. Day also said Entergy Arkansas recently certified a 900‑plus‑acre mega site; speakers called that certification a potential catalyst for a generational project that could change the region’s economic trajectory.

Leaders credited multiple partners for the results they announced: the City of Little Rock board of directors, Pulaski County, the state economic development apparatus, utility partners, Central Arkansas Water and Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, and private investors referenced as MetrocFOR and related supporters. Cheshire singled out water quality and reuse capacity as a competitive advantage that helped win projects, and he thanked Entergy Arkansas for its role in certifying the mega site.

Officials placed the new job figures and port expansion in a broader context of recent local wins: Cheshire said that under current leadership the region has created about 15,000 new jobs, and Mayor Scott said the metro now leads the state with the cited job total. The Port’s current tenant activity named during the event included Amazon, the Faimanville Group, Lexicon, Trex and WellSpan; Day said construction at those and other projects is supporting jobs and growth.

No formal votes or policy actions were taken at the event; the presentations were announcements and status reports. Cheshire said that speakers present would be available for follow‑up interviews after the program.

Details and figures provided at the event were presented as approximate in several cases: speakers said the city has invested "close to $40 million" in the Port Authority and attributed about $831 million in economic benefit to that investment; they described the port’s economic impact as "almost $4 billion" and the number of jobs supported by the port as "approximately 11,000." Speakers tied future project attraction to continuing investments in infrastructure, site readiness and utility capacity.

The announcements focus attention on infrastructure, utility capacity and certified industrial sites as determinants of whether the region will continue to recruit large projects and grow employment. Leaders said they would continue coordinating across city, county and private partners to pursue additional projects and to promote Little Rock’s advantages to prospective employers.