Jonesboro economic development partners outline $2M site grant, airport EDA funds and workforce, entrepreneurship initiatives

Mark Young, representing the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce and Jonesboro Unlimited, gave the committee a third‑quarter report on economic development projects and partnerships, outlining site development, airport infrastructure, workforce investments and entrepreneurship supports.

Young said the city and partners were awarded $2,000,000 from a $10,000,000 Arkansas Economic Development Commission pilot program to support a waterline extension and other site work at Craighead Technology Park South, a 612‑acre industrial tract south of existing manufacturers. "Having that capacity and quality of utility service sets us apart really from a lot of places across the State of Arkansas," Young said, describing utility capacity (water, sewer, electric) as a key competitive advantage for recruiting industry.

Young said the state has committed another $50,000,000 for site‑development grants over two years and that Jonesboro is preparing a sewer‑service application for the same park; the application deadline is Nov. 7. If the city is named a semifinalist, Young said semifinalist notices should go out in December and site‑location consultants will conduct site visits in January.

On air service and airport infrastructure, Young noted an Economic Development Administration grant of $5,000,000 toward a $6,000,000 project to build a new terminal at the Jonesboro Municipal Airport. "All of the infrastructure improvements, the strengthening of the runways, the new terminal, all of that goes to strengthen our economic development efforts in our community," he said. In response to a council question, Young said runway length is already sufficient for larger aircraft and that strengthening the runway and taxiways will improve the airport's capacity to handle larger private or commercial craft.

Young highlighted several workforce and talent initiatives. He described a multi‑institution workforce investment involving Arkansas State University, ASU Newport and Arkansas Northeastern College totaling about $88,000,000; Arkansas State received a little over $10,000,000 and began an initial cohort in August with 35 students studying food technology and high‑speed automation. Young also described a Techstars externship for teachers (30 participants this year, 194 educators to date) intended to help teachers present local career pathways to students, and he announced a "Here to Hired" career fair planned for March 12 at Nettleton Public Schools with a signing day for hires on April 9.

On entrepreneurship, Young said an EDA "jump start" partnership will fund a centralized website for entrepreneurs, periodic in‑person meetups and a plan to develop an angel network later in the grant period. He said Jonesboro Unlimited will receive a $100,000 grant through a National SHRM Foundation project to identify and pilot initiatives that reduce barriers to work, naming transportation, child care and upskilling as priority areas.

Young also cited labor‑market data from the Federal Reserve showing the civilian labor force up just under 9% since August 2020 and employment in Craighead County up from 49,725 to 55,456 (about an 11% increase) through August 2025. He closed by asking committee members to participate in a community survey tied to a new five‑year strategic plan being prepared with Vision First Advisors; the survey deadline was listed as Oct. 30.

Committee members asked questions about airport capacity, underground utilities (referred to City Wire and Light), the timing of a planned angel network (Young said it is early in the three‑year grant and likely later in the period), and how city efforts leverage university research and labs for startup commercialization. Young emphasized Jonesboro's diversified economic base and said the city and its partners are working to better coordinate outreach to site consultants and prospective employers.

Young agreed to present the full slide deck to the City Council if requested.