Catalysts & Crossroads

You know you’re in Arkansas when a four-and-a-half-hour drive brings gratitude, excitement, nostalgia, and a little hope for what’s next. My trip from Bentonville to Jonesboro earlier this month was exactly that. Ozark color gave way to the river valley, then to the hum of Central Arkansas, and finally to a region built on the foundations of life: food and shelter.

Or, in NEA terms—agriculture and steel.

I was headed to Arkansas State University’s Catalyst event, where Chancellor Todd Shields and I sat down for a fireside chat in front of more than 620 people. Business owners, educators, county judges, mayors, students, workforce leaders—everybody in that room showed up because they care about the future of their community. It didn’t feel like a conference. It felt like a crossroads.

I started that morning as I did most mornings, with a run. I ran through campus, saw a little but of the town, and even at 6am it was clear - this is a place with a pulse!

Every once in a while, a region shifts under your feet. Years of groundwork surface. People look at each other with that expression that says, “Okay… this might actually be happening.”

That’s where Northeast Arkansas is right now.

Headlines will cover expansions, workforce projects, logistics wins, precision agriculture, and steel production records. All important. But the real story is that NEA is standing at an intersection of rising opportunity, rising coordination, and rising expectation. Catalyst didn’t create that moment—it made it impossible to ignore.

What’s Driving the Momentum

Mississippi County has become the number-one steel-producing county in America and the anchor of a modern manufacturing ecosystem. Agriculture—once considered heritage—is now an innovation platform fueled by precision technologies, processing, robotics, and value-add opportunity. Logistics give the region outsized reach: river, rail, highway, runway. Healthcare systems are growing as regional anchors, attracting and training talent. Meanwhile, young families are moving in, community colleges are producing workforce-ready graduates, and affordability remains a competitive advantage.

Stack this against Arkansas’s broader trajectory—net in-migration, manufacturing resurgence, workforce investments, and real rural revitalization—and NEA’s moment becomes even sharper. The question isn’t whether the region will grow. It’s how, with whom, and whether it will grow with intention.

The Trail Travelled

If you want a picture of what NEA entrepreneurship looks like when it matures with purpose, look at Ted and Amanda Herget and Gearhead Outfitters. Ted started the company in 1997 out of a friend’s living room, moved it to Main Street as downtown Jonesboro was waking up, and built it one relationship at a time. Together they scaled Gearhead from a single shop to nearly 20 stores across multiple states through steady expansion and key acquisitions. Along the way, they’ve twice earned Arkansas Business of the Year honors—proof that a homegrown NEA idea can grow far beyond its ZIP code without losing its roots.

If you have ever been around these two, you know they relish a challenge. They are bought in on Northeast Arkansas. I hope that intention is infectious and others buy into what this region is and what it can be.

What Catalyst Revealed

Catalyst worked as a mirror. It showed a region with the ingredients, partners, and momentum already in place—but still developing consistent alignment. That’s fixable. Alignment is a muscle, and Catalyst was a workout.

Regionalism beats municipalism. Talent, employers, investors, and site selectors don’t care about city limits. One labor shed. One story. One argument for growth.

And A-State is the natural convener—credible, neutral, capable. The job isn’t to run everything. It’s to keep the table open and the cadence strong.

Where NEA Goes From Here

Opportunities don’t become outcomes on their own. They need rhythm and shared responsibility.

Meet on a regular cadence. Build an employer feedback loop that’s real-time, not annual. Adopt one regional workforce narrative. Lock in three shared priorities and take them to Little Rock and D.C. as a coalition. Build a visible dashboard so the region can measure itself.

The Bigger Truth

Regions rise the same way people do—by staying connected, showing up, and choosing intention over inertia. NEA has industry, talent, infrastructure, affordability, higher education, leadership, and momentum all showing up at the same time.

The window is open.
Time to step through it—together.

Let’s Talk

Graham