UA Community & Economic Development

10/13/2026

Thanks for recently hosting our CPED Team.

10/13/2026

Know anyone in Dallas County? They have a local ballot issue to decide.

Voters in Dallas County have a county sales tax proposal to decide Nov. 3.

The Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture partnered with the UADA Dallas County Extension Office to produce a fact sheet explaining the proposal.

Find the fact sheet at https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/ced-blog/posts/2026/october/fact-sheet-available-for-2026-dallas-county-road-sales-tax.aspx

10/09/2026

That's a wrap on National APEX Day 2026!
Arkansas APEX Accelerator

10/08/2026

We now have an updated fact sheet on the structure and responsibilities of county government in Arkansas. Check it out!

Want to know more about how county government is structured and operates in Arkansas? We have a new fact sheet for you.

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/PDF/FSPPC325.pdf

10/08/2026

Arkansas APEX Accelerator thanks Gregory for his kind words and congratulate him on his continued success.

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10/07/2026

Celebrate Arkansas APEX Accelerator client success with us!

🎉 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗫 𝗗𝗮𝘆 on October 8th celebrates the contributions and successes of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and government contractors.
As a way to celebrate, we would like to share some of our past client success stories.

Watch your Arkansas APEX Accelerator newsletter for upcoming success stories.

𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗜𝗻𝗰. (𝗣𝗖𝗖)
Pacific Continental Clothing, Inc. (PCC) is a vertically integrated apparel manufacturer based in Southern California that has successfully transitioned from a purely commercial operation into a thriving government contractor—securing more than $21 million in Army and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) contract awards. This transformation was made possible through strategic leadership and sustained support from the Arkansas APEX Accelerator.

📘 READ MORE: https://mailchi.mp/uada.edu/newsletter-march

𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗜𝗻𝗰.
The Arkansas APEX Accelerator and Jason Hammock, owner of Hammock Flying Services, Inc. and Precision Rotors Inc. have been working together for the last ten years. The last contract the company received was for $86,919 with the Department of the Army.

📘 READ MORE: https://mailchi.mp/uada.edu/newsletter-june

𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽 𝗜𝗻𝗰
Founded in 2006, Blackhive Corp Inc originally focused on importing sugar from Mexico. Following new opportunities created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the company diversified its offerings to include canned goods. With a strong commitment to feeding the world, promoting global trade, ensuring food safety, and championing sustainability, Blackhive rapidly expanded—doubling in size within a single year thanks, in part, to some government contracting.

📘 READ MORE: https://mailchi.mp/uada.edu/newsletter-august2025

Congratulations to these clients (and all of our clients) on their success in the government marketplace. We wish them continued success and are here to support them.

10/06/2026

Partner spotlight.
Arkansas APEX Accelerator

National APEX Day on October 8th celebrates the contributions and successes of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and government contractors.

Our Arkansas APEX Accelerator clients would not be successful without the assistance of our resource partners. We would not be able to do what we do for Arkansas businesses without them. It truly is a team effort sometimes. So, today, as we celebrate National APEX Day, we would like to recognize them and send a special note of thanks.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬:
Arkansas Economic Development Commission(AEDC)
Cindy Gaddis
Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC)
Delta Center For Economic Development (ASU)
Arkansas State University-Beebe
City of Little Rock Ar
Conductor
Harrison Chamber of Commerce
Monticello Economic Development Center
Newport Economic Development Center
Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce
Startup Ju**ie
The Generator Pine Bluff
University of Arkansas (UA) Fort Smith
UA Pine Bluff Business Support Incubator
Communities Unlimited
Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
U of A Division of Agriculture (UADA)

𝕎𝕖 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤!

10/05/2026

Arkansas APEX Accelerator is celebrating our newest Procurement Counselor, Davin Ryles, as part of National APEX Day 2026.

🎉 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗫 𝗗𝗮𝘆 on October 8th celebrates the contributions and successes of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and government contractors.

We are pleased that 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 recently joined us as our new Arkansas APEX Accelerator's Northeast Procurement Counselor. He started August 10th and is located at our Jonesboro office, located in the Delta Center for Economic Development on the Arkansas State University campus. Davin is an employee within the Community, Professional and Economic Development (CPED) Department.

Davin brings valuable experience in federal lending, financial analysis, and government program administration, along with hands-on experience navigating federal regulations, processes, and compliance requirements. His background and expertise will be a great asset as he works with businesses and supports our organization’s mission throughout Northeast Arkansas.

We are excited to have Davin join us and look forward to the knowledge, expertise, and collaborative spirit he will bring to our organization.

We hope our clients will join us in welcoming Davin. We are excited to see how Davin flourishes as he works diligently to contribute to the success of our Arkansas APEX Accelerator clients.

10/05/2026

👁️ View this short 1 minute video showcasing the success of our Arkansas APEX Accelerator clients.

10/02/2026

Celebrate with Arkansas APEX Accelerator

🎉𝒞𝐸𝐿𝐸𝐵𝑅𝒜𝒯𝐸 𝒲𝐼𝒯𝐻 𝒰𝒮

𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗫 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟴𝘁𝗵 - #𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗫𝗗𝗔𝗬𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
As part of National APEX Day celebrations are taking place across the country, we’re joining organizations nationwide in highlighting the opportunities available to businesses through government contracting. We’re celebrating all week with engaging learning experiences designed to help businesses discover how they can compete for and win government contracts.

🎈𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓷 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓝𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓐𝓟𝓔𝓧 𝓓𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓮𝔀𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮:
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2026/october/10-01-2026-ark-apex-accelerator-day.aspx

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦:
𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟳𝘁𝗵 –
11 AM to 12:30 PM CDT (VIRTUAL)
👉 REGISTER: https://arapex.ecenterdirect.com/events/2547
Arkansas APEX Procurement Counselor, Kenneth Griffin, will be leading the workshop, “Cash, Capital & Contracts—The Entrepreneur's Guide to Growth.” Special guest Cassandra L. Kidd, Assistant Vice President and Business Access Advisor at U.S. Bank, will share practical guidance on building strong banking relationships, understanding business credit, accessing capital, and implementing sound financial management practices.

𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟴𝘁𝗵 –
National APEX Day Event: Interested in Doing Business with the Government?
10:00 - 11:30 AM
The Kenny Building 940 on the Little Rock Air Force Base (MUST have access to enter the base or be accompanied by an es**rt in order to attend this event)!

👉 REGISTER: https://forms.osi.apps.mil/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=jbExg4ct70ijX6yIGOv5tGtRjLcJELVNi2POvWGbnQBUN1lTQUxYODJZWEFLS1ZUVk1EVFBGNUtDWCQlQCN0PWcu&origin=lprLink&route=shorturl

Ready to explore the world of government contracting? Join us for an informative and practical session designed to help businesses understand how to successfully sell to federal, state, and local government agencies. Arkansas APEX Accelerator Procurement Counselor Timothy Hicks will lead this workshop and will be joined by Suzanne Terrazas (SBA) and Jason Gibson (VBOC).

Participants will gain valuable insight into:
• Identifying government contracting opportunities and finding the right contracts for your business
• Understanding registration, certification, and eligibility requirements
• Navigating the bidding and proposal process
• Learning strategies for pursuing government contracts with confidence
• Building strong, productive relationships with government agencies
• Accessing practical resources and tools to support your government contracting journey.

Whether you’re new to government contracting or looking to strengthen your existing strategy, this session will provide practical knowledge, guidance, and resources to help position your business for new opportunities.

Celebrate National APEX Day with us and discover how your business can become part of the government marketplace!