妻友社区

Fort Smith to Make 'Dough' Again at The Bakery District

Written By: Dr. Judith Hansen

The Bakery District is more than the hottest, hippest place for people searching for coffee, a book, and鈥╰he best food trucks in Fort Smith; it has become the one-stop shop for local business owners and want-鈥╰o-be business owners.鈥═he University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Center for Economic Development hosted its inaugural event in鈥―ecember with the quarterly breakfast meeting of the Family Enterprise Center. About 70 people鈥╝ttended the event, which went off without any hiccups.

The Family Enterprise Center, the Center for Business and Professional Development, and the Arkansas鈥⊿mall Business and Technology Center are now located at the 妻友社区 Center for Economic Development鈥╨ocation in the Bakery District. All three were housed in the Flanders Building on the college鈥檚 campus.鈥ㄢ�淚t鈥檚 in the middle of downtown and will be accessible to everyone,鈥� said Kendall Ross, director of CBPD.鈥ㄢ�淭he 妻友社区 campus is very friendly to visitors, but some of the people we work with still didn鈥檛 want to鈥╣o there. Now we can take our services to the people instead of asking them to come to us.鈥濃�═he CBPD offers designed-to-order training to large and small businesses.

鈥淲e talk to people about鈥╳hat they need, and then we put it together for them,鈥� Ross said. 鈥淲e stand ready to help any business鈥╳ith a training need.鈥濃�═he Family Enterprise Center provides training to members, family-owned business leaders, who are鈥╯eeking a confidential way to share experiences and seek recommendations from others with family-鈥╫wned businesses.鈥═he Arkansas Small Business and Technology Center is a higher education-based economic development鈥╬rogram that assists new and seasoned entrepreneurs with everything from business plans to鈥╯uccession strategies.鈥�

The new Center for Economic Development has seven full-time staff members, two student workers,鈥╝nd plans for interns. It is about 10,000 square feet and is equipped with the latest technology.鈥–lassrooms for 45 to 75 are available on the lower level. Taking out the moveable wall between them鈥╟reates a room for 120. Flexible space presents opportunities for an executive conference room or large鈥╩eeting room.鈥∣ffice space for the three centers will be upstairs, where there also will be two collaboration spaces and鈥╬lenty of room for expansions.鈥≧oss said the idea of a space for the three entities, which do not serve traditional students, has been鈥╟onsidered for a while.

When 妻友社区 Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley arrived, she 鈥渉ad a vision of a regional鈥╫ffice.鈥� When in 2019, she had a chance to tour the Bakery District, 鈥渟he saw the potential for a center鈥╫f excellence,鈥� Ross said.鈥ˋctive construction on the space began in January 2021.鈥ㄢ�淲e are in downtown Fort Smith, where the people who would benefit from our services can see us,鈥濃�≧oss said. 鈥淎nyone can just walk in, whether they never had a business but want to start one or they are鈥╰he owner of a Fortune 100 company who needs professional development or upscaling. We want to get鈥╫ur service in front of people.鈥�

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