State of Northwest Arkansas Region, Business Analysis Set for Nov. 5

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Greg Pogue, left, and Mervin Jebaraj

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Council, will release the eighth yearly State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report on Nov. 5.

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report, first published in 2011, will be shared at a luncheon, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors Event Center at 314 N. Goad Springs Road in Lowell. Attendees can arrive at 10:45 a.m. for networking.

Speakers will include Greg Pogue of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas, which is a “think-and-do tank” that explores factors that promote economic development and creates programs to promote good business practices around the world, and economist Mervin Jebaraj, director of the university’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

Pogue and his team at the IC2 Institute spent more than a year studying entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas. Pogue will share his final report, called “Innovate Again, Innovate Here,” at the luncheon. His Northwest Arkansas research and assessment was funded by the Walton Family Foundation.

Jebaraj will outline the economic highlights in the State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report as well as economic data and statistics from the Center for Business and Economic Research’s Quarterly Business Analysis. The report is widely viewed as one of the best measures of performances compared to peer regions such as Madison, Wisconsin; Raleigh, North Carolina; Provo, Utah; Des Moines, Iowa; and Austin, Texas.

The cost for the program and luncheon is $45. Preregistration is required, and the deadline is Friday, Nov. 1. Reservations can be made for the luncheon at cber.uark.edu or by calling 479-575-4151.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.