Jay Chesshir

After two years of pandemic havoc, people tired of being cooped up are ready to travel. The state’s two largest airports, located in Little Rock and Bentonville, are reporting major progress towards recovering the amount of passenger traffic seen before…

It’s something of a trick question to say that small business’ primary challenges are not COVID-related in the new year. After all, nearly everything concerning small business has in some way been affected by COVID, from staffing to inflation to…

The Venture Center, the Little Rock Regional Chamber, Arvest Bank, and the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) have teamed up to host the third year of Spark!, a local small business pre-accelerator program. Applications are open now…

Czech firearm company Ceska Zbrojovka Group (CZG) has closed its acquisition of Colt. CZG announced in February that it was acquiring 100 percent of parent company Colt, the Colt Manufacturing Company, and Colt Canada Corporation. On Monday, May 24, CZG…

Jay Chesshir is well-known for his involvement in the capital city’s development. In 2006, the proud native of Nashville (Howard County) became the 15th president and CEO in the 143-year history of the chamber. Chesshir began his career at the…

The Little Rock Regional Chamber has named a new director of business retention and expansion. Raymond Omar Long will serve as the chamber’s new director, where he will oversee the existing industry support program. In his new role, Long will…

A quick spin through the Port of Little Rock yields a glimpse of the city’s industrial community foreign to many residents. Everything out here is huge — the gargantuan factories sprawling across the landscape; the raw materials and finished products…

Ten Central Arkansas startups will soon have the opportunity to spark their business growth. The Venture Center and Little Rock Regional Chamber are launching the second annual Spark! pre-accelerator program. Through this program, 10 local startups will receive “mentorship, publicity…

Despite the impressive gains made by other quadrants of the state, Central Arkansas continues to hold sway over the largest share of the state’s economic activity, thanks to a central location, an abundance of resources and a pro-business attitude. These…

Six Arkansas companies have been selected to participate in the inaugural Spark! pre-accelerator cosponsored by the Venture Center and the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. Over the course of 14 weeks, the six companies will participate in a boot…