ARCO in Action- Montgomery County

Welcome to ARCO in Action- Montgomery County

In an organized effort to create economic development opportunities for Montgomery County the Arkansas Coalition of the Ouachitas- Montgomery County is a working group of businesses, government, education institutions, as well as volunteers who have an interest in the development of our county and region.

We hope that you find this site useful and helpful as you see the progress and purpose of this group in moving Montgomery County and the Ouachitas forward.

Montgomery County on the Move-

ARCO in Action- Montgomery County, as well as, the Mount Ida Area Chamber of Commerce have been working together to move Montgomery County Forward. You will see the progress currently being made through these efforts on the pages on this site. To see how we have made this far check out the information below.

This dedicated group of volunteers have been working hard to achieve many aspects of our County Wide Master Plan. Some of the notable milestones include-

  • Arkansas Quilt Trail Designation

  • Arkansas Rural Connect Grant Program Recipient

Our Mission-

To lead in promoting and advancing sustainable prosperity and well being for the people of west central Arkansas through broad-based development including economic, community, educational and leadership initiatives.

Rumblings of “action” and “momentum” echoed throughout the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce as groups collaboratively discussed ways to transform strategic planning into immediate action during the 2019 Breakthrough Solutions Pre-Conference Workshop.

The pre-conference workshop, "Creating Connected Communities: A Hands-On Workshop for ARCO in Action,” took place on June 25 and featured the three-county Arkansas Coalition for the Ouachitas. This region, known as ARCO for short, includes Montgomery, Polk, and Scott counties. As the pilot community, local ARCO leaders, in collaboration with Breakthrough Solutions Partners, worked to coordinate community conversations and working groups aimed at creating action-oriented strategies that could be applied to the ARCO region.

“Most counties in Arkansas are losing population and so there is tremendous need for community leaders to come together to engage citizens, plan for the future, and take action," said Mark Peterson, Professor of Community and Economic Development. “In this time of rapid change, it’s critical to take action, make things happen and build momentum towards positive community and economic development."

Prior to the pre-conference, Breakthrough Solutions partners and staff toured each community before facilitating a conversation with community leaders/stakeholders aimed at identifying the assets, opportunities and potential areas for the region to grow. These partners included, Roby Robertson from UA Little Rock, Phil Plyer from Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Tandee White from Entergy Arkansas.

by Mark Peterson and Emily Smith- July 25, 2019

Pictured above are members fo ARCO in Action- Montgomery County and Breakthrough Solutions presenters brainstorming solutions for economic activity.