Jonesboro Unlimited (JU) has been awarded $2 million through the Arkansas Site Development Program in an announcement by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC). Jonesboro joins 12 other communities in the state that received funding to enhance industrial sites, increasing their readiness for job-creating economic development projects.
“Jonesboro Unlimited is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the State of Arkansas to improve the readiness of our industrial properties,” said Mark Young, JU President and CEO. “These funds will be used to provide industrial water service to over 600 acres in the Craighead Technology Park.”
Under Governor Sanders’s leadership and in partnership with the Arkansas State Legislature, AEDC developed and announced the Arkansas Site Development Program in June 2024. Eligible recipient locations are industrial sites of at least 30 contiguous acres of land, listed on the Arkansas Site Selection Database, and owned or optioned by the applicant.
“Strong communities with competitive industrial sites are essential for winning economic development projects, and the Arkansas Site Development Program will play a major role in equipping our state’s communities to win,” said Clint O’Neal, AEDC Executive Director. “The Arkansas Site Development Program is the first program of its kind in our state, and it is an important step that will help us continue to secure economic development projects in the years to come. This program would not have been possible without the support of Governor Sanders, the Arkansas General Assembly, and the local communities that applied for funding – we appreciate their support and look forward to continued success.”
The full list of Arkansas Site Development Program awards are:
• AR-TX Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI) – Texarkana, $2,000,000
• Berryville Business Park – Berryville, $400,000
• City of Prescott – Prescott, $698,845
• Conway County Economic Development Corporation- Morrilton, $109,800
• Economic Development Corporation of Clark County – Arkadelphia, $1,013,710
• Forward Searcy Inc. – Searcy, $314,165
• Hempstead County Economic Development Commission – Hope, $4,602
• Hot Spring County – Malvern, $133,250
• Jonesboro Unlimited – Jonesboro, $2,000,000
• Little Rock Port Authority – Little Rock, $2,000,000
• Newport Economic Development Commission – Newport, $335,700
• Southeast Arkansas Regional Intermodal Facility Authority – Monticello, $166,520
• Stuttgart Industrial Development Corporation – Stuttgart, $823,408
