The Chamber Voice of Business podcast, hosted by Steve Cox and Nick Smith, featured Sara Lynn Geiger, VP of Government Affairs for the Rogers Lowell Chamber. They discussed the importance of advocacy and government affairs as a key mission area of the Chamber. Geiger highlighted the Chamber's role as a convener, bringing together businesses and legislators to discuss and influence business-friendly legislation. She also mentioned the upcoming 2024 elections and the importance of staying informed and participating in the voting process. The podcast also touched on the Chamber's upcoming events, including roundtables and breakfasts with federal and state delegates, and a new initiative, a Civics Bee, aimed at educating middle school students about government and civics.

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, hosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith welcome Duke McLarty, Executive Director of Groundwork NWA, to discuss the critical role of workforce housing in building a strong and vibrant community. McLarty shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities surrounding workforce housing, and he provides practical strategies for businesses and community leaders to take action. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of: The definition of workforce housing and its importance to a community's economic vitality The factors that contribute to the shortage of affordable housing The impact of workforce housing on business recruitment and retention Strategies for addressing the workforce housing shortage Examples of successful workforce housing initiatives in Northwest Arkansas This episode is essential listening for anyone who cares about the future of Northwest Arkansas and wants to make a positive impact on our community. About Groundwork NWA Groundwork NWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating healthy, livable, and equitable communities in Northwest Arkansas. The organization works to address a variety of community needs, including workforce housing, economic development, and environmental sustainability.

In this episode of the Chamber Voice of Business Podcast, hosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith welcome Michelle Wynn, Executive Director of Child Care Aware of Northwest Arkansas, and Dina Ford, owner of Wild About Learning Academy, to delve into the crucial role of Early Childhood Education in our region's growth and prosperity. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities facing early childhood educators, the impact of quality early learning on children's development, and the business community's role in supporting this essential sector.

Join us for an engaging and insightful episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with our special guests, Geovanny Sarmiento, Senior Vice President of Community Engagement & Inclusion, and Meredith Alvarez, Community Engagement & Inclusion Manager, both from the Rogers Lowell Chamber. In this compelling episode, hosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith sit down with Geovanny and Meredith to explore the rich tapestry of Hispanic culture and heritage in our community. As we honor and reflect on the contributions, traditions, and achievements of Hispanic Americans, Geovanny and Meredith share their personal stories, experiences, and the significance of Hispanic Heritage Month. Tune in to discover: Personal Stories: Geovanny and Meredith share their unique journeys, including their cultural backgrounds and the role Hispanic heritage plays in their lives. Chamber's Commitment: Learn about the Rogers Lowell Chamber's commitment to fostering a more inclusive and diverse community and the initiatives they are spearheading. Celebrating Diversity: Explore the significance of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and its broader implications for promoting cultural diversity and understanding. Community Engagement: Gain insights into the Chamber's work to engage the Hispanic community and provide support and opportunities for all residents. This episode is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of Hispanic heritage, celebrate the vibrant contributions of Hispanic Americans, and learn about the Chamber's ongoing efforts to build a more inclusive and united community. Join us in this celebration of culture, unity, and the strength that diversity brings to the Rogers-Lowell area. Don't miss this inspiring conversation on the RLC Voice of Business Podcast!

In this illuminating episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, our hosts, Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Steve Cox, and Creative Services Director, Nick Smith, embark on a journey into the world of remote working. They are joined by an esteemed guest, Korenda Allen, the Director of HR for Beaver Water District. Together, they explore the paradigm shift that remote work has brought to the business landscape and delve into the reasons behind its lasting presence. As we embrace the new norm, this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast offers a compelling look into the future of work. It equips business leaders, HR professionals, and employees with the knowledge and insights they need to thrive in an era where remote work is not just a temporary solution but a permanent part of the business landscape. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the undeniable influence of remote working and how it's reshaping the world of business. For more information, go here: https://shrm.org/pages/default.aspx

The Chamber Voice of Business podcast, hosted by Steve Cox and Nick Smith, recently held a live recording at the Thank-a-Teacher Celebration event, Sponsored by Sam's Furniture. The event, which was attended by over 1,500 teachers, was a celebration of educators and their impact on the community. The hosts interviewed several guests, including Joe and Larra Donaldson from Sam's Furniture, who donated a $10,000 home makeover to a deserving teacher, and Dr. Jeff Perry, superintendent of Rogers Public Schools. The event also featured a fair with over 80 businesses showing their support for teachers. The hosts emphasized the importance of investing in education, as teachers are shaping the future of the community.

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business, Steve Cox and Nick Smith interview their coworkers at the Chamber who also happen to be immigrants to the U.S. – Geovanny Sarmiento, SVP of Community Engagement and Inclusion, Mariana Osorio, Community Engagement and Inclusion Manager, and Nyasha Bgoni, Marketing Communications Manager. America, as most of our listeners know, is a country full of immigrants. Not just in modern society, but historically the United States has both welcomed and depended upon immigrants to supplement our workforce, increase our economic success, and add to the diverse melting pot that is American culture. In fact, a George Mason University study confirmed that immigrants fuel entrepreneurship in the US being more likely to start a business than native-born Americans. In Northwest Arkansas, that diverse culture is immediately evident just driving down the road. New family-owned restaurants, ethnic grocery stores, expanded sports offerings such as cricket at our community centers, and multi-lingual recreational services from cooking classes to yoga are all across the NWA region. This is all illustrated in the numbers as well – By the numbers: The population of Northwest Arkansas (Benton, Washington, and Madison counties) went from being about 95% white in 1990 to nearly 71% in 2021. The second-largest group is Latino, which makes up 17% of the population, up from 1% in 1990. The total population (of ALL peoples) has increased by 20% since 2010 — from about 463,200 to 555,480. The Rogers Lowell Chamber is proud of the strides our community has taken to not only be inviting but also inclusive to the folks moving here, whether they be from one of the coasts or Latin America. We were proud to be the first Chamber in NWA to include a Minority Business Development position over a decade ago and continue to advance our Social Equity and Inclusion offerings as time goes on. Currently, we happen to have 3 immigrants on staff at the Chamber, and they are here with us today to talk about their different experiences as immigrants to our area, and what they do to help bring business and community together as staff members with the Chamber today!

In this special episode, Steve Cox and Nick Smith interview their sons about what they think their dads do for work, what their plans are for the summer, and what all they enjoy doing around the bustling Northwest Arkansas area. This is a fun side-episode meant to entertain and give folks a glimpse at fatherhood within the Rogers Lowell Chamber.

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, Steve Cox and Nick Smith get to interview Jenny Wilkinson – Senior Manager, US Insights & Analytics at Mondelez International, and Monica Kumar – Belonging, Equity & Inclusion Strategist with EngageNWA about their experiences as Asian Indian Americans living and working in Northwest Arkansas. The interview was conducted in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, and was a part of the Chamber's efforts to educate our community on the diverse backgrounds of those living and working together in Rogers, Lowell, and the rest of NWA. During Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, communities celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans with community festivals, government-sponsored activities, and educational activities for students.

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, Steve Cox and Nick Smith get to interview Dr. Jeff Perry, Superintendent of Rogers Public Schools, and Jim Davis, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education of Rogers Public Schools, about public education in Northwest Arkansas. Public education is one of the foundational aspects of society in America today. Throughout the history of public education in the US, public schools have filled multiple roles. These roles are an outgrowth of why public schools came into being and how they have evolved. Since the 1830s, public education has continued to provide knowledge, civic, and economic benefits to communities across the US, and a lot of local advancement has come about through the work surrounding schools in these communities. That continues today, and in Northwest Arkansas, it’s especially true. Our last episode discussed the workforce development initiatives benefitting NWA, and today we’re going to focus on public education and what it provides to our community. From general learning initiatives to extracurriculars, IEPs, and career counseling, there are countless ways the public schools in our area are working to benefit the next generation, and we have a couple of great panelists today to expound on those for us and teach us a little bit more about what the education system in NWA looks like from within.

What Are “DMO’s” and who is Destination Rogers? A destination marketing organization (DMO) is an organization which promotes a location as an attractive travel destination. DMOs have been referred to as tourist boards, tourism authorities or “Convention and Visitors Bureaus”. Their initial formative purpose was to provide information to leisure travellers. Over time they have evolved to also encourage event organisers to choose their location for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Destination Rogers is the destination marketing organization (DMO) for the City of Rogers (overseen by the Rogers Advertising and Promotion Council). They are uniquely positioned as far as DMO’s go as they work in collaboration with the Chamber to create economic opportunity for the community by attracting those groups and eevents mentioned above. DR’s work also helps to promote Rogers as an entertainment destination and world-class place to live, work, invest and play. To quote from our brand statement: “To [Destination Rogers], it’s all about improving the quality of life for our residents through increased tourism economic impact.”

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, hosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith interview guest panelists Joe Rollins, Director of Workforce Development with the Northwest Arkansas Council, Tara Dryer, Senior Managing Director with the University of Arkansas Global Campus, and Dawn Stewart, Director of Career and Technical Education/Launch Career Programs with Rogers Public Schools, about the importance of Workforce Development to Northwest Arkansas and the country as a whole. In this special, long-session interview, Steve and Nick learn about several of the endeavors the panelists use to develop workforce talent across NWA and encourage others to get educated and involved in the workforce development of the region. For more information about the workforce development programs mentioned in this podcast check out these helpful links: Careers NWA | https://careersnwa.com/ U of A Global Campus Reimagine Program | https://training.uark.edu/reimagine/ NWACC Workforce Development | https://www.nwacc.edu/workforce/default.aspx Northwest Technical Institute | https://nwti.edu/ Rogers CTE/Launch | https://www.rogersschools.net/launch Business and Industry Training | https://www.busandind.com/ Arkansas Center for Data Sciences | https://www.acds.co/ Upskill NWA | https://www.upskillnwa.com/

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, hosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith interview special guest panelist Allison Wise, Evening News Anchor of 40/29 News in Rogers, as well as Chamber staff Maggie Matuschka and Ross Phillips about the upcoming Annual Celebration of Business and Community event on April 6. This event, hosted at the Rogers Convention Center and emceed by Allison Wise, is the Chamber's largest annual event as well as the largest gathering of business leaders in Northwest Arkansas. Listen to this episode to hear more about why this event is so consequential to the community at large as well as impactful to those who attend.

In this episode of the Chamber Voice of Business Podcast, hosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith interview a panel of their female coworkers about the importance of Women in Business as well as some of the things they face on a daily basis. Inspired by International Women's Day and Women's History Month, we wanted to celebrate the advancements women have made over the past century as well as what women in today's generations think about where we're going. International Women’s Day has been commemorated across the world on March 8th since 1911 and every U.S. President has marked March as Women’s History Month since 1995. While the right of women to vote is a common topic of discussion when examining women’s history, there are many more issues, perspectives, and accomplishments that require investigation across history, literature, and the arts to fully appreciate and understand what women’s history in the U.S. encompasses. Today, the hosts of the podcast (who are men) have the privilege of hearing from 3 of their female coworkers on the importance of celebrating women’s accomplishments and history, and why, as the Voice of Business, Women in Business are important to the Chamber. For more information check out these links: Teacher’s guides to women’s History month https://edsitement.neh.gov/teachers-guides/womens-history-united-states https://womenshistory.si.edu/learn https://womenshistorymonth.gov/for-teachers/ Official Women’s History Month Website https://womenshistorymonth.gov Women’s History Timeline https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, Cohosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith speak with panelists about cultural movements in the country and how businesses are currently engaging with them, and to what effect. Panelists Brad Phillips, SVP of Marketing Communication, Ross Phillips, SVP of Community Development, and Mariana Osorio, Community Engagement and Inclusion Manager discuss why it's important to different communities, cultures, and especially nextgen employees to engage with different culturally significant dates in your business, and why it's important to do it right. Some of the articles/studies mentioned in this episode are listed below: 76% of Millenials and GenZ seek a diverse and culturally immersed employer | https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/diversity-inclusion-workplace-survey/ This study highlighted that millennials have substantially different perspectives on diversity and inclusion than older generations. Thanks to progressive baby boomers and Generation X-ers, organizations have made strides in providing traditionally diverse and inclusive workplaces (i.e., equally accepting and integrating individuals of all genders, races, ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations). However, there is work to be done in terms of supporting cognitively diverse and inclusive workplaces (i.e., equally accepting and integrating alternative points of view). | https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-inclus-millennial-influence-120215.pdf Major Employers Highlight the Importance of Black History Month with internally focused programs before external PR | https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/18-companies-celebrating-their-black-employees-black-history-month-and-beyond/ From supplier diversity to town halls, executives share how they’re honoring Black History Month in the workplace and through business initiatives | https://fortune.com/2023/01/31/black-history-month-celebrate-workplace-companies-honor-employees/

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, Cohosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith speak with panelists with the goal of giving listeners ideas on how to get involved and get the most out of their year ahead. Panelists include Maggie Matuschka, Special Events Coordinator, Karen Wagaman, VP of Downtown Development, and Sara Lynn Geiger, Vp of Government Affairs with the Chamber. The panel answers questions and discusses everything from what events to mark your calendar for to how to get involved in established communities like Downtown Rogers or Arkansas Government policy, as well as the Chamber's role in helping you get established with such events/groups.

In this episode of the RLC Voice of Business Podcast, Cohosts Steve Cox and Nick Smith interview a panel of Chamber employees about their recent rebranding effort and the relaunch of the Chamber and its sub-brands. JR Shaw, Executive Director of the newly renamed Destination Rogers, Skylar Rutherford, Marketing Communications Manager at the Chamber, and Mariana Osorio, Community Engagement & Inclusion Manager at the Chamber, answer questions and discuss everything from the process of the rebrand to what they see for the future of the Chamber's mission under the new brand. It's an exciting time at the Chamber, and we cannot wait for you to listen in and hear what's new with YOUR Rogers Lowell Chamber!

In this episode of the Chamber Voice of Business Podcast, SVP of Economic Development Steve Cox visited with Ryan Hale, Founder/CEO of Laneshift. They discussed Laneshift's work developing communities by encouraging cycling and building connectivity between cities.

In this episode of the Chamber Voice of Business Podcast, SVP of Economic Development Steve Cox is joined by Ben Worlow and Robin Carr of Walmart Health. They discussed why Walmart is getting into the healthcare realm, the importance of healthcare to the community, and how staying healthy can impact workforce development and safety. Join their grand opening at Walmart Store #1 on Walnut Street in Rogers on July 21!

In this episode of the Chamber Voice of Business Podcast, SVP of Economic Development Steve Cox continued our celebration of #SmallBusinessWeek with Minuteman Press. Ron Amos, Chair of the 2022 Small Business Council, talked about owning a small business and everything it takes to be successful in that endeavor.