Upcoming
Events
2021 Build Bentonville - Community Growth
Date and Time
Thursday May 27, 2021
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM CDT
Check-in and lunch begin: 11:30 AM
Program begins: 12:00 PM
Fees/Admission
Member ticket: $30
Non-Member ticket: $40
Contact Information
Evan Gray
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Description
SOLD OUT
The Build Bentonville program boasts one of the most diverse attendee lists of any Chamber event with more than 125 businesses being represented.
With 34 people moving to Northwest Arkansas each day, Bentonville has quickly become a hot spot for serial entrepreneurship. Due to new technological advances, a biking mecca in our backyard, a hub for artists and makers, and an economy that is flourishing, our region has boundless opportunities for success.
In the past decade, especially in the past few years, Bentonville has experienced unprecedented growth. Once a sleepy, small-town, Bentonville has quickly transformed into an epicenter of where community meets economy. But, other than the powerhouses in real estate, who's making strides to help with and manage the growth? What is on the horizon and what can we as a community expect? How are we planning to take on the expected growth in areas outside of real estate?
Join us on May 27th at 21c Museum Hotel to hear from some familiar community faces on how far we've come, but how far we still have to go.
Panelists:
Mayor Stephanie Orman - City of Bentonville
Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman is beginning her 3rd year in office after being elected to lead the City of Bentonville in 2018. Stephanie has been married to her husband, Terry for more than 20 years. The Orman?s have been Bentonville residents for 17+ years and have two children, Taylor, age 13 who attends Washington Junior High School and Landry age 11 who attends Barker Middle School.
Providing transparent, timely and consistent communication has been a top priority of Mayor Orman?s since taking office. Some of the new initiatives she has launched are 3 City of Bentonville social media outlets, started the Great Neighborhood initiative, and created the Bentonville 311 communication system connecting citizens to city services. She also started the Spirit of Bentonville award, Mayor?s Youth Council, the Community Council, and the Bentonville Together Initiative. In addition, she is highly committed to preparing, preserving and promoting an excellent quality of life and professional municipal services within our City and in partnership with our community.
David Wright - Director, Parks & Recreation
David Wright, Bentonville Parks and Recreation Director, is a 20+ year veteran of the public parks and recreation field. Prior to joining Bentonville Parks and Recreation, Wright worked ten years with Fayetteville Parks and Recreation, as well as stints with Fayetteville Youth Center and the Memphis Parks Commission. He is a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive by the National Parks and Recreation Association and serves on multiple national boards and committees overseeing recreation policy.
In 2008, Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin hired Wright to become Director of Bentonville Parks and Recreation, asking him to transform the department into a comprehensive Parks and Recreation system. Since that time, Wright has worked with many partners to open facilities including Orchards Park, Lawrence Plaza, the Bentonville Community Center, and more than 80 miles of trails including the Razorback Greenway and the Slaughter Pen Mountain Bike Park. In addition, Wright?s department now offers more than 140 recreation programs per year serving more than 4,500,000 people annually. Under Wright?s leadership, Bentonville Parks and Recreation has become a department generally recognized as one of the top municipal recreation departments in Arkansas and the Midwest.
Dr. Debbie Jones - Superintendent, Bentonville Schools
Dr. Debbie Jones is the superintendent of Bentonville Schools. She brings more than 20 years of educator experience and knowledge to the district having previously served at the state level within the Arkansas Department of Education. Prior to that, she was the assistant superintendent for the Bryant School for seven years. She?s been a teacher, assistant principal, principal and secondary director all in Arkansas. In 2019, she was honored as the Woman of the Year by the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce for her commitment to the community.
Dr. Jones received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Arts in Secondary Administration from the University of Central Arkansas and a Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Debbie is married to her husband, DJ, and together they?re parents to five children.
Entertainment:
Be sure and join us as doors open at 11:30a and enjoy live music from DJ Raquel out of Little Rock, AR. For more information, visit her website here.
Keep checking back for more updates. To get involved or for any further questions, please contact Evan Gray at egray@greaterbentonville.com.
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