Simmons Bank will sponsor a one-day conference on the future of the Arkansas Delta on Friday, May 19, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be the featured luncheon speaker.
The conference, titled “The Arkansas Delta: Why It Still Matters,” is designed to help community leaders network with each other and discuss how to deal with a declining population base.
The conference will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. A catfish lunch will be served. There’s no registration fee, but those planning to attend are required to register in advance at www.simmonsbank.com/delta.
This is the second consecutive year for Simmons, which has called Pine Bluff home since it was founded in 1903, to sponsor the conference. All 135 members of the Arkansas Legislature, county officials and city officials have been invited to attend.
The co-chairmen for the Delta conference are Raymond Abramson of Holly Grove and Ritter Arnold of Marked Tree.
In addition to the governor, speakers will include:
- Dr. Laurence Alexander, chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, who will discuss the importance of higher education in the Delta.
- Mike Preston, the executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, who will speak on economic development strategies for the region.
- Randy Zook, a Delta native who now heads the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce.
- Robert Moore Jr. of Arkansas City, a member of the Arkansas Highway Commission and a longtime Delta advocate.
- Dr. Fitz Hill, the former president of Arkansas Baptist College, who will speak on the importance of mentors for Delta youth.
- Dr. Shane Speights, the site dean for the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, who will talk about the need for more doctors in the Delta.
- Kane Webb, the executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, who will speak about efforts to increase Delta tourism.
- Scott Simon, the director of the Nature Conservancy’s Arkansas chapter, who will discuss conservation efforts in the region.
- Dr. Ruth Hawkins, the director of the Arkansas State University Heritage Sites program, who will talk about Delta heritage and how it can tie into economic development.
About Simmons Bank
Simmons Bank (Member FDIC) is an Arkansas state-chartered bank that started as a community bank in 1903. Through the decades, Simmons has developed a full suite of financial products and services designed to meet the needs of individual consumers and business customers alike. Simmons has grown steadily to approximately $8.4 billion in assets, with nearly 180 branch and ATM locations throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. It is the subsidiary bank for Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ: SFNC), a publicly traded bank holding company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. For more information, visit www.simmonsbank.com.
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For more information CONTACT:
Rex Nelson
Director of Corporate Community Relations
Simmons Bank
(501) 377-7606