Shop Local

By Staff, 09/28/17 1:24 PM

HOPE- With new business coming to the Hope community, there is still room to grow. With construction for a new fast food restaurant currently in progress by the interstate, there are seven vacant lots waiting to be filled.

Steve Harris with the Hempstead County Economic Development Corp(EDC) office stated that “their office is both a public and private partnership.” They work local along with the state EDC. There is roughly 80% public and 20% private partnership. The current unemployment rate nationally is 4.4 and for Arkansas is 3.5 and Hope falls below the national rate at 3.7. The Hempstead County EDC is here to help businesses get started, and to help already established businesses grow.

Businesses such as Hexion, Georgia Pacific, Tyson, and New Millennium are all growing business that have established facilities in our area while their main offices are established in other states.

By helping these primary businesses grow it puts more employment opportunities into our community. One of the main problems that Hope has experienced is leakage, people are choosing to travel to Texarkana, Little Rock, or the surrounding cities to eat and shop.

The Hempstead County Economic Development Corp(EDC) is located at 108 West Third Street in downtown Hope. For more information the office can be reached at 870-777-8485.