Bell of Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance to speak at Arkadelphia Rotary, April 10

The Arkadelphia Rotary Club will meet Friday, April 10, 2015, at Western Sizzlin, 106 WP Malone Drive, for its weekly meeting. Mr. Stephen Bell of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance has been invited to serve as guest speaker. Rotarians and guests are invited to attend. For more information on the guest speaker, please read his brief biography below. 

Stephen Bell currently serves as President and CEO of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance, a position he has held since August 2014. The Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance was created in 2008 to serve as the umbrella economic development organization for Clark County, Arkansas.

The Arkadelphia Alliance serves the county, which includes the cities of Amity, Arkadelphia, Caddo Valley, Gum Springs, Gurdon, Okolona and Whelen Springs, by supporting the existing business retention and expansion program while recruiting targeted industries in the areas of alternative fuels, customer development centers, distribution/logistics, and green/sustainable building products. The Alliance provides leadership as the umbrella organization which includes the Economic Development Commission of Clark County (EDCCC), Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce and Clark County Industrial Council (CCIC).

Bell earned a bachelor's degree from Hendrix College in Conway and a master's degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is a current member of the Arkadelphia Rotary Club as well as a former member of the Stuttgart Rotary Club. 

Before making the move to Arkadelphia, Bell served for more than 18 years as the executive director and executive vice-president of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and Stuttgart Industrial Development Corp. Interesting highlights from his work in Stuttgart are recruitment, organization, and supervision of 200 volunteers for the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival in addition to recruitment and promotion of the 326 business members of the Stuttgart Chamber. While in "the duck and rice capital of the world," Bell also published an annual 152-page advertisement-based city magazine (with ad sales of $45,000 annually) that includes an online edition to market the community.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Executives, Arkansas Economic Developers, and the Arkansas Good Roads and Transportation Council. With experience in public relations and marketing, legislative affairs, and economic development - as well as an impressive record of business retention and recruitment - Bell is prepared to help Clark County.