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Conway gets major Hewlett-Packard facility


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WOW! Great news! I just can't believe that lil' ole Conway landed something that huge.

But good things have been happening in Conway with Hendrix and UCA under Lu's leadership.

I've always perceived Little Rock to be lacking in Universities, but Conway seems to be picking up some of the slack.

Start buying the farmland between the two areas, maybe more companies are destined for the Conway-Little Rock corridor. I'm dreamin', I know.

On 2nd thoughts, Conway and LR are relatively far (30 miles). That would require a massive amount of development to infill that area.

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Though I don't know for sure, my guess would be image. Many people who work in Little Rock commute from Conway anyways. If they are looking at hiring from out of state, Conway would probably be an easier sell than Little Rock would be. Plus the colleges are there and many college students like to stay in the community where they went to school.
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You would be surprised. A LOT more younger people prefer suburban environments than most urbanites realize. All you have to do is look at the demographic that is flocking to NWA! Conway is similar - suburban yet youthful because of the college presence. I can see it really attracting the 20-something demographic.
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WOW! Great news! I just can't believe that lil' ole Conway landed something that huge.

But good things have been happening in Conway with Hendrix and UCA under Lu's leadership.

I've always perceived Little Rock to be lacking in Universities, but Conway seems to be picking up some of the slack.

Start buying the farmland between the two areas, maybe more companies are destined for the Conway-Little Rock corridor. I'm dreamin', I know.

On 2nd thoughts, Conway and LR are relatively far (30 miles). That would require a massive amount of development to infill that area.

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I didn't see where anyone provided links to details. Does anyone know yet what this facility will do? It's great news but I will bet it doesn't directly "absorb" the individuals that might be cast aside from Alltel. I'd imagine these jobs are considerably different in overall nature with the HP facility focusing on high tech assembly of hardware. If that's the case, then we are actually better off with HP over Alltel. They may actually hurt employment where I am by taking some of our highly qualified techs!!

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I'd imagine these jobs are considerably different in overall nature with the HP facility focusing on high tech assembly of hardware. If that's the case, then we are actually better off with HP over Alltel. They may actually hurt employment where I am by taking some of our highly qualified techs!!
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Talk Business says the following: "Based on state incentive data, average starting salaries will likely be in the low-$40,000 range, but some sales jobs could pay six-figure incomes." One thing to think about is how many of those who work there in the next five or ten years start their own business.

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Talk Business says the following: "Based on state incentive data, average starting salaries will likely be in the low-$40,000 range, but some sales jobs could pay six-figure incomes." One thing to think about is how many of those who work there in the next five or ten years start their own business.
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Talk Business says the following: "Based on state incentive data, average starting salaries will likely be in the low-$40,000 range, but some sales jobs could pay six-figure incomes." One thing to think about is how many of those who work there in the next five or ten years start their own business.
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People keep saying "Oh, this is just a call center." Look, no one really knows WHAT this thing is or what all it's functions will be. Some of the media are just jumping on the call center idea because of what is being printed about the similar facility in New Mexico, as well as the other highly limited information they have been given. Couple that with the usual "Arkansas-is-always-a-bridesmaid-but-never-a-bride" mentality, and you come up with the call center concept, which in the minds of most people evokes a big warehouse building filled to the brim with cubicles and drone employees reading scripted answers from a computer terminal.

Hold your horses, everyone. First, let's really see what this thing does. Secondly, stop bemoaning a project for which we're not truly certain of the detail. Details can change, for better or worse, in the next year. And never forget, in the end these are 1,200 jobs that DID NOT EXIST BEFORE, jobs with a decent wage, benefits, skill requirements, and a certain amount of prestige given through their parent company. This is a win. There is no silver bullet, and we shouldn't be looking for one. But this IS economic development and a step in the right direction, we just don't know how big of a step yet.

Also, I get the impression that while this facility may field technical support calls, it may also provide technical service for machines sent to it, and sales support, and who knows eventually assembly? Those are the groundwork for R&D type jobs. My advice is to not call this game before it's played, and think positive. Call center or not, this is a great thing for central Arkansas, and possibly a gateway to other great things.

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People keep saying "Oh, this is just a call center." Look, no one really knows WHAT this thing is or what all it's functions will be. Some of the media are just jumping on the call center idea because of what is being printed about the similar facility in New Mexico, as well as the other highly limited information they have been given. Couple that with the usual "Arkansas-is-always-a-bridesmaid-but-never-a-bride" mentality, and you come up with the call center concept, which in the minds of most people evokes a big warehouse building filled to the brim with cubicles and drone employees reading scripted answers from a computer terminal.

Hold your horses, everyone. First, let's really see what this thing does. Secondly, stop bemoaning a project for which we're not truly certain of the detail. Details can change, for better or worse, in the next year. And never forget, in the end these are 1,200 jobs that DID NOT EXIST BEFORE, jobs with a decent wage, benefits, skill requirements, and a certain amount of prestige given through their parent company. This is a win. There is no silver bullet, and we shouldn't be looking for one. But this IS economic development and a step in the right direction, we just don't know how big of a step yet.

Also, I get the impression that while this facility may field technical support calls, it may also provide technical service for machines sent to it, and sales support, and who knows eventually assembly? Those are the groundwork for R&D type jobs. My advice is to not call this game before it's played, and think positive. Call center or not, this is a great thing for central Arkansas, and possibly a gateway to other great things.

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This is great news for Central Arkansas and the state as a whole. A $28 million, 150,000 sq ft building sounds like more than a simple call center. This investment sounds like a long term committment with the possiblity for future expansions. The wage range itself is a definite positive. This is better than any heavy industrial super projects could be in the long run. If Arkansas could use this as a springboard to recruit other high tech companies to locate facilities instate the payoff would benefit the entire state.

I like what Governor Beebe said about Arkansas's image being both a negative and a positive. If this project and the contacts made getting it here can help change the negative image it will be worth many times more than the benefits of this specific project.

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