A message from our Chamber President
A message from our Chamber President
Fayetteville Means Business , the winter edition , brings in the holiday season when most people express their feelings of gratefulness and gratitude . For me , expressing those feelings may take up the entire space for the CEO letter . On November 19th I accepted the President / CEO position at the Fayetteville Chamber , and I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of congratulations - the ‘ best wishes ’ in emails , text messages , social media posts , warm phone calls , and the unexpected deliveries of flowers and plants . Whatever speeches I had planned for the days after the 19th went out the window until I had some moments to process everything . First , thank you . I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our members in the traditional Chamber way , and I am excited to implement innovative practices that will take the Fayetteville Chamber to new heights of achievement . With the growth of the Fayetteville population and the approximately 3700 licensed businesses , we are making plans for new Chamber programing , events , and promotions that will attract new members and give more return on investment for the members we already have .
Secondly , the holiday season wouldn ’ t be complete without the acknowledgement and gratefulness for the city organizations that keep our community safe . Fayetteville Means
Business dedicated this issue to some of our first responders . Don ’ t miss the articles about Tony Gage from the Fayetteville Fire Department , Samuel Walker from the Fayetteville Police Department , Doug McCratic from Central EMS , and Shane Wood , retired career fireman who now oversees Fayetteville ’ s Emergency Operations Plans . Their stories are interesting , their careers are exciting in comparison to most of us , and I am very grateful that these departments are there to help when the going gets very tough .
Also included is the article about the Arkansas Air National Guard 188th Wing . Under the supervision of Commander Casey Eubanks , the 188th remotely piloted aircraft provide support to local disaster response operations like floods , hazards , and displaced livestock – just another reason to be grateful for people adept with technology and for the teachers who taught them .
Finally , I am grateful for the Chamber team . They are hard workers , big thinkers , creative and spontaneous . They keep me grounded and lift me up at the same time . Most of all , they are willing . And I am too . We ’ re going to have a great 2025 !
Jennifer Irwin
Table of Contents
3 Fayetteville Economic Profile
5 Face to Face Patrol Officers trained for best practices in first response
6 Floods can be as dangerous as flames Firefighters wade in
8 When the ambulance comes Central EMS
9 Ready for anything planning prepares for disasters
10 Arkansas Air National Guard can lend its eyes in the sky
ON THE COVER : Left to right : Shane Wood , Fayetteville Emergency Manager ; Lt . Col . Casey Eubanks , Arkansas Air National Guard ; Officer Sam Walker , Fayetteville Police Department ; and Officer Cameron Hinderberger , Fayetteville Police Department Photo by Sydney Mulvenon
4 • Fayetteville means business
President & CEO Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Jennifer Irwin
Chamber Board Chairman Mark Power Assistant Dean for Philanthropy Sam M . Walton College of Business University of Arkansas
Fayetteville Means Business is a publication of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce & Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . This is not a product of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newsroom . Concepts and technology © 2024 Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . The reproduction by any means of this publication without express permission is prohibited . Fayetteville Means Business is published as an advertising feature and is distributed to Chamber members , area businesses and the subscribers of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Digital copies are available online at fayettevillear . com and for Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette subscribers on the iPad replica app . To be included in future publications , please contact Don Jones at 479-650-9345 or email djones @ nwaonline . com
President Brent A . Powers
Advertising Operations Manager Sandy Robinson
Business Development Manager Don Jones
Content Marketing Manager Lynn Wasson