Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce

We have extended the deadline for JLA - Junior Leadership Academy applications to Monday, March 8!

**DEADLINE EXTENDED**
Due to the snowpocalypse last week, we are extending the deadline for Junior Leadership Academy applications to MONDAY MARCH 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Applications are online: www.fortsmithchamber.org
All Sebastian County sophomores are encouraged to apply!!
Future School of Fort Smith
Union Christian Academy
Northside High School Grizzlies
Southside High School Mavericks
Greenwood High School (Arkansas)
Hackett High School

We had a great Breakfast Club networking event this morning. Wonderful to see everyone in person! Thank you to our 2021 Presenting Sponsor of our 2021 Networking Events United Federal Credit Union in Fort Smith! Thank you to our Hosting Sponsor DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Smith City Center. We appreciate our sponsors support of growing business connections. We look forward to our next Breakfast Club event on Tuesday, March 16th that will be hosted by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkoma

2021 First Friday Breakfast-March 5th

Upcoming Event:

public.fortsmithchamber.com Keynote Speaker: Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin

Owens Corning to build a new plant in Fort Smith, add five jobs - Talk Business & Politics

Excited to see great companies such as Owens Corning expand their operations here in Fort Smith. We are so proud of this economic development announcement that retains one of our existing companies and their workforce. Thank you to the Governor's Office, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, The City of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and all of our partners that helped make this project a success! Thank you Owens Corning for investing in Fort Smith!

talkbusiness.net Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning is building a new 550,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Fort Smith that will replace the existing plant the company built in 1984. The estimated $115 million project...

Join us tomorrow morning at the DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Smith City Center!
Coffee & Networking begins at 8:30am! 😃☕️

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor: United Federal Credit Union 🎉

📣Join us for Coffee & Networking next Tuesday at 8:30am.☕️
DoubleTree by Hilton, in the atrium by the Waterfall

FREE to attend, registration is preferred.(link below)

🎉Thank you to our 2021 Annual Networking Sponsor United Federal Credit Union.
🎉Thank you for Hosting our February event DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Smith City Center

Interested in Hosting a Networking event this year? We have breakfast, lunch & after hours events available. 👥🗣
#FSCHamber #NetworkingEvents #EngageConnectPromote #GrowyourBusiness #Growyourconnections
http://public.fortsmithchamber.com/events/details/2021-breakfast-club-event-february-10295
(All events will follow the ADH event guidelines)

Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA): Financial Relief for Businesses

Upcoming Event:

public.fortsmithchamber.com Please join us on Wednesday, March 3rd for an overview of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) that was passed at the end of 2020. CAA was enacted to provide additional relief related to COVID-19. This law includes funding for more PPP loans, including a second draw for some businesses that rec...

JLA Session: Healthcare (March 2021)

Upcoming Event:

public.fortsmithchamber.com JLA Healthcare Session

Licensed Mental Health Therapist

New Job Posting:

public.fortsmithchamber.com The Guidance Center is looking for champions to work with an energetic and innovative team in community behavioral health - LCSW, LPC, LPE-I, LAC/LMSW, or PhD please apply.

Spradling Elementary School Receives Highly Effective Schools Accreditation

News Release:

public.fortsmithchamber.com For Immediate Release: February 19, 2021 Contact: Christina Williams, Coordinator of Public [email protected] or (479) 785-2501, ext. 91202 Spradling Elementary School Receives Highly Effective Schools Accreditation Fort Smith, AR, February 19, 2021 – Spradling Elementary S...

The City of Fort Smith, Arkansas

Trash and Recycling collection will continue tomorrow with certain limitations. Residential collection will focus on Tuesday customers who didn't receive service on Sunday, 2/14/2021.

Residents who live on steep inclines or declines may or may not get serviced, depending on the road conditions. It that happens, please call us at 479-784-2350, or email us at [email protected] so we can monitor that area and send a truck to collect your material when road conditions permit.

The plan to restore residential service is to collect Tuesday routes tomorrow, Feb. 18, collect Thursday routes on Friday, February 19, and Friday routes on Saturday, February 20. Any areas we cannot collect due to road conditions we will aim to collect on Saturday.

Residents who have extra bags, please sit them out next to your cart and your trash driver will reload your cart and dump it again. Commercial and Industrial collections will focus on customers who have 24/7 operation.

The landfill will be open to the public at 7am. The safety of staff and the community is our number one priority as we work to restore service.

Please patient with us as we do so. If you have any questions please call us at 479-784-2350 or email us at [email protected].

📣Join us for Coffee & Networking next Tuesday at 8:30am.☕️
DoubleTree by Hilton, in the atrium by the Waterfall

FREE to attend, registration is preferred.(link below)

🎉Thank you to our 2021 Annual Networking Sponsor United Federal Credit Union.
🎉Thank you for Hosting our February event DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Smith City Center

Interested in Hosting a Networking event this year? We have breakfast, lunch & after hours events available. 👥🗣
#FSCHamber #NetworkingEvents #EngageConnectPromote #GrowyourBusiness #Growyourconnections
http://public.fortsmithchamber.com/events/details/2021-breakfast-club-event-february-10295
(All events will follow the ADH event guidelines)

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5149058341835067&id=124068121000806

As we begin to thaw out from this frozen tundra, it's time to get back out and have some fun! We have a great opportunity to replenish our blood supply and get something special in return! We have teamed up with Spartan Adventure Park - Fort Smith to RISE UP & GIVE at a Blood Drive on Sunday, February 21st located at 7601 Rogers Avenue. If you you come by and give the gift of life you will receive a $20 gift card to Spartan Adventure Park, a FREE entry to the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock , a FREE RISE UP & GIVE t-shirt and every donor will be entered to win a $300 Birthday Party Package at Spartan Adventure Park! We just need you to schedule an appointment at arkbi.org or we are also accepting walk ns as well! Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Euper Lane Elementary School

TB&P Western Arkansas Business Awards

Congratulations to our Chamber members that won Western Arkansas Business of the Year Arvest Bank Pernod Ricard and Chaffee Crossing. Thanks to Talk Business & Politics-Fort Smith & Northwest Arkansas for recognizing their hard work and OG&E for sponsoring the Western Arkansas awards.

youtube.com Talk Business & Politics honors three Fort Smith metro businesses that helped moved the community forward in 2020.

We share in the sadness in the announcement of the passing of Thomas Joseph Caldarera, Jr.
Mr. Caldarera was a wonderful community leader and humanitarian. He will be greatly missed. The Fort Smith Chamber and it’s staff members express our deepest condolences to the Caldarera family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

We are saddened to announce the passing of our owner, mentor, and father, Thomas J. Caldarera, Jr.

Tom worked tirelessly for over 50 years ensuring the success of our family owned business. His love for his customers and employees were unmatched. He never met a stranger and welcomed everyone into our establishment as if he was welcoming them into his own home.

Please pray for peace for his family, friends, employees, and customers who loved and admired him. He was always thankful and gracious for the support and patronage over the years and truly loved coming to work each day. He will be dearly missed. God gained an Angel in Heaven on Friday 2/12/2021. He was 90 years old.

WEATHER RELATED OUTAGES
As of 7:30 a.m., there are no outages on the OG&E system. Last night, crews restored power to all customers with outages related to yesterday's weather. We are monitoring today's weather and temperatures and have more than 1,000 restoration personnel on system to address any issues.
CONTROLLED SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS
At this time, Southwest Power Pool continues to pause temporary service interruptions. The potential for the reinstatement of short-term service interruptions remain as the extreme cold weather in the region, combined with the high demand for natural gas continues. Should mandated interruptions resume, we will make every effort to communicate with customers about service interruption and estimated restoration. Given the fluidity of the situation, prior notification is not guaranteed. We are encourage customers to prepare for the possibility of service interruptions as these extreme conditions continue.

PLEASE NOTE:
We don't have the ability to exclude a particular home on a circuit experiencing a controlled service interruption

Customers with concerns due to life-sustaining equipment should contact their physician for guidance

Watch: Southwest Power Pool Update/Press Conference
ENERGY CONSERVATION NEEDED
Customers can minimize further interruptions by reducing natural gas and electricity use through simple conservation steps such as:

Set thermostats lower than usual (68 degrees) if health permits

As much as possible, limit the use of major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers, and clothes dryers

Unplug small appliances, phone chargers, etc. when not in use these items pull energy even when in 'idle' mode

Turn off lights that you do not need or are not using

OG&E CONSERVING ENERGY WITHIN ITS FACILITIES
All building thermostats are set to 68 degrees

Internal lighting is kept to a minimum for those employees who are operations-critical and must report to a facility

Building lights are limited to areas where lighting is essential for the safety of our employees, such as the breezeway and stairwells

This is a fluid situation and is rapidly changing, so please follow us (OG&E) as well as the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) on the following social media channels for up-to-date and current information pertaining to this event –

Key Employment Law Issues: Covid, Vaccinations and Other Things Employers Need to Know

Upcoming Event:

public.fortsmithchamber.com Stuart Jackson of Wright Lindsey Jennings will discuss the key employment law issues facing businesses bringing employees back to work on a normal basis, including safety recommendations and standards from CDC/OSHA, the paid leave requirements of the April 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Ac...

2021 Legislative Forums - February 26th

Upcoming Event:

public.fortsmithchamber.com The Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum will meet every Friday (while in Session) beginning January 22, 2021. Our elected officials will discuss important legislative issues in an open Q A round-table discussion.

Arvest Now Accepting Round 2 Paycheck Protection Program Applications

News Release:

public.fortsmithchamber.com Arvest Now Accepting Round 2 Paycheck Protection Program ApplicationsJan 22, 2021 Notices Arvest has a digital process for the new round of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and we are now accepting applications. This includes both new (first-draw) an...

2021 Breakfast Club Event: February

Upcoming Event:

public.fortsmithchamber.com 2021 Breakfast Club Event: February

The City of Fort Smith, Arkansas

📣OG&E has announced temporary service interruptions in parts of Fort Smith. The service interruptions are mandated in order to manage demand. Estimated duration of the service interruption is approximately 2-hours.**PLEASE BUNDLE UP INSIDE, LOWER YOUR THERMOSTATS, AND FOLLOW THE OTHER TIPS ON OUR PAGE 👇TO KEEP CONSERVING ENERGY IN YOUR HOME🏡 ** You can also 👍 subscribe to OG&E’s page for more info.

Help to spread the love! ❤️ The mission at Antioch for Youth & Family is to nurture mind, body and spirit with purpose and persistence. Through March 14th, you have the opportunity to show your love of community by loving others in both word and deed!

Help to get the word out by sharing this post!

From our friends at Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative:

Arkansas Valley Electric in partnership with the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas asks members to voluntarily limit the use of electric service immediately and through midnight Tuesday in order to ensure that electric service is not interrupted.

AVECC and AECC members are urged to reduce the use of electrical requirements by limiting the use of non-essential electricity and appliances, especially electric water heaters, clothes dryers, and dishwashers, and to turn heating thermostats to lower settings.

Due to the extremely cold weather and the unusually high requirement for electricity, electric cooperatives and other electric utilities across Arkansas and surrounding states have reached a point where electricity demand has nearly exceeded the capacity.

The cooperative emphasizes that voluntary cooperation is essential. If voluntary reductions are not sufficient to maintain continuity of service, it may be necessary to begin interruption of electric service to specific areas for limited time periods. It is not presently anticipated that this type of rotating curtailments will be necessary.

Cooperative representatives are also directly contacting large and commercial users asking for their cooperation as well.

The interconnections of electric systems frequently make it possible for one system to secure additional electricity from neighboring systems. However, the present extreme cold weather is widespread in the Arkansas region, making the strain on the electric grid much higher than normal. Thus, conservation of energy is important to help ensure continuous electric service.

Your local electric cooperative will continue to keep the public advised of further developments concerning voluntary reductions of electric power.

Please do your part and be prepared - stay safe everyone!

We have been directed by the Southwest Power Pool, to initiate temporary service interruptions to manage regional system load and avoid protracted power outages. This will likely continue to be the case over the next few days because of the continued cold weather across the region and the demand for natural gas. It is urgent we all do our part to conserve power to help the region navigate this current situation and minimize further interruptions.

News Release: Winter Weather Message 2.15.21

News Release:

public.fortsmithchamber.com Winter Weather Message 2.15.21 FSPS will close all buildings on Tuesday, February 16 and Wednesday, February 17 because of inclement weather. K-12 students and their teachers will continue with virtual learning. Because of winter weather, Pre-K students and their teachers will not attend school on T...

News Release: Fort Smith Public Schools Now Accepting School Choice Applications

News Release:

public.fortsmithchamber.com For Immediate Release:February 12, 2021Contact:​ Darian Layes, Executive Director of Student [email protected]​ or (479) 785-2501, ext. 1253 Fort Smith Public Schools Now Accepting School Choice ApplicationsDeadline Set for May 1, 2020 Fort Smith, AR, February 12, 2021​ – T...

Weekly Agenda - Monday 'Minders' for 02_15_21

Weekly Agenda - Monday 'Minders' for 02_15_21

web-extract.constantcontact.com Events Planned This Week MONDAY 'MINDERS' Here are some reminders of activities, events, and opportunities for you and your organization to help you make valuable business connections this week!  Dur

Everyone stay safe!

As we enter a potentially dangerous and historic week of winter weather, I ask people to remain calm and remember the following items:

- Drive slowly and with caution on our roads. Remember to be extra careful on bridges and at intersections. If possible, please stay off the roads and limit travel as much as you can.

- The City has been pre-treating our roads with a salt solution and we have sand and plows standing at the ready to clear the roads. Please remember that ARDOT is responsible for clearing Rogers, Towson, Midland, and Zero Street since these are State Highways.

- It will be VERY cold. Please make sure to limit your time spent outside. If you must be outside, please layer your clothing and limit your amount of exposed skin.

- If you or someone you know is homeless, The United Way, Hope Campus, Community Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, and Next Step Homeless Services have coordinated to provide shelter and warming services this week.

- The Salvation Army shelter will be open at 3pm, once the Next Step Day room closes, for women and women with children.

- Hope Campus will not turn anyone away if the weather falls below freezing. They are also open during the day to serve as a warming station. People at the Campus will be served food and will have access to the showers, laundry, computer lab, library, and staff members who can help connect them with additional resources.

- Last but certainly not least, please make plans to care for your outdoor pets and check-in with elderly or disabled neighbors throughout the week.

- I’m certain that the heart of Fort Smith will beat proudly during this storm. Our grace and our grit will once again set a powerful example for our region. Let’s show everyone that we’re Fort Smith Proud and River Valley Strong!