CommunityLink

Conway, AR

Employment

Employers in Conway and Faulkner County encompass a wide range of businesses and industries. The area is home to large manufacturers as well as small, family-owned businesses.

The backbone or strength of the economy has long been the education and government entities located here. But as times have changed, so has the diversity of Conway’s economic base.

Small employers include many stores, restaurants and entertainment facilities. In addition, there are car dealerships, banks, insurance agencies and professional-service providers. Conway has an abundant supply of doctors, lawyers and accountants, as well as mechanics, contractors and plumbers.

Employment Growth
Companies in Conway continue to expand, while new enterprises are welcomed with open arms.

Progressive Foam Technologies opened a new facility in Conway in March 2005. The company manufactures Fullback Thermal Support, a patented contoured-foam system that adheres to the back of any home-siding panel. Progressive Foam occupies 72,240 square feet of the Covington Commercial Complex on Robins Street. The company currently employs 35 people with an anticipated workforce of 75–100 within the next two years.

Virco Plating is now operating in Virco Plant 1 on Highway 65 South in Conway. The new company performs plating on the furniture produced by Virco’s operation. Valley Plating invested $800,000 to retrofit a 22,000-square-foot portion of the Virco facility. Virco has been in Conway for more than 50 years and is one of the leading manufacturers of educational furniture in the United States. Valley Plating currently employs 40 people.

HYD-MECH Group Limited opened a new facility in Conway in June 2005. HYD-MECH, which is based in Ontario, Canada, is a world leader in metal cut-off bandsaw technology. The new manufacturing facility will employ 35 people within the next two years. HYD-MECH occupies 21,000 square feet of the Covington Commercial Complex on Robins Street in Conway.

Kimberly-Clark has chosen its Conway facility as one of three sites in a plan to consolidate its six North American and European adult- and feminine-care operations. Locally, production at the Conway facility will be expanded, and the company plans to hire approximately 50 additional hourly and salaried employees by the end of 2006.

Labor Supply
An abundant potential labor supply in the Conway/Faulkner County area continues to attract new enterprises. The total civilian workforce is estimated to exceed 9,500. The recruitment -supply is made up primarily of highly trained two-year and four-year college graduates as well as an excellent selection of graduate students in several disciplines.

Workforce Training
Arkansas offers a wide variety of programs to assist businesses in becoming more productive and competitive through training and education.

The Arkansas Industry Training Program is one of the oldest and most successful customized job-training programs in the nation. The state also offers the Workplace Skills Enhancement Program as well as a Management Education Program.

The Conway Adult Education Center offers educational classes to adults within Faulkner County. Classes help adults by teaching students how to improve their skills in critical thinking, computation, reading, writing, communication, problem solving, team building and the use of technology. English as a Second Language (ESL) and GED preparation classes are also offered. All classes are taught by certified instructors and are free of charge. For parents taking classes at Conway Adult Education Center, a preschool for infants and toddlers is available at no charge.

For local companies who need training or retraining for their staff, C-Tech (Conway Technical) offers IT and -management training. With instructors who are highly accomplished industry professionals, C-Tech combines classroom instruction with hands-on experience in state-of-the-art computer labs. Classes range from Beginning Keyboarding and Microsoft Word to PC Repair and the Internet.