Dear Friends,
Our entrepreneurs and innovators are more important now than ever before as we work together to restore a healthy economy and return safely to our lives.
Hard work, grit, and determination will always define the American spirit. For Congressional Start Up Day, I spoke with business leaders and employers from all walks of life to understand how employers of all sizes are overcoming challenges and how Congress can support their efforts.
People of all ages, even teenagers, can be entrepreneurs and job creators. I spoke with Sri Jaladi, a remarkable young man who is inspiring his fellow teenagers to start their own businesses, be self-starters, and learn how to make their dreams become reality.
Our young men and women will shape the future of our nation. We have a responsibility to create opportunities for the next generation to succeed.
To watch our full conversation, click HERE or on the image below.
The Venture Center continues to help early-stage companies in central Arkansas grow into successful businesses even through the COVID-19 pandemic. I was glad to meet with Venture Center leaders and businesses that they are in partnership over Zoom.
These businesses are helping our communities adapt and thrive.
Joe Ehrhardt the founder of Teslar Software in Springdale, Arkansas is helping community financial institutions adapt by providing workflow and management tools, while Uday Akkaraju, the founder of Bond.AI is focused on creating human-centered software for banks which helps lenders understand their customers' behavior and recommend ways to improve their financial stability. Finally, I heard from Marla Johnson, the CEO and Cofounder of LeapXL in Little Rock, who shared how their platform allows anyone to create their own software and understand their business better without having to code.
I appreciated hearing these leaders’ latest updates and discussing how we can build a stronger environment for our entrepreneurs and job creators.
I was happy to virtually meet with leaders at the Conductor in recognition of Congressional Start Up Day. The Conductor is a Conway based organization that supports local economic empowerment and is helping build central Arkansas’s reputation as one of the top innovation and entrepreneur hubs in the south.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic leaders at the Conductor have been working hard to help businesses overcome the challenges that businesses are facing as they adapt.
The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, which is a part of Winrock International has taken the initiative to address the demand of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the state and to work with students and educators to increase digital literacy and improve STEM/STEAM skills.
To address the disparity between the demand for PPE and the supply, the Innovation Hub created an online matching system to consolidate fragmented PPE local supply with variable demand across Arkansas.
As we head into a uniquely challenging school year, and virtual learning becomes increasingly important, teaching students and their teachers how to effectively utilize technology is key.
The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub is working to fill that gap and to make it fun. Including by providing interactive and adaptable virtual STEAM field trips, with kits, for every K-12 student in Arkansas in partnership with organizations and industries across the state.
These efforts, along with their existing projects in skills training and workforce development for young people will make a difference for those looking to enter the workforce.
As Arkansans and as Americans, we will make it through this unprecedented public health and economic crisis with our entrepreneurial spirit intact by coming together and finding innovative solutions like these to benefit everyone.
It is my honor to represent you in Congress. Please contact me at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov if I may be of service to you.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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