Three themes stood out during this year’s Governor’s Conference and Arkansas Outdoor Economy Summit: growth, accessibility, and play. The State’s hockey stick success in outdoor recreation was an expected celebration, however, it can’t be understated that everything from marketing campaigns and workforce recruitment to development projects and state legislation are uniformly purpose driven.
The why behind the what is quality of life for Arkansans.
Keynote speakers Tom Walton, Co-Founder of Runway Group, and First Gentleman Bryan Sanders opened the conference with optimism and sentimentality. These champions of outdoor recreation in Arkansas shared how they practice what they preach at home while also advocating for accessibility throughout the State so more families can prioritize outdoor play in a tech-centric world.
“I grew up here in Bentonville, and my parents were avid outdoors folks,” Walton shared. “We didn’t have a TV in our house growing up, and I think that was one of the fundamental things that got me into the outdoors.”
Walton’s strategy for combatting the screen time crutch is to use it as a Trojan Horse for promoting the outdoors.
“We’re not going to get kids off screens,” he said. “But the user-generated content that’s created from mountain biking or other outdoor recreation activities is a nice hook. It’s important for all of us in the business to use that to capture their attention.”
Doubling down, Sanders believes the negative effects of too much screen time can be prevented holistically with healthy boundaries. “The mental health crisis in our country right now is largely driven by kids spending too much time on screens,” he said. “You can’t beat something with nothing. You have to offer an alternative. The alternative that wins is the outdoors.”
The First Gentleman celebrated new legislation recently signed by his wife, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, which limits screen time at schools to benefit the learning and socializing experience.
“Sarah just signed in to law, phone-free schools, bell to bell,” he shared. “Kids will actually be able to learn and pay attention in school, and probably just as important, learn how to socialize and develop relationships. You’re seeing a generation of kids now that don’t know how to interact with other human beings because they're on their screens all the time.”
This concern was echoed during breakout sessions on workforce development. Referring to “soft skills,” Bruce Stanton, Vice President and General Manager of PRADCO Fishing, says things are noticeably different from when he started with the company.
“These young people, sometimes, they don’t know how to interact with other people,” he said. “In the last few years, that’s kind of shocked me. When I came to PRADCO, we didn’t worry about things like that. There was always a line of respect, and it’s a little different now.”
For brands like PRADCO, who manufactures fishing gear in Fort Smith, Arkansas, these soft skills, along with technical training, are a risky investment of time and resources, best safeguarded with a desirable company culture. However, workforce innovations, like those coming out of NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), are helping to absorb some of the risk.
“It takes broad coalition but it also takes contextualization so the people in the region being impacted by their workforce needs are heard and convinced that there are students being trained that they’ll want to employ,” said Megan Bolinder, the executive director of NWACC’s Trails and Trades Division.
In response to the region’s growing need, NWACC designed a competency framework for students to learn technical skills in bicycle and trail building. Thanks to the school’s collaborative research, Bolinder says, “Anyone in the world can now take a NOCTI test for Trail Technician Level One.”
NWACC isn’t the only Arkansas institution helping establish the State as a hub for outdoor innovation. Zoe Maddox, Director of Business Incubation at the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Arkansas, shared exciting updates from the school’s Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP) and Arkansas Global Cycling Accelerator (AGCA), two programs that develop and support founders in the outdoor economy.
“There are so many pathways that are developing now given the State’s investment in the outdoor economy,” she said. “If you want to be on the cutting edge of an important industry sector in this state, outdoor recreation is a really attractive option.”
What we’re seeing in NWA, is how strategic educational programs and diversified access can dramatically impact the well-being of a community and significantly influence the outdoor economy. Regardless of income, age, language, or skill, folks of all backgrounds are invited to enjoy free, world-class trails right in their backyards.
“I think every community that has the ability to build soft surface mountain bike trails in Arkansas, should do it,” Walton added. “I’ve been at this since 2007 when we built the first five-mile trail in Bentonville. We built it singularly around the community that lives here, not for tourism, and we built it with the beginner in mind. It unlocked a lot of well-being and daily activities here.”
“Something Bentonville has done really well is make mountain biking accessible to beginners,” Sanders affirmed. “You want that first experience to be a good one. Otherwise, you’ll probably never do it again.”
Memorable Moments Per Mile: This is the KPI industry leaders, like Walton, study while working to expand Arkansas’ recreational footprint. These memorable moments, which drive engagement and frequency, are a major reason why the Natural State earned the top spot for inbound movers in 2024.
“Arkansas is the number one fastest growing economy in the US,” said Susan Peacock, Chief Impact officer for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary. “Our tourism industry has generated over $10 billion of economic impact.”
Crystal Bridges, the gem of Bentonville, is also an accredited arboretum, thanks to the mindful management of the 134 acres of Ozark forest on which it nests. The museum’s 114,000 square foot expansion, opening in 2026, will incorporate outdoor activations, including new art trail installments, a splash pad, and fishing pond.
“We’re doing all these things deliberately to signal that you are welcome,” said keynote speaker and Board Chairperson for Crystal Bridges, Olivia Walton. “This all goes back to the mission that Alice [Walton] laid out for us, which is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature.”
In Bentonville, it’s easy to neglect the other recreational assets our state provides in favor of the hundreds of miles (and counting) of trail systems that weave throughout the tapestry of our community. But, as First Gentleman Sanders reminded us, Arkansas punches above its weight in hunting, fishing, climbing, and paddling.
“We have the best duck hunting in the world,” he said. When recalling a Montana fly fishing trip, he shared, “I was talking to my guide, and he asked where I was from. He said, ‘You could have saved yourself a lot of time and money and probably caught a lot more fish if you had just stayed in Arkansas.’”
Instead of parroting other outdoorsy states, Arkansas is a trailblazer [pun intended] in both concept and execution. The downhill bike park in Mena, the Delta Heritage Trail, and Jasper's Horseshoe Canyon Ranch are three developing projects that exemplify mission in action. Business leaders and legislators are actively investing in the well-being of all Arkansans through outdoor recreation, not only in densely populated areas like Little Rock or Northwest Arkansas, but throughout the Natural State.
“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” Sanders said. “I want my kids to grow up and share the same view I have, which is, ‘Why would I ever want to leave Arkansas?’”
In 2024, Arkansas was number one in the US for inbound migration per capita. With the country's fastest growing economy, the State's tourism industry has generated over $10 billion of economic impact.
In 2024, Arkansas was No.1 for inbound migration. Its tourism industry has generated over $10 billion of economic impact
I want my kids to share the same view I have: Why would I ever want to leave Arkansas?