Accelerating Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas with Rodrigo Salas from EforAll NWA
- Author
- Bentonville Economic Development | Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Published
- Mon 19 Dec 2022
- Episode Link
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/be9aeab7
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Rodrigo Salas, Executive Director at Entrepreneurship for All Northwest Arkansas. EforAll is a non-profit organization that works to accelerate economic and social impact in NWA through inclusive entrepreneurship. With over twenty years of experience, Rodrigo is also the founder of Kualli Foods, a business that sells Hispanic cooking sauces and marinades, and a passionate community advocate who serves on multiple local boards and committees. Throughout the episode, James and Rodrigo discuss EforAll’s mission and who can benefit from it, how the community can contribute to EforAll and why it’s advantageous for EforAll to have a Northwest Arkansas location.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(0:55) Introduction to Rodrigo
(5:36) About EforAll
(8:14) Why Rodrigo Joined EforAll
(10:16) Businesses EforAll Has Served
(19:32) How EforAll Works
(31:22) How the Community Can Get Involved
(36:24) Why Rodrigo Moved to Bentonville
(41:43) Advice for Business Leaders
(48:49) Businesses That Can Benefit from EforAll
(50:40) The Development of Bentonville
(52:22) Bentonville Favorites
(58:25) #Bentonville Story
(1:00:13) Closing Questions
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas Community College
Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
The Rise @ Coler Mountain Bike Preserve
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Museum of Native American History
Quotes
“I think one of the major things the Walton Family Foundation, and all the major players in Northwest Arkansas, wants is to create an environment where everybody has an opportunity and a place to be because they belong in the community.” - Rodrigo Salas, (6:56)
“...all of them have been an inspiration to me. It’s incredible the amount of energy, dedication and passion they have for their business and what they want to build. No one has disappointed us in any way. On the contrary, I think they’ve exceeded our expectations by far.” - Rodrigo Salas, (11:04)
“One of the key elements of our program that’s not a cookie cutter kind of thing is that it’s customized to each one’s experience. That’s what we make sure each of our entrepreneurs and mentors understand.” - Rodrigo Salas, (21:40)
“The new generations are thinking more about quality of life rather than building a career in a big corporation. They want to have a little bit of both. And [Northwest Arkansas] is the perfect place for that because you have all these outdoor activities and things you can do.” - Rodrigo Salas, (45:30)
