Highlighting the Spectacular Rise of Bentonville with James Bell

Summary

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, regular host James Bell takes a seat in the guest chair to be interviewed by his intern Allie Johnston, who was matched with Bentonville Economic Development through the University of Arkansas' Venture Intern Program. The Venture Intern Program connects undergraduate students from the university with startups, entrepreneurs, support organizations and investor networks for semester-long internships. Throughout the episode, Allie and James discuss James’ current role as Vice President for Economic Development at the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, how Bentonville is a place that punches above its body weight and the exciting things in store for Bentonville’s future. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Show Notes

(1:12) Introduction to James

(1:47) James’ Experience with the Venture Intern Program

(4:21) About James

(13:17) James’ Current Role

(18:23) Lessons Learned from Mentoring

(20:50) What Makes Bentonville Special

(24:17) Opportunities in Bentonville

(27:48) James’ Hope for Bentonville

(29:02) #BecauseBentonville Story

(34:12) Future Podcast Content

(37:27) Closing Question

‍Links

Allie Johnston

James Bell

Bentonville Economic Development 

Quotes

“The cool part about this job is we were looking for somewhere that we could call home and never leave. And so now in this role, I get to do my tiny part helping build a community where my son may leave one day, but will come back or decide not to leave because there’s an abundance of opportunities…The whole world has changed and I’m glad to be here and be a part of it.” - James Bell, (12:30)

“This year there’s really a handful of goals that everything rolls up to. Number one is finding even more ways to share the stories of the businesses and leaders that are sparking the rise of Bentonville.” - James Bell, (14:56)

“If you look in the middle of the country, you’ll notice there’s a spot. That’s the Ozark Mountains. That’s where we are. And so short of snow and ocean sports, we’ve got it all here…And so in the area of outdoor recreation, this is a place in the middle of the country where people come to play.” - James Bell, (22:36)

“...my hope for who we are. And that’s two things, number one, that we continue to be and are even more a place where everybody belongs, where everybody wants to be here…The second one is, I want Bentonville to be the best version of itself.” - James Bell, (28:05)