Independence County, Arkansas

and the surrounding areas of the county. But we do need more new housing and further land for development.” BVM: Is there support for entrepreneurial en- deavors? Baldwin: “Bad Boy and Intimidator are locally- grown businesses that started here and have built nation-wide companies. Nothing happens by accident. I’ve always thought that economic development is a three-legged stool. You need to have business leadership, strong educa- tional institutions, and good government to makes things happen, keep businesses going, and help entrepreneurs grow bigger. And Inde- pendence County has good government at the county and the city level.” BVM: Five years down the road, what are the county’s key objectives? Griffin: “We need to acquire more industrial and residential land and revisit our tax struc- ture to accommodate that growth. One other issue we have to address is solid waste. In- stead of going to landfill, there’s a process for burning solid waste and converting the chemicals. We’re in talks and looking at doing a feasibility study for that very innovative op- portunity.” Cole: “I envision an expanded industrial park in Batesville, including an intermodal rail yard on a small scale. I see the industrial base almost doubling in the next five years, and a strong push for recreation in this area, in the way of hiking and biking trails and further developing the White River.” Baldwin: “I also see Independence County be- ing able to capture new internet-based busi- nesses once we have fiber optic cable through- out the area. We specialize in green space here and I can see, with the right technological infrastructure, young people and families con- tinuing to move here to get the quality of life they can’t get in the big city, while still being able to conduct their business. We have the underpinnings to make it happen.” PREFERRED VENDORS n Tri-State Truck Center - www.tristatetruck.com n First Community Bank www.firstcommunity.net n Citizens Bank - www.thecitizensbank.net