Business View Magazine | March 2019

219 M aumelle, Arkansas has earned well- deserved recognition as a safe, friendly, family-oriented community and proudly exemplifies its motto, “Together We Thrive.” Centrally located on the Arkansas River, in close proximity to Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway, Maumelle is one of the youngest communities in Arkan- sas. Among its many attributes, the city offers unique, engaging opportunities for both busi- ness and pleasure. Maumelle began as a HUD New Town; a planned community from day one. It had its roots in an ordinance plan in World War II – after the war, the land was sold to a company that salvaged all the buildings, then it was sold again, and eventually developed by Jess Odom as Maumelle New Town in the 1960s and ‘70s. The first town was built in 1973. Interestingly, the design never included a downtown. Today, there is a town center but it’s not like a historic town square. Maumelle is refreshingly different. Michael Watson, for- mer Mayor of Maumelle, Arkansas, stepped down in Dec. 2018 after 12 years in office, and reflects with pride on the community he calls home. According to Watson, “We were incor- porated in 1985 as a city, so we’re just over 30 years old with a population of around 18,000, which makes us the 23rd largest city in Arkan- sas, right now. But it was all due to the vision of Jess Odom. We have amenities