Business View Magazine | March 2019

230 the area that has a need for skilled workers, so graduates will have a job and stay in the com- munity.” BVM: What are the major industries and how do you attract new business? Griffin: “For a business person wishing to come to Independence County, pretty much our at- titude is “tell us what you want and let’s work together to make it happen.” Our industrial parks are full, and we need to expand them, but we’re still able to find a way to put leases together – and/or options to buy property that was never listed for sale before. This commu- nity has a unique ability to bring those forces together. “We have a thriving poultry industry. Two na- tional brands: Peco, and Ozark Mountain Poul- try (OMP) now owned by George’s, are flour- ishing in our community. The Ozark Tourism Council is based in Batesville and millions of people come through this region every year for outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, caving – you name it. “Manufacturing is a major economic driving engine in our local economy. Our main manu- facturing facilities include Future Fuel Chemi- cal Company, the producer of biodiesel and a multitude of other chemical compounds; Lifeplus, an international exporter of vitamin products; Bad Boy Mowers, a nationally-recog- nized, leading manufacturer of zero-turn mow- ers; LaCroix Precision Optics, a manufacturer of custom precision optics that ships all over the world; Intimidator, Inc., a world-class, Ameri- can-made, side-by-side manufacturing compa- ny and their sister company Spartan Mowers, a zero-turn mower manufacturer that has made an aggressive entry into the mowing industry; and Arkansas Lime, another big employer that ships nationwide along with Midwest Lime. Flowers Baking Co., a wholesale bakery, is also INDEPENDENCE COUNTY, ARKANSAS