Hempstead County Economic Development Commission

What Hempstead County Economic Development Commission does

Hempstead County Economic Development Commission (HCEDC) is a county-level quasi-governmental economic development organization headquartered at 108 W 3rd St., Hope, Arkansas, operating as a public-private partnership governed by a board of roughly 20+ members drawn from the City of Hope, Hempstead County, Hope Water & Light, local industry, and ex-officio state legislators. Its functional role is business attraction, retention, and expansion for a rural Southwest Arkansas county located along Interstate 30, with a paid staff of a President and an Office Manager/Program Coordinator.

HCEDC's core "product" is site selection and incentive navigation: it markets shovel-ready industrial parcels (with completed Phase I Environmental Assessments and 50-foot geotechnical borings), coordinates with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to administer state incentive programs (Advantage Arkansas, ArkPlus, Create Rebate, Tax Back, BITP), and serves as the local interface for prospects across manufacturing, food processing, steel, wood products, and agricultural industries. Its revenue model is a non-profit, investor/membership-funded structure: roughly 50+ local businesses and government entities contribute annually in exchange for economic development advocacy. HCEDC does not charge fees to prospects; its own revenue base is undisclosed.

Distribution runs through direct enterprise field sales (site visits, customized selection assistance, retention work with existing industry) augmented by the Arkansas Site Selection Center partnership (Entergy-powered) for inbound leads, plus the HopeUSA.com umbrella network linking the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism, and Downtown Network. Recent landed capital investments attributed to HCEDC's coordination include Tyson Foods ($70M hatchery, $65M feed mill), Hope Baking Company ($37M, 266 jobs), New Millennium ($13M steel expansion), Dansons/Pit Boss (335,000 sq ft pellet mill), and the long-standing AEP/SWEPCO John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant (600 MW).

Name

Hempstead County Economic Development Commission

Legal name

Hempstead County Economic Development

Website

https://edc.hopeusa.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hempstead County Economic Development Commission (HCEDC) is a county-level quasi-governmental organization in Hope, Arkansas that attracts manufacturing and industrial investment by marketing shovel-ready sites, navigating state incentives, and coordinating with local government and utilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hope

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investor/Membership Contributions: HCEDC is funded by private investors and public sector members who pay annual contributions to support economic development activities. The commission lists ~50+ local businesses and government entities as 'investors' who provide financial support in exchange for economic development advocacy and community promotion.
2. Site/Building Listing Facilitation: HCEDC facilitates commercial real estate transactions by listing available industrial sites and buildings, connecting prospects with property owners. Revenue is indirect — generated through job creation and investment attraction that expands the local tax base.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HCEDC is a county-level economic development commission that attracts new industrial and commercial investment to Hempstead County, Arkansas by marketing shovel-ready sites and buildings, coordinating Arkansas state and local business incentives, and supporting workforce development. It provides free site selection assistance to manufacturing, food processing, distribution, and agricultural prospects and is funded by private investor contributions and local government support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Development Services Overall economic development services for Hempstead County and the City of Hope, Arkansas, including business attraction, retention, and expansion support for industrial and commercial prospects.
• Site Selection Services Marketing and listing of shovel-ready industrial and commercial sites with completed Phase I Environmental Assessments, 50-Feet Soil Boring Geotechnical Evaluations, and infrastructure (water, sewer, electricity, gas, high-speed internet) for business location and expansion.
• Business Incentives Assistance Guides businesses through Arkansas state incentive programs including Advantage Arkansas income tax credits, ArkPlus, Create Rebate, Tax Back, and workforce training programs such as BITP.
• Success Stories Showcase Marketing showcase highlighting business investment and expansion success stories in Hempstead County, including Hope Baking Company, New Millennium, Tyson Foods, Dansons pellet mill, and AEP/SWEPCO's John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant.

Quantifiable outcome

• 266 new jobs created by Hope Baking Company expansion
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCEDC works closely with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission on incentive programs including Advantage Arkansas, ArkPlus, Create Rebate, Tax Back, and BITP. AEDC provides state-level incentive administration and executive discretion on targeted business incentives.
• Arkansas Site Selection Center (powered by Entergy)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHCEDC lists all available industrial sites and buildings on arkansassiteselection.com, a statewide site selection platform. The partnership provides a digital marketplace for HCEDC properties and drives inbound inquiries from business prospects.
• City of HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Hope is a board member and investor in HCEDC, providing local government support, site ownership (HOPE002 is owned by City of Hope and Hope Water & Light), and regulatory coordination for incoming businesses.
• Hempstead CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHempstead County is a board member, investor, and property owner. County government provides property tax revenues from new industry and collaborates on infrastructure development.
• Hope Water & LightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHope Water & Light is a public utility providing water, electricity, gas, and fiber optic service to industrial sites. Multiple board members represent Hope Water & Light. Site HOPE002 and HWL Sites A and B are owned by City of Hope and Hope Water & Light.
• University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAHT is represented on HCEDC's board (Chancellor Dr. Ricky Tompkins). The institution provides workforce training programs and aligns educational offerings with local industry needs, supporting BITP and other training incentives.
• Hope Public School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHope Public School District Superintendent Johnathan Crossley serves on the HCEDC board, contributing to workforce development and pipeline initiatives.
• Southwest Arkansas Development AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development alliance connecting economic development efforts across southwest Arkansas, supporting coordinated industrial recruitment and infrastructure planning.
• Historic Washington State ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Washington State Park collaborates with HCEDC on events like Music in the Park concert series and America 250 celebrations. The park is part of the cultural/tourism ecosystem that supports quality of life for workforce recruitment.
• Hope Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCEDC cross-promotes with the Hope Chamber of Commerce under the HopeUSA.com network. Chamber provides business networking and advocacy support for economic development initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC): The state-level economic development agency that HCEDC partners with; offers the same core services (site selection, incentives administration, business recruitment) but at a statewide scope rather than confined to a single county.
• Louisiana Economic Development: State-level economic development organization in a neighboring state with overlapping target industries (food processing, manufacturing, energy) and a comparable incentive-driven recruitment model.
• Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office: State-level economic development body that competes with HCEDC's recruitment across the shared four-state region; offers broader incentive packages and a larger industrial site portfolio.
• Mississippi Development Authority: State-level economic development organization that recruits manufacturing and food processing to rural counties with incentives and site readiness — directly comparable mandate and customer profile.
• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: State-level economic development agency that recruits similar manufacturing/agri-processing tenants with comparable incentive programs; competes for the same project pipeline in the mid-South.
• Missouri Department of Economic Development: State-level economic development organization that targets rural manufacturing and agribusiness with shovel-ready site programs and incentive packages structurally similar to HCEDC's AEDC-aligned model.

Regional players

• Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance: Regional economic development alliance that directly overlaps with HCEDC's Southwest Arkansas geography; coordinates infrastructure planning and industrial recruitment across multiple counties.
• Greater Memphis Chamber: Regional economic development organization that competes with HCEDC for logistics-intensive manufacturing projects along the I-30/I-40 corridor and targets analogous food/agri-processing tenants.

Others

• Entergy Arkansas: Key partner of the Arkansas Site Selection Center that lists HCEDC's industrial properties; sits in the same economic-development ecosystem as a utility-backed site selection and infrastructure provider.

Direct peers

• Hope Chamber of Commerce: Co-located community business organization that shares the HopeUSA.com platform with HCEDC; supports business retention, advocacy, and quality-of-place work that overlaps with HCEDC's recruitment flywheel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HopeHCEDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hempstead-county-economic-development-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hempstead County Economic Development Commission