Our View
With Development, West Memphis Poised for Progress
After years of stagnant growth in West Memphis, Crittenden County’s largest municipality, there is an undisputed economic boom, some city economists say is simply unprecedented, and anyone who has called this city home for any number of years would have to agree.
There were times, not long ago, critics predicted this city was a lost cause, a place newcomers would never want to locate and certainly unattractive to serious business investments.
Well, today the critics have certainly been proven wrong as evident in the millions upon millions of dollars being invested here by the likes of Delaware North’s Southland Casino, Coca-Cola bottling operation and Carvana, an online used car retailer and technology business.
With the cooperation and involvement of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Entergy as well as the involvement of neighboring Marion and Crittenden County we now have a major industrial mega site being touted nationally as well as internationally.
The millions of dollars being invested by Southland with is major expansion project that includes additional casino gambling and a multi-story hotel as well as the millions of dollars expanding the Coca-Cola Plant plus Carvana’s new vehicle processing operation hundreds of new and good paying jobs are being created.
The mere economic impact of all this will have a far reaching impact on the local economy and transform a once economic depressed city into a job rich location that will attract newcomers from throughout the Mid-South.
West Memphis Economic Development Director Phillip Sorrell, who has played a major role in this economic explosion, says the Coca-Cola expansion and Southland’s project alone will create more than 800 new jobs.
We’re told Carvana has announced plans to hire between 400 to 450 new jobs, mostly for certified mechanics, once in full operation.
And, let’s certainly not fail to mention all the other positive economic news such as the several new motels that have been built.
