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Arik Schrouf finetunes a piece of equipment in the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering lab located in the Baldor Building at UAFS.
Business and IndustryFeaturedFirst GenerationNews

Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Degree Prepares Students for Future

Students like Arik Schrouf are among the first in Arkansas to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, thanks to the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.

May 15, 2026
Gov. Sanders speaks at the open house May 4
Business and IndustryCenter for Economic DevelopmentCommunityEventsFeatured

Gov. Sanders Keynotes Workforce Development & Advanced Manufacturing Open House

UAFS celebrated the opening of its new Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Development Centers with an open house and ribbon cutting Monday, May 4, welcoming Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, state leaders, industry partners, university officials,...

May 05, 2026
Dignitaries pose with the HIRED grant check that helped fund the workforce development center
Business and IndustryCenter for Economic DevelopmentCommunityEvents

Gov. Sanders to Speak at Open House for Workforce Development & Advanced Manufacturing centers

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will celebrate the opening of its new Workforce Development Center with an open house and ribbon cutting from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 4. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will keynote the celebration,...

May 01, 2026
Audience members applaud during the second Center for Economic Development Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards at the Bakery District
Center for Economic DevelopmentCommunityFeaturedNews

Excellence in Family and Small Business Award Winners Recognized

The second Center for Economic Development Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards recognized ten businesses and individuals from across the region.

October 31, 2025
Portrait of of Joel Manby
Center for Economic DevelopmentEventsFeatured

Manby Tabbed as Keynote for CED Awards

Joel Manby, who has more than 25 years of experience as a CEO for SeaWorld, Herschend Enterprises, and SAAB North America, will keynote the Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards on Oct. 20.

October 09, 2025
Elmer Reyes, of Elmer's Chem-Dry, accepts his award for Hispanic-Owned Small Business with his family
CommunityFeatured

Sit Down with Elmer's Chem-Dry: CED Excellence in Family and Small Business Award Winner

Question-and-answer with Elmer's Chem-Dry, the inaugural Hispanic-owned business award winner from the 2024 Center for Economic Development's Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards.

September 04, 2025
From left to right: Dean Kim Needy and Provost Indrajeet Chaubey from the University of Arkansas sit next to Dr. Shadow Robinson, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, and Latisha Settlage, dean for the College of Business and Industry, sign engineering partnership renewal between the two universities,
Business and IndustryFeaturedNews

UAFS Renews Engineering Partnership With U of A; Launches Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Program

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith and the University of Arkansas renew engineering partnership. Advanced Manufacturing Engineering four-year program was launched at UAFS.

September 04, 2025
Ty Barrett, director for the ASBTDC regional office stands outside the new Van Buren Chamber of Commerce building
Center for Economic DevelopmentCommunityFeaturedNews

UAFS Center for Economic Development's ASBTDC Opens in Van Buren

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Center for Economic Development's Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center opened its second office location in Van Buren.

August 13, 2025
The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith belltower at sunrise
Business and IndustryNews

Torres Tabbed to Lead Engineering Department

Dr. Mauricio Torres has been named the new head of the Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Torres joins UAFS after serving as the Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences associate dean at the Indiana Institute...

September 25, 2024
Center for Economic DevelopmentCommunityEventsFeatured

Willie Robertson to Keynote Inaugural UAFS Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards

Star of A&E's "Duck Dynasty" set to keynote the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Center for Economic Development's first Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards on October 24. The event will honor regional family-owned and small businesses...

August 08, 2024
a woman presents her business plan at the UAFS Lions Lair event
Business and IndustryCommunityFeatured

Lion's Lair Business Plan Contest Awards Nearly $2,000

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith concluded its anticipated Lion's Lair Business Plan Contest on November 30, with an array of innovative student projects. The contest, hosted by the UAFS Center for Economic Development, aimed to foster entrepreneurial...

November 30, 2023
The UAFS Bakery District
FeaturedNewsBusiness and Industry

UAFS Names Family Enterprise Center for Jim Walcott

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith announced today that it will rename its Family Enterprise Center to honor the late Jim Walcott, whose legacy has profoundly impacted the River Valley.

September 15, 2023
Governor Asa Hutchinson, UAFS Chancellor Terisa Riley, and CED Executive Director, Kendall Ross pose for a selfie in front of a UAFS backdrop.
Bell TowerBusiness and Industry

Entrepreneurship, Small Business Today's Economy Drivers

It’s a mouthful, but the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, partnered with the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, already has impacted the local economy.

October 20, 2022
Smiling person standing in front of library shelves filed with books
Bell TowerBusiness and IndustryAlumni

Small Businesses Can Have Big Ambitions

Although the director of The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development in western Arkansas emphasizes that the center is not just for startups, he clearly has a soft spot for watching the process from idea to execution

October 20, 2022
Exterior of the Bakery District in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas.
News

Boots to Business Veteran Entrepreneurship Course Slated for Jun. 7

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, will host Boots to Business Reboot, an entrepreneurial education and training program specifically geared for veterans, active duty service members, and...

June 03, 2022
Governor Asa Hutchinson Speaks at the Grand Opening of the Center for Economic Development
ChancellorFeaturedNewsBusiness and Industry

UAFS Launches Center for Economic Development

Against a technicolor backdrop of painted grain silos and bright blue skies, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson waxed poetic about the state of workforce development, economic investments, technology, and industry in the River Valley, and he noted the...

April 27, 2022
A painted silo stands infant of a white brick building.
EventsBusiness and Industry

Center for Economic Development Grand Opening April 27

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Center for Economic Development will host a grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 10 a.m., at the Bakery District.

April 20, 2022

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The UAFS Office of Communications fields all media inquiries for the university. Email Rachel.Putman@uafs.edu for more information.

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Rachel Rodemann Putman

  • Director of Strategic Communications
  • 479-788-7132
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