One of the most limiting ideas in American business is the assumption that you have to be in a big city to do big things. In Arkansas, we pride ourselves on proving that wrong again and again.
- Headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., Fortune #1 Walmart saw $648 billion in revenue last year. But back in 1962, Sam Walton started the company with its first store in Rogers, Ark., a town that was home to just 5,700 people at the time.
- Today, Lowell, Ark.-based J.B. Hunt is one of the largest transport companies in North America. But that big trucking success got started in Stuttgart, Ark., which had a little over 9,000 people in 1961.
- In the Great Depression, John Tyson followed the American Dream to Springdale, Ark. In 1935, he launched the earliest incarnation of global giant Tyson Foods in a town with fewer than 3,000 residents.
- Founded in 2013 as a spin-off of Murphy Oil, Murphy USA is the youngest of Arkansas’ Fortune 500 companies, but has quickly grown. Based in El Dorado, a South Arkansas town with just under 18,000 residents, the company is now one of the largest independent retail gas station and convenience store operators in the U.S., with more than 1,700 locations in 27 states.
Our state’s efforts to cut taxes and reduce business-killing regulation have helped keep those small-town success stories coming.
Right now, Arkansas is in the middle of what can only be described as a small-town business boom. In the past five years, dozens of businesses ‒ both seasoned companies and new startups ‒ have expanded or chosen to locate their operations in small Arkansas towns with fewer than 10,000 residents.
It just makes good business sense. Across Arkansas, there are safe, historic, fiber-connected communities with affordable housing and a low cost-of-living, where residents are ready to work and elected officials see business leaders as partners, not rivals for media attention.
You can trust the people you work with because they’re your neighbors. Residents cheer for the local teams on Friday night and pray together on Sunday morning. Places of pride, faith and patriotism, where the flag is respected, veterans are honored and hard work is still encouraged and celebrated. You know your banker, the Mayor and the high school principal on a first-name basis. That’s what it means to do business in small-town Arkansas.
The cherry on top? We’ve got rainfall to support four distinct seasons, along with deep forests and vast lakes. A land of wild and beautiful rivers, where the twice-yearly snow hangs around just long enough to stay enchanting. World-class outdoor adventure in close-knit, firearms-friendly communities that still hunt, fish and live in harmony with the natural world.
It’s no wonder that in 2024, Arkansas ranked as the #1 state in the nation where families are choosing to live. Over the past four years, the state’s population has grown by 2.58 percent, making Arkansas the 14th fastest-growing state in the country.
This is what companies in Arkansas know: there’s still room for the American Dream. To find it, sometimes you have to look beyond the city lights.
Let me introduce you to a few companies making big moves in small Arkansas towns in just the past year:
Weyerhauser
Monticello & Warren, Ark., Pop. 8,175 and Pop. 5,211, respectively
Timber products producer Weyerhauser Company doubled down on the small towns of Monticello and Warren by breaking ground on a $500-million, state-of-the-art TimberStrand® lumber production facility there.
“The City of Monticello is proud of its contributions to this project and the work of all the city, county and state entities that came together to make this happen for our people,” Mayor Jason Akers of Monticello said of the announcement. “This is what happens when people work together for the greater good.”
All told, the expansion will create 200 good-paying jobs.
“A lot of work has gone into bringing this project to fruition,” said Warren Mayor Gregg Reep. “It will mean jobs and economic growth to both cities and counties, along with the entire Southeast Arkansas region.”
CANTEX
Nashville, Ark., Pop. 3,984
A producer of pro-grade electrical conduit, fittings and boxes since the 1950s, CANTEX is committed to making sure “Made in the USA” still means something. In July 2025, the company announced a $120 million dollar investment in the Southwest Arkansas town of Nashville. Located in an existing facility, the new manufacturing plant will create 110 jobs when it opens in Q4 this year.
“CANTEX’s decision to locate here reflects the strength of our local workforce, our strategic location, and our city’s commitment to supporting industry growth,” said Nashville Mayor Larry Dunaway. “This is about more than just a facility. It’s about building careers and strengthening our economy for the long term.”
L3Harris
Calhoun County, Pop. 4,739
Part of a thriving community of defense-related companies clustered in South Arkansas, L3Harris’ facility in Camden, Ark. already employs 1,300 workers, producing over 100,000 rocket motors per year. In July 2025, after meeting with Gov. Sanders and AEDC officials at the Paris Air Show, the company announced plans to build a new campus of 20 rocket motor manufacturing plants about 30 miles east of Camden in Calhoun County―the least-populated county in the state. Part of a $193 million investment in L3Harris’ Arkansas operations, the move will create 50 new jobs.
“We are proud that L3Harris has committed to this investment in their facilities in Calhoun County,” said Calhoun County Judge Floyd Nutt. “South Arkansas has a long history in aerospace and defense manufacturing, and this project will build on that history. Calhoun County provides a strong workforce and great business environment for L3Harris’ continued growth.”
Mueller Streamline Co.
Wynne, Ark., Pop. 7,905
Mueller Streamline Co.’s American-made copper tubing, fittings, valves and other products help keep prosperity flowing for plumbing, HVAC and refrigeration companies nationwide. In July 2025, Mueller announced a $7 million expansion of their existing manufacturing facility in the small, East Arkansas town of Wynne. The move is projected to create 60 new jobs over the next two years.
“The City of Wynne is excited to see the expansion of Mueller and looks forward to working alongside the Wynne Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) to support the creation of 60 new jobs,” said Mayor Jennifer Hobbs. “This expansion is a major step toward fostering growth, job opportunities and economic prosperity for our community.”
These are just a few of the companies that announced major investments in small Arkansas towns in recent months. Others include window manufacturing company WinChoice (Mountain Pine, Ark.), industrial gas supplier Messer (Berryville, Ark.), packaging solutions maker Green Bay Packaging (Morrilton, Ark.), lumber giant Georgia-Pacific (Crossett, Ark.), and many more.
From startups to decades-old multinationals, every company can find a home in the Natural State.
