Arkansas business leaders gathered at the ARTSpace on Main Street in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on April 23, 2025, to host the inaugural Rural Pathways to the Global Marketplace Summit. This event, organized in collaboration with the World Trade Center Arkansas, aligns with Mayor Vivian Flowers’ vision of transforming Pine Bluff into a center of economic innovation and international opportunity.
The summit brought together experts in trade, agriculture, business, and workforce development from across the state, focusing on equipping Pine Bluff and its neighboring rural communities with the necessary tools and resources to compete in the global market.
Mayor Vivian Flowers emphasized the significance of the summit for Pine Bluff’s economic growth and regional development, highlighting the city’s strategic position to utilize its intermodal resources, including the port, rail, interstate, and airport, to attract jobs, tourists, and entrepreneurs.
“This summit marks a new chapter for Pine Bluff as we are not only committed to growing our own economy, but also rebuilding the foundation for regional growth with Southeast Arkansas’ local and state leaders through smart infrastructure, vibrant tourism, and global engagement,” said Flowers. “Pine Bluff is uniquely positioned to leverage intermodal resources like our port, rail, interstate and airport to harness jobs, tourists and entrepreneurs on a state, national and global scale.”
The event commenced with a networking breakfast and featured a lineup of prominent speakers, including Denise Thomas, CEO of the World Trade Center Arkansas, who provided a detailed overview of global trade services.
Other speakers included representatives from Arkansas River Rice, Highland Pellets, Life Plus, the University of Arkansas, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and the U.S. Commercial Service Little Rock Office.
Denise Thomas’ presentation focused on global trade opportunities and partnerships with entities like the Export-Import Bank and the Arkansas District Export Council.
The summit offered nearly 50 attendees valuable insights into the export process and opportunities for scaling Arkansas-made products internationally. The event concluded with a guided tour of the export process at Arkansas River Rice.
The City of Pine Bluff expressed gratitude to the World Trade Center Arkansas and local partners for contributing to the success of this groundbreaking summit.
