Grace Rains

Conway’s Conductor has announced its fall lineup of free programming for entrepreneurs. The 2026 lineup features subjects ranging from hiring and financial planning to modern marketing, artificial intelligence, strategic growth and scaling a business. It also includes Conductor’s 10-year anniversary celebration …

Startup Junkie will host a tech commercialization sprint on April 9 in Pine Bluff as part of ARise, a statewide program that helps people start and grow businesses. ARise stands for “Arkansas Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs.” The Pine Bluff ARise …

Arkansas K-12 educators gathered earlier this month for an immersive professional development experience focused on entrepreneurship and innovation in education. The day-long session was part of Economics Arkansas’ Connecting Educators to Entrepreneurs series, which was designed by a central Arkansas-based …

Feature image: UA sophomore Trey Dicks with the DevelopIQ team pitches at the 2024 Arkansas Governor’s Cup. (Photo by Jacob Slaton at Whatever Media) Growing up with her grandparents and two older brothers in Little Rock, Cie Kelly knew from …

Leslie McColgan has been named program director at Conductor. The central Arkansas-based entrepreneurial support organization welcomes McColgan, who was previously the director of physician network development at Conway Regional Medical Center. In her new position, McColgan will oversee Conductor’s programming, …

Startup Junkie and Conductor, in collaboration with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), have launched the 75Strong Entrepreneurship Program to bolster Arkansas’s small business and startup ecosystem. This initiative will focus on training local leaders, including economic developers, community leaders …

Conductor is launching Conductor Connect, a no-cost subject matter expert network for small business owners and entrepreneurs. With a roster of experienced subject matter experts (SMEs) covering a variety of disciplines, including sales, marketing, app development, general business, leadership and …

Following a two-year hiatus, the Northwest Arkansas Startup Crawl is returning to downtown Fayetteville, live and in-person on Friday, April 8. The fourth annual festival will celebrate the region’s budding entrepreneurial community by bringing together startups, live music and locally …

The Ark Angel Alliance has named David Moody, owner of Jacksson David LLC, as its new Executive Director. In his new role, Moody will lead new member recruitment, deal vetting and due diligence support. Moody replaces Grace Rains, who has …

Business professional Ericka Gutierrez has joined Conway entrepreneurial organization, the Conductor, as the Outreach and Engagement Manager. Gutierrez will serve as a liaison, relationship builder, and catalyst for Conductor events and programs across the 11-county service area and beyond. The …