AAE Reports Major Growth in 2025

Lauren Waldrip, executive director of the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (Photo provided by AAEA)

The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association & Foundation (AAE) has released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting major milestones including doubling staff capacity, securing more than $1 million in grant funding, expanding workforce pipelines, strengthening policy engagement and advancing new financing tools like C-PACE to support Arkansas businesses and communities.

“The past year has shown how quickly energy issues can move from background conversation to daily reality for families, employers, and communities,” Lauren Waldrip, executive director, said in a press release. “Our work at Arkansas Advanced Energy has expanded because the needs in front of us have expanded.

“We are no longer dealing with isolated questions about technology or programs. We are dealing with the fundamentals of affordability, reliability, competitiveness, and security,” Waldrip continued in the release. “We strengthened our team, built new programs, and entered deeper conversations with state leaders, utilities, employers, and community partners. None of this effort has been about chasing growth. It has been about stepping up where the work clearly needs to be done.”

Highlights from the 2025 Annual Report

• Organizational Growth and Capacity
  • AAE doubled its staff in 2025, adding leadership in communications, external relations, program coordination and C-PACE program administration.
• More Than $1 Million in Grant Funding Secured
  • The organization realized $1,030,691 in grant funding supporting workforce development, economic development, advocacy and transmission planning — bringing new federal and philanthropic resources directly into the state. New grants included the Municipal Investment Fund (MIF) in partnership with Pulaski County.
• Policy Leadership and Legislative Engagement
  • During the 2025 Arkansas legislative session, AAE engaged on seven energy bills.
• Strengthening the Grid
  • AAE was involved in long-term planning discussions at Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and in coordination efforts with MISO.
• Workforce Development Through SkillStream
  • Through its SkillStream initiative, AAE connected employers, training providers and job seekers statewide through supporting apprenticeships, hosting employer forums, launching SkillSync collaboration calls and helping employers access more than $350,000 in workforce funding.
• C-PACE Expansion and New Revolving Loan Fund
  • AAE partnered with county leaders, strategic partners and policymakers to advance the Arkansas PACE District, modernize state statute through Act 579 and launch a $2.8 million revolving loan fund to support clean energy and resiliency projects for commercial properties. This tool supports small businesses, nonprofits, and local institutions that need modernization but cannot shoulder upfront costs.
• Community and Public Engagement
  • The organization hosted 31 meetings and events in 2025 with almost 800 attendees, including students exploring energy careers at the emPOWER Arkansas Conference & Expo and employers in AAE’s first ever employer forums in North Little Rock and Fort Smith. Media coverage in 2025 generated an estimated 45 million impressions, while website visits and social engagement grew significantly.

“Energy plays a direct role in national security and economic independence,” Waldrip said in the release. “When energy systems are resilient and diverse, our communities are safer, our industries are more competitive, and our state has more control over its future. That is not theoretical. It shows up in business decisions, in household budgets, and in whether investment chooses Arkansas.”