Connect Arkansas has plans for a statewide study to help small- and medium-sized businesses develop strategies and be more competitive in the digital economy.
The private nonprofit organization, a project of the Arkansas Capital Corp. Group, is partnering with Strategic Networks Group to conduct the internet utilization study. The results will help provide businesses with tools and knowledge about smarter Internet usage techniques.
“We see this program as being incredibly beneficial for our local businesses,” Sam Walls III, president of Connect Arkansas, said in a news release. “We will be able to uncover where businesses are today with regards to capitalizing on the Internet’s potential and develop strategies for our businesses to be more competitive.”
Faulkner County businesses will receive special assistance in the form of eligibility for the Small Business Growth program, which is being piloted to determine if Connect Arkansas will provide this assistance to other areas of the state. Faulkner County was selected due to recent happenings in Mayflower and Vilonia, including April’s tornado and the oil spill last year.
Businesses in those communities will receive information on how to increase revenues and reduce costs. The Small Business Growth program has surveyed thousands of businesses across the nation to learn their Internet use and the financial benefits to compare to businesses in Arkansas.
“We’ve found that small businesses across North America are typically slow to adopt Internet applications,” Doug Adams, vice president of communications for SNG, said in the release. “Research in more than 10 states shows us time and again that small businesses either don’t understand how Internet applications are relevant to their business or lack the will to take the time to deploy them.”
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