Overview and Outlook
The Metro Little Rock region is well established to support financial services companies with low cost utilities, excellent telecommunications and skilled professionals.
The Metro Little Rock region has a well established financial services industry cluster. Stephens Inc. provides a pool of skilled financial professionals in investment banking, insurance and other related businesses.
Excellent telecommunications, and low cost utilities as well as proximity to universities and community colleges make the Metro Little Rock region a good location for in-bound and out-bound telemarketing support, data centers, headquarter operations and administrative office facilities.
Other financial services cluster companies located in the Metro region include personal finance and retirement planning. Each of the cluster businesses can be well served in the Metro region with lower-cost locations and workforce than provided elsewhere in the U. S.
The consumer market of the Metro region has a significant population of households with high personal incomes and accumulated wealth which creates a demand for financial service.
Site Selection Considerations
Sites and Infrastructure: The Metro Little Rock region has available sites that will accommodate a variety of facilities appropriate for this industry cluster. The region can support home-office and or back-office operations effectively by providing nation-wide customer relationships management programs with maximum control, and low cost of operations with a skilled workforce.
Workforce: Metro Little Rock region has a well educated, white-collar workforce familiar with financial analysis, stocks and investment management, insurance and finance.
Universities and other institution of leaning provide certifications, undergraduate and graduate degrees in finance and banking with opportunities for student internships.
High quality of life for employees is supported by a recognized low cost of living.
Valuable Regional Resources
Metro Little Rock is the primary host in the region for both financial services businesses and related companies. This industry cluster is supported by: extensive fiber-based networks, high-bandwidth telecommunications capabilities, complete digital switching capacity and optic-based telecommunications networks.
According to Walker Companies, average industrial electricity costs in the Metro Little Rock region are among the lowest in the southeastern U.S.
Transportation: The Metro regional and extended transportation system is well developed and dependable allowing firms to conduct business with local and distant clients. Air transportation provides easy access to major national and international destinations.
Existing Companies
Stephens Inc. - www.stephens.com
AT&T – www.att.com
CenturyTel – www.centurytel.com/