Hispanic workers focus of Thursday business panel at UAFS
After the announcement that about 970 workers will lose jobs when the Tyson Foods chicken processing plant closes in Van Buren in May, Hispanic business leaders have called a discussion panel to explore futures for those in Fort Smith and the Arkansas River Valley.
On Thursday, the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center ) will host a free Hispanic business panel. Discussions will be in Spanish.
The event has taken on new relevance since many workers at Tyson Foods in Van Buren live in Fort Smith.
"Many of the folks who are facing the Tyson plant closure in Van Buren are members of the Hispanic community," said UAFS spokeswoman Rachel Rodemann Putman.
The four-person panel is made up of Spanish-speaking business professionals who will discuss opportunities and challenges facing Hispanic-owned businesses in the River Valley and hold an open conversation with audience members.
Laurencio Valdez of Arvest Bank, Israel Rodriguez Jr., with the national nonprofit organization the LIBRE Initiative, Jerry Cervantes, owner of JDA Consultants, and Adriana Fuentes Archila of the Arkansas Business Navigator Project will offer insights and aid to the Hispanic business community.
The Spanish-speaking panel will address "local opportunities and challenges for Hispanic businesses in the River Valley," according to a flyer about the event.
The panel will be hosted primarily in Spanish from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Center for Economic Development at the Bakery District, and is free and open to the public.
The UAFS small business development efforts strive to assist entrepreneurs with every aspect of business creation, management, and operation. By providing access to local professionals, small businesses and entrepreneurs can speak to leaders invested in strengthening and sustaining local economies and communities, according to a statement from UAFS.
Arvest Bank is a sponsor of the panel discussion.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Hispanic business panel planned in Fort Smith
