Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District

The Southwest Arkansas Planning & Development District (SWAPDD) serves 12 contiguous counties and 64 municipalities located in the southwest corner of the state. The District is positioned at the juxtaposition of Louisiana to the south and Texas to the southwest and is often described as the “ArkLaTex” region. The District serves a population of more than 241,000 residents and includes five municipalities with a population of 10,000 or more. SWAPDD is the birthplace of President William Jefferson Clinton.
This area has a strong, diverse economic base. Abundant natural resources, such as petroleum and bromine-rich brine wells, play an important role in its economy, and SWAPDD has a strong manufacturing sector.
Counties Sevier | Howard | Hempstead | Little River | Nevada | Ouachita | Dallas | Calhoun | Union | Columbia | Lafayette | Miller
SWAPDD website

Summer 2020 Outreach Summary

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute conducted interviews and surveys to help assess the needs of Arkansas’s communities among the eight development districts during the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. This section summarizes these findings for the Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District.
In SWAPDD, the following types of businesses have been affected by COVID-19:
Lumber Mill | Manufacturers | Production facilities
8.1% of SWAPDD businesses that were closed summer of 2020 will likely close permanently due to COVID-19

SWAPDD Advisory Committee Members

Kristen Cribb
Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center

Bill Luther
El Dorado Union County Chamber of Commerce

Tracie L. Lee
Public Works, City of Texarkana

Tammy Waters
Domtar

Michael Malone
Texarkana Chamber of Commerce

Ellie Baker
Magnolia Economic Development

Tiffany Maurer
Sevier County Economic Development

Janell Morton
Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center

Bria Page
City of Texarkana

Katie Robertson
South Central Service Cooperative

Julie Roberson
Canfor

Jennifer Harland
Southwestern Electric Power Company

Shannon Puckett
Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative

Brooks Walthall
South Arkansas Community College

Joni McGaha
Hometown Health, Arkansas Department of Health

Bobby Hart
Superintendent, Hope Schools

Brandon Barnette
El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce

Rory Bulick
Arkansas Economic Development Commission