1990 - 1998
In retrospect, the Crossroads Coalition concept began taking shape within Cross County (however, the term "Crossroads" is not linked to the name of the county) in the 1990's. Still, when the citizens of Cross County embarked on a massive economic development program, they didn't know exactly what they would achieve, but they knew some things were essential. In fact, they had reached the conclusion in about 1990 that they would have to invest in the future of their county before anyone else would. They mapped out a plan and decided, for the most part, to use a series of targeted "sunset" sales tax initiatives to finance selected projects: hospital and fire department upgrades, schools, a central recreation facility, a center for at-risk youth, and water and sewer upgrades. All were geared to develop a community with the quality of life and infrastructure that would allow it to maintain and attract present and future employers.
1999 - 2001
In 1999 Cross County became the first county in Arkansas to pass (by popular vote) a sales tax to support county-wide economic development. This 1-percent 3-year targeted sales tax eventually resulted in about $4.5 million dollars to be used to take advantages of economic development opportunities in the county. The Cross County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC), which has a 30-member board, was created to guide the use of these funds.
Cross County's partnership with the University of Arkansas Economic Development Institute (UAEDI) began in May 2001, when Otto Loewer , then Dean of Engineering at the University of Arkansas , spoke to the Rotary Club in Wynne (county seat of Cross County ) about the role of his college in the economic development of Arkansas . Several CCEDC Board members were at this meeting, including Bill Thomas who was a local businessman, and Executive Director of the CCEDC and the Cross County Chamber of Commerce, and a leader in the economic development initiative. Later that year, after a series of discussions and trips between Wynne and Fayetteville (home of the University of Arkansas ), a partnership was created between the University of Arkansas and Cross County .
These "back and forth" meetings over several months led to a number of very important conclusions. At the forefront of these was the consensus opinion that if Cross County was to prosper, then the region as a whole must begin to prosper. Then, as a matter of strategy towards regional prosperity, Cross County decided to create the Technology Center for the Delta (TCD) as part of a comprehensive regionally-focused economic development initiative .
The Technology Center was to be more than a building; it was to serve as a model for innovation in the region. This model for innovation led became the impetus for forming the 10-county (Crittenden, Cross, Jackson , Lee , Mississippi , Monroe , Phillips, Poinsett, Woodruff, St. Francis) regional effort now called the Crossroads Coalition. The name was selected in reference to the intersections of two interstates (I-40 and I-55) and two major highways (U.S. 64 and AR 1) within the region. The name also reflected the critical decision point where the region as a whole choose to proactively and cooperatively pursue a new approach for seeking prosperity and well-being.
2002 - 2004
It became increasing clear to the regional leadership that the area comprising the Crossroads Coalition was defined by a common regional culture, an ample water supply and dependence upon agriculture as its primary economic driver. Furthermore, the Region was also blessed by a strong transportation and logistical network. All counties were within slightly more than an hour's drive from Memphis , TN. The Mississippi River formed the most eastern boundary of the Coalition while the White River formed the most western boundary. The intersection of I-55 and I-40 was among the busiest intersections in the U.S. in terms of truck traffic. The Marion Yard was the largest intermodal transportation facility in the world, and the Memphis airport was the biggest carrier of air freight in the world.
In December 2002, given these natural regional connections, Cross County invited selected county leaders from each of six counties to attend an exploratory meeting in Wynne to discuss creation of the Crossroads Coalition (initially, 6 rather than 9 and later 10 counties were thought to be interested in being part of the Coalition). County judges, community college representatives, public school officials, and business leaders from the six counties were in attendance as were U.S. Representative Marion Berry and members of his and U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln's staff. Those gathered were in favor of moving forward with the proposal, and Bill Thomas agreed to help lead this effort to create this regional consortium. A number of others meetings were held over the next two years including a meeting in Fayetteville where University of Arkansas faculty and individuals from Cross and St. Francis counties explored ways in which the Region could partner together.
2005 - present
In January 2005, a committee appointed by Bill Thomas produced a report outlining the proposed organization of the Crossroads Coalition . It was this report that formed the basis for the inaugural Crossroads Coalition event held on August 24, 2005 at the Technology Center for the Delta in Wynne.
The Technology Center for the Delta, with remodeling and an investment of approximately $2 million, opened its doors to the public and the Crossroads Coalition in August 2005 . The idea for the Technology Center had begun in 2001 in discussions about possible partnerships between Cross County and the University of Arkansas College of Engineering. These discussions eventually led to the purchase of an empty retail structure for $550,000 by Cross County . The Technology Center became the focus of the first University of Arkansas SEED (Students Engaged in Economic Development) project in 2003 when students from UA's Interior Design program under the supervision of Betty Loewer worked with Cross County representatives as part of an official class project. These students developed 26 conceptual space plans for the Technology Center which were later used by county officials and contractors to develop final blueprints for the facility.
The August 24, 2005 inaugural meeting of the Crossroads Coalition led to a series of events with the goal of having the Coalition fully functioning by 2007. The Organizing Committee report was used as both an action plan and as the basis for creating the by-laws. Accordingly, the following occurred over the following year:
. The Crossroads Executive Committee was formed consisting of those who had agreed to be the inaugural chairs of the four broad-based development pillar groups and the Crossroads Foundation plus a representative of the Technology Center for the Delta. The Executive Committee then identified twenty individuals who agreed to serve as the inaugural Crossroads Board of Directors.
. The inaugural Crossroads Board of Directors' primary goal and accomplishment was the creation of an official set of bylaws and the implementation of the necessary steps required for the Crossroads Coalition to function appropriately by January 2007. One of the first acts of the Board, however, was to vote to include representatives from Jackson County as part of the Coalition, thus raising the number of Crossroads counties from nine to ten.
. In January 2006, the Crossroads Coalition Broad-based Development Pillar Groups began being formed officially (Economic, Education, Community, and Leadership). However, there had already been considerable activity with regard to these pillar groups, the most notable being in Education.
. Education Development Pillar Group: A series of meetings was held in Fayetteville , beginning in 2004, regarding a common interest in workforce development with the possible use of the Crossroads Coalition as a model. In February 2005, Dr. Glen Fenter (president of Mid South Community College in West Memphis ) agreed to host a meeting in West Memphis to explore this possibility. The presidents/chancellors of the four community colleges ( Phillips Community College , Arkansas Northeast College, East Arkansas Community College , Mid South Community College) that were in the original nine counties of the Crossroads were in attendance as were a number of representatives from state agencies. Out of this meeting came the impetus to create the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium (ADTEC) made up of these four community colleges (and now five with the addition of ASU - Newport ). ADTEC has been extremely successful to date in attracting grant support, especially in the area of workforce development, and is viewed as a "Workforce Development sub-pillar group" within the Crossroads. Furthermore, the Education Pillar Group began exploring creating a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative.
. Community Development Pillar Group: The Community Pillar Group focused on a number of activities to include defining the data needs for communities, the possible creation of a Health subpillar group, and the possible adoption of major tourism initiatives within the Coalition as being effectively a tourism subpillar group of the Crossroads.
. Economic Development Pillar Group: The Economic Development Pillar Group focused on creating a dialog among its members regarding common interests. On major thrust was the creation of a Legislative Agenda to present priorities of the Crossroads to the Arkansas General Assembly. Another has been to explore the creation of a Small Business subpillar group.
. Leadership Development Pillar Group: The Leadership Development Group identified the local, state and national leadership programs available to the Region, the goal being to have leadership programs available to all of the Coalition communities. Furthermore, it began considering creating a Crossroads Regional Leadership Program as a "next step" for the local leadership programs.
. Crossroads Coalition Foundation: The Crossroads Foundation is still in its conceptual stage. A number of funding possibilities were explored that show considerable promise.
. Technology Center for the Delta: The Technology Center , while owned and operated by Cross County , serves as the headquarters and meeting place for the Crossroads Coalition. Since its opening in August 2005, the Technology Center has been fully occupied by tenants to include the East Arkansas Community College , Cross County Chamber, and the Workforce Investment Board. Furthermore, the Technology Center has exhibition and meeting space that is being used extensively. In many ways, the Technology Center also has served as a symbol of what can happen if capable people of good will come together to promote broad-based prosperity and well-being for the people of the region.
On November 13th, 2006 the Crossroads Coalition held its 2nd Annual Meeting at the Technology Center for the Delta with over 300 in attendance. Earlier in October, the Coalition suffered a major loss with the death of Bill Thomas who had played such a critical role in creating the Coalition. The first elected Crossroads Coalition Board of Directors was selected who took office in January 2007. The Coalition focused on a number of projects through its pillar groups during 2007. There was a concerted effort to get the Crossroads Foundation fully operational in 2007. Furthermorem the pillar groups worked to develop the Crossroads Asset and Resource Library (CARL) as part of a major update of its website.
Summary
The Crossroads Coalition is an organization based on a strong philosophical base that seeks to be a national model for broad-based development (economic, education, community leadership) by promoting innovation, partnerships and resource leveraging among established organizations. It is also work in progress that is attracting growing attention and has had considerable success to date. The Coalition welcomes all to participate who will work respectfully with each other to improve the prosperity and well-being of the Region while serving as a new broad-based development model to be expanded, extended and replicated in Arkansas and the nation.
For the history of the Crossroads Coalition in PDF format click here.
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