What is the Crossroads Coalition? What counties are in the Crossroads Coalition region? What do these counties have in common? What is the vision and mission of the Crossroads Coalition? How does the Crossroads Coaliton approach developing an action plan and who is responsible for implementing it? When did the Crossroads Coalition become active? How did the Crossroads Coalition get started? Does the Crossroads Coalition have a set of bylaws? Who can be part of the Crossroads Coalition? How is the Crossroads Coalition organized? When do the various entities that comprise Crossroads Coalition meet and where? Is there a way to catch up on what has happened in meetings of the Board of Directors or the pillar group meetings thus far? What has been the overall action plan for the Crossroads Coalition thus far? How will the overall action plan for the Crossroads Coalition change in the future? What are some of the current activities of the various Crossroads Coalition groups? Who can I contact about the Crossroads Coalition and the Pillar Groups including how to get on the Crossroads Coalition electronic mailing list and receive the Crossroads Connection Newsletter? How are the Crossroads Coalition website and the UAEDI website connected? What is the Crossroads Coalition? The Crossroads Coalition (CRC) is a comprehensive organization comprised of partnering organizations and individuals, all of whom are actively seeking to enhance the broad-based development (economic, community, education, leadership) of the ten counties that define the Crossroads region. What counties are in the Crossroads Coalition region? The Crossroads region includes the following ten counties in Eastern Arkansas: Crittenden, Cross, Jackson , Lee , Mississippi , Monroe , Phillips, Poinsett, St. Francis, and Woodruff. What do these counties have in common? These counties, all within slightly more than an hour's drive of Memphis, TN, share a common history, culture, topography, and critical need for broad-based (economic, community, education, leadership) development. They are geographically situated to collectively benefit from regionally significant development projects, such as the expanding automotive industry or promotion of the recreation, hospitality, and tourism industry. In addition, the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce considers all of the Crossroads Coalition counties to be within its region. What is the vision and mission for the Crossroads Coalition? The Crossroads Coalition vision is to be a catalyst for continuing improvement, prosperity, opportunity, and other quality of life considerations (such as employment, housing, education, health care, recreation and the natural environment) in the Region. Our Mission Statement is: "The Crossroads Coalition's purpose is to promote broad based development in the Region." How does the Crossroads Coaliton approach developing an action plan and who is responsible for implementing it? The Crossroads approach is to assist established organizations with comprehensive broad-based development (economic, community, education, leadership) efforts through partnerships designed to leverage resources. This approach has a number of well-defined expectations. To view these, click here. When did the Crossroads Coalition become active? Planning for the Crossroads Coalition began in 2002. The first formal meeting of the Crossroads Coalition occurred on August 24, 2005. In the time since 2002, many individuals and groups participated in various meetings, activities, and projects under the Crossroads Coalition banner. For a list of these participants, click here. How did the Crossroads Coalition get started? In 2001, members of the Cross County ( Arkansas ) Economic Development Corporation formed a partnership with the University of Arkansas that led to a decision in 2002 to create the Technology Center for the Delta. The interest in this county effort was expanded later in 2002 when a group of leaders from eastern Arkansas met in Wynne to discuss the desirability and feasibility of creating a regional economic development organization referred to as the Crossroads Coalition. Several more meetings were then held to decide how best to create and structure this organization. In a 2004 meeting, Bill Thomas (then Executive Director of the Cross County Chamber of Commerce) was asked to chair a committee to develop an organizational structure for the Crossroads Coalition. The organizing committee submitted its report in January, 2005 ( Report from the Crossroads Coalition Organizing Committee) . Furthermore, this committee took the leadership in scheduling and organizing the first official meeting of the Crossroads Coalition that was held on August 24, 2005, at the Technology Center for the Delta in Wynne , AR. Does the Crossroads Coalition have a set of bylaws? Yes. These were developed in 2006 by the inaugural Crossroads Board of Directors. They may be viewed at the following link: BYLAWS . Who can be part of the Crossroads Coalition? The Coalition is open to all those organizations and individuals, at any time and regardless of their physical locations, who have an interest in increasing the prosperity and well being of the Crossroads region and are willing to work together respectively to achieve the Coalition's vision and mission. How is the Crossroads Coalition be organized? Crossroads Coalition is a new model for economic development in Arkansas , one that uses an inclusive business model without internal political boundaries such as city or county lines. The Coalition is comprised of the following entities: Executive Director, Board of Directors, Foundation, Technology Center for the Delta, and Pillar Groups. For the overall organizational chart and the duties and responsibilities of each entity click here. When do the various entities that comprise Crossroads Coalition meet and where? Most, but certainly not all, meetings of the Crossroads Coalition are held at the Technology Center for the Delta in Wynne , AR. Pillar groups and the Board of Directors plan to meet monthly unless there is a scheduling conflict. The day and time reserved for the Board of Directors is the first Tuesday of the month at 3:00 pm. The day reserved for the pillar groups is the third Wednesday of the month, but the time of the meeting is scheduled by individual pillar group chairs. To obtain or confirm times and dates, click here. Is there a way to catch up on what has happened in meetings of the Board of Directors or the pillar group meetings thus far? Yes. The Coalition maintains a listing of minutes of its meetings. To view these, click here. What has been the overall action plan for the Crossroads Coalition thus far? Since the Crossroads Coalition officially began in 2005, the overall action plan has been to work on the following five fronts: •  First, the pillar groups have been identifying assets of all types within the Region and placing this information within the Crossroads Assets and Resources Library (CARL) that is part of the Crossroads Coalition website. •  Second, the pillar groups have sponsored a number of activities designed to meet specific needs of the region (Legislative Initiative, Business to Business event, job fair). •  Third, the Board of Directors has worked to finalize the structure of the Crossroads by putting together bylaws, creating the Foundation, and hiring an Executive Director. •  Fourth, the Technology Center for the Delta has served as the Coalition's headquarters and as host for it meetings and related events. •  Fifth, UAEDI, in its partnership with the Crossroads, has developed and upgraded the Coalition's website, created and distributed the Crossroads Connection Newsletter, maintained the Crossroads electronic mailing list, and provided leadership for the SEED (Students engaged in Economic Development) program. For more about SEED, click here. How will the overall action plan for the Crossroads Coalition change in the future? It is likely that an Executive Director will be in place by mid-2008 and that the Crossroad Foundation will be fully functioning by the fall of 2008 in that all the legal steps have already been taken and the Board of Directors is awaiting approval. The Executive Director is expected to provide a more comprehensive and aggressive marketing program for the Coalition than has taken place thus far. Likewise, the plan is for the Coalition to attract more investment for projects of interest when the Foundation becomes fully operational,. In addition, a goal of the Pillar Group - UAEDI partnership is to greatly expand the SEED program across the Coalition which should lead to wide range of new opportunities. Also, pillar groups are also expected to identify other projects that complement past and current activities. What are some of the current activities of the various Crossroads Coalition groups? For a listing of current Crossroads Coalition projects, click here. Who can I contact about the Crossroads Coalition and the Pillar Groups including how to get on the Crossroads Coalition electronic mailing list and receive the Crossroads Connection Newsletter? For a list of Crossroads Coalition organizational contacts, including how to get on the Crossroads electronic mailing list, click here. How are the Crossroads Coalition website and the UAEDI website connected? The website for the Crossroads Coalition ( http://crossroadscoalition.org ) is hosted by the University of Arkansas Economic Development Institute (UAEDI) ( http://uaedi.cast.uark.edu ) as part of an ongoing and evolving partnership between the two organizations. Back to Top