Summary: Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies! On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with James Bell, vice president of Bentonville Economic Development and host of the Bentonville Beacon Podcast, a show that tells the stories of triumph and growth through the lives of the business leaders, executives, and business owners of Bentonville, Arkansas. Additionally, James is an accomplished senior executive and previous founder with more than twenty-five years of experience in diverse business environments. His passion for economic development and entrepreneurship led him to return to Arkansas to help advance Bentonville's recognized success. Throughout this episode, James discusses his excitement about seeing Bentonville continue to establish itself as a place where his son can grow up and explore, as well as the state of innovative healthcare and mobility coming to Northwest Arkansas. Show Notes: (1:06) Introduction to James (4:54) Working at the Bentonville Chamber of Commerce (6:17) Starting a Business in Bentonville (8:20) Northwest Arkansas’s Healthcare Ecosystem (17:02) What Makes Bentonville Special (22:33 About The Ledger (27:37) Bentonville’s Exciting Future with Mobility (34:44) James’ Favorite Barbeque (37:37) Advice to Younger Self (40:02) Closing Question Links: Caleb Talley Jeff Amerine Grace Gill James Bell Bentonville Economic Development Quotes: “I love that I get to help people do the things that they most want, that they’re most passionate about. I get to help them build their businesses or decide whether they should be here in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas.” - James Bell, (5:42) “If you look at that breadth of businesses, starting from the standpoint of potential customers to just the opportunity to learn from experts and access an amazing workforce, it’s all here.” - James Bell, (6:57) “...they’re going to build a transformational healthcare system. I can’t wait to see what all that means, but what I do know from my experience is that all this transpired in the past five years. I can’t imagine it happening anywhere else in thirty, forty, or fifty. And I think that says a lot about this place and how people think here.” - James Bell, (14:03) “You have this amazing place where people are sort of pulling and working together and moving in the same direction. You can stand in the square in Fayetteville, stand in the square in Bentonville, in Rogers, in Springdale, and you can feel the energy.” - James Bell, (18:23)

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