Jeff Nielsen, president/CEO of the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce, was the featured speaker at Rotary on Thursday, Aug. 7.
Nielsen shared the story about the company ProValus showing interest in opening a facility on the Harrison Square as far back as December 2024. “Mayor Jackson and I met with the company, and this has been a great partnership between the City, Chamber, and the schools.”
“This is a new industry for Harrison – not a call center. They will create 150 jobs over the next five years and train those willing to learn IT skills. Employees will be paid during the weeks of training.”
Many ProValus customers are Fortune 500 companies that rely on them to develop apps for customers to use to place food orders, and others that need ProValus for cybersecurity or setting up and maintaining their computer networks.
The company began with a mission to bring IT jobs back to the United States. ProValus has a strong sense of community, loves hiring veterans, and provides food for local food banks. Plus, employees will receive health insurance and gym memberships as part of their hiring package.
The City’s CFO, Luke Feighert, prepared slides showing the project's cost and financial benefits to the area.
Nielsen told the group that the proposed “new” money into the area was approximately $20 million in salaries. ProValus has 1,000 employees at its current locations and has continued to open a new location every quarter.
ProValus has been recognized in national business magazines for its growth, dedication to rural communities, and renovation of downtown buildings. In many of its current locations, it has exceeded the number of employees and is currently in phase two or three of expansion in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and Jasper, Texas, just to name a couple.
Questions were asked about whether we had the infrastructure and parking needed. “COO/Engineer Wade Phillips was able to pull up a map and immediately identify 150 parking places within a two-block radius of the proposed structure that the city owned,” he said.
Nielsen continued, “Dr. Pratt told the City Council that the area has about 50% of high school graduates who do not join the military or want to attend college. They need good-paying jobs so we can keep them right here in Boone County.”
In a few weeks, the Director of Talent will visit the site and meet with area superintendents and Northark representatives.
Nielsen showed a video that Will Ruzic, ProValus's vice president of facilities and operations, showed at the City Council meeting. The video is available on the City’s Facebook page. Visit City of Harrison, Arkansas — Government.