A new promotion from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, "Set Your Sites on Arkansas," is available to businesses and organizations around the state. The Department's goal with this project is to increase the number of Web sites that link to arkansas.com, benefiting both the Department's site and the businesses that link to the site.

"Search engines on the Internet have changed the way the pull up properties when a search is instigated. Before, they searched the first couple of paragraphs, looking for "key words." Now the engines factor in the number of links to and from the Web site as a major part of their search criteria," said Jana Greenbaum, communications manager for the Department of Parks and Tourism, who is overseeing the project.

It's easy to link to the site. Just go to arkansas.com/helpfulinfo/linking_policy.asp to download animated banners and the html code for your site. Once the link is in place, a reciprocal link from Parks and Tourism is obtained by sending a reply to linking@arkansas.com to inform the Department that the Arkansas link has been added. Also include the address where the link can be found.

Arkansas.com is the state's premier Web location for information about Arkansas communities, events, attractions, lodging and dining. The site had a 26.3% increase from 2003 to 2004 in the number of visitors to the site. ArkansasHotDeals.com also saw an increase of 58.7% in 2004.

JCCF Board Meeting- Wednesday Apr 6 12 pm

Ambassadors Meeting- Wednesday Apr 13 11 am at Pizza Hut

Chamber Board of Directors Meeting- Wednesday Apr 20 11 am. Chamber Luncheon 12 pm in the Seay Student Center at the U of O

Central Business District Meeting- Tuesday Apr 26 12 pm at the Chamber of Commerce

Resource Alliance Meeting- Wednesday, Apr 27 12 pm at the Emerald Dragon

Arkansas Hospitality Training- Thursday Apr 14 th at 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Hampton Inn in Clarksville

Secretaries Luncheon- scheduled for Apr 27th..for more info, call the Chamber

Attention Seniors
Johnson County Senior 
Activity Center April News

8th Annual Dinner Theater scheduled for Friday April 8th at 6:00 pm. Music by the Slate Hill Gang-
Don Pennington, Richard McDougal, Bill Galloway, Rose Ann Taylor and Friends. For more information call 479-754-6148 Tickets are $6.50 Adults and $3.00 Children. The menu will consist of: Chicken and Dressing, Gravy, Corn, Waldorf Salad, Hot Rolls, and Carrot Cake.

8th Annual Games Night scheduled for April 22nd 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. There will be a Pie Auction and Bingo. Lots of fun and prizes.

This is a part of Meals for Seniors Month at the Johnson County Senior Activity Center. All proceeds will be used to provide Home Delivered Meals for the Homebound of Johnson County.

Reprinted from U.A.L.R. Newsletter

Arkansas Facts: Number of Businesses- In 2003, Arkansas had 60,416 employer firms. Of these, 97% or 58,600 were small firms. In addition to the number of employer businesses, the state also had an estimated 101,145 self-employed persons in 2003. Employment- Small businesses employed 476,870 people in 2001 or 47.9% of the state's non-farm private workforce. Small Business Income- Small business proprietor's income in 2003 increased by 12.2%, from $5.2 billion in 2002 to $5.9 billion in 2003. Business Turnover- The estimated number of new employer businesses was 7,253 in 2003, which is 34.8% more than the previous year. Business bankruptcies increased by 52.1% and totaled 429 in 2003. Business terminations increased by 54% and numbered 6,918 in 2003. Women-Owned Businesses- Self-employment by women decreased by 6.7% from 32,815 in 2002 to 30,611 in 2003 and represented 30.7% of self-employed persons in the state. Women-owned businesses generated $6.5 billion in revenues, employed 64,379 workers, and constituted 42,600 firms or 22% of all firms in 1997. Minority-Owned Businesses- In 1197 16.2% or 2,100 of the minority-owned businesses in the state were employer firms, and they generated 78.9% of the total minority-owned business revenue of $1.4 billion. There were 2,600 Hispanic-owned businesses, 6,700 Black-owned businesses, 1,500 Asian and Pacific Islander-owned businesses, and 2,300 American Indian and Alaskan Native-owned businesses in 1997.

National Facts: Number of Businesses- There were an estimated 22,659,000 small businesses in 2003. Of the 5,696,600 employer firms in 2003, 99.7% or an estimated 5,679,500 were small business firms. Self-employment increased by 3.7% from 9,926,000 in 2002 to 10,295,000 in 2003. Employment- Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees numbered 5,640,407 in 2001 and employed 57,383,450 people or 49.9% of the non-farm private workforce. Between 2000 & 2001, firms with fewer than 20 employees added 1,111,183 jobs. Small Business Income- The income of small business proprietors in 2003 increased by 7.3% frp, $800.4 billion in 2002 to $858.9 billion in 2003. Business Turnover- Business bankruptcies decreased by 9.1% and totaled 35,037 in 2003. Business terminations decreased by 2.5% and numbered 554,800 in 2003. Women-Owned Businesses- Women-owned businesses generated $818.7 billion in revenues, employed 7,076,081 workers and constituted 5,417,000 for,s pr 26% of all firms in 1997. Women represented 37.4% or 3,850,889 of self-employed persons in 2003 an increase of 5.3% from 2002. Minority-Owned Businesses- In 1997 20.2% or 615,200 of the minority-owned businesses were employer firms that generated 87.4% of the total minority-owned business revenue of $591.3 billion. There were 1,199,900 Hispanic-owned businesses, 823,500 Black-owned businesses 913,000 Asian and Pacific Islander-owned businesses, and 197,300 American Indian and Alaskan Native-owned businesses in 1997.

More than 500 alumni, family members and friends of the University of the Ozarks are expected to converge on Clarksville during the weekend of Apr 14-16 for the university's Alumni Weekend 2005. For more information call the Alumni office at 479-979-1234 or email alumnioffice@ozarks.edu

Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern will speak at University of the Ozarks at 7 pm, Tuesday, April 19, in the Walton Fine Arts Center on the Clarksville campus. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased by calling 479-979-1346.

The U of O's Theatre Department will present Ron Osborne's play Seeing Stars in Dixie, April 14 and 15 in the Walton Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $5 each. For more info call 479-979-1349

Thank You to Our Special Volunteers: Volunteers like you deserve gratitude and applause for the selfless gift you give. The time, energy, skills and talents you generously lend--again and again--are priceless. Your efforts and dedication help make our organization better, our community stronger and our world brighter.

"91% of small business owners contributed to their community in the last year through volunteering, in-kind contributions, and/or direct cash donations."

NFIB Research Foundation

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
APRIL 17-23, 2005

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Foothills Arena April Schedule Global Team Penning Apr. 1st, 2nd, 3rd
USCRA Calf Roping Apr 9th
Little Britches Rodeo Apr 23rd 10 am & 6 pm

Arkansas Horse Reining Assoc. Apr. 30th
Call 497-2688 for times and details website: tangleshoe.com

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New Members Highlight

Holy Smoke BBQ
Owner Mike Rylee
1623 W. Main St
Phone 479-754-4406

Days Inn
General Mng. Ankur Patel
email- hddcs2000@yahoo.com
Phone 479-754-8555

Art Waves
Phone 479-754-2399
                  

The Clarksville Kiwanis Club is celebrating is 50th year of service to the city of Clarksville and to Johnson County this year by sponsoring a program entitled, "A Tribute to Our Veterans," including a concert by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on June 14, 2005 in the Clarksville High School Fine Arts Center. For more information on this event you can call the Clarksville-Johnson County Chamber of Commerce at 479-754-2340

New Food Code Rules and Regulation Effective April 18, 2005

The Arkansas Board of Health has approved amended "Rules and Regulations for Retail Food Establishment." The rules and regulations are effective April 18, 2005. These rules and regulations will affect YOUR business. Your Environmental Health Specialist will distribute copies of the new rules and regulations as soon as possible. Effective Jan. 1, 2005 the regulation will be available at www.healthyarkansas.com. For additional information contact your Local Health Unit.

2005

Executive Committee
Freeman Wish - President
Darrell Williams- 1st Vice President
Max Slaughter- 2nd Vice President
Janice Joyce - Sec/Treasurer
Matt Wylie - Immediate Past Pres.

Government/Schools
Judge Mike Jacobs - Johnson County
Mayor Billy Helms - Clarksville
Mayor Dan Rowe - Knoxville
Beverly Wagner - Lamar
Mayor Deborah Marvel - Coal Hill
Dr. Rick Niece - Schools

Board of Directors

Chris Allen - Sara Lee Hosiery
Edward Anderson - Individual
Dorinda Edmisten-Ozark Rape Crisis Center
Mark Estelle - Wal-mart DC 6082
Van Hill - Individual
Robbie Jackson - East Mt. Zion Trinity Baptist
Betty Killough - Tyson Foods, Inc.
Sondra McKelvey - Individual
Jim Pat Mills - Mills Oil Company
Jackie Nowotny - First Security Bank
Max Slaughter - Johnson Chevrolet
Steven Sosebee - Simmons First Bank
Denton Tumbleson - Simmons First Bank
Doug Wharton - C21 Commercial Real Estate
Darrell Williams - U of O
Freeman Wish - Mazzio's Pizza 
Ron Collins - Regions Bank
Iva Nell Gibbons - Gibbons Law Office
Burt Heil - Baldor Electric
Julie Kersey - Julie's Perks
Adele Jacobs - King & Jacobs
Reba Pridgin - Individual
Don Stimpson - First Arkansas Valley Bank
Bruce Wilson - Individual
Sherry Boen - Individual 
                  
    Executive Director           
          Vicki Lyons  

*Foothills Arena
*The Salvation Army
*Clarksville Classifieds
Clarksville Convalescent Home
Cary Jackson, SA
Andrea Jackson, SA
Arkansas River Valley Dentistry
Sara Lee
Cox Communications
Tyson
Parker Animal Clinic
Penmac
National Home Centers
King & Jacobs
Sharon Barto, SA
Phil Taylor Insurance
A to Z Plumbing
US Forrest Service
Grace Lutheran Church
Birch Tree Communities
First Presbyterian Church
Johnson County Tobacco Coalition
Friendship Community Care
Serendipity
Centurytel
Arkansas Digital
Mid South Roller
Johnson Chevrolet
Family Shoe Store
Dependable Air
Whitson Morgan Motor Company
Betty Carpenter
Doug Wharton, SA
Russell Lyons
Carol Martin
Johnson County Surgery Clinic
First United Methodist Church
Gibbons Law Office
United Country All Star Real Estate
Marilyn's Fashions
Johnson County Title
Coldwell Banker Ken Stall & Associates
Clarksville Lions Club
Arkansas Western Gas
River Valley United Way
Clarksville Public Schools
Peach Pickin Paradise
Razorback Radio
Ruby Vaught
Johnson County Community Foundation
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Arkansas Cycle Works
Bruce Wilson
Morgan's Fashions
Acme Brick
Clarksville Refrigerated Lines, Ltd.
Len Bradley
Bright Harvest Sweet Potato Company
Alltime Family Fitness
Leta Reames, SA
Cecil Hardware
Visiting Nurses Agency
Dept. Of Human Services
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Clarksville Country Club
Master Printing
Baldor
Russellville Printing
Spadra Waterfront Marina
Kelly Services
Jim Pat Mills
Dale Carnegie Training
John C. Frost
Hideaway Meadows
The Catfish House
Patterson Oil Company
Humane Society of Johnson Co.
Nite Lite Outdoors
Nancy Hill
State Farm Insurance
Kimberly Spicer
Wal-Mart Distribution
Group W Ins.
Johnson Co. Extension Service
Next Generation Preschool
Kelly Rentals
Ozark Highland Store
Hall Eye Care
Rocky Hill Real Estate
Nowotny Service
Teeter's Drug Store
Irene White
Ashby's Runway
Harvest Foods
Carma Graphix
Western Auto
Community Service Inc.
K & G Handyman Service
Posey Printing