P.O. Box 3447
Little Rock, AR 72203
Phone (501) 682-4230
Contact Us
P.O. Box 3447
Little Rock, AR 72203
Phone (501) 682-4230
Contact Us

Ed Clifford, NWA Council Receive Free Enterprise Awards

photo of Ed Clifford

Ed Clifford

March 11, 2025

 

LITTLE ROCK—  Economics Arkansas will honor Ed Clifford and the Northwest Arkansas Council with the 2025 Excellence in Free Enterprise Awards on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. The awards luncheon will take place at the Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas in Rogers.

The Excellence in Free Enterprise Award recognizes exceptional individuals, families, and organizations whose entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen have empowered the lives of countless people across the region, the nation, and the world. The award honors those who have contributed to and promoted success in the free enterprise system.

Ed Clifford’s influence has shaped the next generation of business leaders through his professional and community endeavors. He is most recently the former president and CEO of The Jones Center in Springdale, a regional center for arts, sports, culture, and community. Previously, Ed served as president and CEO of the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce and spent seventeen years as an executive with Walmart Stores Inc.

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The Northwest Arkansas Council has been instrumental in transforming the region into a thriving hub for business, education, and community development. Founded in 1990 by regional business leaders, including Sam Walton, Don Tyson, and J.B. Hunt, the Council seeks to “advance job opportunities, talent recruitment, physical infrastructure, health care and quality of life” for its surrounding communities.

The Excellence in Free Enterprise Award luncheon provides much-needed financial support for the training and programs conducted by Economics Arkansas for PreK-12 educators.

The nonprofit provides teachers statewide with the tools and confidence to integrate economics into their classrooms. Its vision is for all Arkansas students to master an understanding of economics and personal finance and apply that knowledge for success in the free enterprise system.

Previous recipients of the Excellence in Free Enterprise Award include Shelley Simpson (2023), the George and Simmons Families (2019), Gov. Asa Hutchinson (2016), Mike Duke (2014), and Sam Walton, John Tyson, and J.B. and Johnelle Hunt (2012).

Tickets and sponsorships are available and can be secured by visiting www.economicsarkansas.org, or contacting Kathleen Lawson, executive director, at kathleen@economicsarkansas.org.

Economics Arkansas is a private, non-profit, non-partisan educational organization founded in 1962 by Dr. Arch Ford and led by Dr. Bessie B. Moore to promote economic literacy in Arkansas. Its mission is to equip PreK-12 schools with standards-based resources and professional development to teach economics, personal finance, and the free-enterprise system using practical, innovative, and inspiring methods so that Arkansas students may master an understanding of economics and personal finance and apply that knowledge for success in the free-enterprise system.

Economics Arkansas | P.O. Box 3447, Little Rock, AR 72203 | 501-682-4230 | www.economicsarkansas.org

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For more information, contact:

Kathleen Lawson, Executive Director

501-682-4230

kathleen@economicsarkansas.org

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P.O. Box 3447
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Phone (501) 682-4230
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