BENTONVILLE — Gov. Sarah Sanders kicked off Bentonville’s “Capital for a Day” event Tuesday by greeting 700 visitors from all 50 states at Walmart Stores Inc.’s “Open Call Day.”
The retailer attracts companies from across the country to its Bentonville headquarters to market their products to Walmart stores. The opening rally, to be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday, will be the 10th annual such ceremony during the two-day event. Kevin Gardner, a company spokesman, said the company has invited governors every year since the beginning.
Sanders chose to attend in person, delivering remarks at the first of a day-long meeting with local leaders in Bentonville. The governor thanked Walmart for his commitment to Arkansas.
“If you’re from out of town, you’ve seen here in Northwest Arkansas, our state’s economy is absolutely booming,” Sanders said. “Our nation’s unemployment rate reached record lows earlier this year. More Arkansans are working than ever before. Northwest Arkansas is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. And across the state, thousands of people are moving here from everywhere.
“There is literally no better time than now to visit, invest in, or move to Arkansas.”
Mike Townsend of Knoxville, Tenn., said the area compares favorably with his home near the Smoky Mountains.
The president of BDry Towel Inc. said, “I have traveled all over the country, and this area reminds me of the beautiful areas of upstate New York and New Jersey.” He also said that he was struck by Sanders as being “very down-to-earth and down-to-earth.” She was raised correctly. ”
After the Walmart event, Sanders was scheduled to visit Mary Mae Jones Elementary School at 10:15 a.m. with state Education Secretary Jacob Oliva. She was then scheduled to visit the Northwest Arkansas Military Reserve Center at 11:30 a.m.
A visitation from 1 p.m. is scheduled with members of The CALL, a Bentonville nonprofit that helps foster children in the state, and members of the state Department of Children and Family Services’ Benton County Support Center.
Then tour the Leisure, a downtown office development, at 2:15 p.m. and Airship Coffee at 3:30 p.m.
The final event will be a meet-and-greet with voters at a table at the Hickory Inn Restaurant, 1502 N. Walton Blvd.
According to the announcement, there are only two events open to the press: a morning manufacturing conference call and an evening networking session. The governor did not take questions at the morning event.
Bentonville is the second city Sanders has designated as the state capital. On Friday, Mena was the capital for a day.