Skilled Trade Expo

The Skilled Trade Expo is scheduled October 26 & 27.  Industries and large employers among the confirmed vendors are Americold, City Corporation, Denali Water Solutions, Entergy ANO, Grandeur Fasteners, Green Bay Packaging, Parker Luxury Auto Group, Rockline, Russellville Nursing and Rehab, St. Mary’s Regional Hospital, Tyson Foods, Arkansas Tech Career Center, Arkansas Tech Ozark campus, and UACCM.   We also have several branches of the military, Pope Co. Sheriff, Ark State Police, Arkansas Dept of Workforce Services, ArDOT, and Southern States Millwright local 216,

The Skilled Trade Expo was started in 2018 as a way to promote skilled trade careers to area high school students.  The first year there were 29 exhibitors and approximately 1,000 students, from 5 schools in Pope County.  In 2019 we expanded the event to 14 schools from Pope and Yell counties and had 45 exhibitors and over 2,200 students.  The pandemic hit and we were not able to hold the event in 2020.  Right now, we have approximately 45 exhibitors and reservations from 15 schools (approximately 1,800 students) in Pope, Yell, and Johnson counties.  The event is held at the Cyclone basketball arena. The Be Pro Be Proud unit, Entergy’s Arcs and Sparks unit, and a demonstration rig from the Arkansas Trucking Association will be set up outside.