Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson said Monday that his administration is going to conduct a national search for the next executive director of the state Economic Development Commission, and he wants the Legislature to change state law to allow the director's salary to be supplemented with private funds from the state's Economic Development Foundation.
Current Commission Executive Director Grant Tennille of Little Rock is paid $139,706 a year, according to the state Office of Personnel Management.
Hutchinson said he suspects Tennille's successor will need to be paid about $200,000 a year.
"To get the type of nationally recognized or nationally competitive leader, we need to have a regionally competitive salary for that position," the Republican from Rogers said at a news conference at the state Capitol in Little Rock.
Hutchinson said he intends to appoint Danny Games of North Little Rock, who is manager of corporate affairs at BHP Billiton, as the commission's deputy director.
Games is a former senior director of corporate development and government affairs at Chesapeake Energy, senior project manager at Entergy, and former president of the Arkansas Economic Developers Association.
BHP Billiton is among the world's largest producers of major commodities, including aluminum, coal, copper, iron ore, manganese, nickel, silver and uranium, and has substantial interests in oil and gas, according to its website.
Games will replace Becky Thompson as the commission's deputy director.
Hutchinson said he's talked with legislative leaders about his desire to increase the salary, supplementing it with private funds.
"This is necessary for us to compete with Alabama, with Florida, with Texas in which they have raised and supplemented the usual salary," Hutchinson said. "For us to compete nationally and globally in job creation, we are going to have to elevate the compensation package for that director, and that will lay the foundation for us to engage in this competitive search nationally for a strong leader for the ADEC in Arkansas."
Asked what size of compensation package is needed for Tennille's successor: "I suspect that it will need to get in the $200,000 range to be competitive, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself," Hutchinson said. "I want to make sure that we do the right search and review on that, and that is one of the things that Danny Games will be tasked with.
"There are different ways to work the compensation. Sometimes, it can be straight salary or it can be incentive compensation based upon performance," Hutchinson said. "So, we'll wait and see the specifics on that."
After Hutchinson's news conference, both Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, and Senate Democratic leader Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, said they agree that the director's salary must be raised with help from outside sources.
"Other states are doing it and it has proven success, and we should look at it ... [and] seek the best we can find to run our economic development program," said Ingram.
Hutchinson also said that he intends to appoint Daryl Bassett of Little Rock, director of business and commercial services at the secretary of state's office, as director of the state Department of Workforce Services.
Bassett will takeover for Artee Williams at the department.
Bassett is a former division chief at the Department of Workforce Services, a former commissioner of the Arkansas Public Service Commission and the workforce services liaison to former Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Hutchinson said Bassett "brings experience in terms of workforce services.
"This is an important agency that serves our state in terms of our [unemployment] insurance but also in economic development in making sure that we have workers that are trained; that we have career-readiness programs; and that when we have dislocated workers, that they are part of the solution," he said. "I consider this a key part of my leadership in terms of enhancing workforce education and job skill training here in the state of Arkansas."
Metro on 12/23/2014