ROGERS -- Freshmen have been talking up Northwest Arkansas at Rogers' New Technology High School this week.
"We are known for changing little businesses into big ones," said Samantha Alderson, freshman, in her argument to potential health care investors.
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"We adapted from a hard working town to thriving cities," she said.
Their assignment: research colonization in the Americas, pick a colony, then pitch British East India Company on why it should set up a regional trade headquarters there. The second part of the assignment involved more familiar ground: pick a business and pitch why it should move to Northwest Arkansas.
Pitches for the trade of furs and food gave way to a pitch for Apple to move to Northwest Arkansas. The 38 presentations included burger joints, home health care, 3-D printing and, in a nod to Bikes, Blues & BBQ, students called Orange County Choppers.
"I didn't think we were going to get anywhere," said Turner Brown, a freshman who worked on the Orange County Choppers report.
Rogers has Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycle businesses, but not the custom manufacturing he and his teammates wanted to pitch, Turner said.
It took guts to call the company, said teammate Chloe McKinney. The team of five gathered around a speaker phone for that first call. Turner emailed back and forth with Orange County Choppers' public relations department, and the team used that information in their presentation.
"They thought big," said Chris Daniels, who teaches American history at the school.
The American Journeys class melds history and English classes at the in-district charter school. It was students' first class project of the year.
The class heard from Steve Cox, vice president of economic development at the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.
"It was just good to see that kids are taking an interest in their community," Cox said.
Their project reflects his job. When businesses talk about moving to Northwest Arkansas they want to know about population growth, new housing, median wages and educational attainment, Cox said.
He told students that the success of local giants such as Walmart, Tyson and J.B. Hunt interests other companies. Walmart's Made in America initiative is having an impact on manufacturing growth in the area, Cox said. The 10-story Hunt Tower office building under construction in the Pinnacle Hills area is another part of the growth story.
Third District. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers., visited Monday and told students of growth from when he was Rogers mayor. The Promenade area was just being developed, and he was recruiting P.F. Chang's.
Womack's pitch to P.F. Chang's included Benton County's growing population, but research on single family dwellings tipped the scale. During 2003-2004, new housing was 80 percent single family dwellings in Benton County and Washington County was 80 percent apartments.
Teachers picked the British East India Company because they were the "Walmart" of their day, Daniels said. Students worked with colonies in the New World between 1492 and 1750 for their assignments.
The project taught him about migration and immigration, said Nicholas Easter, a freshman.
"I feel like we really learned more about our region," said Alejandra Torres, a freshman.
NW News on 09/25/2014