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Exec Q&A: Conway Corp CEO Bret Carroll Conway Corporation CEO Bret Carroll shares how the company stays reliable, affordable, and future-ready PAGE 9
PulseOfConway.com
APRIL 2026
Focus: Energy & Utilities How NativState is Turning Timber into a Global Resource PAGE 6
MORE INSIDE Natural State Consulting & Strategies worked with Sen. Breanne Davis and Rep. Rick Beck to help clear the path for Green Bay Packaging's billion-dollar expansion of its Arkansas Kraft Division, one of the largest projects in the company's history. Photo courtesy of Natural State Consulting & Strategies
WHAT'S THAT GONNA BE Waldo's Chicken & Beer Coming This Summer to Dave Ward Drive PAGE 14 FLYWHEEL ENERGY How the Arkansas Company Produces 90% of State's Oil and Gas PAGE 9 ECONOMY AT A GLANCE The Local Economy's Key Metrics PAGE 11
Natural State Consulting & Strategies How a Faulkner County Lobbying Firm Turned the 2025 Session into Results for Local Businesses From a billion-dollar plant expansion to landmark retail crime legislation, Natural State Consulting & Strategies spent the 2025 session making sure Faulkner County businesses had a voice — and won. When Green Bay Packaging announced a billion-dollar expansion of its Arkansas Kraft Division in Conway County, it didn't happen by accident. Behind the scenes, Natural State Consulting & Strategies — a Faulkner County-based lobbying and government relations firm — had
spent months navigating the regulatory and legislative hurdles that stood between an announcement and a groundbreaking. "Steve Goode and his team at Natural State Consulting & Strategies leveraged their deep relationships and extensive connections with state and county decision-makers across Arkansas to help clear the path for success on one of the largest projects in our company's history," said Brad Harville, general manager for Green Bay Packaging's Arkansas Kraft
Division. "Their collaborative approach not only supported our growth but is already delivering meaningful economic benefits to the State of Arkansas, including job creation and increased tax revenue in local communities. We're grateful to Natural State Consulting & Strategies for helping make this possible." That result is emblematic of what NATURAL STATE CONSULTING CONTINUED ON PAGE 4