Written By: Caitlan Butler
[Arkansas Business: March 2, 2026] – SEVERAL SMALL TOWNS around the state are using different strategies to revitalize their communities. The common thread between them are patient “champions” who are willing to dedicate time and money to bolster these cities’ economies.
“These champions, they have means, but after that, money is just a tool. They’re really wanting to do something; rather than just taking their toys and playing in a new, clean sandbox somewhere, they’re saying, ‘Let’s rebuild this one,’” says Jeff Armstrong, a broker at Haag Brown Commercial’s Jonesboro office who is working with several families to build up small towns throughout the long distressed Delta region. “That’s what sparks this revitalization is having that champion ready to invest.”
Notable examples are the Walton and Hunt families, who have invested heavily in Northwest Arkansas, where their namesake companies, Walmart and J.B. Hunt, are headquartered. Perhaps less well-known are the Delta communities Armstrong works with, like Marked Tree and Trumann.
Armstrong says his work in these cities began several years ago after local business leaders asked for Haag Brown’s help in finding ways to drive growth in their hometowns. First was the Roach family, who wanted to build a distribution center in Trumann. Their company, Roach Manufacturing, didn’t have a need for the space at the time, but were willing to put in the capital to extend infrastructure to the site and build an 80,000 SF warehouse on spec.
“One of the key things that sparked this was that Mike Roach Sr. had an appetite for outdoor activities, especially bike riding — he’s been a bike fan since before they were cool in Northwest Arkansas. So we brought in Martin Smith (of Ecological Design Group) to work with them to draw out a connectivity plan,” Armstrong says.
Haag Brown and EDG helped the family secure a grant to fund the first phase of their connectivity plan, and three years later, the city of Trumann won another grant to fund the second phase. The Sunken Lands Trail Project will eventually connect various city locations including Walmart, the public library, a local sports complex and a proposed mixed-use retail center anchored by the Roach Manufacturing warehouse, providing residents a safe, outdoor cycling and walking trail.
The first phase of the development was estimated to cost $3 million, and the city’s latest grant, from the Arkansas Department of Transportation, which will add lighting and finish the trail system, was for $500,000.
Armstrong says he’s also working with Ritter Arnold, former president of E. Ritter & Co., who has been working to construct or renovate residential housing in small towns throughout the region, particularly Marked Tree, Tyronza and Lepanto. Armstrong’s role in that effort was to determine what type of industry would be a good fit for the area. In December 2025, Basden Steel, an employee-owned structural steel fabrication company, announced plans to locate a plant in Marked Tree.
“It’s a big deal for Marked Tree, and it shows other communities — here’s the road map,” Armstrong says. “You need a champion to support some things, you need housing that’s safe, clean and affordable, you need jobs somewhere nearby, access to things, and culturally, you need to speak to being able to get outdoors.”
Wilson, in nearby Mississippi County, has taken a similar approach, leaning into outdoor recreation, but with a focus on targeting affluent tourists. In 2010, the Memphis-based Lawrence Group, headed by Gaylon Lawrence Jr., purchased the farmland that makes up the majority of the town. He’s since built the boutique Hotel Louis, a farm-to-table restaurant, The Grange, and an organic produce farm, the Grange at Wilson Gardens. Local leaders say the investment has paid off. Lawrence has also invested in the city’s infrastructure.
“We’re assessing the condition of everything in town — power, water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. We don’t want to overwhelm the system” Jeff Kmiec, CEO of Wilson City LLC, told Arkansas Business in 2023. “We want a balance of visions, to make an incredible place to live and visit.”
Lawrence spent an estimated $110 million to purchase the farmland and other assets of the Wilson family descendants, whose ancestor founded the town in 1886.
In South Arkansas, Madison Murphy, former chairman of the Murphy Oil Board of Directors, helped lead the charge to create the Murphy Arts District, a large downtown redevelopment with a boutique hotel, The Haywood, and the renovation of several historic buildings to create the First Financial Music Hall, a 25,000 SF concert venue, and the MAD Amphitheatre, an outdoor concert and event venue, as well as a new, upscale restaurant location. Murphy was named Tourism Person of the Year in 2018 at the Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
“The ownership group really wants and wanted something that would benefit in a positive way the community and was in keeping with the uniqueness of El Dorado as a community, the vibrancy there and the energy,” Ray Nolan, senior vice president of development at Newmark Moses Tucker Partners, told Arkansas Business at the Haywood’s groundbreaking in 2023. “What they’re doing in El Dorado is the kind of stuff you want to see any city do, and, for a community of that size to come together and do it is remarkable, frankly
It cost $68 million to develop the first phase of the Murphy Arts District, including $54 million contributed by local investors like the Murphy and Deming families. A planned second phase was estimated at $35 million in 2017, though the COVID pandemic paused development for the time being.
