About Us
Doing business in Hot Springs is always a pleasure.  A beautiful place to live and work, Hot Springs is easily accessible to the heart of the nation, along with being an affordable answer for businesses seeking lower operational costs in a place they can be proud to call home.

With the support of the Garland County Economic Development Corporation, new and expanding businesses can take advantage of many of the outstanding business development incentives.  A local community college and three universities located within 50 miles secures a knowledgeable and available workforce.  Workforce training assistance has a strong track record through innovative programs of the local community and technical colleges.  Hot Springs’ labor force exhibits a strong work ethic, dependability, and a high degree of company loyalty.   Over 250,000 residents lie within Hot Springs’ 30-mile recruiting area.  Labor costs in Hot Springs are also more affordable than those typically found in the Southeast and Southwest.

Technology and transportation meet at the new 80-acre technology park located at the Hot Springs Municipal Airport.  The  Hot Springs Office and Technology Park offers a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure perfect for call centers or other service center industry needs.  Hot Springs also has  industrial sites available at Mid-America Industrial Park.  For leasing information, contact the Garland County Economic Development Corporation at 501-624-6807.

Hot Springs’ natural beauty, historical and cultural offerings, and numerous recreational and family activities make it one of the state’s most popular vacation and relocation destinations.  Hot Springs recently expanded and renovated its Civic and Convention Center, making it one of the best facilities of its kind in the United States.  Many tourism related businesses benefit from the over two million visitors that the city welcomes each year.  Tourism related businesses locating to the area may be eligible for some new impressive tax incentives offered by the state.  The National Park Service also offers an attractive lease program for several historic Bathhouses in downtown Hot Springs with excellent tax incentives.

Hot Springs' thriving business community is home to some of the state’s leading companies.  Businesses such as Alcoa; K-Tech, Inc.; Munro Corporation; Weyerhaeuser; and Xerox are just a few of the companies who benefit from their Hot Springs location. Hot Springs offers a booming business environment with a strong foundation of support services. 

Business Expansion & Location
Garland County – the only single county MSA in the MLRA – is located just Southwest of Little Rock on the edge of the Ouachita Mountains .  The Hot Springs MSA designation was granted to the County in 2003.
Hot Springs is the county seat and offers residents everything from Resort Status to High Tech Business Appeal.   Hot Springs is surrounded by beautiful lakes and forests in the heart of the nation, Hot Springs ’ exquisite natural beauty, historical, cultural, recreational and family attractions make it a favorite vacation destination all year long.

Employment in Hot Springs has recovered well from the 2001 recession, growing at a solid annual rate of 2.5 percent since March 2002.  Hot Springs has outperformed its neighbors, thanks to especially solid job increases in professional and business services (27 percent) and leisure and hospitality (25 percent).
Hot Springs was recently, for the first time, ranked on the Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities Index as the No. 69 best performing small city, based on economic performance and the ability to create, as well as, keep the greatest number of jobs in the nation.  Kiplinger’s Letter recently spotlighted Hot Springs as being one of nine American cities that offer an “attractive pool of young talent for employers looking for college graduates to hire.”  The article states, “Young adults are shunning metropolitan areas for quieter towns and cities that offer cheaper housing, easier commutes, good pay and less crime.”  Bizjournals.com ranked Hot Springs as the “3rd Hottest Small City Job Market in the United States .”  The Hot Springs MSA was also ranked as the 14th fastest growing MSA in the United States based on new job growth over a year.  These are just some of the recent national accolades that spotlight the strong economic engine that exists in the Hot Springs Metro Area.  

Economic development is strong in Hot Springs .  Companies such as Stanley Associates, ACCENT Marketing, Xerox, Weyerhaeuser, Alcoa, Martin Marietta, Mountain Valley Spring, Alliance Rubber,  and the Triumph Group all have strong presences in the community.  More than $100 million in tourism, manufacturing and technology projects have been announced in the past three years.
 
The advantages of doing business in Hot Springs go far beyond the city's reputation for scenic beauty and world-class amenities. Designated an Arkansas Community of Excellence by the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, Hot Springs offers a bustling business environment with a strong foundation of support services for all types of companies. The Garland County Economic Development Corporation, Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration of Hot Springs, and the Arkansas Small Business Development Center are all on hand to provide their expertise to potential business owners.
 
An affordable answer for business and industry, the city's lower cost of living also means lower operational costs for businesses.  Hot Springs offers a sizeable and growing work force and a highly developed infrastructure.  The community is known for its solid, progressive leadership and crystal clear vision for the future.
Hot Springs offers a thriving business environment with a strong foundation of support services.

Transportation

Railroads
       
Arkansas Midland Railroad Company 
Arkansas Midland Railroad provides daily service through its seamless connection with the Union Pacific, bringing personalized rail service to meet the individual requirements of local companies along with access to the national rail system.  This combination of improved local switching plus a convenient connection to the largest railroad in the country, provides local businesses with superior market coverage and service.

Amtrak
Hot Springs now has convenient direct service from Hot Springs to Amtrak passenger stations in Malvern and Little Rock, using the Hot Springs Shuttle for shuttle service between Hot Springs and train side.  Malvern’s station has been re-designated Malvern/Hot Springs National Park.  Amtrak’s Texas Eagle super liner serves this station daily with service from Chicago to Dallas, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.
Highways
Interstate No. 30; U.S. 70; U.S. 270; Arkansas Hwy. 7
Motor Freight Carriers
Franchised Interstate Common Carriers

At a Glance

Climate
The average temperature is 41 degrees in January and 82 in July. The annual relative humidity averages 75 percent. Arkansas receives approximately 58 inches of rainfall a year, and Hot Springs receives an average of 5.2 inches of snowfall annually.
Average Daily Temperatures

Altitude
City of Hot Springs is 597 feet in elevation.
Area of city
City of Hot Springs is 32.9 square miles.
Are of county
Garland County is 677 square miles.
Location
Hot Springs is located slightly southwest of the geographic center of
the state and rests amid the gently rolling Ouachita Mountains.  The
city’s central location offers easy access to the entire nation.
Miles from Hot Springs to:

Population Information
Since 2000, the Hot Springs Metro area has experienced more than 8 percent population growth.
Hot Springs Metro Area: 96,371
2009 Projected Service Area: 409,669
 
Population By Age Group
0 – 19          22,251
20 – 34        18,122
35 – 54        24,325
55 – 64        11,257
65 & over     20,416