Conductor

09/03/2026

One of the best parts of the Arnold Innovation Center and Conductor community are the people who fill it. It’s a welcoming, close-knit group of entrepreneurs and small business owners who genuinely enjoy connecting, sharing ideas, and cheering each other on.

Our upcoming Conductor Trivia Night is your chance to come experience that community for yourself! Join us for a fun evening of drinks, appetizers, networking, and friendly trivia competition while meeting some of the people who make the AIC such a vibrant place to work, build, and connect.

Already part of the Conductor community? Bring your crew. New to the AIC? Come see what the hype is about.

🏆 The winning team will receive a $50 gift card to the small business of their choice!

Open to the public. RSVP you and your team today! https://luma.com/fnkjc163

09/01/2026

Join Kenny Kinley this week for Sales Made Simple, a workshop designed to help business owners build better conversations, stronger customer relationships, and a more repeatable sales process.

Kenny brings more than 30 years of experience leading technology services companies through hyper-growth, private equity acquisitions, and complex merger integrations, with a track record of improving financial performance, client satisfaction, and employee engagement. His approach to sales is grounded in relationships, asking better questions, understanding your target customer, and building the consistent habits that keep a pipeline moving.

If you’re looking to simplify your sales process and walk away with strategies you can actually use, this is a great session to add to your calendar.

RSVP today!
https://luma.com/d6kx1fh4

08/28/2026

Think you have what it takes to be the trivia champ? 👀

Join us for Trivia Night at the Arnold Innovation Center on Wednesday, September 23! We’re bringing together AIC members, entrepreneurs, and friends for a fun night of friendly competition, networking, free drinks, and appetizers.

Grab your team, bring your best random knowledge, and make plans to join us at the AIC.

This event is open to the public and will be a great opportunity to see what all the hype about the Conductor Community is about! RSVP today! https://luma.com/fnkjc163

08/27/2026

Once a month, our full team gathers in person to slow down, check in, and get aligned.

We dig into our numbers, talk through goals, share what everyone’s been working on, and get on the same page about all the programs, events, and projects coming up.

But some of the best parts aren’t on the agenda. It’s asking for help when we need it, celebrating the wins (big and small), laughing way too much, and getting to spend time together when so much of our day-to-day work has us running in different directions.

We’re pretty lucky to have a team full of people who bring big ideas, lots of energy, honesty, and a genuine love for the work we get to do for entrepreneurs and small business owners across Arkansas.

Good people. Good work. And never a boring team meeting. ⚡️

08/26/2026

Pressure, setbacks, stress, and uncertainty are part of every season of growth. The difference is how you respond to them.

Join us for Peak Performance in College, Career, and Life, a practical workshop focused on building the mindset and skills to perform when the stakes are high. You’ll learn how to push through adversity, turn setbacks into opportunities for growth, manage your response under pressure, and build the Grit to persevere and the Grace to adapt.

Whether you’re navigating school, your career, leadership, or the next big challenge: this session will give you tools to stay focused and perform at your best when things are not easy.

RSVP today to save your spot! https://luma.com/km6z9wjw

08/25/2026

Our Fall 2026 lineup is here!

From practical workshops designed to help you strengthen and grow your business to community favorites like Trivia Night and our 10 Year Celebration + Pitch Competition, there’s plenty happening at Conductor this fall.

Check out the full lineup, find the events that fit you, and RSVP through our Events page: https://arconductor.org/events/

And keep checking back! We’ll be adding even more workshops and events throughout the season, so there’s more to come.

We can’t wait to see you this fall!

08/20/2026

We’re excited to be bringing Conductor workshops back to UCA, where we get the chance to connect with so many bright students, emerging leaders, and future entrepreneurs.

Join us for Peak Performance in College, Career, and Life, a practical session led by our very own Jeff Standridge, focused on what it takes to perform well when the pressure is on. We’ll cover strategies for building mental toughness, navigating stress and uncertainty, learning from setbacks, and developing the Grit to persevere and the Grace to adapt.

Whether you’re navigating college, stepping into your career, leading a team, or simply looking to grow, this session will give you tools to stay focused, resilient, and effective when the stakes are high.

Join us in person at UCA’s College of Business, Room 311, or tune in virtually! RSVP today: https://luma.com/km6z9wjw

08/18/2026

A huge thank you to our friends at D&C Event Services and Roost & Tap for sponsoring today’s AIC Member Lunch!

Each month, we love bringing our members together to enjoy great food from a local business, connect with one another, and build community inside the Arnold Innovation Center. This month was extra special thanks to Roost & Tap generously sponsoring lunch and D&C Event Services bringing the fun with mocktails and a competitive game of bingo.

Thank you to our members for showing up, connecting, and supporting one of your own. We’re grateful for the community that continues to grow here at the AIC! Learn how to get plugged into this community:
https://arconductor.org/aic/

08/14/2026

Exciting news for Arkansas entrepreneurs! We’re proud to be part of the group helping push business owners forward across the state! 🚀

Arkansas is doubling down on its commitment to its innovative entrepreneurs by joining a compact of governors nationwide to advance entrepreneurship in the United States. The compact, “Reigniting the American Dream,” is designed to promote the importance of entrepreneurship and establish strategies for increasing opportunities for entrepreneurs.

“Entrepreneurs play a huge role in creating successful economies, and in Arkansas, these visionaries are helping to drive our state economy forward,” said Esperanza Massana Crane, director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Division. “By joining the Reigniting the American Dream compact, Arkansas is making a statement that entrepreneurship is a vital part of our economic strategy, and we are making a commitment to continue providing support and resources for these entrepreneurs.”

Read more: https://www.arkansasedc.com/news-events/newsroom/detail/2026/08/13/arkansas-joins-reigniting-the-american-dream-compact-focused-on-entrepreneurship

Conductor | Startup Ju**ie | The Venture Center | Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center

08/13/2026

Cohort 10 is officially underway! 🎉

This week, the newest 10X Growth Accelerator cohort came together for their first full-day, in-person session, and they wasted no time getting to work.

The day focused on sharpening their ideal customer and unique value proposition, strengthening elevator pitches, diving into digital marketing, and connecting through leadership roundtables. They wrapped up with clear homework and plenty to keep building on before the next session.

Over the next 14 weeks, these Arkansas companies will work across six key areas of growth while learning from experts, one another, and their own businesses.

We’re excited to officially kick off this milestone 10th cohort and see where the work takes them.