City of Fort Smith, Arkansas Advanced Energy to host Employer Forum September 16

The City of Fort Smith and the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) will host a free SkillStream Employer Forum Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Blue Lion at 101 N 2nd Street in Fort Smith. The free forum is an important component of AAEF’s SkillStream program, a local, employer-driven initiative to build a skilled workforce for Arkansas’s fast-growing energy industry.

"SkillStream represents a unique opportunity for Fort Smith to build a workforce that is ready for the future,” said Joshua Robertson, Fort Smith Director of Citizen & City Services. “By bringing together local employers, educators, and state/regional partners, we’re creating a direct pipeline that not only fills high-demand jobs in advanced energy and manufacturing but also gives our citizens access to stable, well-paying careers right here in our community."

Attendees planning to attend must RSVP on the AAEF website. Employers unable to attend are still encouraged to complete the survey as part of the RSVP form. Survey results will be crucial to AAEF’s workforce development efforts. The free forum, which includes lunch from Fort Smith staple Club House Kitchen, is an opportunity for employers to share insights that will directly shape the design of Arkansas’s advanced energy workforce training and hiring pipeline. Employers participating in the forums will also receive:

-        Access to funding streams and incentives;

-        Assistance improving retention, innovation, and productivity;

-        Insights about economic development efforts shaping the region’s energy future;

-       Success stories from local, peer employers who have implemented workforce training programs with positive results; and

-       Post-survey access to survey results that provide never-before-available data on Arkansas’s advanced energy workforce needs—data that will inform future training programs, economic development strategies, and funding priorities across the state.

The forum will include insights from:

• Jarred Rego, Vice Mayor, City of Fort Smith;

• Lauren Waldrip, Executive Director, Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation;

• Joshua Robertson, Director of Citizen and City Services, City of Fort Smith;

• April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development, Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation;

• Cody Waits, Director of Arkansas Workforce Connections, Arkansas Department of Commerce;

• Joel Gordon, Manager of Client Services, CI & Technology, Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions;

• Tammy Predmore, Director of Workforce Development, Western Arkansas Planning & Development District;

• Lonnie Emard, National Apprenticeship Director, Apprenticely;

• Andrew Welch, Director of Operations,, Rheem Manufacturing Company, and

• Alison Mathieu, SHRM-SCP, Global HRBP, ABB NEMA Motors

“With major investments like HOMES, HEERHA, and Solar for All heading to Arkansas, we have a rare opportunity to align workforce training with real employer demand,” said April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation. “The funding and community partners are in place—now it’s up to energy employers to shape the path forward. Feedback from this forum and survey will directly inform the programs we design to support them and ensure Arkansas builds the skilled energy workforce this moment requires.”

The forum is made possible through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Metroplan, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and the City of Fort Smith. The first employer forum was held in Central Arkansas in summer 2025.

More information about the forums, SkillStream, and AAEF is available on the AAEF website. Questions may be directed to April Ambrose: workforce@arkansasadvancedenergy.com.