Westside Community Guide

10 – 2023 Westside Community Guide ey may be small towns, but Gravette, Gentry and Decatur have become hubs of industry and home to booming big businesses in Northwest Arkansas. Mckee FooDs McKee Foods Corp. established a manufacturing facility in Gentry in 1982, aer outgrowing their plant in southeast Tennessee. ey chose Gentry to better serve more states in the West. McKee Foods, well-known for their Little Debbie Snack Cakes, is a "privately-held, family- run company with a history of innovation and a deeply held belief in the importance of doing business with integrity." It was founded in 1934 by O.D. and Ruth McKee. O.D. previously sold 5-cent cakes from the back seat of his 1928 Whippet, and when he bought a small bakery in Tennessee, the dynasty began. McKee has continued to grow under the leadership of O.D. and Ruth's children and grandchildren, who have followed the ethical and responsible business practices of their predecessors. Today, McKee Foods still manufactures America's No. one snack cakes at its facilities in Tennessee, Virginia, and right here in Arkansas. ere are two Little Debbie bakeries in the area, one in Gentry and one in Springdale, where you can shop for your favorite baked goods at great prices. e Gentry plant serves as the city's largest employer with more than 1,500 employees. An ever-growing demand for their products has resulted in the Gentry facility expanding several times. McKee Foods plays an active role in the community, supporting the United Way and local schools through time, money and products. siMMons FooDs Simmons Foods is a family-run company that began small and is now a pillar of the community. Simmons started as a small poultry company in 1949 in Decatur and quickly grew. A second processing plant was built in Siloam Springs in 1952, which ultimately become the company's headquarters. Simmons Foods is a farm-to-fork poultry producer that supplies premium chicken products to the foodservice industry. In addition, it is also an animal nutrition and pet food manufacturer. Simmons Foods is one of the largest employers in the city, and has over 8,000 team members spanning from here to Canada. A new Simmons facility is centrally located on Highway 59 between Gentry and Decatur. e 315,000-square-foot facility sits on 870 acres and is the largest expansion in the history of the company, built in response to an increasing customer demand. e $300+ million investment provides more than 1,500 new jobs to the community. e company operates three hatcheries, two feed mills, and six processing plants that supply to the world's largest retailers and food chains. Simmons prides itself on its "Put People First" philosophy that includes healthcare, education and job opportunities, as well as supporting the local community and economy. ozarks coMMunity Hospital Ozarks Community Hospital is a primary medical facility in Gravette. It is a privately owned safety net provider, receiving no public or private support, and the lowest-cost health care system in the nation. e hospital employs nearly 1,000 people and strives to provide exceptional, affordable care to all its patients in both the urban and rural communities. e hospital's primary goal has always been "providing exceptional healthcare and preventive services to all patients in an atmosphere of compassion, respect, and dignity, with a commitment to care for the underserved and to improve access to care." e history of OCH dates back to the 1930s with the Springfield Osteopathic Hospital, and then in 1951 when Dr. Billy V. Hall started Gravette Medical Center on Main Street with a 14-bed hospital. Since then, the OCH has seen significant growth every decade, becoming a bi-state healthcare provider and network of clinics. OCH is staffed with medical professionals in numerous fields and is equipped with a 25-bed inpatient floor and a 24-hour emergency room, providing the community with a diverse range of services including pediatrics, surgery, behavioral health, geriatric care, emergency medicine, and physical, speech and occupational therapies for children and adults. e hospital is located in Gravette with a number of clinics in southwest Missouri, Oklahoma and the Northwest Arkansas area, reaching countless communities. r&r solutions R&R Solutions is a women-owned, family-owned, veteran-owned, client- focused solutions provider based out of Gravette It was founded in 1997 as a packing and logistics company, and has evolved into a total solutions provider. e mission of the company is "to be the best supplier of versatile and flexible technology solutions to our customers at a fair price, and to provide a workplace for our employees to grow and thrive." ey act as Solutions Concierge to work with clients in identifying and developing solutions to their problems, no matter how complex or customized. ey work with numerous businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. e core values of R&R Solutions are diversity, integrity and community, while maintaining a balance between technology, innovation and sustainability. eir company Green Initiatives is committed to social responsibility, donating time and resources to numerous local charities and streamlining custom solutions for projects while protecting the environment. "As an industry leader, we're committed to working with every client to identify useful purposes for their discarded IT assets." R&R Solutions can manage and maintain data-bearing devices for disposition and disposal. In 2020, their impressive efforts of sustainability managed to divert 4,500,000 pounds of landfill, reduce 143,000,000 pounds of greenhouse gases, and save 5,500,000 gallons of fuel. ■ These towns mean business

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