Summary
‍The NWA Tech Summit is the Heartland’s premier technology conference and serves to enhance, prepare, and diversify the local Northwest Arkansas economy. In its ninth year, the NWA Tech Summit came back with 1,700 registered attendees when it returned in-person to downtown Bentonville. The NWA Tech Summit is an event hosted by the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and it is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, Northwest Arkansas Council, Walmart, J. B. Hunt, Tyson Foods, Salesforce, and the University of Arkansas Blockchain Center of Excellence.

‍Show Notes
‍(0:51) Introduction to Connor Pocta
(11:29) Introduction to Mike Steely
(26:37) Introduction to Phil Shellhammer
(34:53) Closing Thoughts
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‍Links
JAMES BELL‍‍
‍BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT‍‍
2022 NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT
CONNOR POCTA
MIKE STEELY
VERIPHIX
FUEL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACCELERATOR
PHIL SHELLHAMMER
GREENHOUSE OUTDOOR RECREATION PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
TOBY TEETER
BENTONVILLE COLLABORATIVE
THE RISE OF THE REST BY STEVE CASE
OSAGE PARK
THADEN FIELD
BENTONVILLE BREWING
TABLE MESA
THE HUB BIKE LOUNGE
BUFFALO NATIONAL RIVER
CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
MUSEUM OF NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
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Quotes
“For me, [an automation and robotics engineer] is somebody who’s taking things like robots and making that work for our company. So we’re taking the robots and we’re seeing how we can make it do a job that works for our company and with COVID and the labor shortage, these robots are a necessity…It’s really making a big difference right now.” – Connor Pocta, (3:32)

“We’re reshaping the way you understand how to interact with a customer. We can identify through a small survey the beliefs of a group and then how to actually nudge or influence those beliefs over time on behalf of a brand or organization.” – Mike Steely, (12:27)

“GORP is an incubator for startups and for early stage entrepreneurs. They’re trying to build some solutions with outdoor recreation specifically. It could be products, services, digital solutions, anything that has to do with trying to solve a problem with outdoor recreation.” – Phil Shellhammer, (27:37)‍‍‍
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