Summary:
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Kalene Griffith, President and CEO of Visit Bentonville. Kalene moved to Bentonville 17 years ago and never looked back. With Visit Bentonville, Kalene helps provide exceptional tourism experiences for all of Bentonville’s visitors, whether they’re here for a day, a week, or a month. During the episode, James and Kalene discuss how Bentonville has evolved in the last two decades, what upcoming events are taking place in Bentonville, and why YOU need to experience Bentonville.
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Show Notes
(0:27) Introducing Kalene Griffith 
(2:52) Why Kalene Chose Bentonville
(4:39) How Bentonville Has Changed
(6:39) Introducing Visit Bentonville
(11:58) Upcoming Events in Bentonville
(14:05) How People Should Think of Bentonville
(18:04) Why YOU Need to Experience Bentonville
(29:34) Is NWA the Next Austin? 
(32:26) Stories that Encapsulate Bentonville
(38:01) Punching above Our Weight-class
(40:20) Bentonville Schools
(43:05) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts
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‍Links:
JAMES BELL
KALENE GRIFFITH
VISIT BENTONVILLE

Quotes
“What I love about [Bentonville} is the people, hands down. I’m fortunate that within about three to five months I felt like this was home…I felt like the people that were here made me feel welcome and part of their families.” (2:59) – Kalene Griffith

“[Early on], we were the home of Walmart, and that was pretty much our story. Now, we’re the home of Walmart, we’re the mountain bike capital of the world, we are an arts destination. So we’re a lot of different things now. And so we get to tell a lot of different stories in 2022 versus 2005.” (8:55) – Kalene Griffith

“If you’re here for the cycling, you get an experience where everybody in our community has adopted that cycling culture or that cycling initiative that we have pushed through for our community.” (18:30) – Kalene Griffith
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Why YOU Need to Visit Bentonville
‍On this episode of TheBentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Kalene Griffith, President and CEO of Visit Bentonville. Kalene moved to Bentonville 17 years ago and never looked back. With Visit Bentonville, Kalene helps provide exceptional tourism experiences for all of Bentonville’s visitors, whether they’re here for a day, a week, or a month. During the episode, James and Kalene discuss how Bentonville has evolved in the last two decades, what upcoming events are taking place in Bentonville, and why YOU need to experience Bentonville.

“What I love about [Bentonville} is the people, hands down. I’m fortunate that within about three to five months I felt like this was home…I felt like the people that were here made me feel welcome and part of their families.” (2:59) – Kalene Griffith

Visit Bentonville
It’s no secret that Bentonville has changed dramatically in the last two decades. For Kalene, one of the most significant changes she noticed was the diversification of tourist attractions. When she arrived 17 years ago, Bentonville was known for Walmart’s headquarters—that’s it. Now, it’s the mountain bike capital of the world, and it has multiple world-class art museums, top-tier local restaurants, and much more!
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“[Early on], we were the home of Walmart, and that was pretty much our story. Now, we’re the home of Walmart, we’re the mountain bike capital of the world, we are an arts destination. So we’re a lot of different things now. And so we get to tell a lot of different stories in 2022 versus 2005.” (8:55) – Kalene Griffith

Visit Bentonville doesn’t merely invest in Bentonville’s tourist economy; it also invests back into the community. It recently partnered with the public school system to build an eight-lane pool at the Bentonville Community Center, which now hosts swim meets year-round. In fact, they now host nearly all of the State Championships for high school swimming.Similarly, they’ve invested significantly in Memorial Park’s baseball and softball fields. By converting to turf fields, Bentonville can host over 20 tournaments this year alone.

Upcoming Events
‍Are you looking for a reason to visit Bentonville? Check out these fantastic opportunities!
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‍FreshGrass | Bentonville | May 20-21
‍FreshGrass is an all-ages festival celebrating the best of today’s bluegrass and progressive roots music. With multiple stages at the Momentary, FreshGrass will span two days and include fun family activities, tons of local food and drinks, and much more! For more information, check out THEIR WEBSITE!
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‍Bentonville Bike Fest | June 17-19
‍Join us in June for this exciting and FREE event! Nearly 10,000 visitors will flood Bentonville for a weekend full of bicycle-centric events and activities. You won’t want to miss it! For more information, check out THEIR WEBSITE!

Bentonville Film Festival | June 22-26
‍The 8th Annual Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival will occur at the end of June, and its virtual portion will extend into the beginning of July. Whether you’re looking for feature-length or short films, you’ll want to make sure to attend this year’s Bentonville Film Festival. For more information, check out THEIR WEBSITE!

‍Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!