The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

First In Series of Updates on Oct. 19-20 Delta Caucus: Thanks to Nucor & Northeast Arkansas Group

Posted on October 30, 2017 at 11:10 AM

The Delta Caucus will be sending out a series of updates and “thank yous” to the many people across the region who made the Oct. 19-20 Delta conference one of our best events ever, beginning with thanking Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas and the large and dynamic Mississippi County contingent at the conference.

We had a total of 127 people who were there for parts or all of the conference, and it will take a few weeks to thank everyone in group and individual messages.

We appreciate all the local areas’ contributions to the conference, and we will be sending out reports thanking each one of them over the next few weeks. There is a great deal of follow-up work to these conferences and it takes some time.

The Mississippi County contingent of 11 people was unusually large for one area, including Blytheville Mayor James Sanders, Joyce Sanders, Randy Henderson of Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas, Rep. Monte Hodges of Blytheville, Cilla Johnson, Jackie Burton, Cecil McDonald, and Shirley Pulliam of Mississippi County AR Economic Opportunity Commission, Tameka Jennings of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, Blanche Hunt and Pacey Bowens of Arkansas Northeastern College.

State Sen. David Wallace of Leachville was scheduled to be there as a speaker, but his disaster relief company served Houston, Florida and was serving in Puerto Rico at the time of the conference who were harmed by the terrible series of storms that hit those regions. We admire Sen. Wallace’s service in the legislature and for the victims of the storms and look forward to getting an update from him upon his return to Arkansas.

Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas was our leading sponsor and was represented by one of our key senior partners for the Delta Grassroots Caucus, Randy Henderson. Nucor Steel has the world’s most efficient steel plant right there in the heart of the Delta in Blytheville, Arkansas.

Nucor is truly a great role model for the region. They create and maintain a large number of jobs, pay very good wages, they never lay off workers even in times of recession, and have generous education and other benefits for their workers. They engage in a series of community-oriented projects for the Delta and are a longstanding and absolutely vital senior partner for our regional coalition.

Oct. 26-28 Nucor celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Nucor Hickman plant in Blytheville

On October 26 – 28, there were multiple events to celebrate Nucor Hickman Steel’s 25th anniversary in Blytheville, Arkansas.

On Thursday, October 26 from noon until 2 p.m., a formal recognition event in their new Pavilion. All 25 year team members were recognized at this event along with some special guests that include past general managers, customers and state and federal representatives. A great event with a lot of people in attendance that have helped make Hickman a success for 25 years.

Those attending: Current Nucor Executives: John Ferriola, CEO Ladd Hall, EVP Chad Utermark. EVP

Past Nucor Hickman General Managers Mike Parrish, Dave Chase, Sam Commella

Nucor General Managers that started at Nucor Hickman: John Farris, Jay Henderson, Bob McCracken, Drew Wilcox

On Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28, Family Fun Days–a great gathering for many families in the Mississippi County area.

Mississippi County Economic Opportunity Commission: We would like to thank the great Mississippi County nonprofit for their excellent networking and logistics support at the conference including Priscilla Johnson, Cecil McDonald, Jackie Burton and Shirley Pulliam.

MissCo EOC is continuing to be one of our strongest supporters in the great tradition of the late Sam Scruggs, long-time executive director of the organization who passed away earlier this year. His force for good continues in the many people he trained at the nonprofit and their constructive, ongoing work in helping the people of northeast Arkansas.

We were glad that Mayor James Sanders took time from his heavy workload in Blytheville to support the conference. He is doing a great job as Mayor of Blytheville and we were also glad his wife Joyce Sanders could join us. They were very helpful for the dialogue and networking at the event.

Rep. Monte Hodges of Blytheville was there, and we would like to thank him in particular for his support of the Arkansas Works Medicaid expansion program in Arkansas. He also indicated that he plans to join the constructive effort of Sen. Joyce Elliott and Sen. Hendren to form a race relations legislative caucus in Arkansas to promote a candid dialogue about the state of race relations in Arkansas.

Tamika Jenkins represented the Great River Economic Development Foundation, an organization that does a great deal of constructive work in promoting economic progress in northeast Arkansas. They have been regular participants over the years for the Delta Caucus and their support is greatly appreciated.

We were glad to have two senior officials from Arkansas Northeast College: Vice President for Community Relations Blanche Hunt and Vice President Pacey Bowens. Education is crucial for promoting community and economic development, and ANC has a wide variety of activities for bringing more educational opportunities to the area. I was glad to be able to sit at the table on Oct. 19 at our dinner at the Holiday Inn hotel restaurant with Vice President Hunt, Mayor Sanders, Randy Henderson of Nucor, and other Blytheville leaders and I learned a lot from that session. Blytheville is clearly one of the communities in our region that enjoys dynamic leadership.

Mississippi County has one of the largest populations among the heartland Delta counties and all the organizations and leaders there are promoting a brighter future for northeast Arkansas.

We would like to once again thank our sponsors. Below is the sponsors appreciation that was on the big placard on display throughout the conference, on the website, on the agendas distributed at the conference, and on this and other newsletters.

Thanks very much. Lee Powell, Executive Director, Delta Grassroots Caucus (202) 360-6347

Sponsors for the Delta Caucus, Oct. 19-20, 2017, Little Rock, Arkansas

LEAD SPONSOR

Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas

MAJOR CO-SPONSORS

Mississippi County AR Economic Opportunity Commission, Blytheville, Arkansas

J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

SPONSORS

Illinois Municipal League

Winrock International

Millie Atkins, Co-Chair, Economic Equality Caucus, and Community Leader based in Monroe, Louisiana

Sikeston, Missouri Regional Chamber of Commerce

The Arkansas Municipal League

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas

American Agriculture Movement of Arkansas

Delta Grassroots Partners

Last but not least we would like to thank the hundreds of grassroots partners across the region and the Washington, DC area for their many contributions of registration fees, annual membership dues and other voluntary contributions in the amounts of $125, $100, $75, $50 and $25. As a grassroots sector private coalition, we need to have a diversified financial base with large numbers of small contributions, and we could not do our work without these very numerous contributions.