Chamber plans Business Expo 2025
The Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce invites participants to build their network at Business Expo 2025: America At Work, an event for local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community organizations.
Business Expo will be held May 1 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The Business Expo Breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program at 8 a.m. Tickets are $25 each. A seated table for eight is $300, according to a news release.
The trade show featuring various booths will open for the Business VIP Hour from 9-10 a.m. and then open to public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Booth fees are $250 for members and $360 for non-members.
“This is your opportunity to connect, collaborate, and grow with fellow business professionals and community leaders. Whether you’re looking to showcase your products, gain new clients, or strengthen your brand, the Business Expo is the place to be,” according to the release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
For non-profit organizations, there are limited free spots in the Community Spotlight section sponsored by SEARK Heating & Air.
For Expo questions, contact Chamber Director Jennifer Kline at jennifer@jeffersoncountyalliance.com or (870) 535-0110 or visit the Chamber’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pinebluffchamber.
Locals among robotics contestants
Local teens will be among competitors in the FIRST Arkansas Regional Robotics Competition.
The event will be held March 8 at Searcy High School in Lion Arena starting with opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. From 1:30-5 p.m. teams participate in match play and the awards ceremony, according to a news release.
In the FIRST Robotics Competition, the organization’s offering for grades 9-12, students are tasked with designing, building, and programming a robot to play a themed competition challenge.
The program helps prepare students for their future careers by encouraging them to brainstorm innovative ideas, explore advanced engineering concepts and learn critical skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving and resiliency.
Participants will include students and adult mentors from FIRST teams such as:
YEAH8 TECH (PINE BLUFF): Founded this year, YEAH8 Tech is an all-Black, majority female team. The team is dedicated to increasing STEM representation and opportunities in the community through initiatives such as “Mindful Mondays,” where children ages 4-7 gain hands-on robotics experience to spark early interest in STEM, according to the release. There are seven members. YEAH8 Tech aims to bring more STEM opportunities to the area. Led by adult mentors Shanta Calhoun and Laura Hildreth, the team is generational: it’s captained by Calhoun’s daughter, Taylor, who grew up immersed in FIRST. Yeah8 Tech is deeply involved in its community. Its “Mindful Mondays” allow students to get experience driving a robot. This programming is key in encouraging students to get involved with STEM from a young age.
BREAKAWAY (SEARCY): Having qualified for the global FIRST Championship 13 of the last 14 years, Breakaway has established itself as a top competitor — one that combines fierce competition with community leadership by hosting robotics camps, advocating for STEM funding at the Arkansas Capitol, and working to pass a bill for statewide robotics support, according to the release.
NEACTC TECH TITANS (JONESBORO): In its rookie season last year, the Tech Titans became Arkansas Regional finalists, won the Rookie All-Star Award, and earned a spot at the 2024 FIRST Championship; now in their second season, the team aims to push its engineering skills even further and earn an award for engineering excellence at the 2025 Arkansas Regional.
FIRST teams put months of engineering and teamwork to the test as they compete to advance to the world’s largest youth robotics event taking place in Houston this April with 50,000 attendees.
Student robotics teams from local school districts and surrounding states will participate in the FIRST Arkansas Regional for the opportunity to win recognition for robot design, sportsmanship, teamwork and more.
The public is encouraged to attend to cheer on these student teams and celebrate the excitement of intense competition.
Syphilis initiative announced
The Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ARPQC), a partnership started last year between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) and 34 birthing hospitals across the state, has launched an initiative to rapidly address a congenital syphilis problem in Arkansas.
Southeast Arkansas sites are among the 22 hospitals in Arkansas participating in this new initiative, which started in January and will run for six months, according to a news release.
The facilities include:
Baptist Health Medical Center-Drew County; Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff; Arkansas Methodist; Baptist Arkadelphia; Baptist Conway; Baptist Fort Smith; Baptist Little Rock; Baptist North Little Rock; Baxter; Conway Regional;
Forrest City; Great River; Johnson Regional; Mena; Mercy NWA; NEA Baptist; NW–Bentonville; NW–Willow Creek; Ouachita County; St. Bernards; UAMS; and White River.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection. Congenital syphilis occurs when the infection is passed from mothers to their babies during pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can be prevented by ensuring that pregnant women are screened for syphilis and receive treatment for an infection. However, according to the Arkansas Department of Health, since 2017, congenital syphilis cases in the state have increased nearly five-fold.
For this initiative, ARPQC partnered with the ADH infectious disease program, which provides treatment and case management for all adults and infants infected with syphilis.
For more information, visit the ARPQC’s website, arpqc.org, which houses information about the collaborative, provides education to help patients make informed health care decisions and includes resources for health care providers.