My Milken Rating Brings All The Boys To The Yard

Together With

Roses are red. Sapphires are blue. Help us share the love with a gift for two. We’ve teamed up with our friends at Underwoods Fine Jewelers for a fun Galentine’s Giveaway — keep scrolling to find out how to enter!

Highlight

NWA Moves Up In Milken Institute’s Top Ten Best Performing Cities

Northwest Arkansas has landed a spot on the Milken Institute’s Top 10 Best-Performing Cities list for the third year straight, coming in at No. 7 in the Large Cities Rankings.

• Points Taken: Milken’s annual ranking system considers three key factors: the labor market, in terms of wage and job growth; access to economic opportunities like affordable housing; and the influence of high-tech, reflecting the digital sector's role within the regional economy.

• Moving On Up: Northwest Arkansas jumped two spots from last year’s No. 9 ranking, a credit to the region’s strong job growth, high-tech GDP growth, and record-low commercial vacancies. Austin ranked first this year, bumping Provo-Orem, UT, out of the lead for the first time in four years.

Explore the full report HERE.

Restaurant News

There’s A New Taco Truck In Downtown Bentonville… And It’s Flippin’ Good

Taqueria Lucha has rolled onto the NWA food scene, serving up some incredible, authentic street tacos in Downtown Bentonville — including vegan options.

• Engine Running: Located next to the Airship Coffee at 1004 SE 5th St, Taqueria Lucha is open Mon-Fri from 11a-7p and Fri-Sat from 9p-3a for your late-night taco cravings.

• Mouth Watering: The menu features asada, pastor, pollo, carnitas, chorizo, and vegan cauliflower al pastor street tacos wrapped in delicious handmade corn tortillas. They also serve housemade arroz, frijoles, guacamole, and refreshing aguas frescas made fresh daily.

Give Taqueria Lucha a follow on Instagram HERE.

Sponsored by Underwoods Fine Jewelers

Give Your Heart Away This Galentine’s Day With Help From Underwoods

Whether you’re single or taken, two is better than one! This Galentine’s Day, we’re spreading the love by partnering with Underwoods Fine Jewelers to give one lucky winner a pair of matching heart necklaces!

• Preserving Life’s Moments: Since 1957, Underwoods Fine Jewelers has been preserving life's special moments with elegant jewelry designed to endure for generations. Explore a selection of everyday wear or celebrate your next meaningful moment with a custom design by Underwoods.

• Etched On Your Heart: Head over to our Instagram for details on how to enter the giveaway. The winner will also receive a complimentary engraving so you and your Galentine can add your own personal touch.

Enter to win two matching heart necklaces HERE.

Events

Arkansas Black Film & Music Expo Takes The Stage This Weekend

The Arkansas Black Film & Music Expo returns for its third year, bringing a two-day celebration of Black music and culture to the Fayetteville Town Center this weekend, Feb 9-10.

• On Screen: The Film Expo on Feb 9 will feature film screenings, panel discussions, and more, including a keynote presentation by Daphne Maxwell Reid — who played Aunt Vivian (2.0) in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

• On Stage: This year’s lineup for the Music Expo on Feb 10 includes Lyfe Jennings, Yung Joc, the Arkansas Gospel Chorale, Akeem Kemp, Branjae Jackson, HBCU Marching Band, Justin Stewart, Kaylynn Richardson, Lakeshia Harper-Bradley, and Michael Fields Jr.

Find ticket options and weekend passes HERE.

Business

Northwest Arkansas-Founded BroThrow App Is Defining Social Sports Betting

When the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting, a group of college friends saw an opportunity to turn a long-time group text into a full-fledged social sports betting app — thus, the creation of BroThrow.

• All In: CEO Brady Sharp shared in Arkansas Business how he left an exec job at Walmart to concentrate full-time on BrowThrow in 2022, building on the momentum of a group text he and co-founders Chad Dickinson and Andy Winkelman started during their undergrad days at UCA.

• Leaving The House: Rather than betting “against the house," BroThrow allows users to compete directly with each other by “throwing” out bets for friends to accept — some call it the “Facebook Marketplace” of sports betting. Rather than taking a cut of the winnings, BroThrow operates on a simple and fair subscription model.

Read more from Arkansas Business HERE.

NWA Daily Picks

In other news…

• 🪴 Local Roots: The Dr. Compton Native Tree & Plant Sale returns to Bentonville Apr 16-20, featuring over 70 varieties of perennials, ornamental grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, and new Pollinator Trays — 38-count trays with four different varieties of native perennials!*

• 🐶 Fur-tball: Stop by Best Friends Pet Resource Center this Sunday, Feb 11, at 1p for a Puppy Bowl Watch Party and cheer on the Best Friends puppy as he competes in the epic, furtastic battle on the grand gridiron.*

• 🧹 Clean home, happy heart! Reach out to NWA Cleaners to get your home, short-term rental, or Airbnb cleaned. Get a quote HERE.*

• 💃 May I Have This Dance: Join the talented directors of Raza Dance Studio for a magical night at Crystal Bridges, featuring dance classes, performances, and social dancing this Friday, Feb 9, from 7-12p. Tickets are $20.

• 🥞 Mimosas With My Mostas: Gather the gal pals for a Galentine’s Brunch at the Odd Soul in Downtown Springdale this Saturday, Feb 10, from 11a-2p.

• ☕️ Freshly Brewed: Dodo Coffee Co. recently opened a drive-thru coffee shop at 2699 MLK Blvd in Fayetteville, offering hot and cold beverages, teas, energy drinks, and more.

• 🧀 Cheesy Date Idea: Join Bauhaus Biergarten & Sweet Freedom Cheese for a self-guided food pairing featuring four authentic German beers, four artisanal cheeses, and four decadent chocolates. Tickets are $30 with options Feb 8-10.

• 🚴 Ride Ready: Looking forward to tearing up some road, gravel, or single track this year? Phat Tire compiled a list of all the cycling events coming to the region this year.

• 🚌 Wheels On The Bus: Ridership through Springdale-based Ozark Regional Transit hit a seven-year high last year — nearly doubling its passengers.

• 📅 NWA Calendar: Stay up to date with events mentioned in the newsletter, or post your own upcoming events to our events page!

• 🚀 Take Off: Share your message with our growing community of 35,000+ readers. We have several advertising opportunities to help you share your story with Northwest Arkansas.

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Employment

Cool Jobs In NWA

Looking for a job? Find listings in the health, education, and retail industries on our Job Board, or find great candidates by posting your open positions HERE.

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