2025
LUNCHEON
Tuesday, March 18 · 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
STATEHOUSE CONVENTION CENTER, LITTLE ROCK
WALLY ALLEN BALLROOM
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
THE ARKANSAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization established in 1955. The purpose of the Foundation is to support economic development efforts in Arkansas. Such efforts may include research, site visits, prospect entertainment and recruitment support.
THE ARKANSAS INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2011. The purpose of the Foundation is to support the economic development activities of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CORPORATE SPONSOR: $50,000+
One table (10 seats) with premier event seating
Option to add a second table of 10
Invitation to pre-event reception with keynote speaker
Company name and logo featured in program and on all printed materials
Company name and logo featured on rotating slideshow
Inclusion in press release
PLATINUM SPONSOR: $25,000
One table (10 seats) with premier event seating
Invitation to pre-event reception with keynote speaker
Company name and logo featured in program and on all printed materials
Company name and logo featured on rotating slideshow
GOLD SPONSOR: $10,000
One table (10 seats) with premier event seating
Company name and logo featured in program and on all printed materials
Company name and logo featured on rotating slideshow
SILVER SPONSOR: $6,000
One table (10 seats)
Company name featured in program
Company name featured on rotating slideshow
TABLE SPONSOR: $3,500
One table (10 seats) with premier event seating
Company name featured in program
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS : $350
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Special Guest
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the 47th Governor of Arkansas.
Inaugurated on January 10, 2023, she is the first woman to serve as governor of the state and currently is the youngest governor in the country.
Since taking office, Sarah has enacted transformational, conservative reforms. Those include Arkansas LEARNS, a sweeping overhaul of Arkansas’ education system, including higher teacher pay and universal school choice; public safety reforms to invest in prison space and get repeat offenders off the streets; tax cuts to give more taxpayer money back to Arkansans; the Natural State Initiative to grow Arkansas’ outdoor economy; and reforms to streamline state government.
In just her first 100 days, Sarah delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address, offering a bold vision for a new generation of conservative leadership.
Prior to her historic victory, Sarah served as White House Press Secretary for President Donald J. Trump from 2017 to 2019. A trusted confidant of the President, she advised him on everything from press and communications strategy to personnel and policy. Sarah was only the third woman – and the very first mom – to ever hold the job of White House Press Secretary.
Sarah joined the Trump campaign as a senior advisor in February 2016 during the Republican primary and continued in that role through the President’s historic victory that November.
She has previously worked in leadership roles for U.S. Senators, Governors, and presidential campaigns. In Arkansas, Sarah was a senior advisor to U.S. Senator Tom Cotton’s 2014 victorious campaign and was campaign manager for U.S. Senator John Boozman’s winning campaign in 2010. In 2007 and 2008, Sarah helped lead her father, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, to victory in the Iowa Caucuses and seven other states as his national political director. Sarah also served in the Department of Education during President George W. Bush’s administration.
She has been recognized in Fortune and TIME Magazine “40 under 40.” Sarah is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Speaking for Myself,” a former Fox News Channel contributor, and served on the Fulbright board.
Sarah grew up in Pine Bluff and Texarkana and is a proud graduate of Little Rock Central High and Ouachita Baptist University.
She lives in Little Rock with her husband, Bryan, their children Scarlett, Huck, and George, and their golden retriever, Traveler.
Kent Masters
Kent Masters is the chairman and chief executive officer for Albemarle, a global leader in transforming lithium and bromine into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity and health.
Masters has accelerated Albemarle’s profile as a purpose-driven, values-led organization committed to creating a more resilient world where people and planet thrive. Under his leadership, Albemarle has expanded to more than 70 countries serving nearly 2,000 customers around the world.
Barron’s named Masters to its Top 25 CEOs list in 2023, while TIME included Albemarle in its list of 100 most influential companies for that year. In 2024, the company was recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and by TIME as one of the World’s Best Companies.
Masters first joined Albemarle as a member of its board of directors in 2015 as part of the company’s Rockwood Holdings Inc. acquisition. Before joining Albemarle, Masters served as operating partner of Advent International, an international private equity group. Prior to Advent, he was chief executive officer of Foster Wheeler AG, a global engineering and construction contractor and power equipment supplier. He is also a former member of the executive board of Linde AG, a global leader in manufacturing and sales of industrial gases.
Masters serves on the board of directors of Vibrantz Technologies. He is also a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council. Masters earned a Master of Business Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
© 2025 Arkansas Economic Development Foundation