The City of Texarkana, Texas was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation designed to help drive economic development, workforce expansion, and business development in the Texarkana region. The City of Texarkana will manage the grant funds that will support three specific local economic development programs, The Assembly Line, Pitch-It Texarkana, and REDI Set Move-Texarkana.
The Assembly Line is a hub for Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners and Creative Professionals in Texarkana offering shared workspace, business education, mentorship, events and additional resources to cultivate sustainable businesses in the region. More than a mere co-working space, The Assembly Line is designed to be a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem as well as a dynamic hub for collaboration and business incubation. It addresses a critical gap in the Texarkana region: the absence of a dedicated space to nurture and accelerate entrepreneurial ventures, as well as a critical need to foster and keep businesses within the area. “This $2 million grant will have a profound impact on Texarkana, fueling The Assembly Line and our partners to drive unprecedented growth,” said Dr. Brandy Eldridge, Director of the Assembly Line. “We’re incredibly excited to use these funds to empower entrepreneurs, create jobs, and transform our region into a vibrant hub of innovation.” The Assembly Line is a partnership made up of local institutions and organizations, including the City of Texarkana, Texas, the City of Texarkana, Arkansas, AR-TX REDI, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Texarkana College, and the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana.
Pitch-It Texarkana, initially launched by a dedicated group of local partners, is an annual entrepreneurial competition where local community members present authentic and innovative ideas to win up to $10,000 in funding for their project. Participants have three minutes to present their original idea for a product or service to a panel of judges, as well as answer key questions about target markets, potential market size, competition etc. The grand prize-winning pitch receives $10,000, while second and third place receive $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. Pitch-It Texarkana now falls under the umbrella of programs run by The Assembly Line.
