John Selig awarded by Arkansas Economic Developers Commission for his 20 Years of Service

Hot Springs’ John Selig was chosen as the Arkansas Economic Developers Association’s (AED) Volunteer of the Year on August 25 at a luncheon in Rogers, Ark. This honor was awarded to him for the 20 years he has dedicated to the economic development of the State of Arkansas and the Hot Springs Metro area.

Selig has served on the board of the Garland County Economic Development Corporation for more than 20 years, serving as chairman of the board twice during that time. He was instrumental in many projects during his tenure including the initiative to build the first speculative building, which now houses Stanley Associates, Inc. one of Hot Springs’ top 20 employers.

“We are delighted to have John on our team. He has a wealth of knowledge and insight and brings thoughts and ideas to the forefront and provides sound advice to GCEDC,” said Dave Byerly, President/CEO of the GCEDC and The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.

AED considers anyone who is not employed as a full-time economic developer as an eligible nominee for the Volunteer of the Year award and it is necessary that nominees have a history of playing a significant role in the economic development efforts of a community.

“As far as we know John is the first Hot Springs resident to win the Volunteer of the Year,” said Byerly.
Projects with which he has been associated include the organization of the Metro Little Rock Alliance, of which he was a founding board member, and the efforts to secure a stable public-private funding base for GCEDC’s economic development efforts.

Selig understands the hand-in-hand relationship between community development and economic development, and has worked to upgrade the quality of place in Hot Springs in the areas of housing and health care. He founded Garland County Habitat for Humanity in 1996; to date, that organization has constructed 80 new homes for deserving families in the community, a record for a Habitat operation in a community of comparable size. The local Habitat organization also operates the “re-Store,” an outlet that sells donated building supplies that are not used in the construction projects, and turns the proceeds back into the organization.

He has also served on the board of the Sisters of Mercy Health System for 18 years, as well as the board of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Currently, he serves as chairman of the Hot Springs/Garland County YMCA’s Active America campaign, a movement spearheaded by YMCAs nationally to help youth control obesity and to promote physical fitness in youth. Fitness is a personal passion of Selig’s, as he has completed three marathons, including the New York and Marine Corps Marathons, and three triathlons.

“John’s leadership records in both the business sector and the civic sector are exemplary, and his dedication to his community makes him a worthwhile candidate for the AED’s Volunteer of the Year award,” said Byerly.