TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
connections through school, athletics, and community activities. The parents are engaged, visible, and invested. They didn’t just move here for incentives,” he added. “They moved here to build a life.” That outcome is exactly what the program was designed to create. Another example is Melanie Daniel, a Tennessee native who had never lived anywhere else before moving to Texarkana. “It has been quite the experience for this Tennessee girl,” Daniel said. “I have had such great opportunities to get involved in the community since I moved here. From judging a live line dancing competition, to participating in Leadership Texarkana, and to joining the board of directors for a senior citizens group, I have certainly been busy. I’m looking forward to what comes next.” Participants receive a relocation incentive package valued at $18,100, which includes $5,000 cash for relocation, a 25% tuition discount and first class free at Texas A&M University- Texarkana, first class free at the University of Arkansas Hope- Texarkana, a one-year membership to The Assembly Line, a Texas Pioneer Foundation Scholarship, Leadership Texarkana Preferred Membership, membership to the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council, breakfast with mayors and city managers, one year as a city guest to all after-hours events by the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, and a Texarkana welcome basket. This is not a transaction. It is an invitation to learn, lead, and belong, and behind it all is a collaboration.
This is economic development done with care. It is not rushed or reactive. It is intentional. And perhaps most importantly, REDI… Set…Move is changing how Texarkana sees itself. Confidence is contagious. When a community believes in its own value, others begin to see it too. Texarkana is proving that you do not have to be the biggest city or the loudest voice to compete nationally. You simply must know who you are and open the door. Careers may be remote, but opportunities are local, and belonging is very real. REDI…Set…Move is not just a program. It is a statement. Texarkana is open. Texarkana is ready. Texarkana is moving forward with one family, one connection, and one decision at a time. The future does not always happen in the biggest places. Sometimes, it happens exactly where people feel truly wanted.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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