Jonathan Bricker, banker at Arvest Bank, began his career in finance as an international business development representative. The economic development side of the business has stayed with him and now he manages business affairs with a focus on export opportunities.

As the new chairman of the Arkansas District Export Council, Bricker hopes to recruit new members and help new, longtime partners expand their business overseas. He sees more opportunities everywhere, but two areas need more attention from his group.

“We need to focus on bringing in some agricultural representation, because that’s one of our main exports, along with aircraft. Those are the two main exports from the state of Arkansas,” he said.

The Arkansas District Export Council is a private, nonprofit organization that brings together international businesspeople who provide support, advice, and assistance to Arkansas-based businesses interested in exporting.

“We are currently made up of 29 members and we were each appointed by the US Secretary of Commerce. We are working closely with the Department of Commerce, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the Arkansas World Trade Center, and a handful of government entities to pool our resources to help Arkansas” , Bricker said.

For more information on ADEC, visit their website at this link. You can watch Bricker’s full interview in the video below.