Entergy, AEDC unveil site selection Web site.(GOVERNMENT)

Entergy Arkansas Inc. and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission unveiled the Arkansas Site Selection Center last week, a free Web site replete with searchable site selection data.

The site, at www.arkansassiteselection.com, offers a building and site database, demographic reports based on a 10-mile radius for any site or building selection and map download and suitability analysis capabilities. The company said the site fills a need for uniform, accessible information on sites and buildings that, it is hoped, will attract economic development.

The database is currently populated by about 200 buildings. Entergy will continue to add information, the company said.

Entergy Arkansas CEO Hugh McDonald said the company pursued the project for "obvious reasons," adding that having more businesses in Arkansas translates to more revenue.

Gov. Mike Beebe also addressed the crowd at the Arkansas Studies Institute in downtown Little Rock.

"Over and over, we keep talking about this idea of education and economic development to the point that people get sick of it. But it is actually the cornerstone upon which you build your state," Beebe said. Entergy bankrolled the site.

However, the company would not divulge the exact cost. Beebe said the project "didn't cost the state a dime."

Entergy said it is pursuing an iPhone application that will be an extension of the Arkansas Site Selection Center. The company doesn't have a timeline as the app is still in the planning stage.

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