Errin Stanger is Director of Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Arkansans by inspiring innovation and expanding opportunities.

The Hub’s state-of-the-art facilities have provided tools and training to entrepreneurs, students and other makers, preparing them to join and grow Arkansas’s economic ecosystem.

In today’s conversation, Errin discusses the ins-and-outs of Arkansas’ first makerspace and why there is no other venue like it. She speaks in particular about the infusion of art around the building alongside technology, as she believes in being “intentional about those creative collisions that can happen between individuals.”

Stanger also touches on the nonprofit’s after-school classes, which are conducted to help Arkansas’ youth explore art and technology with the aim of giving them an edge in the job market of the near future.

Finally, Errin reflects on her experience of leading the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub from the very beginning in 2014 and shares how she feels about being one of three women paving the way in Arkansas through this initiative. She says that the secret to maintaining her creative, forward-thinking mindset is to make sure to stay focused on the bigger picture instead of getting caught up in the minutiae of it all—”the weeds”, as she refers to it.

This episode is now on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen via the podcast player embedded above.

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