Last month, the city of Bentonville welcomed the new consul general for the United Kingdom, based in Houston. The consulate covers affairs for the British government in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Keith Scott says the consulate is focused on strengthening economic and cultural ties in the U.S. He tells Ozarks at Large’s Daniel Caruth that is why Bentonville was an important place to start his regional tour.
Keith Scott: I’ve only been in Houston six weeks. I’ve never been to Texas and Houston before, and I’ve never been to Arkansas or Bentonville before until two days ago. So it was a real eye-opener for me, actually, just to see the ecosystem in place here. And I’ve had a packed program. It’s not just the companies. It’s seeing the cultural attractions of this area. The Crystal Bridges Museum, for example. Having a fantastic bike ride around Bentonville last night was a great way of seeing the town and seeing what they had on offer, and also the first time I’d been on a bike for about 30 years. It was another part of the learning experience for me.
Daniel Caruth: Yeah. You were inducted into the cult. The biking. Good for you.
Keith Scott: That’s right.
Daniel Caruth: And you still have all of your limbs and everything’s intact, I hope.
Keith Scott: Well, it was the potential for one of these media moments where British consul general falls in a river or falls off a curb. But fortunately, it didn’t happen. And the old adage that you never forget how to ride a bike, I can confirm, is absolutely true. And I discovered it here in Bentonville.
Daniel Caruth: And, well, I know you’ve talked a little bit about that. The technology and the clean energy are two of those parts that you guys are really interested in. Can you talk about, having been here and meeting with these companies, obviously we have Tyson and we have Walmart. We have huge Fortune 500 companies here. Can you talk about what about this area makes it ripe for those sectors and what you’ve seen that makes those things a good fit, or do you feel that is something that can be capitalized on?
Keith Scott: Well, I think first of all, the reason the UK is interested in this area is that there’s a new momentum, a new ambition in the UK. When President Trump went to the UK for a state visit last month, he signed a technology and prosperity deal, and that focuses on AI, quantum computing, and nuclear. And it really is meant to stimulate greater cooperation and partnerships between the UK and the U.S. at the commercial level, but also at the research level. So there’s real momentum and there’s money in this from the UK side.
From the northwest Arkansas side, we had a technology roundtable this morning with a number of folks. And what came clear to me there was the statement that was made loud and clear: this is an area that is big enough to get things done, but small enough to be agile and nimble. And I think that’s a big advantage for this region—the fact that you can get so many key players from academia, from the big companies, from the startups in the same room together talking the same language. That is a huge advantage, I think, for this region and why we wanted to explore whether there was more we could do to create those partnerships between UK institutions and the companies and institutions here.
And we see all this technology in practice. For example, today I saw a drone flying goods from Walmart from one place to another. So not only is this great ecosystem here, but there’s that real physical presence on the ground from these big companies that show the technology in action.
Daniel Caruth: And I imagine, meeting people here, everyone probably has an idea of what Britain and the UK are. But then when you go back, I’m sure that most people maybe don’t know about Arkansas. So how is that process of putting this into practice—recruiting people from the UK to believe that this is a place where they can work, they can find opportunity, or partner with companies here? Making it attractive back home. What does that process actually look like?
Keith Scott: Part of that was from us being here across the team and making contacts at all levels. It’s not just me. It’s the whole team going out and making contacts right across universities, the companies, healthcare, life sciences. So making those connections and then helping us build that narrative. So when we speak to companies, we’re not speaking in generalities, we’re not speaking in vague diplomatic speak. It’s actually real opportunities.
So, for example, if there are pitch days in some of the companies here, that’s a great opportunity for us to advertise that with the innovative companies and institutions in the UK and get them to come and look. We know it’s a great airport here. It’s a very short flight from Houston or from Dallas. If we get companies that come to Texas, then we turn to them and say, "Hey, guys, it’s a short flight up to Bentonville. Why don’t you go and have a look?" We can put these people in a room with you, and you can talk and discuss things. So I think that’s really important.
And another advantage of—should flag for Arkansas—is that the current U.S. ambassador to the UK is from this state, Ambassador Stephens. So that’s a link we need to use, and the state needs to use, actually, to raise the profile in the UK.
Daniel Caruth: And then I imagine part of your job is also working on behalf of or with expats from the UK here in our region. I imagine there’s probably a small but substantial population of British expats living here. I was wondering if you were able to meet anybody, touch base with anyone, or talk to any of your compatriots.
Keith Scott: Yes. Some of them. One of the first things I did was to go to Rapha Bikes here, which is a British company. But it’s where British innovation and American ambition really come together and make a big statement. And as part of the bike ride last night, there were a couple of British nationals who came along. All very positive about the state, about this region and what it has to offer. And frankly, that makes a huge difference because when British nationals who live here can feed back what this region can offer, that’s always more powerful than people like us who come to visit.
But I should say, it’s not just a one-off. This has got to be a process if we’re going to make this work. And for me, it’s making statements and ambition into reality. Then it has to be a regular drumbeat of keeping in touch. And for us, frankly, to be as nimble as many of the operators here are and making sure that we react. And if there’s big events and conferences, then we make sure we’re represented, we make sure the right people are in the room.
So yes, we should use the British nationals in this state also as ambassadors for Arkansas.
Daniel Caruth: Yeah. And looking to the future and to events coming down the line, you guys have this Road to America’s 250 campaign, which I think some people might find interesting, maybe a little funny, given that that anniversary marks our separation from the Crown. But can you talk about that event, what’s coming up, and why you’re holding this and what you hope to get out of it?
Keith Scott: Yeah. You’re right. It does seem odd that we’re celebrating a defeat in British history. But the idea is to join you in commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence, because it’s frankly a great story—how two nations can go from conflict right through to one of the strongest alliances the world has seen across the board. Not just politically and in terms of shared values—freedom, democracy, enterprise—but also in security, the defense cooperation, intelligence sharing, and also trade, which is in a really good place.
The economic and trading links between the U.S. and the UK are very, very strong. We have $1.5 trillion invested in each other’s economies. The trading links are worth $418 billion. It supports 2.5 million jobs in both our countries. That’s phenomenal numbers, really. So we want to help commemorate that. From a rocky start, we’ve built this amazing partnership, which shows what you can do with shared values and the will to work together.
So we’re very keen to join with our friends here in the U.S. and really commemorate this, and also this will help raise the profile not just of the U.S., but of the states that perhaps don’t get the same attention in the UK as they ought to. So we’re looking forward to some good things coming out of this.
And I should say, as part of the Road to 250, we’re starting that here. The Brit Fest reception that I’m hosting tonight is the start of that. We then move to Little Rock, and then we drive back to Houston and highlight parts of Americana or any British links on the way. So we hope again through that to give a little bit more profile to other parts of America that get overlooked.
Daniel Caruth: And if anyone hears this and thinks they’d like to learn more or take part in this or connect with you, any events coming up that they should know about or ways to get in touch?
Keith Scott: Well, we have a LinkedIn page and we have an Instagram page, the British Consulate Houston. So I would recommend checking that out. And then there’s a website which will have the details of the consulate in Houston, how to get in touch. Certainly, for businesses, we’ve just launched a website for anyone interested in doing business with the UK, investing in the UK. And that’s a really good portal into the sort of support that is on offer from the UK government, but also the specific attributes of different regions across the UK. So that’s a good first point of call. But yeah. Please check out our social media and website, and hopefully, the partnership can go from strength to strength.
Daniel Caruth: Well, that’s mostly what I had for you, Keith. Was there anything else you wanted to add. Anything people should know.
Keith Scott: I think I’ve pretty much covered it. I mean, the only thing I would say is that while I think that Arkansas—certainly northwest Arkansas—punches above its weight, I think the UK does too. And that’s what I’ve been saying to people here. The world is a big place. There’s lots of competition. But we think we’ve got pretty good attributes that make us good partners for people in this region. We’re number one for a number of unicorns in Europe, for example, and more than France and Germany combined. We’re the biggest investor in 21 states in the U.S. We’re a very open economy, very innovative too. So I think it’s a really good partnership between Arkansas and the United Kingdom.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
