The Walton Family Foundation and Winrock International are teaming up to help small business flourish in NWA. The retail industry experienced some of the most dramatic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are struggling to recover.

• The pandemic significantly accelerated the decades-long trend of migration to online retail, leaving brick and mortar stores wondering what's next for them. "We're seeing a lot of storefronts needing to move to online platforms to ensure support throughout the pandemic." Linsley Kinkade, director for Winrock's U.S. programs.

• Building and maintaining a website is no small feat, and Winrock International's new project, the Small Business E-Commerce Local Learning (SELL), aims to address these challenges and allow liftoff for small businesses.

• SELL leverages Winrock’s proven entrepreneurial programming support, coaching and mentorship to provide websites, e-commerce platforms, training and long-term consultation to 150 small businesses located in Benton and Washington Counties.

Listen to the full story on KUAF.