Arkansas Business

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Dear readers.
As you look through the property listings in this year's Arkansas Business Office Retail Lease Guide, you may notice some differences from past editions. You'll find the normal property additions an . . .

Greater LR office market maintains holding pattern: absorption remains focus with new property vacuum.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NEW OFFICE CONSTRUCTION IS A RARITY these days in the greater Little Rock market, and many tenants are positioned to negotiate better deals in a market dotted with competiti . . .

Retail activity slows as prospective tenants take a cautious watch-and-wait posture.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE COMPETITION FOR TENANTS continues to ratchet up as the national economic downturn casts a lingering shadow on the local retail scene. The two newest and largest retail . . .

Little rock.
LITTLE ROCK * DOWNTOWN -- OFFICE SPACE Building Leasing Agent Property Address Leasing Firm 105 W. Capitol Ave. Todd Hart 105 W. Capito . . .

Feds scrutinizing Cauley's real estate.(Law)
FEDERAL SUBPOENAS FROM a criminal investigation in New York have followed former Little Rock lawyer Gene Cauley back to Arkansas. Prosecutors are scrutinizing his real estate investments in connecti . . .

Lawyers predicting increase in 'whistleblower' lawsuits: congress strengthens fraud act; recoveries can reach the multimillion-d
ACTING AS THE EYES AND EARS r the federal government could rove to be a financial windfall for those who take advantage of the federal False Claims Act. The act, whose history dates to the Civil W . . .

Fairfield Bay voters face dilemma over natural gas drilling.(Law)
FAIRFIELD BAY'S Governing board knew its 2006 ban on natural gas drilling was a delaying tactic at best. Now property owners in the planned community in the heart of the Fayetteville Shale Play ar . . .

Write it down.(Whispers)
Think back a month, to the eye-popping $108 million civil lawsuit that northwest Arkansas developer (and former Tyson in-law) Gary Combs filed against Bank of the Ozarks. Then fast-forward four we . . .

Lien talk.(Whispers)
Did you hear a change of ownership is coming to May Construction Co.? Lewis May, president of the Little Rock general contracting firm, has. And he said that it is untrue. "It did not happen," M . . .

Home fire.(Whispers)
The clash between Aaron Jones and his insurance carrier over coverage in the May 2008 arson at his Chenal Circle home just got hotter. Travelers Insurance Co. has filed a counterclaim against Jone . . .

Tax troubles.(Whispers)(Brief article)
A former law partner of convicted felons Keith Moser and Barry Jewell is back in the news. A medical group in California has sued Scott Fletcher and the Fletcher Law Firm of Little Rock for allege . . .

Heath care reform.(Whispers)
QualChoice's presence in the market will be different next month. The health insurance provider will be filling the old Bank of the Ozarks headquarters at the corner of Markham Street and Chenal P . . .

Wonder trouble.(Wonder State Life Insurance Co)(Brief article)
It looks like there are more problems for Wonder State Life Insurance Co. of Little Rock, which is being liquidated. Last month, Arvest Bank named WSLIC Properties LLC, Wonder State and Wonder Sta . . .

Bankrupt.(Editorial)
EVERYONE KNEW THE DAY would come when General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC would declare bankruptcy, despite the billions of dollars in bailout money they received to prevent just that. And last . . .

Hot job.(Editorial)
WHAT'S THE MOST SOUGHT-after job in Arkansas right w? Apparently its the post of executive director of the Arkansas Lottery Commission. Ray Thornton, chairman of the commission, said last week tha . . .

[Cartoon].(Editorial)(Cartoon)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AND NOW YOU HAVE TO WARN HIM BEFORE YOU HIT HIM. . . .

Twice bitten.(Editor's Note)
THE NEWS THAT YET ANOTHER vice president of USA Drug Co. of Pine Bluff had been charged with embezzlement suggests that even businesses that have been bitten once still may not be shy enough. Garr . . .

Legal services a necessity for service members.(Commentary)
I HAVE A SON IN THE MILITARY. My husband is a veteran. My personal experience makes me accutely aware now, more than ever, of the extraordinary demands continuously being placed on American service . . .

A $9.1 million student apartment project on the Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro should be completed in July.(Real
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A $9.1 million student apartment project on the Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro should be completed in July. Baldwin & Shell Construction Co. of Littl . . .

Fulton facility sold.(Brief article)
An industrial property in southwest Little Rock tipped the scales at $1 million. Buehler Properties LLC, led by Darwin Buehler, bought the Fulton Press project at 5610 W. 65th St. from Claude and . . .

Funeral home land.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
A half-acre office site in west Little Rock sold for $160,000 Little Rock Funeral Home Inc., led by Brad Leggett, purchased the property on Knoedl Court. The seller is Knoebl Properties LLC, led b . . .

PV residence.(Pleasant Valley neighborhood )(Brief article)
A 4,818-SF home in west Little Rock's Pleasant Valley neighborhood changed hands in a $755,000 deal. Dustin McDaniel and Bobbi Fowler acquired the house from Kay and David Jones. The deal is finan . . .

Heights home.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
A 3,500-SF home near the Country Club of Little Rock rang up a $600,000 transaction. Lee and Kristina Raley bought the house from Aaron and Cynthia Salisbury. The deal is backed with a 30-year loa . . .

Oaks abode.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
A 3,756-SF home in The Oaks neighborhood of west Little Rock's Chenal Valley development drew a $585,000 sale. Benjamin and Dorothea Arnold purchased the house from Pickering Inc., led by Mary Pic . . .

Apartment refinance.(Brief article)
The owner of a 184-unit apartment complex in southwest Little Rock landed a $3.5 million funding agreement. Marshall Management Inc., led by Donald Marshall Jr., obtained the three-year loan from . . .

Office expansion.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
Expansion of a 37,900-SF medical office project in west Little Rock is backed with a $3.3 million mortgage. Freeway Park Properties LLC, led by Dr. Keith Mooney, received the two-year loan from Pu . . .

Office mortgage.(Brief article)
The owner of a 19,800-SF office project in west Little Rock secured a $2 million refinancing package. Methodist Family Health Foundation Inc., led by William Altom, got the 25-year loan from Littl . . .

Church construction.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
Expansion of a church in southeast Little Rock is in motion with a $900,000 construction loan. Ironton Baptist Church obtained the one-year loan from Metropolitan National Bank of Little Rock. T . . .

Bella Rosa loan.(Brief article)
The owner of a mixed-use commercial project in west Little Rock obtained an $806,400 mortgage. Rector Phillips Morse Inc., led by Pete Hornibrook, received the three-year loan from Regions Bank of . . .

UAMS receives $33m from Reynolds Foundation.(HEALTH CARE)
The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation last week presented a $33.4 million gift to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, the second-largest gift ever awar . . .

Sparks Health System withdraws offer to sell.(HEALTH CARE)
Sparks Health System of Fort Smith said it will not sell to a division of Jackson Healthcare LLC of Alpharetta, Ga. In March, Sparks said it was considering selling to Jackson Hospital Affiliates . . .

Tyson chicken sector reports improvements.(AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS)
Tyson Foods Inc. said last week that structural changes and improved market conditions are having a positive effect on its chicken business. "We have modified many of our business practices, and o . . .

Poll, wind turbine show clean energy potential.(ENERGY)
Central Arkansas got its first wind turbine last week at the Dunbar Community Garden Project in south Little Rock. Audubon Arkansas, the Ecological Conservation Organization, the Pew Environmental . . .

Comfort Systems opens LR office, begins hiring.(ENERGY)(Brief article)
Comfort Systems USA Energy Services, a subsidiary of Comfort Systems USA of Houston, has opened an office at 650 S. Shackleford Road in Little Rock to perform energy engineering services on new and . . .

Jack McNulty, a Pine Bluff lawyer who led the effort for the Bioplex, a 1,500-acre technology park next to the Food & Drug Admin
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CAPTION: Jack McNulty, a Pine Bluff lawyer who led the effort for the Bioplex, a 1,500-acre technology park next to the Food & Drug Administration's The Jefferson Laboratori . . .

Dillard's same-store sales decline 12 percent in May.(Public Company Reports)(Financial report)
Dillard's Inc. said same-store sales fell 12 percent in May. The department store chain said sales reached $430 million, down from $499.6 million during the same period last year. Total sales decr . . .

Simmons First National Corp.(Public Company Reports)
* Simmons First National Corp. has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 19 cents a share, unchanged from recent quarters, payable Jury 1 to shareholders of record as of June 15. . . .

April Arkansas Realtors Association housing market report.
April Arkansas Realtors Association Housing Market Report Most Units Sold in April County April '09 April '08 % Change 1 Pulaski 369 412 . . .

Hawker Beechcraft announces furloughs.(TRANSPORTATION)
Employees at a Little Rock private jet manufacturing plant will be subject to mandatory furloughs, according to a memo to employees. Hawker Beechcraft Corp. of Wichita, Kan., said employees will t . . .

United Express offering 3 daily flights to Chicago.(TRANSPORTATION)
Little Rock National Airport said United Express will launch three flights a day to Chicago starting Sept. 2. The airline, which operates feeder flights for United Air Lines Inc., will use a mix o . . .

LR Water Equipment firm nearing distribution deal.(Little Rock)(Brief article)
Sionix Corp. of Anaheim, Calif., has signed a letter of intent with Innovated Water Equipment Inc. of Little Rock for the creation of manufacturing and distribution centers. "The IWE group is curr . . .

Arkansas banks' ROA ranks fourth in region.(NW Journal: A Look at News From Northwest Arkansas)
In the first quarter of 2009, Arkansas banks collectively had a return on their average assets of 0.75 percent, ranking fourth among the seven states in the 8th District of the U.S. Federal Reserve . . .

Barron Mortgage teams up with bank of LR Mortgage.(NW Journal: A Look at News From Northwest Arkansas)
Bank of Little Rock Mortgage recently announced a partnership with Barron Mortgage of Fort Smith, and its presence in northwest Arkansas could become even more significant. The new firm will opera . . .

Photographer Wesley Hitt finds new home in Ozarks.(Brief article)
Photographer Wesley Hitt, a fixture in central Arkansas for 25 years, has moved to Fayetteville. Hitt said the move was a result of his relationship with the University of Arkansas. Hitt has worke . . .

Packaging firm expands services, adds employees.(NW Journal: A Look at News From Northwest Arkansas)
Expansion, in terms of employees and services, continues at Rapid Prototypes. Owner Kyle Jack said the Bentonville packaging specialties company had added two employees, bringing its staff to seve . . .

Stephens Inc. was ranked 19th among 65 research firms in The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" annual analyst survey fo
Stephens Inc. was ranked 19th among 65 research firms in The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" annual analyst survey for 2008. In addition, Timothy J. Quillin, who follows the aerospace and . . .

Applications are now being accepted for the Delta Leadership Institute.(Business Briefs)
Applications are now being accepted for the Delta Leadership Institute. The DLI brings together community leaders from across the Delta to confront the region's challenges and work together to provi . . .

Universal Health Services Springwoods Behavioral Health.(Business Briefs)
Lucinda DeBruce has been named CEO of the new Universal Health Services Springwoods Behavioral Health facility under construction at Fayetteville. She previously was CEO of Pinnacle Point Hospital i . . .

Charlotte Russe has opened at McCain Mall in North Little Rock.(Business Briefs)
Charlotte Russe has opened at McCain Mall in North Little Rock. The 4,330-SF sales floor features women's apparel, shoes, accessories and intimate apparel aimed at style-savvy young women in their t . . .

General Dynamics.(Business Briefs)
General Dynamics recently honored the team at Camden with its 2009 Manufacturing Excellence Award at a ceremony in Tampa, Fla. The award recognizes the General Dynamics teams and departments that ha . . .