Arkansas Business

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Yodeladyhoo.(Whispers)
Want a sweet little piece of Arkansas? Darrell Lainhart's beloved "Little Switzerland" is on the market. Lainhart, loyal readers will recall, is the Sherwood man who rounded up millions of dollars . . .

Birds of a feather.(Whispers)
More familiar faces from Alltel Corp. have found their way to the Circumference Group, formed by Jeff Fox, former chief operations officer at Alltel. Holly Larkin, who worked as treasurer of Allte . . .

Taking stock.(Whispers)
There is an interesting discrepancy in the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's advertising contracts with the Little Rock ad agency of Stone Ward. In the fiscal 2009 contract, President Mil . . .

The paradox.(Editorial)
A SURVEY RELEASED LAST WEEK y the Arkansas Department f Health said there are nearly 100,000 fewer smokers in the state now than there were in 2002, when the Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program s . . .

An III wind.(Editorial)
T BOONE PICKENS, THE TEXAS oil billionaire, has scrapped his plans to build a giant wind farm in the Texas panhandle. Ordinarily, that probably wouldn't bother us much. But Pickens' commitment to . . .

Confession time.(Editorial)
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN says the administration vastly underestimated the depth of the recession. And Laura Tyson, economic adviser to President Obama, said last week that the stimulus package ap . . .

[Cartoon].(Editorial)(Cartoon)
IT'S NOT CONTAGIOUS, IS IT? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] . . .

We have met the enemy.(Editor's note)
I'VE SAT THROUGH SEVERAL workshops on generational clashes in the workplace in the past few years. At first, I dismissed the whole concept as so much hooey--people either have a work ethic or they d . . .

Plastics purchase.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
The sale of a 120,000-SF plant in Little Rock tipped the scales at $3.3 million. Delta Plastics of the South LLC, led by Dhu and May Thompson, bought the 8801 Frazier Pike facility. The seller is . . .

Dollar general site.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
A commercial property in southwest Little Rock changed hands in a $179,000 deal. PB General Holdings (Chicot) LLC, led by Scott Proctor, purchased the 0.94-acre site near the southeast corner of M . . .

Valley falls manor.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Brief article)
A 7,456-SF manor in west Little Rock's Valley Falls neighborhood rang up a $1.6 million transaction. Markus Homes Inc., led by Jim and Melinda Markus, acquired the home from Rush Harding III and h . . .

Hickory grove home.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Brief article)
On the flip side, the Hardings bought a 4,928-SF home in west Little Rock's Hickory Grove neighborhood from the Markus family for $995,000. The deal is funded with a five-year loan of $746,250 fro . . .

Chimney Rock house.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
A 6,510-SF home in Sherwood's Chimney Rock neighborhood is under new ownership after an $875,000 deal. Chad and Kelly Baker purchased the house from Matthew and Amber Enderlin. The transaction is . . .

PV residence.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Brief article)
A 3,600-SF home in west Little Rock's Pleasant Valley neighborhood sold for $520,000. Larry and Janice Walther acquired the house from James and Linda Fasules. The deal is financed with a 15-year . . .

River Market Condo.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
A 1,658-SF condo in downtown Little Rock drew a $513,000 transaction. Austin and Ann Grimes bought the sixth-floor space in the River Market Tower at 315 Rock St. The seller is River Market Tower . . .

Apartment building.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Construction of a 7.49-acre apartment development in North Little Rock is in motion with a $12.3 million financial package. Burkhalter Commercial Group LLC, led by John Bu . . .

Terraforma financing.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
Commercial property in North Little Rock is backing a $2.48 million mortgage. Terraforma LLC, led by David Bruning and Doug Meyer, received the two-year loan from BancorpSouth Bank. The 2.53-acre . . .

Arc mortgage.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)
Two nonprofit properties in Little Rock were used to secure a $1.7 million funding agreement. The Arc Arkansas, led by Steven Hitt, picked up the one-year loan from Bank of the Ozarks. The group's . . .

Kitchens construction.(Brief article)
A pediatric dental development in west Little Rock is financed with a $1.4 million mortgage. Kitchens Properties LLC, led by Andy and Michael Kitchens, obtained the nine-month loan from First Secu . . .

Bank sues Gary Combs settles with another.(REAL ESTATE)
The Bank of Fayetteville filed a lawsuit against northwest Arkansas developer Gary Combs, Gary Combs LLC and Electric Avenue Carwash LLC last week. In the complaint filed in the Circuit Court of W . . .

May Arkansas Realtors Association housing market report.(Inside Business)
May Arkansas Realtors Association Housing Market Report MOST UNITS SOLD IN MAY County May '09 May '08 % Change 1 Pulaski 393 . . .

Sherwood Company Lands Boeing contract.(MANUFACTURING)
A central Arkansas company has landed a contract with one of the world's largest aerospace companies. The Boeing Co. of Chicago awarded a contract to Galley Support Innovations of Sherwood. The co . . .

Lottery hires 2 Arkansans at salaries of $105k each.(GOVERNMENT)
The Arkansas Lottery Commission last week hired a staff attorney and procurement director and contract administrator, both of which pay annual salaries of $105,000. Lottery Executive Director Erni . . .

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, . . .

UAMS surgeons' use of robot a first for state.(HEALTH CARE)
Two surgeons at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences recently became the first medical professionals in Arkansas to perform parathyroid surgeries using the da Vinci Surgical System robot. . . .

Fortune's global 500 world's largest companies.(Inside Business)(Brief article)
Fortune's Global 500 World's Largest Companies Revenue Profits Rank Company ($ millions) ($ millions) 1 Royal Dutch Shell . . .

Simmons first decides not to participate in CPP.(BANKING & FINANCE)
Simmons First National Corp. of Pine Bluff said last week that it will not participate in the U.S. Treasury's Capital Purchase Program. The program was introduced in October 2008 in an effort to s . . .

Dillard's June same-store sales decline 14 percent.(Public Company Reports)(Financial report)
Dillard's Inc. of Little Rock said Thursday that same-store sales fell 14 percent in June to $497.2 million, compared with $593.3 million for the same period in 2008 Wall Street analysts had expec . . .

Zortees lets customers design their own t-shirts.(Brief article)
Ever come up with an idea for a really cool T-shirt and wish you could design it yourself? Slader Agee is making that wish come true. "We want the customer to be as much a part of the process as p . . .

Office supply dealers hustle in face of faltering economy.(NW Journal: A Look at News From Northwest Arkansas)
One local office furniture dealer proved to be an exception to the rule among his counterparts when asked about the pulse of his business. "We're booming, dude," he said before quickly adding he did . . .

NorthStar Building's design helps it earn tax incentives.(NW Journal: A Look at News From Northwest Arkansas)
A local architecture firm has partnered with an expert in tax code to design an office building that takes advantage of federal tax incentives. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The NorthStar facility in F . . .

SeaPort Airlines.(Business Briefs)
The system also can be installed by any drywall installer, costs less to demount than it does to demolish a normal Sheetrock partition and saves material costs each time it's reused. SeaPort Airline . . .

The Pew Campaign on Human Health & Industrial Farming, in partnership with the Ecological Conservation Organization of Little Ro
The Pew Campaign on Human Health & Industrial Farming, in partnership with the Ecological Conservation Organization of Little Rock, will conduct a panel discussion on the misuse of antibiotics on in . . .

The Satori School for Creative Arts, located at 417 Main St. in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, opened last week
The Satori School for Creative Arts, located at 417 Main St. in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, opened last week. Satori will offer adult classes in acrylics, drawing, printmaking, p . . .

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, in conjunction with the Arkansas Genealogical Society, will host the eighth annual Genea
The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, in conjunction with the Arkansas Genealogical Society, will host the eighth annual Genealogy Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 18 at the Main Library in . . .

The Arkansas Consolidated School Health Conference will be held July 15-16 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.(B
The Arkansas Consolidated School Health Conference will be held July 15-16 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The theme is "Building for Success--Laying the Foundation." For more in . . .

Farmers Insurance Group.(Business Briefs)
The Farmers Insurance Group of Los Angeles is now offering a new eco-friendly product for its Arkansas customers wishing to go green. Called "Eco-Rebuild," the new endorsement will allow customers t . . .

The University of the Ozarks at Clarksville has been named one of the top universities in the country to work for by The Chronic
The University of the Ozarks at Clarksville has been named one of the top universities in the country to work for by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The designation is based on specific best prac . . .

Goodman Networks Inc. of Piano, Texas, a telecommunications company, has secured an equity investment from The Stephens Group LL
Goodman Networks Inc. of Piano, Texas, a telecommunications company, has secured an equity investment from The Stephens Group LLC of Little Rock. Goodman also obtained a line of credit with PNC Fina . . .

Leroy Donald Jr., 73, a longtime newspaper reporter and editor for the Arkansas Gazette who most recently wrote a business colum
Leroy Donald Jr., 73, a longtime newspaper reporter and editor for the Arkansas Gazette who most recently wrote a business column for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, died July 2. Donald also produced . . .

Heifer International of Little Rock recently won the Earth Award.(Business Briefs)
Heifer International of Little Rock recently won the Earth Award at the Building Owners & Managers Association International's annual conference and The Office Building Show at Philadelphia. . . .

Lynnette Watts has been named executive director of the Women's Foundation of Arkansas.(Business Briefs)
Lynnette Watts has been named executive director of the Women's Foundation of Arkansas. She had been serving as director of philanthropy for the Arkansas chapter of The Nature Conservancy. . . .

The Arkansas Farm Bureau will hold its 2009 Officers & Leaders Conference July 20-21 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.(Busin
The Arkansas Farm Bureau will hold its 2009 Officers & Leaders Conference July 20-21 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. The theme is "Powered by People." The program offers a variety of workshops . . .

Galleria Retail Technology Solutions of Chicago, a merchandising services firm, has opened a new office at Bentonville to provid
Galleria Retail Technology Solutions of Chicago, a merchandising services firm, has opened a new office at Bentonville to provide enhanced support for its growing U.S. customer base. Galleria curren . . .

Bank's positions on standards.(Accounting)
Excerpts from securities filings for publicly traded bank holding companies doing business in Arkansas regarding Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 (Fair Value Measurements) and No. . . .

A promise costly to break.(Commentary)
VIOLATING DEBT COVENANTS an tarnish a company s credibility n the business community with lightning speed. When Chiquita, the venerable produce company, attempted to obtain a "temporary debt coven . . .

CPAs and the economic crisis.(Commentary)
COMPETENCE, RELIABILITY, integrity, objectivity, creativity, innovative, focused, effective communication and forward thinking may not be words that immediately come to mind when considering the cur . . .

Detecting what's out of whack.(Commentary)
FINANCIAL MANAGERS, AUDITORS and investigators are all involved in "detecting what's out of whack" with an organization's financial system. Preventing and detecting occupational fraud is as simple a . . .

State's accounting firms grow despite the recession.(Overview)
THE RECESSION LINGERS throughout the country, but the accounting field is not among those that are feeling its effects, at least not yet and at least not in Arkansas. While most job sectors have s . . .

Largest accounting firms.(ACCOUNTING)
Largest Accounting Firms Ranked by numher of certified public accountants an staff in Arkansas Firm Address CPAs Phone, Fax, Web Site Other . . .