Author: Talk Business & Politics

Arkansas? 4Q Real Personal Income Grows 3.1 Percent

For the fourth quarter of 2003, Arkansas was third out of seven regional states in real personal income growth, outpaced by Mississippi and Tennessee.

Wal-Mart Vendors Give Back to UA

More than 40 vendors to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. were represented July 16 at the eighth annual Vendors FORE Education Golf Tournament at Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club in Fayetteville.

USI To Build $1.4M Office

USI-Arkansas Inc. of Springdale recently announced plans to build a new 10,000-SF office complex east of Interstate 540 and 48th Street in Springdale.

Northwest Arkansas Still Drives State Economy

Northwest Arkansas continues to drive the state?s economy with low unemployment, an influx of new residents and a continued construction boom.

New Salon Opens in Fayetteville

Brazen Studio specializes in color and comfort.

New Business Offers eBay Services

Biddees will sell just about anything on eBay for 25 percent of the sale.

Lounge Becomes Zooloo?s; Buster Belly?s For Sale

Cheryl Wahl of Rogers took over ownership of The Liquid Lounge on July 11 and changed the Dickson Street bar?s name to Zooloo?s.

Steak Escape Leases Mall Space

E.C. Price and Co. of Fort Smith has leased a 1,078-SF space in Fayetteville?s Northwest Arkansas Mall to open a Steak Escape franchise by Nov. 1.

Emelia?s Opens On Dickson Street

Kevork Ouyoumjian and Sara Lusher, both of Hot Springs, opened Emelia?s Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar at 309 W. Dickson St. on June 24.

First Buffalo Wild Wings Slated for Bentonville

B&K Wings LLC plans to build in Bentonville the first of six Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants planned for the state.

Behringer Harvard Buys Beau Terre

The 70-acre Beau Terre Office Park in Bentonville sells to Behringer Harvard Funds of Dallas for $55.87 million. The original developers turned down previous offers for the retail vendor haven before BHF approached them in August.

Strategy Still Key Enabler (Jeff Hankins Commentary)

The second annual Arkansas Executive Summit, which is fast becoming a must-attend event for the state?s business leaders, assembled a panel to discuss their strategies.

ERC Raises Standard

ERC Properties Inc. is the best company in Arkansas that no one has ever heard of. At least, that?s what one of its investment partners said. And ERC president Rod Coleman would like to keep it that way.

Fort Smith Rounds Up Spirit of Cooperation

Tom Manskey, president of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, says victories such as the May re-roping of Graphic Packaging Corp. are happening because groups in the city are working together like a posse possessed.

Women File Wal-Mart-sized Suit

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., also the country?s biggest employer, faces the biggest class-action lawsuit ever in a civil case ? a suit that could affect 1.6 million current and former female employees.

Benefit Bank Breaks Tradition, Centers On ?Homey? Branches

The homespun, no-frills approach of Benefit Bank of Fort Smith is an apparent hit with a certain demographic of the market.

Fort Town Gets ‘OK’ For Private Business

The Arkansas River Valley boasts eight of the 49 largest privately held companies in the six-county area. With their combined $1.24 billion in 2003 revenue, those firms bring in more money than the largest private concerns in any other area city.

Hiram Walker Plant Hits 5 Million Mark

The Hiram Walker plant in Fort Smith has gone from bottling 1.5 million cases of liquor per year when it opened in 1980 to 5 million now.

Van Buren Company Lumbers to Success

In 2002, Steve Gann, Dennis Joyce and Bill Dodson started Lumber One in Van Buren, filling the void for a locally owned, full-service contract lumber yard. It remains the only one of its kind in the Arkansas River Valley.

Banks Share $2.47B River Valley Market

Of the 13 private and public banking institutions operating in Crawford and Sebastian counties, 76 percent of the deposit market share is held by five banks.

Fort Smith metro job numbers up less than 1% in September report

Opinions differ on use of former ACME Brick property

Jones Center raises $310,000 at ‘Big Night’

Colliers | Arkansas to manage Regions Center; firm closes 2 major deals for $10.7M