Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

Fort Smith sales tax revenue up almost 5% through February

Fort Smith’s share of the 1% Sebastian County sales tax in the first two reporting months of 2026 is up almost 5%, with total gross sales revenue returned to the…

Butterfield Trail Village receives $30 million bond for expansion

Fayetteville retirement community Butterfield Trail Village will use a $30 million bond for a 40,000-square-foot expansion that includes construction of a 38-unit assisted living facility, common space with a restaurant,…

Tyson Foods to close a food plant in Georgia

Springdale-based Tyson Foods will close a small prepared foods plant in Rome, Ga. The plant makes Nature Valley Granola Bars and is part of the meat giant’s 2014 acquisition of…

Newsroom Ventures acquires Pine Bluff Commercial

The Pine Bluff Commercial announced Monday (March 30) that it has been acquired from WEHCO Media, Inc. by Arkansas-based Newsroom Ventures, LLC, the parent company for five other Arkansas newspapers….

Summit Utilities names Richard Leger as SVP of operations

Summit Utilities announced Monday (March 30) that Richard Leger will join the company as senior vice president of operations, effective March 30, 2026. Leger will oversee key operational areas, including…

Arvest Foundation donates to ACHE Adopt A Scholar program

The Arvest Foundation is the latest partner in the Adopt A Scholar program at the Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE). ACHE manages the Arkansas College of Osteopathic…

Friends of Arkansas PBS to support Arkansas TV Foundation

In response to the March 12th AETN Commission meeting, the Arkansas TV Foundation has created a separate fund to support the future of PBS in Arkansas. On March 12, the…

NWA doctor, medical workers charged with kidnapping conspiracy

A federal grand jury has handed down indictments charging a Northwest Arkansas doctor and other medical workers with participating for almost four years in a kidnapping conspiracy, the U.S. Department…

Acres.com wins award, releases various features

Acres.com, a Fayetteville-based land intelligence platform, was recently named a 2026 HousingWire Tech100 winner in the real estate category for Acres’ data-driven technology that helps builders, developers, lenders and investors…

Connections: UA dean receives Champion of Construction award

Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, has received the 2026 Champion of Construction Award from the Associated General Contractors…

CCC to host event at The Compton Hotel

The Northwest Arkansas chapter of Contractors, Closers & Connections will host Compton Conversations with Scott Eccleston from 5 to 8 p.m. April 16 at The Compton hotel at 200 E….

Barling event marks part of more than $3 million in playground renovations

Fort Smith Public School District officials recently gathered at the Barling Elementary School to formally open a renovated playground at the school that is part of a more than $3…

$250,000 in grants support 412 Angels

An investment program of Bentonville-based Endeavor Heartland recently received $250,000 from the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. 412 Angels was established in early 2022 to…

Ritter Communications

Earnest Herman Ritter Jr. started E. Ritter and Company in Marked Tree in 1889, as a mercantile shop. Soon he began to dabble in road and bridge building, timber and…

Peco Foods

Peco Foods was founded in 1937 by John Herman Hickman, in Gordo, Ala., By the 1980s, Peco had grown into a fully integrated operation with processing plants, feed mills, and…

E.C. Barton & Company

In 1885 the town of Jonesboro had just incorporated two years earlier and it was experiencing strong growth. P.C. Barton owned and operated a grocery store in the bustling new…

Best Manufacturing

Best Manufacturing has been in business since 1983 and is a one-stop source for sheet metal fabrication. Best Manufacturing serves many industries including agriculture, automotive, chemical, construction, aerospace, medical, military…

Allen Engineering Corporation

Dewayne and Mary Ann Allen wanted to own their own business. In 1964 they started Allen Engineering Corporation, a small ready-mix concrete business. In 1968 they bought the Allen-Hixson ready…

Early 2026 Arkansas River tonnage down slightly

Arkansas River traffic is down slightly in the first two months of 2026, with a more than 30% gain in internal shipments easing the impact of declines in inbound and…

Upkept receives $100,000, names inaugural board

Upkept, a Rogers-based garment repair startup, recently closed on a $100,000 friends-and-family funding round. It also named its inaugural board of directors as it builds technology and logistics infrastructure for…

Escobar named VP at Stone Bank

Arkansas Community Foundation board selects Smiley, Ronnel to lead

Brent Morgan to lead Central Arkansas region for Farmers & Merchants Bank

Franklin, Logan County courthouses receive state preservation funds