Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

NWA C-Suite: Tyler B. Clark

What advice would you give someone wanting to be a leader in your industry? Nonprofit is a safe place to try new things. Stay away from the phrases, “We’ve always…

NWA C-Suite: Jennifer Martinez Belt

What is the best business advice someone has ever given you? It is the quote from Amelia Earhart, “The best way to do it, is to do it.” How significant…

NWA C-Suite: Bill Barnes

What’s the top challenge you have faced as a leader, and how did you overcome it? Developing an idea into a profitable business model, based on European Union practices, that…

NWA C-Suite: Lekan Ajayi

Do you use artificial intelligence (AI) software in your work, and if so, how so? Certainly. AI is a powerful tool with incredible potential to transform the way we provide…

Women’s Foundation of Arkansas raises $249,000 at annual luncheon

The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA) celebrated Arkansas women making an impact in public service, business and philanthropy at Thursday’s 26th annual Power of the Purse luncheon, held at the…

Mercy opens 65 Prime+ clinic in Fort Smith

Mercy has opened a 65 Prime+ clinic in Fort Smith that is focused on providing care to Medicare patients age 65 and older. The hospital system says it’s the first…

DACA program part of panel discussion at UAFS

A panel discussion at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) is expected to explore the role of students in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and…

ARDOT gathers public input to address downtown Fort Smith truck traffic

Officials with the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) were in Fort Smith on Thursday (Oct. 3) to gather public input on options to re-route or otherwise minimize truck traffic in…

Jobless rates decline in most Arkansas metro areas in August

August job numbers show that five of the eight metro areas in or connected to Arkansas had year-over-year jobless rate declines. Northwest Arkansas had the lowest August rate at 2.6%,…

Walmart Data Ventures to rebrand Luminate to Scintilla

Walmart said the client base for its data ventures business has increased by 173% over the past year, and small and medium-sized suppliers subscribing to the service increased 100%. The…

Electric cooperatives begin $93 million project to expand gas plant

Little Rock-based generation and transmission cooperative Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC) has started a $93 million project to add 100 megawatts of generation capacity to its natural gas-fired Thomas B….

Black Hills Energy bills to increase; reflect one-time credit

Arkansas customers of Black Hills Energy will see natural gas bills rise because of a rate hike starting with October billing, the company said Wednesday (Oct. 2). The average residential…

Walmart distribution center in Searcy to get automation update

Walmart recently announced plans to automate regional distribution centers (RDC) in Searcy, Ark., and Buckeye, Ariz. The retail giant said the Searcy RDC has been in operation for 35 years…

Jared Gabriele named regional president for Chambers Bank

Jared Gabriele has joined Chambers Bank as its regional president and chief lending officer for Northwest Arkansas. Gabriele will oversee the bank’s lending operations in Elkins, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale….

Arkansas tax revenue in first fiscal quarter down 2.6%

Arkansas’ fiscal year-to-date (July 2024-September 2024) tax revenue is down 2.6% compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year. September collections were down 2.3% with the decline primarily…

J.B. Hunt, UP.Labs open lab to establish logistics startups

Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. will collaborate with venture lab UP.Labs to bring innovation to the forefront of the freight transportation industry, the companies announced Wednesday (Oct. 2)….

Arkansas ‘Internet for All’ plan approved by feds

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved the second volume of Arkansas’ initial proposal for the BEAD [Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment] program, according to a release from…

Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame to induct new members Nov. 7

Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s advisor and pilot, a Black Pilots of America leader who helped bring the organization’s annual “Operation Skyhook” event to Pine Bluff, and the only flag officer to…

NIH awards UAMS $3.7 million for more effective TB vaccine

UAMS researcher Lu Huang, Ph.D., has received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his pursuit of a more effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. The…

National Cold War Center to host Gary Powers Jr. for gala event

The National Cold War Center (NCWC) will host its annual Cold War Party on Nov. 2 following a Cold War Conversation event with Gary Powers, Jr., on Nov. 1. The…

Steel workforce an advantage for Northeast Arkansas, panel says

A-State to host annual agribusiness conference

ACME brick yard planning part of Fort Smith Board study session

J.B. Hunt, P.A.M. expected to post Q4 earnings increase