Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

Forty Under 40: Matthew Fryar

Working at a small-town law firm and living on a farm is well suited to Matthew Fryar, who grew up in Royal, a community west of Hot Springs, and got…

Forty Under 40: Jonathan Fry

Jonathan Fry is excellent at following directions. That’s what you get with a franchise business model. Follow the plan, and the formula for success is proven. Fry has done more…

Forty Under 40: Jennifer Ford

Jennifer Ford has worked her way through multiple positions in information technology throughout her 16-year career at J.B. Hunt Transport Services. The past three roles didn’t exist four years ago….

Forty Under 40: Jenna Fogleman

According to fellow attorneys at the office, Jenna Fogleman brings diverse talents and enthusiasm to the firm of Miller, Butler, Schneider, Pawlik & Rozzell. Fogleman practices transactional law at the…

Forty Under 40: Tyler Farrar

Tyler Farrar has enjoyed a varied exposure to the legal field during the past six years but found his way back to higher education. While studying at the University of…

Forty Under 40: Ed Cyster

An entrepreneur and calculated risk-taker, Ed Cyster leads by creating a vision and recruiting the best talent to grow his globally integrated communications group. Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, Cyster studied…

Forty Under 40: Herbert “Boo” Buchanan

After graduating college, Fayetteville native Boo Buchanan bartended in New York City and taught high school English in Taiwan. A family obligation brought him back to Fayetteville a decade ago,…

Forty Under 40: Andrew Branch

Andrew Branch has sold everything from cars to mining equipment to mortgages. Now he’s selling Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) to the airlines and the public. “Selling is selling,” Branch…

Forty Under 40: Ricky Beauchamp

Fort Smith native Ricky Beauchamp may be rare for a CPA in that he’s an extrovert. He also has an entrepreneurial mindset and likes challenges — and these qualities help…

Forty Under 40: Channing Barker

Channing Barker earned degrees in broadcast journalism and political science from the University of Arkansas in 2012. NBC affiliate KNWA-TV in Fayetteville had already hired her as a weekend producer…

Forty Under 40: Kathryn Allison

Kathryn Allison began pursuing her MBA from the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2005. Shortly thereafter, she began pursuing a new career in the region’s supplier community. Allison…

Connections: State Chamber taps Rick Neal for education role

The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas hired Rick Neal as education to employee director, a new position with the chamber. Neal is responsible for engaging state business…

ACHI to provide school district level data on COVID-19

With roughly 10 days before the return of in-person school classes across the state, Arkansas officials are working to provide data to assess how COVID-19 is impacting communities at the…

Venture Center, LR Regional Chamber open applications for new Spark! cohort

The Venture Center and Little Rock Regional Chamber have opened applications for Spark!, a pre-accelerator program for small businesses in central Arkansas. In its second year, Spark! delivers mentorship, publicity,…

Grants available for broadband expansion in rural communities

Thirty grants of up to $75,000 each are available to help rural Arkansas communities apply for federal grants and loans to make broadband accessible to their residents. The “Rural Broadband…

ASU science department makes leadership changes

The department of computer science at Arkansas State University is making a leadership transition as a new academic year begins. Dr. Hung-Chi Su, who has been serving as department chair,…

Restart of Keystone Pipeline secures jobs at Welspun plant in Little Rock

An order for more than 1 million feet of 36-inch pipe for use on the Keystone XL pipeline project will keep around 500 Welspun manufacturing employees in Little Rock busy…

Fort Smith Regional Airport traffic down 57% through July

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to reduce airline traffic with July enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport totaling 2,957, down 67.3% compared with July 2019. Delta flights had the biggest…

Entegrity solar project to save Eureka Springs $750,000

Little Rock-based solar energy company Entegrity has announced a solar energy project with the city of Eureka Springs. The solar energy project between Entegrity and Eureka Springs is expected to…

Stein Mart files bankruptcy, expects to close all stores

Off-price retailer Stein Mart is the latest casualty of the COVID-19 crisis as the Jacksonville, Fla.,-based company files Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Stein Mart plans to close most, if not all…