Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

Walmart to hold annual wellness fair

Walmart plans to hold its annual wellness fair at more than 4,500 U.S. stores this weekend. This is the fifth year Walmart is holding the event and it will take…

Dave Wilgus appointed CEO of Harrison French & Associates (HFA)

Bentonville-based Harrison French & Associates (HFA), the largest architectural and engineering firm in Northwest Arkansas, announced Wednesday (April 24) the promotion of principal Dave Wilgus as the company’s new CEO,…

Danville-based Chambers Bank strikes deal to buy River Town Bank

Danville-based Chambers Bancshares Inc., holding company for Chambers Bank, has reached a deal to acquire nearby Bank of Dardanelle Bankshares Inc., the parent company of River Town Bank. The acquisition…

Arkansas receives $55 million in tobacco settlement funds

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced that the state has received its 2019 share of proceeds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with tobacco companies. This year, Arkansas will…

UAMS celebrates 20 years of Schmieding Center in Springdale

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) honored the legacy of Lawrence Schmieding on Tuesday (April 23) and the 20th anniversary of the UAMS Schmieding Center for Senior Health…

Reserve ratio in Arkansas is fourth in Eighth District

In the fourth quarter of 2018, Arkansas banks collectively had a loan loss reserve ratio of 1%. That’s down from a ratio of 1.23% in the fourth quarter of 2017….

Walmart executive appointed chairman of Northwest Arkansas Technology Council

Bill Groves, chief data and analytics officer for Walmart, has been named chairman of the Northwest Arkansas Technology Council. The Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, which manages the Northwest…

Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame announces 5th annual inductees

The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame (AWHOF) has released its fifth annual class of inductees — seven women and one organization that have made significant contributions to the state and…

Air Products to expand its air separation unit operations at Big River Steel

Air Products announced Monday (April 22) an agreement to build, own, and operate a second air separation unit (ASU) to support Big River Steel’s expansion at its Osceola, Arkansas steel…

Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame inductees announced

The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation announced Monday (April 22) the 2019 Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame inductees, to be recognized at ceremonies in August in Little Rock. Inductees include:…

Value of U.S. exports to Mexico exceeds imports from the country

Energy trade accounted for 12% of the value for all U.S. exports to Mexico and 5% of all U.S. imports from Mexico in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau….

Jobless rate dips to 3.7% in Arkansas, job growth up 0.66% year-over-year

An estimated gain of 8,585 jobs between March 2018 and March 2019 helped push Arkansas’ jobless rate to 3.7%, better than the 3.8% in March 2018 and the 3.8% in…

Home BancShares president, CEO Randy Sims adds title of vice chairman

Randy Sims, president and CEO of publicly traded Conway-based Home BancShares Inc., has added the titles of vice chairman of Home BancShares and executive chairman of its subsidiary, Centennial Bank….

Employer forum in Springdale will focus on apprenticeship

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (ADWS), the Northwest Arkansas Council and area chambers of commerce are teaming up to host an employer forum in Springdale focused on apprenticeship. Employers…

Centennial Bank parent company sees income dip 2.3%, revenue rise 8.7%

Conway-based Home BancShares posted first quarter net income of $71.35 million, down 2.3%, from the $73.064 million in the same quarter of 2018. The per share earnings of 42 cents…

Agriculture scholarships presented by governor

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward, and State Plant Board Director Butch Calhoun doled $20,000 in scholarships at the state capitol earlier this week to students from four…

Troubadours and Allstars part of fifth annual Peacemaker Festival

Veteran Americana bands Turnpike Troubadours and the North Mississippi Allstars are part of the lineup for the 2019 Peacemaker Festival set for July 26-27 at the Riverfront Amphitheater in downtown…

First quarter income for Bank OZK down 2.2%, but beats market estimate

Little Rock-based Bank OZK reported first quarter net income of $110.712 million, down from $113.144 million in the 2018 quarter. The per share income of 86 cents was better than…

Marshals Museum employees honored for history day work

United States Marshals Museum (USMM) Director of Education Leslie Higgins was honored as the 2019 Friend of History Day Arkansas by History Day Arkansas for her efforts to promote and…

Dr. Brian Primack named dean of UA’s College of Education and Health Professions

Dr. Brian Primack, dean of the Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named dean of the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions. The hiring…