Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

Ethanol exports rise 26% in 2016

The amount of fuel ethanol the United States exported increased 26% to more than 1 billion gallons, or 68,000 barrels per day, in 2016, from 2015, according to U.S. Energy…

UA startup team wins $15,000 in competition at University of Manitoba

A University of Arkansas student team that formed the company Grox Industries won first place and almost $15,000 at the Stu Clark Investment Competition on March 11 at the University…

ACH receives elite status from American Nurses Credentialing Center

Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock has received the Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. On Wednesday (March 15), the 359-bed pediatric hospital found out it had earned…

SXSW: Kudos and concerns for the maturing podcast market

Editor’s Note: Brett Parker, director of media services for Little Rock-based Stone Ward, will this week provide occasional updates on events he attends at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas….

Feds boost interest rates, credit card finance charges could rise $1.6 billion in 2017

An improved labor market, rise in household spending and desire to keep inflation at around 2% led the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on Wednesday (March 15) to…

ISM: U.S. manufacturing still on the rise in February

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) has released its monthly Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for February, and the story told is another positive one with the PMI at 57.7%, a…

Five U.S. companies capture 50% market share for installed solar projects

Megawatt-scale solar projects installed in the United States rose 125% in 2016, from 2015, according to IHS Markit. Blattner Energy installed the most solar projects in 2016, followed by First…

Skyline Report shows balanced residential market

The latest Skyline Report released Wednesday (March 8) included a key historical finding. Significant absorption of new homes led to the lowest level of remaining months of unbuilt lot inventory…

SXSW: Know your market

Editor’s Note: Brett Parker, director of media services for Little Rock-based Stone Ward, will this week provide occasional updates on events he attends at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas….

Coal exports continue to fall, U.S. remains net exporter

U.S. coal exports fell 18% to 60.3 million short tons in 2016, from 74 million short tons in 2015, despite increases in international coal prices last year, according to the…

Chambers Bancshares promotes Landi Mkhize to chief financial officer

John Chambers, president of Chambers Bancshares Inc. of Danville, announced Monday (March 13) that Landi Mkhize has been promoted to chief financial officer of the holding company. Chambers Bancshares is…

Fayetteville man opts for franchising over football

After coaching high school football in Arkansas for the past 13 years, Brooks Coatney is opting for an unlikely career change. Coatney, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach the past…

Oldest electricity generating plants are hydroelectric

Conventional hydroelectric generators accounted for 7% of the electricity generating capacity in operation in the United States and about 6% to 7% of U.S. electricity generated each year, according to…

Walmart U.S. grocery competitors rank atop ‘Temkin Experience’ survey

Florida-based grocer Publix scored the highest for customer experience in the 2017 Temkin Experience Rating. Publix received a rating of 84% putting it a category by itself. Temkin recently surveyed…

SXSW: This is your brain on ads

Editor’s note: Brett Parker, director of media services for Little Rock-based Stone Ward, will this week provide occasional updates on events he attends at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas….

U.S. manufacturing growth to be ‘sluggish’ in 2017

A report from Arlington, Va.-based Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) is forecasting modest to moderate U.S. economic output and “relatively sluggish manufacturing output growth” in 2017. Economic and…

Health care costs remain a top concern for U.S. manufacturers

Health care spending continues to be one of the top concerns for manufacturers, and recent increases in health insurance premiums for most firms have deepened the frustration. In the most…

Report: Manufacturing growth supported by natural gas supply

A new study from IHS Economics and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) shows that natural gas encouraged U.S. manufacturing growth and employment in recent years. Manufacturers use natural gas…

Arkansas Tourism Ticker: Gains slow in 2016, but industry jobs set new record

Editor’s note: The Arkansas Tourism Ticker is sponsored by the Arkansas Hospitality Association. –––––––––––– Arkansas’ tourism industry posted broad gains in employment and revenue during 2016, with the annual numbers…

Mercy NWA specialty clinics to relocate west of I-49 in Rogers

Two Mercy Northwest Arkansas specialty clinics are relocating to a 14,000-square-foot office north of Village on the Creeks and west of Interstate 49 in Rogers, according to a news release….