Business

Disney vacation costs outpace middle-class income growth

A Disney World theme park vacation may be every kid’s dream, but with the escalating costs of a one-day ticket such a fairy tale trip could be out of reach…

NWACC to offer online credit courses for high school students

High school students can meet Arkansas’ new digital learning requirement and earn college credit at the same time through an offering of NorthWest Arkansas Community College. NWACC was one of…

Senior Arkansas Best officer to retire in March

Jim Keenan, senior vice president of Enterprise Customer Solutions for Arkansas Best Corporation, will retire March 31, 2014, after 33 years of service with the company. "Jim's many years of…

Startups to Watch: Picasolar, Overwatch plan for production

The past few months have been a blur of activity for execs at Silicon Solar Solutions/Picasolar and Overwatch, both tagged as startups to watch in 2014 by The City Wire….

The Supply Side: CPG growth shifts to smaller companies

The consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry reported total sales growth of 1.5% in 2013, down from 2.8% in 2012 and lower than the 3.4% in 2011. Last year’s growth was…

Walmart Tests ‘Savings Catcher’ In Bid To Boost Comp Sales

Wal-Mart execs keenly focused on improving comparable sales and driving top line revenue are testing a new “Savings Catcher” pricing tool as a way to drive in-store traffic and hammer…

Group has worked more than 2,100 tax filings in NWA, Fort Smith area

Tax filers the Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas areas who have waited until the last few weeks of tax season do not have to go it alone. According to Susan…

Simmons First to buy Delta Trust for $66 million

Simmons First National Corp. will acquire Little Rock-based Delta Trust & Banking Corp. for roughly $66 million. The Pine Bluff-based bank said it has entered into a definitive agreement and…

Simmons First To Acquire Delta Trust For $66 Million

Pine Bluff-based Simmons First National Corp. will acquire Little Rock-based Delta Trust & Banking Corp. for roughly $66 million.

January weather hurts NWA March sales tax revenue reports

Businesses across Benton and Washington counties collected 9.8% less in sales tax in January across the region’s four largest cities. Total sales tax revenue slid to $3.938 million in March,…

Bentonville chef grabs national honor

One local chef is garnering national attention named among the best of the best. Matthew McClure of the Hive restaurant in Bentonville at the 21c Museum Hotel is one of…

Magazine: Talk Business Arkansas March/April 2014

The March/April edition of Talk Business Arkansas is out and it includes great stories on state business and political leaders, insight and analysis and some strong guest commentaries.

Walmart tests ‘savings catcher’ in bid to boost comp sales

Wal-Mart execs keenly focused on improving comparable sales and driving top line revenue are testing a new “Savings Catcher” pricing tool as a way to drive in-store traffic and hammer…

Ross Pounds Hutchinson On Private Option; Defends Tax Plans, LG Candidate

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross said he’ll fight to keep the private option and took exception to his potential Republican rival’s characterization that the Medicaid expansion plan was a “pilot program.”

Rep. Gillam, Sen. Dismang Outline Governing Style, Issues For 2015 Leadership

The future leaders of the Arkansas House and State Senate – Rep. Jeremy Gillam (R-Judsonia) and Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) – say they will be pragmatic in their approach to…

Entergy Arkansas’ Top Regulatory VP Steve Strickland To Retire

Entergy Arkansas announced Friday that Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Steve Strickland will retire in May 2014 after 35 years of service with the company. Strickland has led Entergy Arkansas’…

Freight Reports Show U.S. Economy Recovering From Winter Storms

Transport tonnage and shipment reports indicate that the U.S. economy is recovering from heavy winter weather in January and early February, with economists remaining optimistic about gains – even if slight – in the U.S. economy during 2014.

Weekend Digest: The Happy Birthday Twitter Edition

Editor’s note: The Weekend Digest is a compilation of articles from national media outlets, off-the-beaten-path blogs, and stories of interest from the feeds of our social media friends. For our…

Arvest Equipment Finance grows loans, leases 8.1% in 2013

Arvest Equipment Finance, a division of Arvest Bank, tallied $132.3 million in loans and leases during 2013, up 8.1% from the prior year. The equipment finance division has grown its…

Fort Smith area jobless rate ticks higher in January

Swings in the workforce size and number of employed — potentially related to winter weather impacts on reporting – pushed the January Fort Smith metro jobless rate to 7.8%, ahead…