Business

Third quarter income, revenue up for Acxiom

Acxiom Corp. saw its third quarter net income rise to $15 million, up from $14.5 million one year ago. Revenues also climbed higher to $277.87 million during the quarter, an…

Arkansas Best full year net income reaches $15.8 million, beats estimates (Updated)

Net income during 2013 for Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp. was $15.8 million, much better than the $7.7 million loss in 2012 and the most the company has earned in…

Rising propane prices put pressure on poultry industry

Casey Wilson, a poultry grower near Huntsville, Ark., said three of his seven houses are heated with propane gas and with two-week old birds and frigid temperatures he is quickly…

Retail experts note opportunities, threats for new Wal-Mart CEO

Analysts and retail experts anticipate strong, charismatic leadership from Doug McMillon when he takes the reins from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. CEO Mike Duke on Saturday (Feb. 1). Not to take…

Cotton, Pryor On Opposite Sides Of Farm Bill Vote (UPDATED)

After studying the 960-page Farm Bill that emerged from a bipartisan, bicameral conference committee, U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, voted against the measure. Cotton released this statement on Wednesday morning…

NWACC spring enrollment dips 6.1%

NorthWest Arkansas Community College enrolled more than 7,500 credit students for the spring 2014 semester, college officials announced Tuesday (Jan. 28). The college had a preliminary count of 7,546 enrolled…

NWA city sales tax revenue up 5.6% in January report

Sales tax revenue rose 5.6% across Northwest Arkansas’ four largest cities in January. Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville cumulatively received more than $4.293 million in sales tax revenue, compared to…

Local startup hosts Ben & Jerry’s execs in Springdale

It’s a long way from Burlington, Vt., to Springdale, but the communities do have something in common, according to Ben & Jerry’s chairman Jeff Furman. Both areas are rich with…

Fort Smith Convention Center sees revenue rise in 2013

The Fort Smith Convention Center saw a drop in the number of events it hosted in 2013, but that did not stop the event center from having one of its…

Non-farm job growth gains impressive for Northwest Arkansas, Jonesboro areas

Northwest Arkansas’ nonfarm job growth percentage ranked No. 11 in the nation last year out of 372 metro areas, according to figures posted Tuesday (Jan. 28) by the U.S. Bureau…

NW Arkansas Fourth In Nation In Job Growth; Jonesboro Eleventh

The Northwest Arkansas metropolitan statistical area ranked fourth in nonfarm job growth in the nation in 2013, according to preliminary information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday….

Farm Bill Vote Will Test Cotton, Pryor Positions

On Monday, federal lawmakers announced that an agreement on a U.S. farm bill had been made. The move includes a variety of changes that Senate and House members have opposed,…

Van Buren Chamber sees growth, new relationships under Krutsch’s leadership

The Van Buren Chamber of Commerce of today looks drastically different than the chamber of 2007. When Jackie Krutsch came to the organization more than six years ago, she brought…

Arkansas one of six states to post year-over-year jobless rate rise

Arkansas’ jobs numbers were anything but positive in December, with the jobless rate of 7.4% up from 7.1% in December 2012. The labor force in December was down 1.47%, the…

Wal-Mart settles hiring discrimination case in New Mexico (Updated)

Wal-Mart Stores East Inc. doing business as Walmart stores in Albuquerque, N.M. will pay $87,500 and furnish other relief to settle a lawsuit for retaliation filed by the U.S. Equal…

Arkansas Jobless Rate Falls Slightly

Arkansas’ December unemployment rate fell to 7.4%, down one-tenth of a percent from November. One year ago, Arkansas’ jobless rate stood at 7.1% in December. The U.S. unemployment rate for…

Sources: Headquarter job cuts ongoing at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club

Retail insiders and consultants to Wal-Mart Stores have told The City Wire the annual job elimination drill at corporate headquarters has been ongoing for the past two months with several…

NWACC faculty member named to national board

Dr. Wendi J.W. Williams, a NorthWest Arkansas Community College faculty member, was named to the board of directors for the national Triangle Coalition for STEM Education. The Coalition is a…

Hispanics Provide Growth Potential For Suppliers, Retailers

In the highly competitive retail climate, suppliers and retailers that reach out to Latina shoppers stand to reap huge rewards among this growing demographic. The City Wire’s Supply Side examines the subject.

Whirlpool submits revised pollution mitigation plan to ADEQ

Full-scale chemical oxidation treatments of a chemical plume in south Fort Smith will not happen until Spring 2016 while a soil monitoring station will be installed in an occupied residence….