Business

Frozen yogurt, franchising a fad

Drivers along Rogers Avenue see it. Visitors to Pinnacle Hills see it, too. Self-serve frozen yogurt shops have started to dot the landscape, with dozens of stores opening from Bentonville…

Fort Smith tax receipts down again in May report

Sales tax collections in Fort Smith were down again in the May report, with the weak jobs market in the Fort Smith metro area likely putting negative pressure on consumer…

Dining Dialogue: Bailey loves candy and mentoring

Tim Bailey’s first job was in a nut house. Not that kind of nut house. Bailey, who is now president of Fort Smith-based Candy Craze, began working for Inell and…

Survey: More workers prefer ‘virtual’ rewards

The importance of “recognition and virtual awards” is rising among the U.S. workforce according to a recent study, but a professor and business manager say pay and peer review are…

Kudos: Delta Regional Authority Awards Grant To ASU-Newport

An effort is being made to create hospitality jobs in the Delta, a commercial real estate expert lands an important post with the Federal Reserve, and Diamond Bear Brewing is making…

Unions to protest Wal-Mart, Gap

Protesters say only binding requirements can reverse the deathtrap conditions at Bangladesh factories and have planned to rally in 30 cities Saturday (June 29) at Wal-Mart, Gap and other retailers…

$1 million donation to help UAFS nursing program

A $1 million gift to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith from the Pendergraft family is designed to have an impact on the nursing shortage in the Fort Smith…

ASU’s Welch: Transformative Investment In Higher Education Needed

Editor’s note: Dr. Charles L. Welch, the author of this guest commentary, is the Arkansas State University System President. As a native Arkansan, I am tired of hearing about our…

New Treasurer ‘Auditing’ His Way Through Office

It’s been a solid month since Charles Robinson was named by Gov. Mike Beebe to serve out the remainder of State Treasurer Martha Shoffner’s term. What’s been happening at the office?

Home Bancshares, Liberty deal ‘almost flawless’

There is more to report – and speculate – after Tuesday’s (June 25) mega-merger deal that Home Bancshares of Conway will acquire Liberty Bancshares of Jonesboro in a $280 million…

Orange barrels decorate NWA, Fort Smith

Drivers in Northwest Arkansas and the Fort Smith area are accustomed to seeing orange barrels but soon it might feel like they are a permanent roadway decoration. Between several bond-funded…

Whirlpool groups says pollution plume stable

According to a report submitted Monday (June 24) to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, environmental consultants for Whirlpool claim that a plume of potentially cancer causing trichloroethylene (TCE) on…

Beebe Calls On NWA Business Leaders To Defend Private Option

Gov. Mike Beebe took full advantage of the power and influence in a room full of northwest Arkansas business leaders asking them to use their political capital to fight plans to repeal the private option.

Beebe defends Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion

Gov. Mike Beebe took full advantage of the power and influence in the room when he broached the topic of Medicaid expansion with the members of the Northwest Arkansas Council…

Home Bancshares & Liberty Bank: Notes On A Mega-Merger

There is more to report – and speculate – after yesterday’s mega-merger announcement that Home Bancshares of Conway will acquire Liberty Bancshares of Jonesboro in a $280 million stock-and-cash deal….

Arkansas Home Sales Strong Through May

Home sales in Arkansas’ four largest markets during the first five months of 2013 are up more than 10%, and the value of homes sold are up more than 15%,…

Cong. Cotton: Farm Bill ‘A Bad Deal For Arkansas’

Cong. Tom Cotton, the Fourth District Republican, who is a likely challenger to U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D) in 2014, outlines his arguments for opposing last week’s Farm Bill in…

Arkansas poultry exports banned by three Asian countries

China announced earlier this week it would ban the imports of poultry raised in Arkansas after a recent small incidence of Avian Influenza among a breeder operation in Scott County….

Arkansas home sales strong through May

Home sales in Arkansas’ four largest markets during the first five months of 2013 are up more than 10%, and the value of homes sold are up more than 15%,…

Head Of Walmart India Resigns

Some seven months after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. suspended executives within its Bharti joint venture, the head of the company’s Indian operations has resigned. Wal-Mart confirmed Raj Jain, CEO of Bharti…