Business

Sen. Lincoln, Whirlpool say tax-credit bill would preserve jobs

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln was in Fort Smith on Friday (July 15) to tie continued job growth at Whirlpool’s Fort Smith plant with the passage of HR 4213 — a…

U.S. Senate sends financial overhaul bill to Obama

The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s financial system and government oversight in reaction to the economic collapse of late 2008. The bill passed the Senate chamber…

Mid-year chamber report: $300 million in possible new biz investment

About 400 gathered Thursday (July 15) to hear a Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce mid-year progress report that included the claim of more than $300 million in possible investments…

J.B. Hunt tops Wall Street view as 2Q earnings jump 117%

Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. profits easily topped Wall Street expectations as the Arkansas trucking giant’s second quarter earnings were lifted by improved pricing margins and across the board…

Van Buren A&P continues struggle with tight budget

story by Marla Cantrell [email protected] Flowers or advertising: that’s what it came down to at the Wednesday (July 14) meeting of the Van Buren Advertising and Commission. The agency is…

Economy watchers say ‘double-dip recession’ unlikely

Editor’s note: Portions of the following story were first posted in this story by Roby Brock at TalkBusiness.net, a content partner with The City Wire. Worries about a potential second…

Area foreclosure filings up 34% in first half of 2010

Recent foreclosure data from RealtyTrac show a more than 34% increase in the number of Fort Smith area residents unable to keep their home and other property out of the…

RITA rail, port and I-49 efforts ongoing; another D.C. trip planned

Efforts and connections continue with federal and private-sector officials to fund and build railroads and improve port facilities in the Fort Smith region, according to comments during July’s meeting of…

Obama moratorium shifts oil production jobs from U.S. to Africa

Murphy Oil Corp. and Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. announced a decision late Monday to suspend their drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico and relocate to central Africa. In a…

Fort Smith may pull from wellness fund to fix funding gap

story by Aric Mitchell [email protected] Sometimes the best solutions are the ones right in front of you. That was the consensus at Tuesday’s (July 13) study session of the Fort…

Windstream to add 210 jobs in Little Rock

Windstream plans to create 210 new jobs and retain 300 existing jobs in central Arkansas. Windstream Corp., which has headquartered its national offices in Little Rock since it was formed…

Bank of the Ozarks sees 14.6% income gain

Bank of the Ozarks Inc. announced second quarter net income of $10.9 million, an increase of 14.6% from $9.5 million one year ago. Net interest income for the second quarter…

Fayetteville firm lands big federal contracts

Fayetteville-based Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc. will receive $3.9 million in Recovery Act funds for a research project that aims to make “significant” gains in the way the U.S. uses…

Fort Smith area home prices up in January-June period

The Fort Smith region was the only metro area among Arkansas’ top three metro areas to see an increase in the average home price between January and June, according to…

Getting employee buy-in essential for new businesses

Stockman says new employees may be instrumental in solving problems and attracting customers.

Earnings Preview: Arkansas stocks enter second quarter uncertain about economy

Van Buren-based USA Truck and Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Service hope to shift gears next week when the Northwest Arkansas trucking concerns kick off the second-quarter earnings period for 16…

Fort Smith airport traffic up 1.6% January-June

Those looking for signs of a stabilizing regional economic may find some relief in the 8.6% gain in June enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport. June saw 8,869 enplanements…

Regional bankruptcies and incorporations

Following are recent bankruptcy and incorporation filings from Crawford, Franklin, Logan and Sebastian counties. The information is provided by The Daily Record. a Little Rock-based news and legal information publisher….

AEDC defends foreign office costs

In June, state legislators questioned contracts made by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission in foreign countries, particularly China and Japan, which prompted a response from the agency’s director, Maria Haley….

Arkansas teachers’ retirement Fund strikes gold

Eureka! The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System has literally struck it rich with recent investments in Canadian gold mining rivals, Barrick Gold Corp. and GoldCorp Inc. Although ATRS has not invested…