Business

Preschool for the Creative Arts to open in August

The Community School of the Arts will open the first arts preschool in Arkansas in August. The Preschool for the Creative Arts will open to children ages 3 to 5,…

Retail and restaurant additions continue in Northwest Arkansas

Retailers and restaurant chains continue to invest in new locations in Benton and Washington counties, according to permits on file with the Arkansas State Health Department. Big Lots will open…

Cox Communications donates $100,000 to Peak Innovation Center

Cox Communications Fort Smith donated $100,000 to Fort Smith Public School’s Peak Innovation Center for a new career center and to support three network engineering technology classrooms. “The COX Career…

Manufacturing growth slowed in April; PMI falls to 55.4%

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew at a slower rate in April, from March, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The Manufacturing ISM Report on Business released…

Bentonville apparel company LIVSN seeks equity investors

Bentonville-based outdoor apparel company LIVSN Designs recently launched an equity crowdfunding campaign as it looks to release five products this year. Those who invest in the Wefunder crowdfunding campaign receive…

Rogers firm Bold Strategies announces $2.3 million funding round

An e-commerce marketing agency based in Rogers announced Monday (May 2) $2.3 million in new investment. Bold Strategies founder and CEO Allan Peretz said the funding from Montage Capital will…

Women business owners: Be persistent, find mentors, be vulnerable

Advice from women business owners offered Thursday (April 28) during a panel discussion in Fort Smith included being “vulnerable” and being “your own advocate” to push beyond the rejections that…

Export leader sees opportunity for Arkansas agriculture, aircraft

Jonathan Bricker, a banker with Arvest Bank, began his finance career working as an international business development representative. The economic development side of the business stuck with him and now…

AHA says hospitals had $15.2 billion impact in 2020

Arkansas hospitals had an estimated annual economic impact of more than $15.2 billion in 2020, and they directly provide 47,300 jobs with a total payroll of almost $3.7 billion, according…

Bentonville-made EVs to support moon mission

Three Bentonville-manufactured electric vehicles are expected to transport fully-suited NASA astronauts to their moon-bound spacecraft as part of a mission to complete the first human lunar landing in more than…

ADFA invests in Springdale startup EasyBins

Springdale-based online grocery startup EasyBins announced Friday (April 29) a $400,000 matching investment from the Arkansas Venture Capital Development Fund (AVCDF) of the Arkansas Venture Capital Investment Trust (AVCIT). The Arkansas Development…

ArcBest posts record quarterly net income, boosts quarterly dividend

Record quarterly net income, driven in part by a more than 20% increase in a key billing measure, has Fort Smith-based ArcBest rewarding shareholders with a $75 million share buyback…

Fast-growing Encore Bank enters Colorado market

Little Rock-based Encore Bank announced Friday (April 29) an expansion to the Denver, Co. market. In a news release, the company named Josh Peebles executive vice president and regional president…

Corporate execs discuss diversity and inclusion at Unity Conference

Being the different one in the room is a feeling executives in Northwest Arkansas said they have experienced. Bringing attention to differences and embracing commonality was the purpose of the…

USA Truck beats estimates with record quarterly income, revenue

USA Truck blew past consensus estimates on first quarter net income and revenue as the shipping and logistics company set another quarterly record on both metrics. Net income of $13.111…

Tyson Foods CEO testifies at hearing focused on food prices, industry consolidation

A Congressional hearing about packer consolidation, unfair pricing power and gaps in market opportunities for smaller ranches was held Wednesday (April 27) in Washington, D.C., with Tyson Foods CEO Donnie…

Northwest Arkansas sales tax revenue up 25% in April report

Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale had combined sales tax revenue of $7.351 million in the April report, up 25.17% from a year ago. However, revenue was down 3.96% from the…

Eastern Arkansas lender eyes Rogers location for NWA market entry

Arkansas-based Armor Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Forrest City, plans to build a retail location in Northwest Arkansas. The company has filed a preliminary development plan with the…

Jonesboro sales tax collections jump in April, third month of 20 percent growth

Inflation, lingering supply chain issues, the aftermath impacts of the pandemic and other factors may have a dampening effect on the economy in Northeast Arkansas in 2022. But consumers continue…

Simmons First posts $65.1 million in Q1 net income; inflation, interest rates, global unrest lead concerns

Simmons First National Corp. reported Thursday (April 28) net income of $65.1 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to $67.4 million in the first quarter of 2021 as…