Business

Leadership transition announced at Citizens Bank & Trust

Folks have less than 30 days if they want a business appointment with Citizens Bank & Trust Co. President and CEO Keith Hefner. He’s leaving the bank June 30 after…

New COVID-19 cases, patients on ventilators reach new highs in Arkansas

On the day it was reported the number of known COVID-19 cases and number of Arkansans on ventilators reached new highs, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said efforts to move to phase…

May tax revenue down only 2%; Gov. Hutchinson ‘delighted’ with the report

May tax revenues did not see a big decline because of the COVID-19 disruption. Arkansas tax revenue in the first 11 months of the fiscal year (July 2019-May 2020) is…

Springdale’s Farris Insurance Agency sold to growing Little Rock firm

Little Rock-based independent insurance agency Sunstar Insurance of Arkansas announced the acquisition Tuesday (June 2) of longtime Springdale independent Farris Insurance Agency. The deal adds 25 employees to Sunstar, doubling the company’s size…

Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau offers zero attrition to meeting and convention groups and planners

The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) announced it is offering safe customer service and low-risk options to meeting and convention groups who choose to book events in 2020….

Sarah Donaghy named education curator at Windgate Museum of Art

Sarah Donaghy has been named the new Education Curator at the Windgate Museum of Art (WMA) at Hendrix College, effective June 1, 2020. This new position, funded by the Windgate…

Internet access to be studied by Fort Smith Public Schools; Southside hires football coach

The Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education approved a resolution at a called board meeting Monday (June 1) that authorizes up to $30,000 for a feasibility study for an…

Wes Ward elected president of Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward was elected president of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) for 2020-21 during its annual conference held virtually on Monday (June…

Fort Smith metro home sales up 5.3% in the first four months of 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed Fort Smith metro home sales. Five counties in the Arkansas part of the metro and adjacent areas in eastern Oklahoma had 1,050 home sales…

Analyst: Beef markets move past disruptions

U.S. beef markets are starting to recover from several weeks of upheaval after packing plants around the country were hit hard with COVID-19. Derrell Peel, livestock marketing specialist for Oklahoma…

COVID-19 cases up almost 10% over the weekend; Tyson Foods expands worker testing

The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Arkansas, with the number of new known cases up almost 10% between Friday and Monday (June 1). Arkansas Secretary of Health…

Solar empowers agricultural industry

Arkansas’ agricultural industry is no stranger to economic ups and downs. With each planting and breeding season, farmers and ranchers must consider how unpredictable weather patterns, international trade tensions and…

Riceland Foods launches ‘Ingrain Good’ sustainability initiative

Riceland Foods announced Monday (June 1) its new Ingrain Good initiative focused on creating value through sustainability across the farmer-owned cooperative. Riceland Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ben…

Manufacturing industry contracts in May; PMI rises to 43.1%

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted for the third consecutive month in May as the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose 1.6 percentage points to 43.1%, from April, according to…

KT Produce pivots to consumer sales amid COVID-19 pandemic

Chris Thompson, owner and president of Lowell-based produce distributor KT Produce, had about $500,000 of product in inventory and en route on trucks when schools were closed and restaurant dine-in…

RichContext product minimizes clicks, maximizes conversions

RichContext, a retail technology company based in Rogers, has built a new mobile e-commerce platform called Hyphen. The company held a virtual launch event for the product May 14. RichContext…

Blue Cross CEO says there will be lost medical care, but sees mental health access improving

Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Curtis Barnett said his organization had a pandemic disaster blueprint mapped out in advance of the COVID-19 wave that hit Arkansas beginning in March,…

Nonprofits hit hard can expect more support from Arkansas Community Foundation

Heather Larkin, CEO of the Arkansas Community Foundation, said her group sprung into action quickly when it was obvious the COVID-19 pandemic was headed to Arkansas. As a statewide grant-making…

Protests turn confrontational late Saturday night in Little Rock (UPDATED)

A day of peaceful protests in Little Rock grew more intense and eventually turned to violence on Saturday (May 30). The scene played out in more than two dozen cities…

The Supply Side: Retail bankruptcies hasten in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

The financial impact from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has hit the retail segment hard as thousands of stores were temporarily closed and millions of employees were furloughed and told to…