Business

Fuel ethanol exports declined, export destinations rose in 2019

U.S. exports of fuel ethanol fell 14% to 96,000 barrels per day in 2019, and the drop was the first annual decline in the exports since 2015, according to the…

Lyon College adds data science major to offerings

We live in a world where data drives everything and one college in Northeast Arkansas has decided to expand its offerings in this discipline. Lyon College in Batesville recently approved…

Record drop in personal consumption expenditures

One of the leading indicators of economic health – consumer spending – took a historic hit as the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold in March. In the 61 years since…

Third round of COVID-19 relief grants awarded from Blue & You Foundation

The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas has awarded seven additional grants in its Rapid-Response COVID-19 Relief program, which now has funded $1.7 million in grants to organizations…

Van Buren, Alma groups work to help advertise business reopenings, push buy local message

Crawford County businesses starting to reopen say they need help, and their chambers of commerce are setting up plans to do just that. After reviewing results of a recent COVID-19…

Agriculture Department awards $300,000 for conservation projects

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is partnering with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide $309,172 in grants to 18 conservation districts across the state. The grants must…

World War-II era plane flyover in Arkansas will salute COVID-19 frontline responders

A team of pilots, including Steuart Walton, chairman of the Arkansas Economic Recovery Task Force, will embark on a one-day, 15-city flyover of the state Saturday (May 9) with a…

Wall Street analysts reduce earnings guidance on Tyson Foods during COVID-19 crisis

Several equity market analysts who follow Tyson Foods have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the meat giant following challenges the company is facing and will likely face in the next…

Ohio firm buys former Walmart distribution center in Fort Smith, new tenant may soon be named

Ed Harmon is expanding his warehouse and logistics footprint in Fort Smith with the acquisition of the 236,000-square-foot former Wal-Mart Distribution Center at 8100 S. Zero St. Walmart announced in…

Gaming operations in Arkansas may begin limited reopening on May 18

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday (May 7) the state will allow a limited opening of three gaming operations in Arkansas on May 18. He said the facilities will open at…

Mercy to start phasing in services postponed by COVID-19

Mercy Health System said Thursday (May 7) the company will start reactivating services previously postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak in Arkansas. This reactivation will be done in phases to ensure…

John Flake leaves Flake & Kelley to join daughter at Flake & Co. (UPDATED)

John Flake, founder and chairman of Little Rock-based commercial real estate firm Flake & Kelley, has left the company. In a statement issued Thursday (May 7), Jessica Flake Dearnley said…

Eric Musselman files application to trademark ‘Muss Bus’

It’s not unusual for colleges and universities to protect slogans or phrases that are associated with their head coaches. A postgame comment in November 2010 by head football coach Bobby…

First quarter net income down 36% at Signature Bank of Arkansas

White River Bancshares Co., the holding company of Fayetteville-based Signature Bank of Arkansas, reported Wednesday (May 6) that first quarter net income was $742,500, down from $1.17 million during the…

Glatfelter net income up 40%, sanitary wipe shipments up 6%

Shipments of products like those made at the Glatfelter plant in Fort Smith were up 6% year-over-year as the demand by consumers for sanitizing wipes grew amid the COVID-19 pandemic,…

March jobless rate rises to 4.2% in Fort Smith metro, unemployed number up 20%

The March jobs report for the Fort Smith metro shows the first signs of COVID-19 on the regional economy, with the jobless rate rising to 4.2%, up from 3.8% in…

Murphy Oil relocating corporate headquarters from El Dorado to Houston (UPDATED)

El Dorado-based Murphy Oil Corp. said Wednesday afternoon (May 6) it will close its home office in south Arkansas and relocate the corporate headquarters to its existing offices in Houston….

Mother’s Day sales estimated to reach $26.7 billion, up 7% from 2019

Consumers are expected to spend big on moms this year for Mother’s Day (May 10) with a total of $26.7 billion that could be spent with retailers and restaurants, according…

Arkansas, Tyson chicken growers not substantially impacted by COVID-19

Arkansas is a major poultry producing state, second only to Georgia. While grocery stores are running low on chicken, Tyson Foods CEO Noel White told Talk Business & Politics the…

CDC to provide Arkansas 90,000 test kits; businesses encouraged to ‘set the example’

Arkansas is set to receive 90,000 COVID-19 testing kit supplies in May from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday (May 6). He said…