Business

Arkansas colleges plan to resume on-campus instruction this fall

Colleges and universities across Arkansas are planning to resume in-person classes this fall, according to officials from around the state. On Monday (May 4), University of Arkansas University System trustees…

UAMS awarded $1.86 million grant for radiation oncology

A five-year grant of more than $1.86 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will fund research aimed at reducing long-term…

Controversial Planned Zoning District at Chaffee Crossing approved by Fort Smith Board

The Fort Smith Board of Directors at its regular meeting Tuesday (May 5) voted for an ordinance that will set a Planned Zoning District (PZD) for a portion of the…

Encore Bank names two new board members, moving HQ

Elizabeth Smiley Glasbrenner and Quinn Grovey have been named to the board of directors for Encore Bank, which is also moving its corporate headquarters to a larger space in Little…

First quarter revenue, net income down for ArcBest; company cites COVID-19 impacts

Economic disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic “did not have a significant impact” on ArcBest in the first quarter, but revenue for the shipping and logistics company fell 20% in April,…

Governor extends COVID-19 emergency order another 45 days, warns that second prison wave of cases coming

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday (May 5) extended a statewide COVID-19 emergency declaration for another 45 days, while warning that a new wave of prison cases was likely to come…

Grocers struggle with meat supplies because of consumer demand, plant closures

There is no shortage of meat in the U.S., say Cargill CEO David MacLennan and Tyson Foods CEO Noel White. However, temporary shutdowns and slower line speeds in beef, pork…

Arkansas-based Razor Chemical sees three-fold increase in disinfectant production during pandemic

Entrepreneur Suni McClelland has owned and operated her Arkansas-based business, Razor Chemical, for 28 years. There have been other pandemics while she’s been in business, but nothing has compared to…

Bradbury Art Museum finds virtual way to display 2020 exhibition in May

Bradbury Art Museum, in partnership with the Department of Art + Design, will host a virtual exhibition space created to showcase the work of the class of 2020. Family, friends…

U.S. Department of Commerce invests $2 million to support Pine Bluff economic group

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million grant to the Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District, Inc., (SEAEDD) of…

Energy-related CO2 emissions declined 2.8% in 2019

U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell 2.8% to 5,130 million metric tons in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The data was released in EIA’s most…

Construction in the Fort Smith area up 24% from a year ago, down 22% from March

Building activity in the Fort Smith region dropped from March but remained strong compared to the same time in 2019. The region issued permits valued at $34.98 million in April,…

New COVID deaths reported in NEA; ASU plans to return to in-person classes this fall

Arkansas State University is tentatively planning to have in-person classes this fall and hopes to have its dorms at full operation even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to…

Gov. Hutchinson issues dates, guidelines for venue reopening; Ready for Business program returns with $55 million

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday (May 4) announced dates and guidelines for the limited opening of indoor and outdoor venues and places of worship. It was also announced that the…

April tax revenue down 28.3%, fiscal year-to-date revenue down 1.9%

Arkansas tax revenue in the first 10 months of the fiscal year (July 2019-April 2020) is down 1.9%, but revenue in the April report was down more than 28% because…

Agri businesses now eligible for Small Business Administration disaster loans

U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza announced Monday (May 4) that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. SBA’s EIDL…

Preserve Arkansas releases its list of most endangered historic places

Preserve Arkansas’s 2020 Most Endangered Places list includes a nationally significant military hospital, a Trail of Tears witness structure, the Grapette Company headquarters, a Charles Thompson-designed bank, a historic mercantile,…

St. Bernards receives grant to test for COVID throughout Northeast Arkansas

St. Bernards Health System has received a $127,000 grant to expand its healthcare capabilities fighting COVID-19 in Northeast Arkansas. The grant, administered by the Blue & You Foundation for a…

Art Kinnaman named COO, Holly Warren named CFO at Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage

Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage announced Monday (May 4) a number of promotions for the company’s management team, including naming Art Kinnaman as Chief Operating Officer and Holly Warren as…

Pandemic yet to slow Fort Smith area construction projects

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt on just about every industry in the nation, state and region. Though the construction has been negatively impacted nationally, locally things…