Business

IPG names new Acxiom CEO

Chad Engelgau was named Friday (Feb. 28) as the new CEO of Acxiom, with CEO Dennis Self staying on as an advisor during the transition. Engelgau will report to Arun…

Arkansan tests negative for coronavirus; state developing contingency plans (Updated)

No Arkansans have been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus, but one person as of Friday (Feb. 28) was identified as meeting the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention criteria,…

Lawsuit filed seeking to block effort to overturn Act 579

Arkansans for Healthy Eyes filed a lawsuit Friday (Feb. 28) alleging that Safe Surgery Arkansas failed to meet requirements of state petition law and misled voters in collecting signatures in…

Simmons Bank promotes Charlie Van Ness to market president in Northwest Arkansas

Pine Bluff-based Simmons Bank announced Friday (Feb. 28) that Charlie Van Ness has been promoted to market president in Northwest Arkansas. Van Ness will report to Simmons’ Greg Martin, who…

Tyson Foods outsourcing will ‘displace’ 330 tech employees

Tyson Foods officials said Thursday (Feb. 27) the company has hired an outside service provider for certain IT services, a move that will result in the “displacement” of roughly 330…

Old marketing slogan returns: ‘Big on Little Rock’

The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau is returning to an old marketing slogan during its 50th anniversary year: “Big on Little Rock.” The slogan is the same as the…

RE/MAX Real Estate Centre merges into Halsey Thrasher Harpole Real Estate Group

For the second time in six months, Halsey Thrasher Harpole Real Estate Group is merging with another real estate company to expand their representation of clients in Northeast Arkansas. Principals…

Entegrity to build $1 million solar project in Prairie Grove

Little Rock-based Entegrity, an energy services, sustainability and solar development company, is developing a nearly $1 million solar project for the city of Prairie Grove. The project will include two…

Net income up, revenue down in 2019 for OGE Energy Corp.

Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp. posted 2019 net income of $433.6 million, up 1.9% from 2018. Revenue for the utility provider was down 1.6%. OGE Energy Corp. is the parent…

Powering Arkansas’ economy

The advanced energy economy is an increasingly important economic driver in Arkansas, with innovation, declining costs and favorable policies helping to drive the deployment of advanced energy solutions. The state…

‘Resilience’ in manufacturing could continue but at a slower pace

While several economists say Arkansas’ manufacturing sector was healthier than expected in 2019, the struggling industry added only 5,400 jobs — an increase of 3.4% — in the past decade….

Retail sector expects up to 4% growth in 2020, GDP dips in 2019

The National Retail Federation has forecast retail sales of roughly $3.9 trillion this year, growing between 3.5% and 4.1%, despite uncertainty from lingering trade concerns, coronavirus and the presidential election….

Manufactured goods orders declined 0.2% in January

New orders for manufactured durable goods fell 0.2%, or by $400 million, to $246.2 billion in January, from December, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau announced Thursday…

New cotton gin opens in White County

It has been 60 years since cotton was ginned in White County. That will change this fall. A new cotton gin has broken ground outside of Griffithville. The gin will…

ASU has four finalists for college of business dean

Four finalists for the position of dean of the Neil Griffin College of Business at Arkansas State University will visit the campus for interviews and public presentations, said Dr. Mary…

Bentonville chef named a James Beard semifinalist

The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its coveted annual awards Wednesday (Feb. 26) and a Bentonville chef is among the nominees. Rafael Rios, founder and executive chef of Yeyo’s Mexican…

EOA of Washington County awarded first grant from fund managed by Arkansas Community Foundation

The Economic Opportunity Agency (EOA) of Washington County recently was awarded a grant to expand the capabilities of its childcare programs and staff from the Community Supporters for Early Childhood…

Metroplan committing $55 million for multi-use path investment for central Arkansas

Metroplan, the central Arkansas infrastructure planning organization, announced a $55 million “strategic commitment” to developing a regional multi-use path network over the next 10 years. Between now and 2030, Metroplan…

Retail challenges to continue, wider gap emerging between winners and losers

The retail apocalypse in 2019 saw more than 9,300 store closures, nearly double that in 2018. But analysts interviewed by Talk Business & Politics expect closures to moderate in 2020….

Northwest Arkansas sales tax revenue jumps 16.43% in February report

Consumer spending in December helped to rally sales tax revenue reported this month by the region’s four largest cities. Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale cumulatively reported sales tax revenues were…

Oklahoma court ruling threatens poultry industry in Arkansas

GDP up 4.3% in the third quarter, consumer confidence declines

St. Bernards to expand Maternal Life360 HOME program into Greene County

Then and Now: Cooperative business model a good fit for Mitchell Johnson