Business

2019 income and revenue up for Bank OZK

Full-year net income for Bank OZK totaled $425.906 million, up 2.1% compared with the 2018 total. Earnings per share of $3.30 for the year beat the consensus estimate of $3.28….

Natural Resources Commission approves water, wastewater projects

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission approved funding for water and wastewater projects in eight Arkansas communities Thursday (Jan. 16). The following cities and entities received loans: Bono…

Gov. Hutchinson announces judicial, board appointments

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday (Jan. 16) announced the following appointments: Niel Crowson, Jonesboro, to the Board of Trustees of Arkansas State University. Appointment expires January 14, 2025. Reappointment. Gary…

UCA awarded $650,000 grant to recruit lower income chemistry students

The University of Central Arkansas Department of Chemistry was awarded a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to establish a…

Bipartisan legislative group forms Arkansas Early Childhood Well-Being Caucus

Republican and Democratic Arkansas lawmakers formed a new legislative caucus focusing on early childhood well-being. The caucus will work with early childhood advocates to create an agenda for the 2021…

New Walmart headquarters campus to be ‘part of the neighborhood’

Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Walmart, told members of the Northwest Arkansas Council that the retailer’s new corporate headquarters will not be one grand structure, but…

Spurred by online purchases, holiday retail sales grew 4.1%

By most accounts, the holiday season of 2019 was bright as overall sales grew 4.1% to $730.2 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Sales exclude automotive dealers, gasoline…

Waypoint Private Capital opens Springdale office

Waypoint Private Capital Inc., a Wisconsin-based investment banking firm, has opened an office in downtown Springdale. Randy Meier is the managing director of the office at 2821 Alliance Place. He…

Home BancShares 2019 net income down 3.6%, total revenue up

Conway-based Home BancsShares, the parent company of Centennial Bank, posted full year net income of $289.539 million, down 3.6% compared with 2018 net income. Full year revenue totaled $817.504 million,…

New Central Arkansas angel network forms for startups

The newly-formed Central Arkansas Angel Network is hosting a reception for accredited investors on January 30, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. at the Venture Center in downtown Little Rock. The mission…

U.S.-Mexico-Canada gains U.S. Senate approval, awaits Trump’s signature

The U.S. Senate on Thursday (Jan. 16) voted to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), which sends the far-reaching new trade rules to President Donald Trump for his signature. The…

The Supply Side: Resale, personalization, experience will dominate retail in 2020

The retail sector will continue to face headwinds in 2020. The National Retail Federation (NRF), with the help of its members and researchers from Bain Capital, TrendWatching, Code Commerce and…

New rice variety developed

Adverse weather conditions, especially rising temperatures, have had a significant impact on rice in recent years. Scientists have been working to develop different varieties of rice to tackle these conditions…

Alice Walton announces new Whole Health Institute, Chopra Medical Library

The healthcare system is broken, and more aptly reflects a disease-care system, according to Alice Walton, philanthropist and daughter of Walmart founders Helen and Sam Walton. She spoke Wednesday (Jan….

A decade of covers: Our favorites from each year

As the art director at the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, I love designing the visual first impression our readers see every two weeks. This week’s front page features our favorite…

Phase 1 trade deal signed between U.S., China; a ‘needed step’ for Arkansas agri

A “Phase 1” trade deal was signed Wednesday (Jan. 15) by President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He that reduces some tariffs between the countries and seeks to…

Southwest Power Pool approves Barbara Sugg as next president, CEO

Little Rock-based regional transmission organization Southwest Power Pool announced Wednesday (Jan. 15) that Barbara Sugg will be its next president and CEO. Sugg, senior vice president of information technology and…

NYITCOM at ASU to host annual inter-professional event

Students preparing for careers in a variety of medical fields will come together to learn about the roles and responsibilities of other health care professionals as NYIT College of Osteopathic…

Michelle Rupp joins AFMC in new VP role

Michelle Rupp has joined the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care in a newly created position as Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Strategic Development. Rupp’s has a 20-year background in…

New missile system work set for Lockheed’s Camden plant

Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Ark., plant will benefit from a $31.9 million missile system weapons contract between the company and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The contract is to…