Business

Report: Decade-long slide in global productivity has come to a halt

A 10-year decline in global productivity growth halted last year, and is projected to show an uptick in 2017, according to the latest release of annual productivity growth rates for…

Hayseed CEO encourages young business execs to be ‘unreasonable’

Serial entrepreneur and Hayseed Ventures CEO and founder John James encouraged 15 rising business stars under the age of 30 to be “unreasonable” in their approach to life and business….

Airbnb agrees to pay city lodging tax in Hot Springs

Airbnb will begin paying hospitality taxes in Hot Springs starting June 1, the company announced Wednesday (May 17). Hot Springs is the first city in Arkansas to reach an agreement…

Arkansas college educators want greater engagement in cybersecurity

As the need for cybersecurity intensifies, education is a top priority, according to a report published in April by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. The…

Acxiom shares off 7% after fourth quarter, yearly results miss Wall Street targets

Shares of Acxiom Corp. fell more than 7% in trading Wednesday (May 17) after the Little Rock-based data marketer missed Wall Street targets after releasing fourth quarter and yearly results…

Phil Watkins retires after 27 years with SWEPCO, McCormack promoted

Phil Watkins, manager of energy efficiency and consumer programs for Southwestern Electric Power Co., is retiring after 27 years with the utility company. On Wednesday (May 17), SWEPCO, a subsidiary…

Doug Krile to retire from Arkansas Broadcasters Association

Veteran news anchor and long-time executive director of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association Doug Krile has announced he will retire from the post at the end of the organization’s July convention….

Congestion costs on U.S. highways rise 27% for trucking industry

Operational costs of traffic congestion for the trucking industry rose 27% to $63.4 billion in 2015, from $49.6 billion in 2014, according to the American Transportation Research Institute. On Tuesday…

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital receives positive rating; administrators discuss proposed federal healthcare legislation

NEA Baptist Clinic CEO Brad Parsons told Talk Business & Politics he hopes any changes to the national healthcare laws won’t result in fewer Arkansans with health insurance. Last year,…

Tyson Foods’ pending acquisition of AdvancePierre hits a snag

Tyson Foods has been in the midst of a tender offer to acquire AdvancePierre since May 9, but a group of shareholders balked at the notion of the $40.25 cash…

Logistics managers with e-commerce skills receive 42% more salary

Logistics managers with strong e-commerce skills are earning 42% more than those in the same position without those skills, according to a recent salary survey. In April, Logistics Management released…

Real Deals: Vacant bank branch in Fayetteville sold for $2.2 million

A vacant commercial building on Wedington Drive in Fayetteville has a new owner after a recent sale worth $2.2 million. Batesville-chartered The Citizens Bank acquired the 3,442-square-foot building at 3971…

‘Firecracker’ password breaker service could roll out to businesses ‘in the next 60 days’

The Firecracker program unveiled at the recent ProHakathon sponsored by Fort Smith-based Propak on May 11 drew heavy attention from onlookers, who expressed conflicting emotions at what they were seeing…

Walton Boulevard hotel in Bentonville has new owner, reflagged as Red Roof Inn

A Bentonville hotel recently sold for $3.45 million. An affiliate of The Packard Companies, a full-service management firm based in San Diego, bought the former Baymont Inn & Suites at…

Petroleum-fired electricity generating plants meet demand in peak periods

Oil-fired power plants produced less than 1% of the total amount of electricity generated in the United States in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. These plants accounted…

The Rocket Shot nearly landed on ‘Shark Tank’; it’s now a Daisy product

Entrepreneur and businessman Jody Shackelford knew it was time to seize the moment. A few years earlier, his grandfather Harry Shackelford invented The Rocket Shot, a device that shoots two…

Wal-Mart’s first quarter net income expected to dip despite slightly higher revenue

Last week’s earnings reports from department stores Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Kohl’s were not good. Analysts say that trend could change this week with quarterly reports from Wal-Mart Stores, Home…

Arkansas 4Q GDP growth in 2016 only 0.5%, full-year GDP sees major downward revision

New data from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) shows that Arkansas’ economy expanded at a tepid rate of only 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2016,…

Iowa food company acquires Decatur-based Crystal Lake Farms for $3.5 million

An Iowa-based meat processing company has acquired Decatur poultry business Crystal Lake Farms, including its Free Ranger line of chickens, for $3.5 million. West Liberty Foods filed the ownership paperwork…

Natural gas production fell 3% in April

Natural gas production in the lower-48 states has declined for the second consecutive month and was down 3% in April from the same month in 2016, according to IHS Markit….