Opinion

Riff Raff: Color me impressed

Not sure if he created The Unexpected to change how we look at downtown Fort Smith or how we look at ourselves; that maybe it was less about murals on…

Paper or plastic?

As I waited for my change the other night at the basketball game, I looked around for the straw dispenser, intending to poke one into the crosshairs of the plastic…

Buying a business vs. starting one from scratch

Buying a business — one of the doorways to entrepreneurship — is too often not considered for those seeking self-employment. As a participant and observer of the entrepreneurship scene, it…

Solar bringing jobs, savings and investment to Arkansas

In our state, the solar industry has a tremendous chance to become an increasingly important economic driver. The following figures further demonstrate the increasing demand for advanced energy resources that…

The other AI

More than a decade ago a pivotal book by author Daniel Pink (“A Whole New Mind”) suggested that forces in the world economy would shift society from left-brain thinking to…

Delta/Little Rock Partnership to collaborate on issues of common interest

Substantial areas of central Arkansas — especially lower-income, diverse neighborhoods in Little Rock – share a great deal in common demographically and economically with eastern Arkansas in health care, nutrition,…

Outlining priorities for Little Rock’s 2020 budget

Change is confusing. It can be destructive and constructive, frustrating and liberating, at the same time. What’s certain is there’s no growth without change; and without growth, there is no…

Riff Raff: Thanking the academy …

(Portions of this essay were first posted on Facebook. Apologies to Facebook friends for the partial plagiarism of myself.) It doesn’t take long. When the awards shows – Oscars, Grammy’s,…

With smart marketing, your business can ring in holiday sales

It’s the decades-old marketing question: “When should I launch my seasonal ad campaign?” With the growth of e-commerce, it seems as if when Halloween ends, businesses are forced to ramp…

Save your savings from the cost of a nursing home

Your mom needs to go into a nursing home. To many people, these seem like the worst words they could hear. These are, however, the words that millions of Americans…

Putting down roots

All Arkansans should have access to high-quality healthcare close to home. However, as a largely rural state, we have experienced significant shortages of physicians and other providers for many years,…

Riff Raff: Life, Luck and –30–

Editor’s note: What follows is an updated version of a commentary about Jack Moseley first published Oct. 16, 2005. Moseley passed away Nov. 15. It was August 1992 when, against…

Life-work balance: Debunking falsehoods, creating opportunities

A topic of frequent conversation with friends, colleagues and clients is work-life balance. More research is published on this topic every year, indicating we still struggle with it. Every week…

The Heartland and the Delta

Now we’re not just located in the Delta, but we’re also in the Heartland. Congress in 2000 created the Delta Regional Authority, the agency whose mission is to help improve…

Maps and globes

I’m a big fan of Seth Godin’s work. Seth is an author, entrepreneur, and most of all, a teacher. His one-liner bio simply reads “30 years of projects.” He’s written…

What you should know about Arkansas’ growing apprenticeship efforts

Under the leadership of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the number of apprentices in Arkansas has increased from roughly 3,200 apprentices in 2015 to over 6,300 in 2019. Now, these aren’t all…

Cyber attacks: Think damages

Hackers are finding it more and more difficult to compromise larger enterprises and are shifting their attention elsewhere. Guess where they are lurking now? It may surprise you to know…

Open enrollment begins: What you need to know about health insurance

At AFMC, we know how important it is to have health insurance. If you need medical attention, insurance protects you against expensive costs and you can focus on getting well….

A son of integration remembers John Walker

Sometimes in political reporting, you just get lucky. You’re in the right place at the right time. I sat down on August 1, 2019 for a lengthy public conversation with…

Riff Raff: The return of Jerry Mack

There were several hundred folks at Jerry Mack Garrison’s funeral. Few there knew him. But he was a Lamar kid and most of us grew up there and we know…