Opinion

Of disease and ‘dogs’

It has been a long time since I saw the words raccoon dog used in a headline. However, that term has surfaced again and in an unexpected connotation. We in…

Canoo and the perils of high-risk innovation

The future looked pretty bright for electric vehicle (EV) maker Canoo last July when it announced its big deal with Walmart (4,500 delivery vehicles, with an option to increase the…

As in many states across the United States, Arkansas’ healthcare industry has dramatically shifted over the last 25 years. Many providers have exited rural communities, choosing instead to base their…

Medicaid rolls to dwindle with unwinding; successful transitions to other coverage vital

Medicaid enrollment in Arkansas exceeded 1.1 million enrollees during the pandemic due to increased need and federal restrictions on disenrollment by states during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In return for agreeing to…

ASMSA has $104 million economic impact on Arkansas, new study reveals

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts recently completed an impact study that highlights the role this specialized public school plays in not only educating talented students but also…

Food for thought

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were visiting us from New Mexico recently, and we decided to take them and our two youngest girls to dinner in Fayetteville. While my wife and…

A top 10 Arkansas metric

Arkansas isn’t 48th or 49th. We’re in the Top 10 in the United States in one charitable metric. A broad-based coalition of Arkansans have distributed more than 13,000 dictionaries to…

ESG legislation is anti-business, will cost Arkansas retirees money

Entrenched, single-party rule is dangerous to Democracy for many reasons. One of the most insidious is that absolute authority enables the powerful to create their own reality and justify almost…

What might be coming?

Beginning in March 2022, the Fed started raising interest rates. These rate increases ended a 14-year era of cheap money. But quickly raising interest rates from essentially zero to current…

How Arkansas’ construction industry succeeds in 2023

Between inflation, supply chain issues, a looming recession and more, 2023 promises to be a year of challenges for the construction industry in Arkansas. Those of us in Construction Management…

Perception vs. Reality

When you see how the media portray entrepreneurship, you would likely think that entrepreneurship is all about idea generation, startups, and the almost-instant raising of equity capital while the founders…

The wing thing

Remember when your mom or grandmother would cook up the big Sunday dinner that included fried chicken most often sourced from the backyard coop (farm-to-table in the purest sense), mashed…

Even after dismal 2022, stocks still best bet to retire rich

Last year was disappointing for investors who own stocks in their retirement accounts, as the S&P 500 index — which tracks the performance of the U.S. stock market — lost…

It’s all about community

As we kick off our 2023 tourism campaigns, it’s an ideal moment of reflection on what we’ve learned from the past few years. Today, travelers crave more meaningful and authentic…

Filling the need for foster kids in Arkansas

Child welfare in Arkansas is in a state of crisis, and it has been for quite a while. Despite the many dedicated individuals working tirelessly to care for and support…

The power to live without power

Technology, specifically information technology (IT), has done more to advance business capabilities than any form of progress in recent memory. Or has it? What comes to mind upon hearing the…

The Governor’s LEARNS plan is right for Arkansas schools

Arkansas’ education system, along with our country, is seeking reform and in need of attention. Teachers feel undervalued, parents are weary, and many students are falling behind with reading, writing,…

Leading in omnichannel retail

Many years ago, when I was a buyer for a prominent national catalog retailer, I was fascinated by an emerging new retailing format of selling online by way of a…

Governor Sanders’ missed opportunity on education

One of the things that makes Gov. Sarah Sanders’ education proposal so frustrating is that it is such a missed opportunity. To understand the missed opportunity you have to review…

Arkansas should make entrepreneurship for women a priority

“According to research from Boston Consulting Group, the global economy could experience up to a $5 trillion boost if female entrepreneurs received as much funding as male entrepreneurs.” So begins…