by Mark Carter Trey Biddy’s hawgsports.com is leading the new wave of sports media Photo by Jamison Mosley For Trey Biddy, business is booming. Despite a historically bad run for Arkansas...
AMP News
Bentonville Remodelers Star in HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous
Winners Announced for A-State’s Innovate Business Idea Competition
Daily Digest: December 10, 2019
UCA College of Business Names Senior Director of Development
Four ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Participants Receive AFT Grants
Structurlam Putting Its First U.S. Timber Factory in Conway
Texas Taco Chain Continues Expansion into Northwest Arkansas
House Report: Revenue Reports Show Growth in State’s Economy
Governor’s Address: Good News for Arkansas’s No. 1 Industry
Magazine
Business Is Booming: Trey Biddy and HawgSports
Tim Griffin: Passions, Not Plans, Guide Political Path
by Tyler Hale / Photography by Jamison Mosley As Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin sits in his office in the Arkansas State Capitol, he takes stock of a career that has taken him from the small town of...
Trey Biddy’s Media Go-To’s and How He Started on DriveTime
by Mark Carter As an industry insider, Trey Biddy doesn’t have much time to absorb local sports media coverage. He does enjoy the conversations and opinions he shares with other media members...
Cabot: ‘Commuter Town’ Bursting With Potential
by Ryan Nix, Photos by Jamison Mosley Big things are happening in Cabot. As one of Arkansas’ most rapidly growing communities, the city seat of Lonoke County is poised to become both a vital...
Investing In Conservation
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Arkansas remains The Natural State in large part because of the work of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission working with partners, both public and private, to...
Home For The Holidays: Nursing Homes in Arkansas
New concept taking hold in long-term care by Dwain Hebda It’s about 30 paces from the parking lot to the back door of Cedar House, one of 10 sprawling craftsman-style homes at The Green Cottages of...
World Woman Conference: ‘Redefining Rules’ For A Better Economy
by Ryan Nix On a cold, rainy day in November, women from all around the globe met at the Clinton Center in Little Rock for the World Woman Foundation’s annual summit, the World Woman Conference...
Walmart’s E-Commerce Strategy: Integrating Its Shopping Platforms
by Courtney Lanning In the age of digital shopping, the nation’s largest private employer is betting on e-commerce and using it to bring its various services and platforms together. Consumers have...
For Danny West, HawgSports Was Inevitable
by Mark Carter Growing up in Rison, young Danny West would read aloud for his grandfather the content of each new issue of Hawgs Illustrated, the fan publication from Clay Henry. “Every time a...
Arkansas Employment: December 2019 Labor Force Report
Arkansas Jobless Rate Rises While National Rate Stays Steady by Tyler Hale
The Secret Ingredient for a Successful Business: Mentors
by Wayne Miller As a child, I always thought that when I grew up I’d follow in my father’s footsteps and become a dentist. When I went to college, though, I started my first company and...
Shedding Light On Arkansas
Although the temperature is dropping and the halls require decking, business as usual is happening at Arkansas Money & Politics, and we show no signs of slowing down! We were there in November...
Good Timing, If For All The Wrong Reasons
by Mark Carter Trey Biddy’s inclusion in our magazine couldn’t have come at a better time. Well, I suppose the Hogs making an SEC title run on their way to a national championship would’ve been...
Editor’s Letter: Lessons In Stewardship
by Mark Carter Theodore Roosevelt is considered one of our great presidents. As in, all-time greats. His face adorns Mount Rushmore, after all. And Mount Rushmore is the Olympus of American...
Civility Now
by Dustin Jayroe “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” – Thomas Jefferson On Oct. 9, 1997...
Grid Router Paves Way For Smart Power
by Ryan Nix When it comes to the electrical grid, industrial images of tall, wooden poles trailing wires from gray, metal substations to homes and transformer boxes, of circuit breakers hidden in...
Habitat Program Fuels Migrating Ducks, Benefits Farmers and Hunters
by Mark Carter The symbiotic nature of farming and hunting has long been praised as part of man’s natural connection to the land, and a new habitat program ensures migrating waterfowl have food on...
Blytheville: Return to Prosperous Past?
by Ryan Nix, Photos by Jamison Mosley Far in the northeast corner of Arkansas, five miles west of the Mississippi River, the city of Blytheville remembers a prosperous past while hoping for a bright...
No Looking Back: Dustin McDaniel
by Dustin Jayroe Former Political Star Dustin McDaniel Excelling in Private Practice The largest casualty, of course, was the state Democratic Party, which itself dominated local and state politics...
Getting Into Deep Water
by Dwain Hebda Groundwater concerns prompt conservation, new technology Ed Swaim clicks a button on his laptop, putting in motion a computer model of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer...
Agriculture
Chinese Importers Purchase U.S. Soybeans After Limited Tariff Waivers
Chinese agricultural importers have purchased approximately 300,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans after being granted tariffs. Reuters reports that importers purchased five bulk shipments of soybeans that...
Hutchinson Aims to Increase UA Division of Agriculture’s Annual Budget
Gov. Asa Hutchinson plans to increase the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture’s annual revenue budget. During the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 2019 conference, Hutchinson announced that...
UA Division of Agriculture Hosting 2020 Winter Production Meetings
During the winter months in 2020, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will be holding a series of meetings concerning agriculture markets and production techniques. The...
Natural Resources Commission Approves More Than $12 Million in Loans
by Tyler Hale Seven water and wastewater projects in Arkansas have received funding from the state Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission. In total, the Natural Resources...
Arkansas Rice Farmers Holding Board Election in December
This December, an election will be held to select the new members for the Arkansas Rice Farmers (ARF) board of directors. The new board members will be elected during the USA Rice Outlook Conference...
Construction / Real Estate
Bentonville Remodelers Star in HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous
by Angela Forsyth Northwest Arkansas-based HGTV show Fixer to Fabulousjust finished its first season. The show’s stars Dave and Jenny Marrs talk about what it was like to film the show and share...
Structurlam Putting Its First U.S. Timber Factory in Conway
by Ryan Nix On Monday, Dec. 9, the Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation announced that it will expand its operations into the United States, choosing Conway to house its first mass timber plant...
Endowed Scholarship for Real Estate Program Created at UA Little Rock
Students studying real estate at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will now have a new financial resource. The Arkansas Real Estate Foundation today donated $62,000, creating an endowed...
CDI Contractors Wins Contract for Saline County Career Technical School
by Ryan Nix Soon, students in and around Saline County will have access to a new career and technical education center, after CDI Contractors of Little Rock won the bid to begin construction on the...
Former Razorbacks Coach Chad Morris Lists Fayetteville Home
Former Razorbacks head football coach Chad Morris has put his Fayetteville home on the market. The home, located at 3487 Horse Meadow Drive in Fayetteville, has been listed at $3,799,000. The listing...
Education
Winners Announced for A-State’s Innovate Business Idea Competition
More than 30 students recently participated in the 11th annual Arkansas State University Innovate Business Idea Competition, and the winners have been revealed. During the competition, students...
UCA College of Business Names Senior Director of Development
The University of Central Arkansas College of Business has named a new senior director of development. Corey Throneberry will be assuming the role. An alumni of the UCA College of Business...
Sam Pittman to Be Next Razorbacks Head Football Coach
UPDATE: The University of Arkansas Athletics Department has released a statement confirming Pittman’s selection as the football program’s 34th head coach. Athletic director Hunter Yurachek...
Endowed Scholarship for Real Estate Program Created at UA Little Rock
Students studying real estate at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will now have a new financial resource. The Arkansas Real Estate Foundation today donated $62,000, creating an endowed...
Arkansas Research Alliance Academy Inducts Two New Members
by Lauren McLemore Biophysicist Teresita Bellido and big data researcher Justin Zhan were announced Thursday as the newest inductees into the Arkansas Research Alliance Academy of Scholars and...
Applications Open for 2020 Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp
Applications are now open for the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. Held from May 17-22 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, the boot camp aims to empower undergraduate and...
Finance / Banking
Simmons Bank Makes Significant Donation to Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement USA is getting a big present for Giving Tuesday. Simmons Bank will present a $42,000 check to the nonprofit organization, which aims to provide young people with the tools they...
Home BancShares’ Randy Sims Retires, Two Executives Step Up
Following the retirement of Randy Sims, Centennial Bank and its parent company Home BancShares have named two executives to chairmanship roles at the companies. Jack Engelkes will be taking on the...
First Horizon and IBERIABANK Agree to ‘Merger of Equals’
by Tyler Hale First Horizon National Corporation and IBERIABANK Corporation are combining in a transaction that is expected to create one of the largest financial services institutions in the...
Arvest Bank Setting Up Oklahoma Headquarters in New Space
Arvest Bank is making a big move in Oklahoma. The Bentonville-headquartered bank is leasing 40,000 square feet of space in a 16-floor tower in Oklahoma City. Arvest Bank will occupy the first floor...
2019 Arkansas Tax Conference to Highlight Trends in Industry
The second biennial Arkansas Tax Conference is being held this November in Little Rock. Scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19, the conference attracts administrators, tax experts and other leaders to...
Health Care
Moore Named Chief Development Officer for Baptist Health Foundation
Lena Moore has been named as the chief development officer for the Baptist Health Foundation. Arkansas Money & Politics reported on Nov. 15 that Moore was set to take over the role. Most...
Applications Open for 2020 Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp
Applications are now open for the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. Held from May 17-22 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, the boot camp aims to empower undergraduate and...
Arkansas Heart Hospital Restructures, Citing ‘Efficiency’ Measures
The Arkansas Heart Hospital is reportedly making employment changes, with Arkansas Money & Politics learning of at least one employee whose lengthy tenure for the organization recently came to an...
CHI St. Vincent Unveiling Renovated Anthony Childbirth Center
CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs is preparing to unveil its newly renovated Anthony Childbirth Center. The grand opening for the childbirth center will be held on Monday, Dec. 2, at 10:30 a.m. As part of...
Manufacturing
Hot Springs Company Acquires UK Aerospace Fabricating Facilities
Hot Springs aerospace company Radius Aerospace has acquired a United Kingdom-based forming and fabricating enterprise. Radius Aerospace, a portfolio company of Arlington Capital Partners, has...
Superior Group of Companies Investing $10 Million in Eudora Facility
Superior Group of Companies will be investing $10 million to expand its distribution center in Eudora. The expansion is expected to add 125 new jobs over the course of the next five years. The...
Radke Credits Military-Honed Skills for Business Success
by Dwain Hebda Wade Radke is an unqualified Arkansas success story, launching Galley Support Innovations in Sherwood alongside his wife Gina. The Radkes have grown the mom-and-pop venture to a $5...
Blytheville: Return to Prosperous Past?
by Ryan Nix, Photos by Jamison Mosley Far in the northeast corner of Arkansas, five miles west of the Mississippi River, the city of Blytheville remembers a prosperous past while hoping for a bright...
Manufacturers Leading Job Growth in Arkansas
by Mark Carter Arkansas manufacturing seems to be finding its footing following a rough patch to open the 21st century. Manufacturing jobs in the Natural State are up 8 percent since 2014 and...
Sports and Outdoors
Instant Replay Makes Debut at High School Football State Championships
by Nate Olson Before Jarius Wright was a star wide receiver at Arkansas and played in the NFL, he was involved in one of the most controversial plays in Arkansas high school football history. Warren...
Business Is Booming: Trey Biddy and HawgSports
by Mark Carter Trey Biddy’s hawgsports.com is leading the new wave of sports media Photo by Jamison Mosley For Trey Biddy, business is booming. Despite a historically bad run for Arkansas...
Trey Biddy’s Media Go-To’s and How He Started on DriveTime
by Mark Carter As an industry insider, Trey Biddy doesn’t have much time to absorb local sports media coverage. He does enjoy the conversations and opinions he shares with other media members...
Five Reasons to Go to the Hogs Game in Little Rock
by Nate Olson I remember many years when an Arkansas football game in Little Rock the day after Thanksgiving was a hot ticket. Some years, RVs would already be stationed on the golf course and fans...
Investing In Conservation
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Arkansas remains The Natural State in large part because of the work of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission working with partners, both public and private, to...
For Danny West, HawgSports Was Inevitable
by Mark Carter Growing up in Rison, young Danny West would read aloud for his grandfather the content of each new issue of Hawgs Illustrated, the fan publication from Clay Henry. “Every time a...
‘Epic’ 93rd Battle of the Ravine Leaves Impression
by Nate Olson My friend Rex Nelson could be considered an expert in many things. He’s worked in and around Arkansas politics for years including eight years on former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s staff...
Op-Ed: Yurachek Will Make The Right Hire for Arkansas
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in op-eds are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Arkansas Money & Politics or About You Media Group. by Nate Olson As I settled...
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Four ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Participants Receive AFT Grants
by Tyler Hale Four participants in the 2019 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program have received non-equity grants from the Association for Financial Technology (AFT). Adlumin, Botdoc, MK Decision and...
The Innovator’s Field Guide: Gaining Wisdom
by Jeff Standridge “A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.” –Chinese Proverb Alexander Pope said, “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Sandy knew that...
Get Your Tickets to the 2019 Pitch ‘N Pint Now
Break out your ugly sweaters and get ready to Pitch ‘N Pint! Tickets are selling fast for the Venture Center’s 2019 Pitch ‘N Pint, so make sure to reserve yours today. Early bird tickets are...
Applications Open for 2020 Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp
Applications are now open for the Health Sciences Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. Held from May 17-22 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, the boot camp aims to empower undergraduate and...
ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator 2.0 Kicks Off in January 2020
by Tyler Hale Mark your calendar for the start for the second ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, the Venture Center will kick off the second edition of the fintech accelerator...
AMP Sponsored
Online Privacy: How Secure Are You?
With so much concern about malicious attacks, online privacy has become one of today’s hot topics. It applies to every size of business, from the home office to the enterprise, and the extent of...
Top 10 Ways to Stay Focused at Work
This content is presented in sponsorship with Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Distraction happens. Especially if you are a part of the four percent of U.S. adults who have attention deficit...
Eldridge Brooks Partners: Experienced Attorneys, Innovative Partners
Conner Eldridge and Steve Brooks got together in January of 2018 to catch up and realized they were in similar places in their careers. They also realized that they shared a vision to build a legal...
The Risks and Rewards of Blockchain Technology
This content is sponsored by Business World. Blockchain has been touted as the most disruptive technology to hit businesses since open-source software—or, some say, since the internet itself. As a...
Rx Catering is a One-Stop Spot for Food Services
Preparing an event is a stressful endeavor, filled with variables that can and likely will go wrong. To minimize the possibility of mistakes being made, it’s vital to partner with individuals and...
Artificial Intelligence for Businesses: The Roadblocks
This content is sponsored by Business World. Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are improving business processes from the factory floor to the customer’s door. Used to its fullest...
How Emails Put You at Risk of Cyber Attacks
This content is sponsored by Business World. By now, most people are well aware of the dangers of malicious emails. However, we’re still falling for the scams—and cybercriminals are still...
Everything AI Can Do for Your Network
This content is sponsored by Business World. Artificial intelligence (AI), it would seem, is today’s business panacea. Its capabilities give you the power to transform your business into a...
Building School Safe Rooms to Withstand Severe Weather
Why are schools spending money on buildings they hope never to use? Throughout the Midwest and Southeast, this is exactly what’s happening as schools prepare to protect students during severe...
Stay Breach-Free: The Importance of Keeping Your Copiers Secure
This content is sponsored by Business World. With all the talk about cybersecurity these days, it’s likely that your copiers and printers are some of the last technology you’re concerned about. ...