One of the leading voices on behalf of business and industry in the state, Randy Zook is a former executive with a $200 million Atlanta-based envelope company who in his lobbying and association...
AMP News
Ranger Boats Founder Forrest L. Wood Dies at 87
Researcher Delivering Lecture on Native American Agricultural Practices
House Report: Human Trafficking Laws in Arkansas
The Innovator’s Field Guide: Meet Them On Their Turf
Phillips Named Chair for UAMS Department of Ophthalmology
ArFB President Named to American Farm Bureau Board of Directors
Queen Anne Mansion and Resort to Open in Eureka Springs in April
UAMS, RMHC to Christen Ronald McDonald Family Room
Daily Digest: January 24, 2020
Magazine
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Randy Zook, Arkansas State Chamber of...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Deke Whitbeck, Arkansas Game & Fish...
Arkansas’ great outdoors are free for the asking but require substantial annual investment to stay clean, accessible and of sound habitat to support a wide range of plant and animal species. Among...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Kathy Webb, Arkansas Hunger Relief...
A community servant and activist with a reputation for effective coalition-building, Kathy Webb is the executive director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The organization is the statewide...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Steve Straessle, Catholic High School for...
In many ways, Steve Straessle’s ascension to the role of principal of Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock was a son taking over his father’s business. Straessle, who graduated from...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc.
Little Rock-based investment bank Stephens Inc. enjoys a unique distinction in the annals of Arkansas business history. Not only does the institution, founded in 1933 by his uncle, Witt Stephens...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Shelley Simpson, J.B. Hunt Transport...
In the rough-and-tumble man’s world of over-the-road trucking, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has always stood out for strong women in key positions, starting with co-founder Johnelle Hunt. To that...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Frank Scott Jr., Mayor of Little Rock
Little Rock voters made history Dec. 4, 2018, when they selected Frank Scott Jr. the city’s 73rd mayor and first elected African American to hold the office. A product of southwest Little...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Joe Saumweber, RevUnit
Not unlike Austin and Nashville before it, Northwest Arkansas is a rapidly developing hub of activity, bolstered by multiple Fortune 500 companies and evolving daily with the influx of new thinking...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Gina Radke, Galley Support Innovations
Of all the adjectives that can be applied to Gina Radke, “self-made” might be the most apropos, and the most satisfying. Radke, with her husband Wade, created Sherwood’s Galley Support...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Elizabeth Pulley, Children’s Advocacy...
In 2018, the Arkansas State Police child abuse hotline received more than 30,000 calls and even that sobering number likely doesn’t tell the full story of child abuse in Arkansas. Elizabeth Pulley...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Jimmy Moses, Newmark Moses Tucker Partners
The highest accomplishment is to leave one’s mark in an enduring way and in Jimmy Moses’ case, that’s literally true. During his real estate career, Moses has forever changed the face of Little...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Wayne Miller, The Venture Center
For entrepreneurs in financial technology, or fintech, Little Rock is in the big leagues of business accelerators. Preserving and enhancing that reputation is the role of Venture Center Executive...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Doug McMillon, Walmart Inc.
When you’re president and CEO of the largest retailer on the planet — 11,300 stores and 2.2 million employees worldwide, generating a half-trillion dollars in sales annually — your inclusion on...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Dr. Marta Loyd, University of Arkansas...
Dr. Marta Loyd’s path to executive director of the University of Arkansas Winthrop Rockefeller Institute mimics the winding road she takes to work every day atop Petit Jean Mountain where she works...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Heather Larkin, Arkansas Community...
Engaging people and connecting resources to build stronger communities in Arkansas are part of Heather Larkin’s daily charge. As president and CEO of the Arkansas Community Foundation, a post she...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Ali Krisht, M.D., Arkansas Neuroscience...
With the opening of the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute in Sherwood, central Arkansas is firmly implanted among the top neurological treatment centers in the United States. And behind...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Dr. Todd C. Jenkins Jr., J.B. Hunt...
Known as “Dr. Bowtie Todd,” Jenkins founded Bowtie Leadership & Development, an international leadership management and professional development firm, to bring diverse people together to...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Stacy Hurst, Department of Arkansas...
Stacy Hurst’s community mindedness and engaging leadership style have made her a familiar and effective force in the arena of public service. She was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to lead the...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: James Hendren, Hendren Consulting
When the task is describing James Hendren’s impact as an Arkansas influencer, where to begin? Hendren quite probably is the most impactful yet under-the-radar influencer in the state. Under the...
Arkansas’ Top Influencers 2020: Gretchen Hall, Little Rock Convention and...
The rebirth of downtown Little Rock into a dining and entertainment destination has been a group effort. Leading the pack has been Gretchen Hall, who serves as the face of the Little Rock Convention...
Agriculture
Researcher Delivering Lecture on Native American Agricultural Practices
An agricultural researcher will be delivering a lecture next week at the University of Arkansas on Native American agriculture. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a research associate with the Native American...
ArFB President Named to American Farm Bureau Board of Directors
The recently elected president of Arkansas Farm Bureau has been named to the national organization’s board of directors. Rich Hillman, who was elected ArFB president in December, was elected to the...
USDA Earmarks $7.1 Millon for High-Speed Broadband Expansion in Arkansas
by Tyler Hale The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $7 million in two rural high-speed broadband infrastructure projects in Arkansas. The funds are part of $600...
UA System Division of Agriculture Introduces High-Yield Rice Variety
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture researchers have developed a new rice variety designed to produce higher yields than existing varieties. The new variety, dubbed CLL16, is a...
Natural Resources Commission Approves $42 Million in Loans for Water...
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission has issued more than $42 million in loans to eight Arkansas communities for water and wastewater projects. The projects were...
Construction / Real Estate
Cromwell Architects Engineers Names New Director of Strategic Services
Cromwell Architects Engineers has named a new director of strategic services. The firm has selected Jeff Overton for the role, where he will oversee the expansion and improvement of relationships for...
Bank OZK Invests $6 Million in Solar Power Plant for Headquarters
Bank OZK is investing in a solar power plant to generate energy for its new corporate headquarters in west Little Rock, in addition to up to 40 other Arkansas locations. The new solar plant...
Arkansas’ Power Women 2019 – Brandy Harp
Brandy Harp Principal Broker of Jon Underhill Real Estate What attracted you to your career? My love and appreciation of real estate dates back to meeting the love of my life, Richard Harp...
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...
Education
Researcher Delivering Lecture on Native American Agricultural Practices
An agricultural researcher will be delivering a lecture next week at the University of Arkansas on Native American agriculture. Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a research associate with the Native American...
UCA Chemistry Department Receives $650K Grant for Low-Income, Diversity Program
National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) programhas awarded the University of Central Arkansas’ Department of Chemistry with a...
Holt Named Central Baptist College’s Director of PACE Enrollment
Central Baptist College has named a new director for Professional Adult College Education (PACE) enrollment. CBC Vice President of Enrollment announced that Claudette Holt will be taking over the...
Wallace Selected to be President of South Arkansas Community College
The South Arkansas Community College (SouthArk) Board of Trustees voted for Dr. Bentley Wallace to become SouthArk’s fifth president. Currently serving as Dean of the School of Technical and...
Two UA Professors Recognized for Supply Chain Research
Two University of Arkansas faculty members have been recognized for their contributions to the supply chain field. In a paper entitled “Supply Chain Research Leadership: The Ranked Agents And Their...
A New Year for the Razorbacks: Top Five Hogs Predictions for 2020
by Nate Olson As we take a step forward to 2020 and a new decade, Hog fans are eagerly anticipating what lies ahead. Or they’re just glad the 2019 football season is over, and Chad Morris is no...
Finance / Banking
Simmons Reports Record Earnings for 2019, Announces Two Executive Retirements
2019 proved to be a good year for Simmons First National Corporation, the holding company of Simmons Bank. The company posted record earnings for 2019, racking up 237.8 million in net income. For...
Arkansas Federal Finalizes Merger with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette FCU
Arkansas Federal Credit Union has completed its merger with Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Federal Credit Union. Regulators have approved the merger, with members of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Federal...
Chokhani, Copas and Young Join Arvest Bank’s Central Arkansas Board
Three local leaders have joined the board of directors for Arvest Bank in central Arkansas. Rajesh Chokhani, Scott Copas and Chad Young have been elected to five-year board terms. All three...
Crain Named President and CEO for Arvest Bank in Benton County
The regional president of Arvest Bank’s Springfield, Mo. market is moving back to Northwest Arkansas. Brad Crain will be taking over as the president and CEO of Arvest in Benton County. Crain will...
Arkansas Largely Bucking The Trend For Rural Banking Deserts
A recent Federal Reserve report indicates that half of the counties in the United states lost bank branches between 2012 and 2017, a trend that resulted from bank mergers and...
Health Care
Phillips Named Chair for UAMS Department of Ophthalmology
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has named a new chair for its ophthalmology department. Paul H. Phillips will be assuming the role of chair for the College of Medicine’s Department...
UAMS, RMHC to Christen Ronald McDonald Family Room
New facility to serve parents, families in NICU by Dwain Hebda Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas and UAMS have teamed up to provide accommodations for families of babies born in the...
Overton-McCoy Named to Murphy Endowed Chair
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has appointed AmyLeigh Overton-McCoy to the Murphy Endowed Chair for Rural Aging Leadership and Policy. Overton-McCoy, a geriatric nursing...
UAMS Invests Mendiratta with Dillard Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics
A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) geriatrician has been named to the Alexa L. & William T. Dillard Distinguished Chair in Geriatrics. Priya Mendiratta, who serves as a...
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
Landers Award Has Competitive Field in 2020
by Nate Olson Since its inception in 2000, the Landers Award has become Arkansas’ premier high school football honor. Longtime KATV sports director Steve Sullivan orchestrates the event that...
Desperate Missouri State Hoping to Cash in on Petrino
by Nate Olson A familiar name to Arkansas football fans will be coaching just up the road in the Ozarks next year. Missouri State named Bobby Petrino its head coach Wednesday. A press conference is...
Former Hog Pat Bradley Forever an Arkansan
by Nate Olson It took one visit, and Pat Bradley knew Arkansas had more in common with his hometown of Everett, Mass. than he thought. Pat was on a recruiting visit in September of 1994 and Hogs...
The Evolution of Sports Media: Can Specialty Team Sites Provide Balanced...
by Mark Carter The news business may be here to stay, but the manner in which it’s delivered and consumed is evolving at a fairly rapid pace. These days, consumers aren’t met at the...
Outdoor Rec an Economic Driver in Natural State
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Arkansans have always been drawn to the outdoors. The state’s vast natural resources beckon residents — and hundreds of thousands of out-of-state visitors...
Arkansas Sports Anchor Calls Out Internet Trolls
by Nate Olson I nearly jumped in my car and drove down to the station to high-five Hayden Balgavy Tuesday night. The young THV sports anchor delivered a powerful commentary reminding passionate...
Pittman’s Hire is a Good Value for UA Football
by Nate Olson There’s a couple of things I’ve realized in 20 years living in Arkansas – Arkansas football is king, we live in a poor, rural state, and Arkansas football is king. While the...
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...
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
The Innovator’s Field Guide: Meet Them On Their Turf
by Jeff Standridge “At Netflix, we think you have to build a sense of responsibility where people care about the enterprise. Hard work, like long hours at the office, doesn’t matter as much to...
Applications Open for 2020 FIS Fintech Accelerator
by Tyler Hale FIS, the global financial technology company, is launching the fifth FIS Fintech Accelerator in 2020, which aims to identify and work with startups to develop innovate solutions in the...
The Top Performer’s Field Guide: Train to Win
“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” -Navy SEAL adage by Jeff Standridge Any discussion of performance is bound to dredge up sports analogies, but the connection...
Rise of the Rest Tour Swinging Through NWA in April
by Tyler Hale Northwest Arkansas is one of five stops that the Rise of the Rest Road Trip will be making during its swing through the heartland of the United States. From April 20-24, Revolution will...
Arkansas Teen Entrepreneur Secures Deal on “Shark Tank”
by Tyler Hale Not just anybody can swim with the sharks, but one Arkansas entrepreneur prove that she’s got what it takes. In the latest episode of the ABC show Shark Tank, 14-year-old Sofi...
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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
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The Risks and Rewards of Blockchain Technology
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Rx Catering is a One-Stop Spot for Food Services
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Artificial Intelligence for Businesses: The Roadblocks
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How Emails Put You at Risk of Cyber Attacks
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Everything AI Can Do for Your Network
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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. ...
