Arkansas Business Daily Report

Arkansas Business Daily Reporthttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/news.aspStories from Arkansasbusiness.com's popular daily e-newsletter and Today's Top Stories section. Includes the latest breaking business news.Copyright 2012 Arkansas Business Limited Partnership. All rights reserved.Arkansas, Oklahoma Part of Skechers Settlementhttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131445.54928.143574http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131445.54928.143574Arkansas and Oklahoma are among the 44 states and the District of Columbia to reach a settlement with Skechers USA Inc. over allegations of false advertising. LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas and Oklahoma are among the 44 states and the District of Columbia to reach a settlement with Skechers USA Inc. over allegations of false advertising.Attorneys general in both states said Wednesday that up to $40 million will be allocated for refunds to consumers who purchased the Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups and Resistance Runner shoes. Skechers also will pay an additional $5 million to states.As part of the settlement with the states, Arkansas will receive $84,254 and Oklahoma will get 89,273.The Federal Trade Commission alleged that Skechers falsely represented that clinical studies backed up the company's claims that its shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen their buttocks, leg and stomach muscles.In Wednesday's court filing, Skechers says it disputes the charges and is pursuing additional studies.(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or distributed.) Wed, 16 May 2012 17:13:47 CSTBeebe Names Adcock to UCA Boardhttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131444.54928.143573http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131444.54928.143573Gov. Mike Beebe appoints Robert "Bunny" Adcock of Conway to the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees. Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday appointed Robert "Bunny" Adcock of Conway to the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees. Adcock, 63, replaces Scott Roussel, who resigned from the board earlier this month.Adcock is vice chairman of the board of Home BancShares of Conway. The appointment expires Jan. 14, 2015.Wed, 16 May 2012 14:33:10 CSTArex Lee Named CEO of Tyson Foods' China Operationshttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131443.54928.143572http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131443.54928.143572Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale appoints Arex Lee CEO of the company's China operations. Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale on Wednesday announced that it had appointed Arex Lee CEO of the company's China operations. Lee will oversee Tyson DaLong, Tyson Shandong and Tyson Jiangsu, the meat processor said in a news release. A native of Taiwan, Arex worked for more than 25 years with one of the leading poultry companies in China before joining Tyson. Tyson has had a presence in China since 2001.Wed, 16 May 2012 12:44:09 CSTHeather Bennett to Take Reins of Little Rock Familyhttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131442.54928.143571http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131442.54928.143571Arkansas Business Publishing Group names parent educator and former schoolteacher Heather Bennett as the new editor of parenting magazine Little Rock Family. Arkansas Business Publishing Group has named parent educator and former schoolteacher Heather Bennett as the new editor of parenting magazine <a href="http://littlerockfamily.com" target="_blank">Little Rock Family</a>. Bennett begins June 1 and replaces Jennifer Pyron, who in April became editor of another ABPG publication, <a href="http://littlerocksoiree.com" target="_blank">Little Rock Soirée</a>. Bennett has worked at the nonprofit Centers for Youth & Families since 2001 as public relations director, a parent educator and a childcare provider trainer. Previously, she was a journalism, drama and speech instructor at Central Arkansas Christian High School, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 1999. Bennett's public relations career included work at The Nature Conservancy as director of communications and annual giving and Walker and Associates advertising agency."Heather's background in education and journalism made her the ideal choice to lead the most-read parenting magazine in central Arkansas," said Jeff Hankins, ABPG's president and Little Rock Family's publisher. "Little Rock Family is focused on helping to build better families and providing local resources busy moms need," he said. "Her experience as a mom and understanding of parent needs will be invaluable to our readers." Bennett has two children, Madeline, 12, and Matthew, 10, and lives with her family in Bryant. "My passion is helping strengthen families," Bennett said. "I am beyond thrilled to join the Little Rock Family team in their caring and committed efforts dedicated to help the families and communities of central Arkansas. It is truly an honor to become part of the ABPG family, an organization with such a longstanding tradition of excellence."Little Rock Family debuted in 1994. The Parenting Media Association regularly honors the monthly magazine as one of the best parenting publications in the nation for content and design. ABPG of Little Rock produces an array of business and consumer niche publications and websites, including Arkansas Business and <a href="http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/">ArkansasBusiness.com</a>.Wed, 16 May 2012 11:20:49 CSTTAC Air Purchases Operations in Utahhttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131440.54928.143569http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131440.54928.143569Truman Arnold Cos. Of Texarkana acquires Keystone Aviation LLC of Salt Lake City and will expand its TAC Air brand to two Keystone operations in Utah. Truman Arnold Cos. Of Texarkana recently announced it acquired Keystone Aviation LLC of Salt Lake City and will expand its TAC Air brand to two Keystone operations in Utah.The fixed base operations are in Salt Lake City and Provo and the rebranding will go into effect May 19. TAC did not release terms or structure of the agreement."We're very excited about the synergy of combining the service levels of these operations," TAC President and CEO Greg Arnold said in a news release.Besides the two operations, other Keystone subsidiaries will be consolidated into the Keystone brand. Their services include aircraft charter, management, maintenance and sales. Bill Haberstock was selected as president of the consolidated Keystone Aviation brand."The integration of Keystone Aviation's FBOs into TAC Air along with the backing of Truman Arnold Companies will allow us to place a renewed focus on our aircraft sales, maintenance and management services," Haberstock said in the release.The release noted that TAC Air is likely to announce more acquisitions throughout the year.Wed, 16 May 2012 10:52:11 CSTVideo: Tyson Foods CEO Rings Closing Bell at NYSEhttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131438.54928.143567http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131438.54928.143567In this video, Tyson Foods president and CEO Donnie Smith rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, making the company's 15th anniversary of trading on the well-known securities market.<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iCXEH35Xn2E" frameborder="0" height="246" width="425"></iframe>Tyson Foods president and CEO Donnie Smith rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, making the Springdale-based poultry company's 15th anniversary of trading on the well-known securities market.Officials say Tyson Foods' sales today are more than five times what they were in 1997, while the company's overall employment has almost doubled. The company generated sales of $6.4 billion in fiscal year 1997 and employed 63,000 people.In fiscal 2011, officials say the company's sales were $32.3 billion and total employment was 115,000.(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)Tue, 15 May 2012 15:51:41 CSTWinrock CEO Frank Tugwell Announces Retirement http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131439.54928.143568http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131439.54928.143568Tugwell announced his intention to retire effective Jan. 1 last week at a Winrock board meeting. A search for his replacement will begin immediately. Frank Tugwell, president and CEO of Winrock International, will retire at the end of the year.Tugwell announced his intention to retire effective Jan. 1 last week at a Winrock board meeting, according to company spokesperson Megan Davenport.A search for his replacement will begin immediately, she said. Tugwell, who is based out of Winrock's Arlington, Va., offices, has served the nonprofit organization as president and CEO since 1999. Previously, he served Winrock as vice president of programs and global projects and as director of its renewable energy and the environment program. Tue, 15 May 2012 15:42:55 CSTBeebe Names New Director for Arkansas Veterans Dept.http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131437.54928.143566http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131437.54928.143566Gov. Mike Beebe has named a retired colonel with the Arkansas National Guard as the next director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs.LITTLE ROCK - Gov. Mike Beebe has named a retired colonel with the Arkansas National Guard as the next director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. Beebe picked Cissy Rucker as the agency's next director. She'll replace Dave Fletcher, who announced his resignation Monday. Fletcher stepped down after state auditors questioned the agency's expenditures. Rucker spent 33 years with the Arkansas National Guard before retiring with the rank of colonel. She is a member of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, along with the Women's International Helicopter Pilots Association. The governor says he's grateful Rucker is willing to postpone her retirement to take over as the agency's director. Beebe says Rucker will rescind her state retirement status and not receive retirement benefits while at the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be broadcast published, rewritten, or redistributed.) Tue, 15 May 2012 14:47:00 CSTMark Darr: No Timeline for Decision on Arkansas Governor Race http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131436.54928.143565http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131436.54928.143565Lt. Gov. Mark Darr is considering a run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2014 after Democratic Congressman Mike Ross opted against a bid. But a spokeswoman says he doesn't have a timeline for a decision. LITTLE ROCK - Lt. Gov. Mark Darr is considering a run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2014 after Democratic Congressman <a href="article.aspx?aID=131212">Mike Ross opted against a bid</a>. But a spokeswoman says he doesn't have a timeline for a decision.Darr spokeswoman Sarah Beth Lowe told The Associated Press Tuesday that Darr is focused on helping the Republican Party in this year's election.Darr has previously indicated he was more likely to run for governor than re-election. Darr was elected in 2010.Ross announced Monday he was opting against a widely expected run for governor and would instead take a job with Southwest Power Pool after leaving Congress next year. Ross last year decided against running for re-election to the U.S. House from southern Arkansas as he considered the governor's race.More<a href="article.aspx?aID=131214">Bill Halter Considering 2014 Arkansas Governor Bid </a>(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or distributed.) Tue, 15 May 2012 11:17:31 CSTTHVideo: The Osborne Family Auctions Assets to Pay Debthttp://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131435.54928.143564http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=131435.54928.143564In this THVideo, Arkansas Business Publisher Jeff Hankins talks about how the Osborne Family's finances ended in a tangle of debt. In this THVideo, Arkansas Business Publisher Jeff Hankins talks about how the Osborne Family's finances ended in a tangle of debt.Arkansas Business spoke to Osborne family members and friends for its Monday cover story, <a href="http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=131154">which you can read in full here</a>. Many were surprised to learn about the financial straits of Jennings Osborne's family, months after his July 27 death. Still, Osborne left a multimillion-dollar legacy of making, spending and giving away money ginned from his Little Rock drug testing business.Click below to watch the <a href="http://www.todaysthv.com/news/article/210905/2/Ark-Business-Osborne-family-auctioning-assets" target="_blank">full segment</a>: <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" width="425" height="361"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1"></param><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"></param><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=1638983185001&playerID=34757275001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAB_xxUcE~,TkK9U83iSSqh2YhmbNhifc_APRXJTk_c&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true"></param><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"></param><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=1638983185001&playerID=34757275001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAB_xxUcE~,TkK9U83iSSqh2YhmbNhifc_APRXJTk_c&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="361" width="425"></embed></object>Tue, 15 May 2012 11:09:13 CST