Facing a lack of internet access in rural Arkansas, electric cooperatives had the existing infrastructure and interest in customer satisfaction to lead the charge in broadband deployment.

Pop-ups provide a platform for businesses that may not have a permanent physical presence, serving as a low-cost, low-risk environment for entrepreneurs to test their products and build a customer base.

Participants in ARise will receive a variety of continued services for free, including startup consulting and coaching, capital access navigation, a subject matter expert network, industry connections and access to entrepreneurial resources.

Ten startups will be selected for the Arkansas Banking Solutions Accelerator, a 12-week program to advance technology in the state and help local banks navigate the ever-changing financial sector.

The Little Rock Metropolitan Area has reached unprecedented employment levels, setting a new record for the number of people employed across the region.

Boozman sees “a lot of opportunity” to expand visa programs to help fill the labor gap, while Cotton would prefer a “bottom up” approach that encourages businesses and schools to train local workers.

As new cafes sprout up across the state, they’re stimulating the local economy in subtle ways, emerging as hubs for business meetings, networking and community gatherings.

Looking ahead to the 2024 elections, Hill said a Republican administration will “lean more favorably” toward the industry, but that regardless of the outcome, crypto will move forward.

The $13.4 billion reunification of Little Rock’s Uniti Group Inc. and Windstream Holdings is creating huge opportunities for the reconstituted company.

Servato, a battery management service based in Little Rock, is making waves in the broadband industry by working to “ensure the internet is always on.”

The combined company will have the deepest “reach into rural America” of any fiber network, Gunderman said.

Arkansas steel giants like Blytheville-based Nucor-Yamato, as well as Big River Steel and Hybar of Osceola, are transforming Mississippi County into a hub of recycled steel, renewable energy and innovative technology.

Constance Meadors, the not-so-new director of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, is putting Arkansas on the star chart — and keeping it on NASA’s radar.

Consistency and a focus on smaller communities, as well as an employee stock ownership plan, have been key to the success of Harps Food Stores of Springdale.

The state-of-the-art facility is only at 75% capacity, with pre-fitted infrastructure for up to six more packaging lines.

The grant will fund a project aimed at helping to detect reliability concerns of electric aircraft and advanced air mobility vehicles.

UCA also received accreditation for its engineering physics program. 

Acxiom of Conway’s new chief marketing officer is Courtney Keating, a marketing veteran with more than two decades of experience.

Ticket and merchandise sales, sponsorships and passion for the game sustain the Rangers, a scrappy nonprofit with goals that go beyond the pitch.

When Jill Judy and Mark Brown moved to Little Rock from Florida in 2006, they planned to retire with rental properties. But when the housing market crashed a few years later, they realized they needed a new strategy.