Central Arkansas Angel Network Gets New Name, Expands Reach to Entire State
The Central Arkansas Angel Network is now the Ark Angel Alliance and has expanded its reach to the entire state. read more >
Business Services
Citizens Bank Exceeds $1B in Assets, CEO Baldwin to Retire
Citizens Bank of Batesville exceeds $1 billion in total assets, and says that CEO Phil Baldwin will retire next year. read more >
Driving Diversity Is Personal for Reed, USA Truck's CEO
Reed is one of many executives in the state who are banging the drum for businesses to become more diverse and inclusive, a movement that has gained momentum in the wake of recent Black Lives Matter protests. read more >
Protests Fail to Boost Black-owned Businesses
Social media campaigns urged consumers to buy goods and services from Black-owned businesses following protests against racism and police brutality. But several African American business owners told Arkansas Business that they saw little, if any, boost in sales. read more >
Seizing a Moment for Multicultural Marketing
Black pain is not an ad campaign, multicultural marketing scholar Phil McKenzie likes to say, “but there's always an opportunity to engage.” read more >
Schwyhart Meltdown Followed Hunt's Exit
Thirteen years ago, word began leaking out that one of the most dynamic commercial development partnerships in fast-growing northwest Arkansas was breaking up. read more >
No Summer Fling (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
Instead of simply asking what white-owned businesses can do to promote diversity in their workforce or in their customer base, Americans of goodwill are asking how they can make minority-owned businesses more stable and profitable. read more >
Black-owned Businesses in the U.S. Make Up 2.2% of Employer-owned Firms
Blacks owned 124,004 employer businesses (firms with at least one paid employee) in 2017, or 2.2% of the 5.7 million employer businesses in the United States, according to the 2018 Annual Business Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. read more >
ReMix Dissolving Barriers for Black Entrepreneurs
ReMix Founder Benito Lubazibwa believes Black business ownership is a path to wealth creation and that increasing it will reduce the racial wealth gap that is quickly widening in the United States. read more >
Aspen Mini Storage Sells for $6.7M (NWA Real Deals)
Steve Juiris bought the 8-acre, 300-unit site on North Broyles Street from 3B Storage LLC, led by Alex Baumeister, Patrick Byrd and Charles Burford. read more >
Shaun Mayo of Sam's Club Leads Corporate Diversity As Wholesale Effort
Shaun Mayo is co-chairman of Walmart's African-American Resource Group. read more >
Talbert Moves Ahead at SBA (Movers & Shakers)
Jerry Talbert has been appointed as the new deputy director of the U.S. Small Business Administration Arkansas District Office in Little Rock. read more >
Zimmerman Steps Up at Koontz (Movers & Shakers)
Mark Day has retired as executive vice president of finance at Koontz Electric Co. Inc. in Morrilton. The retirement has made room for the promotion of Matthew Zimmerman. read more >
Get Tickets for Arkansas Business' Women's Leadership Summit in Jonesboro
Arkansas Business is holding its first Women's Leadership Summit Oct. 8 in Jonebsoro, and tickets to the virtual event are available now. read more >
Pine Bluff Gets a Sprucing Up
Led by the Saracen Casino Resort, which has a construction value of $215 million, Pine Bluff is seeing growth across the city unlike any in recent years. read more >
Partners Bank Saddles Up for Springdale
The full-service branch in the works at 3632 Johnson Mill Blvd. in Springdale represents the first beyond the Delta for Partners Bank of Helena-West Helena. read more >
Southern Bancorp On the Move
Arkadelphia's Southern Bancorp Bank will be relocating its west Little Rock operations into leased space formerly occupied by the State Bank Department. read more >
West Scenic Complex Visited by $6.2M Sale (Real Deals)
A New Jersey company acquired the North Little Rock apartment properties for $6.25 million from West Scenic Partners LLC of St. Louis. read more >
Growing the Porous Business (Jim Karrh On Marketing)
Business leaders across our state — and the U.S. — are now looking ahead to 2021. Has there ever been a time when strategies and forecasts have felt more tenuous? read more >
Chamber Director Pasha Watson Calculates Mena Value Above Average
Pasha Ross Watson, the Chamber of Commerce chief in Polk County, wants you to know there's more to Mena than its famous airport. read more >
Nicholson Selected to Lead Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (Movers & Shakers)
D. Riley Nicholson, the new executive director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, is originally from Hot Springs, but his professional career has taken him all over the country. read more >
Staton Takes on Commerical Loans at Relyance (Movers & Shakers)
Evan Staton has been hired as commercial loan director by Relyance Bank in Pine Bluff. read more >
Broadaway Moves Forward at Safe Foods (Movers & Shakers)
Blake Broadaway has been promoted to the newly created role of chief commercial officer at Safe Foods Corp. in North Little Rock. read more >
Arkansas Unemployment Drops to 7.1% in July
Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 7.1% in July from 8.1% in June, the state Department of Workforce Services reported Friday. read more >
What Businesses Should Know About Trump's Payroll Tax Deferrals (Clay Glasgow Commentary)
Clay Glasgow shares key considerations for businesses that are preparing for employee payroll tax deferrals allowed under President Trump's recent order. read more >
White Leaders, We Must Get Out of Our Comfort Zones (Gretchen Hall Commentary)
Gretchen Hall, the CEO of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, talks about what concrete action steps her organization is implementing to address systemic racism and inequality. read more >
Circle K Redevelopments Ring Up Combined $6.8M (Real Deals)
A pair of Circle K projects in west Little Rock and North Little Rock changed hands in tandem deals totaling more than $6.8 million. read more >
Stinnett Promoted, Three Hired at WER Architects (Movers & Shakers)
Elizabeth Stinnett has been appointed as a new associate at WER Architects/Planners in Fayetteville. Larry Troillett, Holly Vetsch and Jordan Arrington have joined the firm in Little Rock. read more >
Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses Elects Officers (Movers & Shakers)
Yang Lou-Branch has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses of Rogers, and Young Chun has been elected vice president for one year. read more >
J.B. Hunt Starts Electric Tests
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell made its first delivery with an all-electric tractor Tuesday. read more >
Editors' Picks
