Even With Rebranding, Casey Kinsey Keeping Lofty Goals
by Arkansas Business Staff – 3 weeks ago
Lofty Labs is now known simply as Lofty, making its new brand debut at the Northwest Arkansas Tech Summit in late October in Rogers.
Small Business
Hub International Buys Little Rock's Stevens-Dell Insurance
3 weeks ago
Hub International Ltd. of Chicago has purchased Stevens-Dell & Associates Insurance of Little Rock, Stevens-Dell's president confirmed on Monday.
Parham Pointe Apartments Attracts $15.1 Million Sale (Real Deals)
3 weeks ago
An affiliate of Provident Investments of Birmingham, Alabama, acquired the 184-unit apartment project in Little Rock from LFC Properties LLC, led by Larry Williford.
Small Businesses Need Help with Labyrinth of State, Local Laws
State and local laws and ordinances can be vexing for small business owners who find they have a list of requirements to comply with while trying to run their companies. And small companies can find compliance more difficult because they don't have employees whose job is to keep abreast of new requirements. read more >
Arkansas Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 3.5%
Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.5% last month, according to a report by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services. read more >
Here Are Nominees for the 32nd Annual Business of the Year Awards
Arkansas Business announces 35 businesses, nonprofits and executives from around the state as finalists for its 32nd Annual Business of the Year Awards. read more >
Swaffar & Sons Puts Ring on Merger 
Swaffar & Sons, the jewelry business familiar to North Little Rock residents for nearly 40 years, has closed up shop in Lakewood Village. read more >
Cybersecurity Starts With People (Tony Spurlin Commentary)
Cybersecurity for small business is a deliverable. The discussion begins with misconceptions around vulnerability, the nature of cybercrime agents, and the liability businesses may face. read more >
Small Companies, Tech Still Grapple with Lack of Investors
Brett Palmer, president of the Small Business Investor Alliance, says there is a gap in access to capital and closing that gap is critical to economic growth. read more >
Radical Ideas for 2020 (Barry Goldberg On Leadership)
Normally, as we approach year-end, I look for emerging ideas, books or other resources for organizational leaders. Most of those ideas are practical, if a little bit of a stretch. read more >
Anna Tucker Ashton Talks China Trade, Risks and Opportunities
Anna Tucker Ashton, senior director of government affairs at the U.S.-China Business Council, spoke to Arkansas Business on Friday about the trade war and its effects here. read more >
Abernathy: Workforce Improvement the Key to Growing Business in Arkansas
Arkansas must improve its workforce because a skilled labor pool attracts economic development projects, Ted Abernathy said at the annual Arkansas State Chamber/Associated Industries of Arkansas. read more >
Maumelle Towne Centre Sells for $3.2M
Maumelle Towne Centre sold for $3.2 million to 12M Commercial LLC. read more >
Jackie Smith Covers Lots of Ground for Insurance Department
Jackie Smith, the state Insurance Department's consumer protection manager, urges consumers to know what's in their policies. read more >
US Consumer Confidence Falls for Third Consecutive Month
U.S. consumer confidence fell for a third consecutive month in October as optimism about job prospects and business conditions down the road grew weaker. read more >
Discovery Farms Program Helps Farmers Save Money While Saving Face
The Arkansas Discovery Farms Program is giving farmers data to help them farm sustainably, which, in turn, increases profitability, participating farmers and other state agriculture experts say. read more >
Trade War Cuts Deep in Arkansas
The U.S.-China trade war is being fought in the forests and mill towns of Arkansas as tariffs take their toll on the hardwood lumber industry. So far, state lumbermen say, they've been able to absorb most of the losses, but a day of reckoning is coming. read more >
Trustee Alleges Fraud in Farmers' Bankruptcy
A couple who farmed in Monroe County allegedly tried to shield assets from creditors before filing a multimillion-dollar bankruptcy, according to a lawsuit filed last month by a bankruptcy trustee. read more >
Herbology Sets Tentative Date: Little Rock Cannabis Dispensary Coming Nov. 7
Little Rock's first cannabis dispensary has set a tentative opening date of Nov. 7, ahead of state plans to punish medical marijuana outlets it sees as dragging their feet on starting operations. read more >
Asian Businesses Association to Host U.S.-China Trade Workshop
The Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses will host a workshop on the U.S.-China trade dispute and its effect on the Arkansas economy on Nov. 7 in Little Rock. read more >
NWA Tech Summit Kicks Off With Focus On 'What's Next, After Next'
The four-day Northwest Arkansas Tech Summit kicked off its first full day on Monday amid blown-out windows in the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers and downed trees in the parking lot, evidence of the strong overnight storms. read more >
Small Arkansas Banks Plow Onward in Face of Attrition
If an annual trophy was given for the Arkansas bank voted least likely to survive, Community State Bank in Bradley could very well be a multiyear winner. read more >
Blinds Business Sale Opens Window to Lawsuits, Bankruptcy
The $2.9 million sale of a Benton County custom blinds company has left wreckage in its wake, with the buyers filing for personal bankruptcy and the sellers suing the deal's broker, alleging fraud. read more >
Update: Tech After Five Lands in Little Rock
The Arkansas Center for Data Sciences is hosting monthly Tech After Five events in Little Rock. read more >
Williams, Yarnell Named to Top Slots for Union Bankshares (Movers & Shakers)
Kevin Williams has been appointed president of Union Bank of Mena, and Jarrod Yarnell has been named chief executive officer of Union Bankshares, the holding company for Union Bank and First National Bank of Paris. read more >
U.S. Household Debt Reaches $13.67 Trillion
Household debt in the United States rose for the 19th straight quarter, reaching $13.67 trillion as of March 31. It's now 7.8% or $993 billion higher than the previous peak of $12.68 trillion, reached in the third quarter of 2008. read more >
Clean, Renewable Energy Fosters Economic Development (Commentary)
Enthusiasm is high for solar power, with new financing options and opportunity zones, featured in recent announcements, news headlines and public dialogue. But one solution worth pursuing would combine all three while facilitating economic growth in struggling areas. read more >
Three Banks Offering $30M in Loans for Springdale Projects
Arvest Bank, United Bank and First Security Bank will work with the Downtown Springdale Alliance to make available a total of $30 million to small businesses and investors for Downtown Springdale Master Plan projects. read more >
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson to Speak at Little Rock Chamber Meeting
The Little Rock Regional Chamber says AT&T CEO Randall L. Stephenson will speak at its Dec. 4 annual meeting. read more >
The Computer Hut Acquires iTechs in Jonesboro
The company said the new location allows it to extend its information technology product and managed service offerings to northeast Arkansas and beyond. read more >
Oyster Bar Real Estate Sells for $800K
The most recent set of real estate transactions includes a restaurant, liquor store and land. read more >
UA Team Takes Top Prize in Venture Center's JOLT Event
The University of Arkansas student team called "That Team Over There" took the top prize in the Venture Center's 2019 JOLT Cyber Challenge that ended Sunday. read more >
Robert Bahn Honored for Small Business Work (Movers & Shakers)
Robert Bahn of Jonesboro was honored as a 2019 state star at the 39th annual America's Small Business Development Centers conference in Long Beach, California. read more >
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