Gaylon Lawrence Jr.

Blytheville’s Farmers Bank & Trust is on its way to becoming the 19th-largest bank in Arkansas after absorbing three Missouri banks. read more >

The pending merger of two northeast Arkansas lenders will create the state’s 35th-largest bank, with total assets of $539 million. read more >

Farmers Bank & Trust of Blytheville and Piggott State Bank of Piggott, both controlled by the Lawrence family, plan to form one $542.3 million-asset lender. read more >

This month, the small Delta community saw the opening of The Louis, a boutique hotel and one of many new businesses starting up in Wilson. read more >

Gov. Asa Hutchinson kicks off the first meeting of his new Blue Ribbon Commission to Report on the Economic Competitiveness of Computing and Data Analytics in Arkansas. read more >

Gov. Asa Hutchinson forms a blue ribbon commission to study how to grow the state's computer science and data analytics sector. The 19-member commission is co-chaired by Acxiom Corp. founder Charles Morgan and Arkansas Economic Development Commission Executive Director Mike Preston. read more >

Call it a loose end in the estate of Gaylon Lawrence Sr. Ownership of the $83.8 million-asset Piggott State Bank in Clay County is passing to his son, Gaylon Lawrence Jr. of Memphis. read more >

Farmers Bank & Trust of Blytheville is deepening its market penetration in Mississippi County with a Wilson location. The branch affords an opportunity that belies the size of the community (population 900). read more >

The Arkansas Research Alliance has named Sonja Hubbard, president and CEO of Texarkana's E-Z Mart Stores Inc., chairman of its board of directors and added four new board members. read more >