Arkansas Business articles from April 2005

Arkansas Business archives from April 2005

Meyer's name gone from last bakeries.
April 4, 2005... ON MARCH 17, A BANKruptcy judge approved the sale of the last pieces of Meyer's Bakeries Inc. of Hope, ending the 94-year history of a pioneering company that started to crumble after it was sold to a New York investment firm in 1999. Four...

Grunt work pays off for interns: baseball G.M. wannabes get hands dirty.(Job Training)
April 4, 2005... THE SEEMINGLY GLAMorous life of a career in professional baseball begins with the Boys of Summer arriving at 72-year-old Ray Winder Field in early March, toting little more than overstuffed suitcases and comfortable ball caps ready to soak up...

Apprentice programs growing: demand for skilled tradesmen growing faster.(Job Training)
April 4, 2005... LISTENING TO GENERAL contractors is like listening to a broken record: Just not enough young people are interested in going into the building trades, they say. But "not enough" is relative. Construction is booming, especially in the...

John Lewis II.(Whispers)
April 4, 2005... Maybe you saw that John Lewis is retiring as CEO of the Bank of Fayetteville. That reminded us that another John Lewis also announced his resignation recently: John Lewis of Little Rock, who had been CEO of Ram Venture Holding Corp. ...

Auction averted.(Whispers)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Bryan Pitts, president of his family's Beach Abstract & Guaranty Co. in Little Rock, has avoided having his downtown condo auctioned off on the steps of the Pulaski County Courthouse. One Bank & Trust was granted a foreclosure decree...

Arena blues.(Whispers)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... After officially recording its most successful year to date in 2004, the Alltel Arena will soon be stripped of any additional state funding. SB 820, a measure introduced by Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, and backed by Sen. Tracy Steele,...

The name says it all.(Whispers)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Future business owners looking for the right company name should turn to a group of Little Rock investors. Edward Frost of Little Rock and three relatives registered their new name in February: We Don't Work No More Partnership LLC. ...

What happened?
April 4, 2005... LAST AUGUST 1T LOOKED LIKE Osceola in Mississippi County was a solid bet to land a $700 million steel mill that would employ 450 workers earning $70,000 a year. Last month, it appeared to be a sure deal for the state of Mississippi. What...

Hoback and Mikell.
April 4, 2005... MAYBE PRESIDENT BUSH really does think that all Americans would be better off if they could personally control more of their own retirement investing. And maybe he didn't read about Leroy Hoback and Bruce Mikell. As Arkansasbusiness.com...

Pricing myths and musts.(On Marketing)(Column)
April 4, 2005... WHETHER YOU'RE DEALING in products or services, or whether you're big or "small, your business needs to make good decisions about prices. However, among the major areas of marketing, pricing is the least researched and least understood. There...

Three new plants, but one to close.(Industry)(K-Tops Plastic Manufacturing )
April 4, 2005... There was both good news and bad news in the manufacturing sector last week. Two new plants announced they would be moving to the state, while Baldor Electrics Co. said it would move a California plant to Fort Smith. The bad news was a plant at...

Projects under way at Little Rock Airport.(Transportation)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Two major projects are in the works at Little Rock National Airport. Work gets under way Monday on a $2.7 million upgrade of the second level of the airport's terminal, including the concourse. And Central Flying Service has plans for...

Murphy Oil CEO gets raise, $1.6 million bonus.(Energy)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Murphy Oil Corp. President and CEO Claiborne Deming received a 6.67 percent raise in 2004, lifting his salary to $955,000, and took home a $1.6 million bonus, according to the El Dorado oil corporation's proxy filed with the Securities and...

Wal-Mart director resigns after internal investigation.(Retail)
April 4, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said one of its directors, Thomas H. Coughlin, resigned after the retailer conducted an internal investigation into alleged unauthorized use of corporate-owned gift cards and reimbursements obtained with false information....

Deltic's Dillon receives $600,000 in compensation.(Forestry)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Ray C. Dillon, president and CEO of Deltic Timber Corp., received more than $600,000 in compensation, according to a proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dillon received a salary of $358,334 and a $270,000...

Jonesboro dialysis clinic closes on TruCare buy.(Health Care)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... U.S. Renal Care Inc. of Jonesboro, an outpatient dialysis provider, on Wednesday said it completed a deal to purchase a majority interest in TruCare, a three-year-old company in the Rio Grande area of Texas that also operates dialysis centers....

Education meeting set for Little Rock.(Education)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... The Education Commission of the States, a national, nonprofit organization that helps public and education officials develop public policies to improve student learning, will hold its spring steering committee meeting at Little Rock on April...

Communications group to open Fayetteville office.(NW journal: a look at news from Northwest Arkansas)(Paschall Strategic Communications)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Paschall Strategic Communications of Little Rock will open an office on the fourth floor of the E.J. Ball Building in downtown Fayetteville in mid-April. Steven Hinds, vice president of marketing and public relations for Arvest Bank in...

Citizens Bank mixes up marketing strategy.(NW journal: a look at news from Northwest Arkansas)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Van Buren's Citizens Bank & Trust Co. is looking for pay dirt with a big-name spokesman. Actually, Matt Jones, the former University of Arkansas at Fayetteville football quarterback, will probably be better known nationwide after the April...

House passes art museum bill.(NW journal: a look at news from Northwest Arkansas)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... The Arkansas House of Representatives passed on March 21 a bill that would exempt a new $30 million nonprofit museum with $100 million in artwork from having to pay the state's 6 percent sales tax on the acquisition of artwork. House Bill...

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers, Oklahoma Association of Mortgage Brokers, along with several Arkansas housing/community development organizations, will hold a Mid-America Mortgage Expo in Hot Springs on April 14-16.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * The National Association of Mortgage Brokers, Oklahoma Association of Mortgage Brokers, along with several Arkansas housing/community development organizations, will hold a Mid-America Mortgage Expo in Hot Springs on April 14-16. The Expo...

Dr Jocelyn Elders, the former U.S. Surgeon General, has been appointed to Philander Smith College's Board of Trustees and will deliver the keynote address for the 128th commencement ceremony to be held May 7 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * Dr Jocelyn Elders, the former U.S. Surgeon General, has been appointed to Philander Smith College's Board of Trustees and will deliver the keynote address for the 128th commencement ceremony to be held May 7 at the Statehouse Convention...

ThermoEnergy Corp., the Little Rock wastewater technology company, has engaged Nixon Peabody LLP of New York as its general legal counsel.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * ThermoEnergy Corp., the Little Rock wastewater technology company, has engaged Nixon Peabody LLP of New York as its general legal counsel. Nixon Peabody is one of the largest law firms in the U.S. with offices in 15 cities and more than 600...

Nearly 30 trade and agriculture organizations have asked Congress to remove the barriers to agriculture exports posed by a new Treasury Department rule that went into effect last week restricting the financial terms of cash sales for agricultural products being exported to Cuba.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * Nearly 30 trade and agriculture organizations have asked Congress to remove the barriers to agriculture exports posed by a new Treasury Department rule that went into effect last week restricting the financial terms of cash sales for...

FBI.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * Some 3 million truck drivers who haul flammable, combustible, radioactive or poisonous cargo will begin to be fingerprinted, put through FBI criminal background checks and their names cross-referenced with federal databases on terrorist...

Arkansas Tech University's Professional Development Institute and Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions are holding a seminar on the "Principles of Lean Manufacturing for Office and Administration" on April 19 at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center at Arkansas Tech.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * Arkansas Tech University's Professional Development Institute and Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions are holding a seminar on the "Principles of Lean Manufacturing for Office and Administration" on April 19 at the Ross Pendergraft Library and...

The $7.6 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour will stop at Beaver Lake at Rogers April 13-16 for the eighth annual Wal-Mart Open Powered by Tyson.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * The $7.6 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour will stop at Beaver Lake at Rogers April 13-16 for the eighth annual Wal-Mart Open Powered by Tyson. Hosted by the Rogers Advertising and Promotion Commission, the $1.25 million tournament features 400...

Murphy Oil Corp. said its Saphir Marine #1 and Onyx Marine #1 exploration wells found no significant hydrocarbons drilling in the Mer Profonde Sud block off the Republic of Congo.(Business Briefs)
April 4, 2005... * Murphy Oil Corp. said its Saphir Marine #1 and Onyx Marine #1 exploration wells found no significant hydrocarbons drilling in the Mer Profonde Sud block off the Republic of Congo. The company's first well in the region, Azurite Marine #1, was...

Alltel Corp.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * Alltel Corp. is now offering its Axcess Broadband service to wireless customers in Tampa, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. The service lets users access the Internet with bursts up to 2.4 Mbps and average speeds of 300 to 500 Kbps. The three...

Bank of the Ozarks Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... * Bank of the Ozarks Inc. broke ground last week on its first permanent full-service bank office at 5202 Summerhill Road in Texarkana. The bank currently has three Texas offices in Texarkana, Frisco and Dallas, but all are operating in...

Potlatch mill tells turnaround story.
April 4, 2005... WANT TO LEARN HOW TO turn a good company into a much better one? A good starting point would be the story of Potlatch Corp.'s Cypress Bend Mill at McGehee. The mill's management team spent nearly four hours telling the 85 who signed up...

More condominiums coming to downtown Fayetteville.
April 4, 2005... THE BARBER GROUP INC. HAS spent $1 million for a warehouse in Fayetteville. The next step: Tear it down and build $10 million worth of condominiums in its place. The development company bought the 75-year old, 15,000-SF building at 401...

Training magazine names J.B. Hunt, Alltel to list.(Job Training Notes)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., one of the nation's largest transportation logistics providers, and Alltel Corp., on of the nation's largest telecommunication companies, were the only two Arkansas companies named to the 2005 Training Top 100...

Harding OKs online MBA degree.(Job Training Notes)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Harding University has approved a master's of business administration degree that will be offered entirely online beginning in August. The school has offered online courses since 1998 but the use of online courses was limited to 49 percent...

Survey shows shortage of skilled employees.(Job Training Notes)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Finding and retaining qualified labor is one of the biggest challenges facing companies both locally and throughout the country, especially in today's fastest-growing businesses. To identify the skills that lead to better career...

Dress for success prepares women for work from outside in.(Job Training)
April 4, 2005... WEARING A GRAY FLANNEL business suit, Tracy Hageman will interview this week for a job with the Internal Revenue Service--a job she is confident she will get, in no small way because she looks the part. Hageman says she is qualified for the...

Wal-Mart gains on largest employer, state government.(List Overview)
April 4, 2005... WAL-MART STORES INC. continues to gain on the Arkansas state government for the top spot on the list of Arkansas' largest employers. The Bentonville retail giant added more than 2,500 jobs in the state this past year, thanks to new store...

Arkansas business list: largest employers.(Job Training)(Illustration)
April 4, 2005... ARKANSAS BUSINESS LIST: LARGEST EMPLOYERS Ranked by number of employees in Arkansas Employer 2005 2004 Address, Phone Employment Employment 1 Arkansas State...

Serendipities Sugar-Free Desserts LLC.(New businesses: a listing of business start-ups in Arkansas)(Company Profile)
April 4, 2005... SERENDIPITIES SUGAR-FREE DESSERTS LLC Owner: Angela Strickland Address: 103 E. Seventh St., Suite 115, Little Rock 72201 Phone: (501) 372-9911 Hours: 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday Startup: January 2005 E-mail:...

Lauren J.(New businesses: a listing of business start-ups in Arkansas)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
April 4, 2005... LAUREN J Owner: Jaime Morrisette Ragar and Amy Davis Address: 3507 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock 72116 Phone: (501) 771-9066 Fax: (501) 771-7724 Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday Start-up:...

Nash Realty.(New businesses: a listing of business start-ups in Arkansas)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
April 4, 2005... NASH REALTY Owner: Eric Nash Address: 414 N. McKinley, Suite 1048, Little Rock 72205 Phone: (501) 671-6274 Fax: (501) 671-6941 E-mail: nashrealty1@sbcglobal.net Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday Startup: March...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 4, 2005... APRIL * 6--National Park Community College Job Fair Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Location: National Park Community College, Hot Springs For more information, call (501) 760-4246. * 14--Northwest Arkansas Expo Time: 10 a.m-4...

Virginia A. Bachman has been given the 2005 Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education award by the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants.(Accounting)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Virginia A. Bachman has been given the 2005 Distinguished Achievement in Accounting Education award by the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Bachman is an associate accounting professor at Arkansas Tech University in...

Thomas & Thomas.(Accounting)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Nickole Ellis and Jenny Williams have been promoted to managers of the audit department of Thomas & Thomas of Little Rock. Jennifer Tucker has been promoted to audit supervisor, Leigh Pruss to senior accountant-audit, Josh Verdell to senior...

Hudson Cisne & Co.(Accounting)(appointment of Cheryl L. Hicks)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Cheryl L. Hicks has joined the firm of Hudson Cisne & Co. of Little Rock and will work in both audit and tax. Hicks previously worked for Leek & Associates of Little Rock.

Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects Ltd.(Architecture)(appointment of Aaron Morrissey)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Aaron Morrissey has joined Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects Ltd. in Little Rock. Morrissey previously worked as maintenance technician for Moses Tucker Real Estate.

Staffmark.(Business Services)(appointment of Clay Bullock )(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Clay Bullock has been named president and chief operating officer for Staffmark in Little Rock. Bullock previously worked as chief operating officer for the company.

University of Arkansas.(Education)(appointment of Peter Pulay)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Peter Pulay has been appointed to the Mildred Cooper Chair in Bioinformatics Research at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Pulay has authored over 200 publications and was the recipient of an Alexander von Humbolt Senior Scientist...

Simmons First National Bank.(Financial Services)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Calvin C. Tichy has been promoted to vice president, Lulu Mitchell to vice president and J. Gail Lingo to operations officer at Simmons First National Bank in Pine Bluff. C. Darren Wyatt was promoted to assistant vice president at the bank's...

Arkansas Children's Hospital.(Health Care)(appointment of Lisa M. Buckmiller)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Lisa M. Buckmiller has been named to the Benjamin and Milton Waner, MD, Endowed Chair in Pediatric Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Buckmiller is the clinical director of the vascular...

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.(Health Care)(appoitment of Ann Turney)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Ann Turney has been named director of development for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy in Little Rock. Turney previously worked at Hendrix College in Conway.

American College of Bankruptcy.(Legal)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Charles T. Coleman of Wright Lindsey & Jennings of Little Rock has been inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy in Washington, D.C. The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary professional and educational association of...

Arkansas Bar Association.(Legal)(appointment of Karen Hutchins)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Karen Hutchins has been named continuing legal education director of the Arkansas Bar Association. Hutchins, a Little Rock attorney in private practice, previously held management and instruction positions at the University of Phoenix.

Hall Manufacturing.(Manufacturing)(appointment of Jeff Cauley)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Jeff Cauley has joined Hall Manufacturing in North Little Rock as a sales associate.

Thoma Thoma.(Marketing/Media)(appointment of Julie von Gremp)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Julie von Gremp has been named design team leader for Thoma Thoma in Little Rock. Von Gremp is a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Rainey Realty.(Real Estate)(appointment of Anthony Elerson)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Anthony Elerson has joined the sales staff of Rainey Realty in Little Rock.

Gayle Odom, principal broker and owner of Gayle Odom & Associates Real Estate in Maumelle, was awarded the Graduate Realtor Institute.(Real Estate)(appointment of Gayle Odom)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Gayle Odom, principal broker and owner of Gayle Odom & Associates Real Estate in Maumelle, was awarded the Graduate Realtor Institute designation from the Arkansas Realtors Association.

Lindsey Software.(Technology)(appointment of Dave McGough)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Dave McGough has been named director of marketing for Lindsey Software and will in the North Little Rock office. McGough is a former public relations accountant for Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods in Little Rock.

Stock summary.
April 4, 2005... STOCK SUMMARY 3/30/05 Weekly YTD Arkansas Public Company Stocks Close Change Change Acxiom Corp. (ACXM) 20.90 -0.81% -20.83% A.E.R.T....

At any rate.(Outtakes: an inside look into Arkansas media)
April 4, 2005... Nielsen Media Research Inc.'s first television ratings book of 2005 is in and there's a new leader in the 10 p.m. battleground slot. KATV-TV, Channel 7, succeeded in closing the miniscule gap by which KTHV-TV, Channel 11, won that timeslot...

Outtake on outtakes.(Outtakes: an inside look into Arkansas media)(obituary of Floyd Carl)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 4, 2005... In last week's Outtakes, we pulled a small piece from the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal that reported an observation about how the Northwest Arkansas Times paid tribute to the passing of a longtime employee. True, there was no...

Darwin dilemma.(Outtakes: an inside look into Arkansas media)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... An Associated Press story out of Charleston, S.C., last week reported that theaters in "several" Southern cities have opted to pass on showing a film about volcanoes that makes "potentially offensive" references to evolution. "Volcanoes of...

'Original recycler' turns 115: A. Tenenbaum Co. making hay while sun shines on steel prices.(Family Business)
April 11, 2005... A. Tenenbaum Co. IS 115 years old, but a year and a half of sky-high steel prices have made these the salad days. The North Little Rock scrap dealer's third-generation owner, Harold Tenenbaum, has learned never to predict how long the...

By any name, Brent & Sam's tastes as sweet.(Family Business)
April 11, 2005... You might bite into a Brent & Sam's cookie and not even know it. The North Little Rock cookie manufacturer has quietly picked up several national accounts to bake cookies under retailers' private labels. Some of the high-profile accounts...

Two fired Wal-Mart executives named in Texas probe.(Kenneth Reese)(Terry Pharr)
April 11, 2005... Two former executives of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have been named in documents generated during a criminal fraud investigation in Texas, but neither man was a suspect as of March 21. Kenneth Reese, former director of operations for Wal-Mart's...

Going, going, gone.(Whispers)(One Bank and Trust of Little Rock, which held a second mortgage claim, gained title to the 5,800-SF house with a high bid of $1.7 million)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... An uber-leveraged home near the Country Club of Little Rock is under new ownership after a $1.7 million fore-closure sale. One Bank & Trust of Little Rock, which held a second mortgage claim, gained title to the 5,800-SF house with a high...

Doubletake.(Whispers)(Gary M. Kornman sold an illegal tax-shelter strategy to wealthy clients)(Heritage Organization LLC)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... Forbes magazine, April 11 issue, contains a fascinating article called "Leaky Shelters" about a Dallas lawyer named Gary M. Kornman who sold an illegal tax-shelter strategy to wealthy clients all over the country through a company called...

Historic proposal.(Whispers)(Twin City Bank to buy the Masonic Lodge)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... Heard about a would-be historic redevelopment in the Hillcrest area of Little Rock? Twin City Bank of North Little Rock has a purchase contract in place to buy the Masonic Lodge near the northeast corner of Kavanaugh Boulevard and...

Generally speaking.(Whispers)(Wesley Clark)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark testified Wednesday before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and, as befits a Democrat who had hoped to unseat President George W. Bush, he offered some pointed criticism of the administration's handling of the...

Wild ride.(Whispers)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... Remember Wild River Country's well-publicized financial troubles that led it to being the first business in the state to be shut down for nonpayment of sales taxes in January? At the time, the Arkansas Department of Finance &...

Tax liens.(Whispers)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... Our vision might not be 20/20, but four tax liens are hard to miss. Dr. Hampton Roy's Little Rock company, Hampton Roy Eye Center, owes DF&A more than $49,000 for non-payment of sales taxes, according to court documents. The state of...

New project.(Whispers)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... A commercial redevelopment is in the works for a west Little Rock residential property after a $1.35 million acquisition. Phillips Development Corp. of Little Rock, led by Elizabeth Small, purchased the 3,182-SF house on 4 acres at 14916...

Correction.(Whispers)(Correction Notice)
April 11, 2005... K. Kevin Sabin, not Rob Brothers, is the chief executive of Arvest Bank, as was incorrectly reported in Arkansas Business' April 4 issue in the list of the state's largest employers. Arvest Bank is at 1 McIlroy Plaza, Fayetteville 72701. The...

IRAs forever.(individual retirement account)(Editorial)
April 11, 2005... Last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an Arkansas bankruptcy case was a big win for anyone with an individual retirement account. The Supreme Court ruled that creditors cannot seize IRAs in bankruptcy proceedings. In a unanimous...

Good line, but ...(State House of Representatives approved a bill that would create a state Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 11, 2005... Before the State House of Representatives approved a bill that would create a state Department of Agriculture last week, at least one of the arguments presented against the measure gave us cause to smile. Although we're not entirely...

Smart moves.(Publisher's Note)
April 11, 2005... Alltel Arena celebrated its five-year anniversary in October, and I'm past due to congratulate Michael Marion and his staff in guiding the facility to a level of success that was hard to imagine. There was never a doubt that central...

Preparing a family business for the next generation.(Column)
April 11, 2005... Business owners often dream that the company they coddled and nurtured from the ground up will succeed beyond their own lifetime. In passing on the legacy, they hope their own children will reap some of the financial and emotional benefits they...

Royal acquisition.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(BLC Real Estate LLC)(Royal Inn)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... The foreclosure sale of a 111-room motel in southwest Little Rock checked in at $1.76 million. BLC Real Estate LLC of New York bought the Royal Inn at 2401 W. 65th St. The 2.5-acre development previously was tied to a pair of January...

Tire transaction.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Donnie's Foreign Car Service Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... A commercial project in west Little Rock tipped the scales at $1.1 million. Donnie's Foreign Car Service Inc., led by Donald Van Patter, acquired the auto service shop at 104 Markham Park Drive. The seller is Best Tire Co., led by Dewey...

Value purchase.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(VP Partners 2 LLC)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... A 120-room extended-stay project is in motion in west Little Rock after a $665,000 land deal. VP Partners 2 LLC, led by Christopher Whitt, purchased the 3.6-acre site near the southeast corner of Interstate 430 and Col. Glenn Road. The...

Charter expansion.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Maumelle Public Facilities Board bought the Academics Plus Charter School property)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... A 1.3-acre academic expansion in Maumelle followed a $600,000 deal. Maumelle Public Facilities Board, led by Richard Jeffrey, bought the Academics Plus Charter School property at 127 Lake Pointe Place from Bob and Shannon Fewell. The deal...

Medical space.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... MEDICAL SPACE: A new 114,250-SF office building is taking shape on the campus of Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. The four-story structure, which should be completed in November 2005, weighs in at $13.5 million. Nabholz Construction...

Tile location.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... A North Little Rock commercial property changed hands in a $465,000 deal. IBS Properties LLC, led by Bret Diez, acquired the Dal-Tile project at 10 Maumelle Curve Court. The seller is Mid-America Management Associates LLC, led by William...

Assembly required.(Real Deals: A Look at Important Real Estate Transactions)(Brief Article)
April 11, 2005... A near 1-acre residential property was added to a commercial assembly puzzle in a $450,000 deal. Pleasant Ridge Development Co., led by Lou Schickel, purchased the 2,058-SF home at 11611 Summit from Michael and Jennifer Fitzpatrick. It's...