Arkansas Business articles from January 2003

Arkansas Business archives from January 2003

Car-Mart shifts gears: company takes buy here/pay here plan national.
January 6, 2003... AT AMERICA'S CAR-MART, EXPERIENCED salesmen need not apply. That's because the company's primary focus is financing. "We typically don't hire people who have been in the car business," said Hank Henderson, president of Bentonville-based...

Magnolia unsure if Wal-Mart helps, hurts.
January 6, 2003... LIKE MANY COMMUNITIES across the country, Magnolia has greeted the impending arrival of a Wal-Mart Supercenter with mixed emotions. Wal-Mart supporters look forward to the new jobs and a likely increase in sales tax revenue that the world's...

Mail-order Rx firms broker cheap drugs.(web sites offer mail-order prescription drugs from Canada)
January 6, 2003... SINCE MID-SEPTEMBER, Sean Bars has been operating a Web site that helps consumers buy drugs from Canadian pharmacies. Sherwood resident Jim McGuire also serves as a go-between for consumers and Canadian pharmacies, but his business is...

Change in decor? (Whispers).(Tradeam may acquire Brandon House Furniture Co.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Showroom talk is making the rounds that Little Rock's Brandon House Furniture Co. is undergoing a change in its ownership structure. An outfit out of Atlanta, Tradeam, is said to be acquiring a 75 percent stake in the firm. Attempts...

Frankel legacy lives on. (Whispers).(Martin Frankel, companies dismissed without prejudice in lawsuit)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Moore's Jacksonville Funeral Home, Chapel Hill Memorial Park and Old Southwest Life Insurance have been dismissed without prejudice as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against several Little Rock attorneys and accountants. The suit alleges the...

Back drop info. (Whispers).(Franklin American Life Insurance Co., Martin Frankel case)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... In December 2001, the state Insurance Department filed charges against three Tennessee men for the illegal transfer of $5.3 million from Franklin American Life Insurance Co., parent company of Old Southwest, a burial insurance company. The...

Honda repos taxed. (Whispers).(American Honda Finance Corp. sues Department of Finance and Administration)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Honda is trying to recover $337,000 in Arkansas sales tax it says was included in car loans for cars Honda later repossessed. The American Honda Finance Corp. has sued the state Department of Finance and Administration, saying it should be...

Big house. (Whispers).(Joseph Blankenship and Brenda Blankenship purchase Chenal Circle manor )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A manor on west Little Rock's exclusive Chenal Circle changed hands for $1.6 million. Joseph and Brenda Blankenship bought the house, with more than 7,646-SE The sellers were Joe White Jr. and his wife, Kimberly.

Shopping Injury. (Whispers).(Kroger's fined $100,000 for injury claim)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A Pulaski County jury recently awarded a Little Rock woman $100,000 because she was injured while shopping at Kroger's in 1996. Mildred Smith said a display fell on her while she was at the company's Baseline and Geyer Springs roads store,...

Furniture Factory foray. (Whispers).(Furniture Factory opens outlets in Sherwood and Bryant )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Have you heard about the two Furniture Factory Outlet stores under construction on Warden Road in Sherwood and at Pricket Road and Interstate 30 in Bryant? The stores are expected to be about 25,000-SF each and should be complete by...

Vesta's moving. (Whispers).(Vesta's Unique Gifts and Home Furnishings moving)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Vesta's Unique Gifts and Home Furnishings at 300 E. Markham St. in the River Market District is closing. Owner Melissa Tanner said her lease is up, and she is moving her upscale clothing and gift boutique to the Colonnade Shopping Center on...

Doctor's orders. (Whispers).(Psychiatarist reportedly charged insurance company for treating his own children)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield is suing a Little Rock psychiatrist who treated his children and then billed the insurance company $44,600. ABCBS said Dr. James C. Dilday "purportedly provided" services to his minor children between...

Video late fees. (Whispers).(Family Entertainment Superstores in debt)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A local movie rental store's bills are stacked as high as its video shelves. According to court records, Family Entertainment Superstores Inc. at 7612 North Hills Blvd. in North Little Rock, owes one of its suppliers nearly $60,000 for "goods,...

Delta funds. (Editorial).( Delta Regional Authority lacks funding and direction)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... IT CAME AS NO REAL SURPRISE to hear that the Delta Regional Authority, the federal economic development program created to help the poverty-stricken areas along the Mississippi Delta, lacks crucial funding and organizational guidelines. In...

Resolutions. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... DESPITE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUtions being a time-honored tradition, we gather that they've fallen on hard times. Few people seem to make them anymore. But for those in the business world, they can be useful tools. It's a good time to take...

On tax cuts and war. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... WHO KNOWS BETTER HOW to solve the problems the nation will face this year -- President Bush or the American people? We were somewhat intrigued by an Associated Press poll that showed, by a 2-to-1 margin, that Americans think it's wise to...

Losing streak. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 6, 2003... THE BEAR MARKET'S LOSING streak has stretched to three years, the first time that has happened since 1939, 1940 and 1941. Yes, it's one of the longest on record, but since Santa didn't bring the asked-for crystal ball, don't ask us what...

Trust me. (Editor's Note).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... GET READY: THE INEVITABLE flood of litigation related to the life and death of M. David Howell Jr. has started with a trickle. The first lawsuit was filed on Oct. 16 by Bank of America, which had honored almost $2 million worth of Howell's...

Businesses matter more than ever. (Commentary).(Column)
January 6, 2003... IT'S BEEN A DIFFICULT YEAR. Terrorists struck at our hearts more than a year ago, and the resulting war may last a decade or more. Iraq looms. The market see-saws. Alan Greenspan tells us the economy's in a "soft patch." Corporate crooks in...

Multi-multifamily sale. (Real Deals).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A quartet of west Little Rock apartment projects combined for a $38 million transaction ($36,570 per unit). The projects involved Foxrun, 337 units at 1912 Green Mountain Drive; Walnut Ridge, 252 units at 1601 N. Shackleford Road; Greenwood...

Apartment land. (Real Deals).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A 168-unit apartment project in Maumelle is in motion after a 9.4-acre land deal closed at $761,000. Maumelle Housing Associates Ltd., led by Rod Coleman, bought the site on Commercial Park Drive, off Maumelle Boulevard, from Eugene...

Apartment land II. (Real Deals).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A 15-acre site in North Little Rock changed hands in a $626,000 deal. Richdale Apartments Partnership purchased the land along Crystal Hills Road west of Interstate 430. The seller is Riverview Development LLC, led by Billy Randall Machen....

Bank location. (Real Deals).(Regions Bank buys 1.5-acre site)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A 1.5-acre bank branch Site in west Little Rock tipped the scales at $671,000. Regions Bank acquired the site on the north side of Highway 10 west of Taylor Loop Road from Starmax Properties Ltd., led by S. Barksdale McKay, $447,333; and...

Foreclosed project. (Real Deals).(Church's Fried Chicken foreclosure sale)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A fast-food project in west Little Rock was recovered at a $300,000 foreclosure sale. GEF 98-C LLC, led by Gary J. Garrett, purchased the Church's Fried Chicken location at 8815 Kanis Commercial Drive. The half-acre development...

Pleasant abode. (Real Deals).(Pleasant Valley house goes for $520,000)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A 3,935-SF home in west Little Rock's Pleasant Valley neighborhood drew a $520,000 purchase price. Stephen Selakovich acquired the house from the Margaret Hendricks Revocable Trust. The deal is financed with a 30-year loan of $300,700 from...

Estate lots. (Real Deals).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Three residential lots in west Little Rock's Valley Falls Estates neighborhood sold for $690,000. 3-B Holdings Inc., led by Joe Blankenship, bought the property from VFE LLC, led by Rich Ferguson. The land previously was tied to an...

Maumelle financing. (Real Deals).(Capitol Development of Arkansas Inc. receives loan)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... About 250 acres in Maumelle were used to help secure a $4 million funding agreement. Capitol Development of Arkansas Inc., led by Michael Todd, obtained the two-year loan from Boca First Capital LLP of Boca Raton, Fla. The property was...

Compost loan. (Real Deals).(American Composting Inc.)
January 6, 2003... An east Pulaski County enterprise nabbed a $1.7 million financial package. American Composting Inc., led by George Wilcox, secured the 12-year loan from Arkansas Capital Corp. of Little Rock. The 85-plus acre location on Faulkner Lake...

Ramada funding. (Real Deals).(Ramada Inn of Jacksonville recieves loan)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The owner of a 93-room motel in Jacksonville picked up a $531,250 mortgage. Ramada Inn of Jacksonville Inc., led by Bait Gray Jr., received the one-year loan from First Arkansas Bank & Trust of Jacksonville. The corporation recovered...

Radisson mortgage. (Real Deals).(Little Rock hotel receives funding)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The owner of a downtown Little Rock hotel landed a $500,000 funding agreement. Superior Lodging Inc., led by Atul Patel, obtained the five-year loan from Reelfoot Bank of Union City, Tenn. The 262-room Radisson Hotel City Center at 617...

Arkansas companies make Forbes list. (Inside Business).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Four Arkansas-based public companies are listed among Forbes magazine's Platinum List, which measures companies with more than $1 billion in revenue by long- and short-term financial performance. The list appears in the magazine's Jan. 6...

Hamburg bank subject of hearing. (Inside Business).(safety and soundness hearing for Farmers Bank )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said last week that Farmers Bank at Hamburg would be the subject of a safety and soundness hearing in Memphis on Jan. 28. The exact nature of the charges against the FINANCE bank were not revealed, but...

Stolen checks begin turning up. (Inside Business).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Cashiers checks that have been missing from the Nashville (Howard County) branch of Diamond State Bank of Murfreesboro for six months have shown up in Tennessee and Florida in recent weeks, bank president John Ross said. The Federal...

Judge throws out Tobacco Board's fine. (Inside Business).(convenience store charged with giving rebates on cigarettes)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge threw out the Arkansas Tobacco Control Board's $225,000 fine against a convenience store manager for receiving what the board said was rebates on cigarettes. The Tobacco Control Board had said Brenda...

Arkansas stocks: big gains, big losers. (Inside Business).
January 6, 2003... For all of those singing the blues over the weak stock market, Arkansas Business offers a look at what some of the 27 public companies based in the state did in 2002. The state's newest publicly traded company, America's Car-Mart of...

Steve Forbes to speak at LR chamber luncheon. (Inside Business).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes Inc. and a former presidential candidate, is scheduled to speak at a special luncheon Tuesday at the ballroom of The Peabody Little Rock. Forbes will speak about his economic development outlook and...

Harrah's completes Louisiana deal. (Inside Business).(buys Louisiana Downs horse racetrack)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas has completed its acquisition of a controlling interest in Louisiana Downs, the bossier City, La., thoroughbred racetrack. The agreement gives Harrah's a 95 percent stake in a company that now owns...

AgriTec Systems plans Stuttgart plant. (Inside Business).(liquid sodium silicate and activated carbon products from rice hull ash)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... AgriTec Systems Inc. of Webster, Texas, in a joint venture with Producers Rice Mill at Stuttgart, plans to build a manufacturing plant using patented technology for producing liquid sodium silicate and activated carbon products from rice hull...

UALR gets grant for NASA program. (Inside Business).(University of Arkansas at Little Rock to develop dust particle analyzer for Mars exploration )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received $703,400 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop a dust particle analyzer to be used in future trips to Mars. UALR submitted its dust particle analyzer...

UA Small Business center serves 100th client. (Inside Business).(University of Arkansas)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Small Business Development Center in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville served its 100th client since 1999. The SBDC wouldn't disclose its client, citing client confidentiality, a...

Big Year for Big Bankruptcies.(Seven of the top 12 bankruptcies in history)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Big Year for Big Bankruptcies Seven of the 12-largest bankruptcies in U.S. history occurred last year. Ranked by assets, they are: WorldCom Inc. July 21, 2002 $103.9 billion Enron Corp. Dec. 2,...

Cost of Living.(Apartment rental rates)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Cost of Living 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bath, 950 S.F., Apartment Rental Rate Little Rock $606 Oklahoma City $582 Tulsa $621 Memphis $623 Amarillo $616 Source: ACCRA, Cost of living index, 2nd quarter 2002 ...

Pinnacle Air plans buy of Springdale service. (NW Journal).(Pinnacle Air Group LLC acquires Springdale Air Service Inc)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Business Journal staff Pinnacle Air Group LLC has signed a tentative agreement to purchase Springdale Air Service Inc. and take over the fixed-base operation at the Springdale Airport terminal. The multi-million dollar agreement is...

Von Gremp to serve on Community Foundation board. (NW Journal).(Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation has elected Jim Von Gremp to serve on its board of directors beginning this month. Von Gremp, of Rogers, is vice-president for LinkMart, which is located in Bentonville. He served as the chairman for...

Bank of Fayetteville to start check imaging. (NW Journal).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... On Jan. 6, The Bank of Fayetteville plans to fully implement a new system that scans canceled checks from customers and stores those images on a computer at the bank. The process means customers will no longer receive canceled checks in...

Community College to merge with technical school. (NE Journal).(Cotton Boll Technical Institute of Paragould)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Cotton Boll Technical Institute of Paragould and Mississippi County COMMUNITY COLLEGE of Blytheville announced they will merge on July. 1 and the new school will be named Arkansas Northeastern College. No money changed hands in the merger,...

Blytheville Water Works asks city to raise rates. (NE Journal).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Blytheville Water Works asked the Blytheville City Council to raise its base water rate by 53 percent, or $3 a month, this year. It also wants to raise rates 5 percent a year between 2004 and 2008, said Robert White, general manager of...

Attorney General's office looking at Paragould Appliance business. (NE Journal).(Jac's TV and Appliance)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The state ATTORNEY GENERAL'S Office is looking into the way Jac's TV & APPLIANCE in Paragould is handling its service contracts after the business closed. Five customers said they bought the extended service contracts on appliances, which...

Main Street Paragould sees improvement. (NE Journal).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... MAIN STREET PARAGOULD INC.'S efforts to attract businesses to downtown are paying off. Since July, eight businesses have either relocated to downtown Paragould or have opened shop, said Main Street Paragould's Executive Director Jason...

Leon Johnson has been named by Gov. Mike Huckabee to replace Attorney General Mark Pryor. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Leon Johnson has been named by Gov. Mike Huckabee to replace Attorney General Mark Pryor, who must resign before his term expires to become a U.S. senator. Johnson will serve 11 days, from Jan. 3 to Jan. 14, when Mike Beebe will take office.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Business Briefs).(reports small increase in December sales)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Wal-Mart Stores Inc. expects to report a 3 percent increase in December sales at its namesake discount stores open at least a year. The company said it expected total U.S. same-store sales for the five-week period ending Jan. 3 to be up 2...

Murphy Oil Corp. (Business Briefs).(cuts refineray production until oil prices come down)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Murphy Oil Corp. plans to cut production at its Meraux, La., refinery this month by about 15,000 barrels per day. The cuts are being made at the 95,000 bpd refinery because it costs too much to replace oil the company had purchased but is not...

Beverly Enterprises Inc. (Business Briefs).(markets GPS location devices for patient care)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Beverly Enterprises Inc. of Fort Smith has become the first major U.S. health care company to enter the field of GPS location and monitoring systems for patient care purposes. The company last month signed a strategic alliance and...

Ford Motor Co. (Business Briefs).(deceptive SUV ads cost Ford $51.5 million)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * The Arkansas Attorney General's Office, along with 52 other attorneys general in the United States, said it has reached a $51.5 million nationwide settlement with the Ford Motor Co., resolving allegations of deceptive trade practices relating...

U.S. Department of Labor. (Business Briefs).(11 mass layoffs reported in Arkansas)
January 6, 2003... * A U.S. Department of Labor report showed mass layoffs in Arkansas in November had decreased since last year. In November 2001, Arkansas reported 11 mass layoffs--that is, 50 or more people from one company losing their jobs. In November 2002,...

Deltic Timber Corp. (Business Briefs).(completes senior notes placement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Deltic Timber Corp. has completed placement of $30 million 6.01 percent senior notes due Dec. 20, 2012. Semiannual repayments of the notes will begin Dec. 20, 2008. Interest is payable June 20 and semiannually thereafter. The company said it...

C-SPAN. (Business Briefs).(to broadcast Bill Clinton Presidency course, University of Arkansas)
January 6, 2003... * C-SPAN, the public affairs network, will broadcast every class of "The Clinton Presidency," a new course at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that will examine the former president's achievements and scandals. Political science...

Potlatch Corp. (Business Briefs).(to record fourth-quarter pretax, non-cash charge )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Potlatch Corp. expects to record an estimated pretax, non-cash charge of $40 million to $60 million in the fourth quarter, related to its defined benefit pension plans. The charge will require an adjustment to retained earnings but will not...

OneBeacon Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. (Business Briefs).(plans U.S. District Court appeal)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * OneBeacon Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd., said it will appeal a $33.8 million jury verdict awarded to a Searcy insurance agency in U.S. District Court in Little Rock last month. Market Center...

Aromatique. (Business Briefs).(raises funds for University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Aromatique, the Heber Springs potpourri maker, raised nearly $57,000 for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences during its seventh-annual winter benefit sale. The money goes to patient needs, equipment and research at UAMS.

Empire District Electric Co. (Business Briefs).(D. Randy Laney nominated to stand for board of directors election)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * D. Randy Laney has been nominated to stand for election to the board of directors of the Empire District Electric Co. of Joplin, Mo. He would replace Jack R. Herschend, co-owner of Silver Dollar City Inc., who is retiring. Laney is co-founder...

Kelly A. Ross, an Edward Jones investment representative. (Business Briefs).
January 6, 2003... * Kelly A. Ross, an Edward Jones investment representative, will host a free broadcast on Jan. 21 featuring Time magazine political writer Hugh Sidey. The one-hour show, which begins at 5:30 p.m., is called "Outlook 2003: Unsure About the Stock...

Impac Learning Systems Inc. (Business Briefs).(establishes endowment, to be directed by the Arkansas Community Foundation)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Impac Learning Systems Inc., the nonprofit company that provides a computers-in-school program for the state's public schools, has established a $1.5 million technology-in-education endowment that will be directed by the Arkansas Community...

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. (Business Briefs).(receives Fund to Cure Myeloma donation)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * John Shaughnessy Jr., a gene researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock, has received a $500,000 gift from the Fund to Cure Myeloma. Because of its successful survival rate of myeloma patients, nearly twice...

Rheem Air Conditioning Division. (Business Briefs).(training programs recognized by North American Technician Excellence)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * Rheem Air Conditioning Division of Fort Smith is the first heating, ventilating and air conditioning manufacturer with training programs that qualify as North American Technician Excellence-recognized training. NATE is the nonprofit that...

Rand Corp. (Business Briefs).(receives contract from the state of Arkansas)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... * The state of Arkansas has awarded a $223,000 contract to the Rand Corp. to conduct evaluation services for the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission. "Rand will do an extensive longitudinal evaluation of the funded programs by evaluating...

Subcontractors carry heavy load on construction projects. (List Overview).(construction industry, subcontractor selection strategy)(Directory)
January 6, 2003... ASK MOST GENERAL CON-tractors what the key to a smooth construction project is, and they will say it begins with subcontractor selection. Subcontractors represent on average 85 percent of the total cost of a typical construction project....

Lucky timing marked exit from Arthur Andersen.(Todd Wisdom and Billye Hawkins leave for Tullius Taylor Sartain and Sartain )
January 6, 2003... TODD WISDOM AND BILLYE Hawkins left the "golden egg" before it turned into Humpty Dumpty. It was November 2001, a month before the Enron Corp. scandal caused Arthur Andersen LLP to fall from accounting grace and turned the 84,000-worker...

MarketFoods to open two new stores and cafe.
January 6, 2003... MARKETFOODS LTD. LLC plans to use the Market at Pinnacle Point in Rogers as a prototype for new stores at Tulsa and Chicago. Rich Donckers, president of MarketFoods, said the Rogers company will open a 22,000-SF store at Tulsa in September,...

Wal-Mart settles EEOC discrimination lawsuit.(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
January 6, 2003... WHEN WAL-MART STORES Inc. of Bentonville agreed on Dec. 23 to pay $220,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission pregnancy discrimination lawsuit, it wasn't its first run-in with the EEOC. Over the years, the EEOC has...

Losses, liability piling up for beleaguered Cannon.(Cannon Express Inc.)
January 6, 2003... IN ITS LAST NINE QUARTERS, Cannon Express Inc. has posted losses totaling $22.64 million. The Springdale-based trucking company's revenue hasn't grown in five years, falling from $109.25 million in its 1998 fiscal year to $79.08 million...

Java Breeze. (New Businesses).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Owner: Phillip Mason Address: 1200 John Barrow Road, Suite 403, Little Rock 72205 Phone: (501) 219-9422 Hours: By appointment Startup: Jan. 13, 2002 E-mail: javabreeze@att.net For your next gathering, consider having...

A Touch of Glass. (New Businesses).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Owner: Rita Stackhouse Address: 6700 Verbena St., Little Rock 72209 Phone: (501) 565-2580 Hours: By appointment Startup: May 1 Rita Stackhouse is an entrepreneur who has turned her hobby into a business. Owner of A Touch...

Hodge Commercial Cleaning. (New Businesses).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Owners: Gary and Heidi Hodge Address: 12240 Southridge Drive, Little Rock 72212 Phone: (501) 224-5410 Hours: Vary Startup: Aug. 1 While cleaning carpets at a local funeral home, Gary Hodge heard the company's president...

Calendar.
January 6, 2003... JANUARY * 7 -- Steve Forbes at LR Regional Chamber of Commerce Sponsors: Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, others Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: Peabody Hotel Little Rock Fee: $75 For more information, call (501)...

Accounting. (Movers & Shakers).(Drew Compton named product manager at Darragh Co.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Drew Compton has been named product manager of the concrete forming and access division at Darragh Co. in Little Rock. Compton previously served as senior account manager at Darragh.

Agriculture. (Movers & Shakers).(Tom Jones elected to Arkansas Farm Bureau board of directors)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Tom Jones of Pottsville has been elected to the Arkansas Farm Bureau board of directors. Other new board members include Johnny Loftin of El Dorado and Leo Sutterfield of Mountain View. David Hillman of Almyra was re-elected as president,...

Business services. (Movers & Shakers).(Brian Taylor receives Certified Packaging Specialist distinction )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Brian Taylor has earned the Certified Packaging Specialist distinction from Afflink in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Taylor is employed at Arkansas Packaging Products in North Little Rock.

Construction. (Movers & Shakers).(Nabholz Group, board of directors appointments)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Bill Hannah, Greg Williams and Ron Montgomery have joined the Nabholz Group board of directors in Conway. Hannah is chief executive officer of Nabholz. Williams is chief financial officer and Montgomery is Ozark division president.

Education. (Movers & Shakers).(Katherine Wright Knight receives National Education Foundation award)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Katherine Wright Knight received the National Education Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, for which she received $25,000. Knight is an English teacher Parkview Magnet School in Little Rock.

Financial services. (Movers & Shakers).(industry appointments)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... David Means and Troy Anderson have joined Moore Stephens Frost in Little Rock as tax accountants in the tax department. MSF is an affiliate of MSF Financial Group. Greg Lindley has been hired as a loan officer at the West Sunset location...

Marketing/media. (Movers & Shakers).(Scott Schuh appointed president of the International Association of Business Communicators, Arkansas chapter)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Scott Schuh has been elected president of the Arkansas chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators in Little Rock. Schuh is president of the Lloyd Schuh Co. in Little Rock. Amy Wilson of Arkansas Environmental Federation...

Stock Summary.(includes data for December 31, 2002 and 52-week high data)(Illustration)
January 6, 2003... STOCK SUMMARY 12/31/02 Weekly YTD 52-Week Arkansas Public Company Stocks Close Change Change High Acxiom Corp. (ACXM) 15.38 7.18% -11.86% 19.66...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
January 6, 2003... Tony Coles is the general manager at Sharum's Garden Center LLC at Fort Smith, while Frank Sharum and Josh Palmer are the owners. They were incorrectly identified in the New Businesses section in the Dec. 16 issue of Arkansas Business.