Arkansas Business back issues from February 1991:
Legislature cuts taxes on new cars.
Feb 04, 1991; Brummett, John ... Legislature Cuts Taxes On New Cars New car dealers and new car buyers won a major tax break in the opening flurry at the state legislature, one they say they desperately needed. Used cars dealers and used car buyers were the big losers, and they are not happy. ...
So long Daisy Mae. (possibility that theme park in Dogpatch won't open)
Feb 04, 1991 ... So Long Daisy Mae A group of Harrison civic leaders journeyed to Little Rock late last month to meet with Melvyn Bell concerning the future of the Dogpatch them park between Harrison and Jasper. Tourism officials say they are concerned Bell won't open Dogpatch this ...
Blown ad campaign? (tourism advertising campaign on Dogpatch theme park)
Feb 04, 1991 ... Blown Ad Campaign? Harrison already has centered much of its tourism advertising campaign around Dogpatch. Using Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, a slick four-color brochure was produced and a whole section was purchased in the official state tour guide. Last ...
Maumelle bank. (proposed new bank)
Feb 04, 1991 ... Maumelle Bank A group of central Arkansas investors is considering filing a charter for a new bank at Maumelle. We hear the bank will be capitalized ...
"Saab" story. (automobile dealer Walt Bennett Ford-Saab drops Saab line)
Feb 04, 1991 ... "Saab" Story This whisper is two-fold. First, we learned Walt Bennett Ford-Saab has dropped the Saab line. "It is true they have terminated, with an effective date of Jan. 7," says a Saab spokesperson. "No other dealer has filled the hole yet." Walt Bennett acquired ...
Medical insurance for the rich? (bill proposal on health insurance risk pool)
Feb 04, 1991; Griffee, Carol ... Medical Insurance For The Rich? A bill to establish a health insurance risk pool has passed the state House of Representatives but is coming under increasing fire as "nothing more than a tax subsidy for the rich." The House passed HB 1114 with a vote of 77 for, 2 ...
Call to arms. (effects of the 1991 Persian Gulf War on Arkansas defense contractors)
Feb 04, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... Call To Arms In December 1941, with the United States suddenly a participant in World War II, the federal government broke ground on a facility to manufacture hand grenades near Redfield. Seven months later, production began at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. Since then, the ...
Part II. (additional news on Walt Bennett Ford)
Feb 04, 1991 ... Part II There are rumblings that Walt Bennett Ford's financial situation may be precarious. A reader recently called to say WBF has owed him several thousand dollars for months, and claims he is only one of at least a half dozen such creditors. "They owe a lot of media ...
Banking move. (relocation plans of Central Bank & Trust)
Feb 04, 1991 ... Banking Move Word on the street is that recently formed Central Bank & Trust is negotiating with OneBank to sublease its 10,000-SF west Little Rock branch located in First Little Rock Plaza. CB&T is currently renting 8,000 SF formerly occupied by its precursor, Madison ...
Getting it right. (automobile dealer Riverside Motors to carry Range Rover line)
Feb 04, 1991 ... Getting It Right Occasionally, we do get things right. Like our recent whisper about the Range Rover coming to Riverside Motors. "I'm in the process of ordering my vehicles now," says Don Ashcraft, Riverside's president. "They tell me we should have them in here by ...
Public service announcement. (wrong size of lug wrench for chrome wheels purchased at One Moore Suzuki)
Feb 04, 1991 ... Public Service Announcement Another phone call last week came from a reader who wanted to warn fellow drivers of Suzuki's with chrome wheels purchased at One Moore Suzuki. "I just don't want someone to be stranded somewhere with a flat tire or something," said the ...
Cautiously confident. (attitudes of real estate managers in the face of recession fears) (directory)
Feb 04, 1991 ... CAUTIOUSLY CONFIDENT As the national recession hits the East Coast hard and America moves into its third week of war, central Arkansas property managers are a cautious, but upbeat group. That's one conclusion to be drawn from a package of stories assembled this week for ...
Abstract business. (business interests of George Pitts Jr. in diverse companies) (company profile)
Feb 04, 1991; Waldon, George ... ABSTRACT BUSINESS George Pitts Jr. has worked in local financial and real estate circles for three decades. Along the way Pitts has developed relationships that position him as one of the most well-connected businessmen in those environs. Pitts was a big stockholder in ...
On a fast track. (fast start of construction of state office complex seen)
Feb 04, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... On A Fast Track There is another big MAC attack about to occur at the Capitol, and this time Rep. John Miller is convinced he can bring his dream to fruition. So are other members of the Legislature and influential Little Rock landlords who traditionally have opposed ...
Leasing prognosis. (a forecast of the leasing market)
Feb 04, 1991; Waldon, George ... LEASING PROGNOSIS The leasing market in Little Rock-North Little Rock for office space has been on the mend for six years. Occupancy rates have recovered from 76.3 percent in 1986 and have been hovering around 80 percent for the last three years. Retail space has held ...
Arkansas Business of the Year 1990. (Category III)(no full text - table only) (company profile)
Feb 04, 1991; Kreth, Ellen ... ARKANSAS BUSINESS of the Year 1990 With the Arkansas Business of the Year awards less than a week away, this is your last chance to get acqainted with some of the best in Arkansas business. This week we'll review Category III, business which have 76-350 employees. ...
Acxiom's growing pains. (database company's expansion growth and problems) (company profile)
Feb 04, 1991; Walker, Wythe Jr. ... ACXIOM'S GROWING PAINS It's easy to be impressed by Charles Morgan Jr. The 48-year-old CEO of Acxiom seemed unperturbed swiveling in a chair last week talking about the growing pains of the $90-million database company he has run for 15 years. While Morgan ...
More Maumelle Co. complaints. (complaints filed with Arkansas Real Estate Commission)
Feb 11, 1991 ... More Maumelle Co. Complaints Although The Maumelle Co. owner Jay DeHaven insists that all is well with the company, the list of complaints at the Arkansas Real Estate Commission is growing. Since Arkansas Business compiled a list January 9 which showed 13 complaints ...
The quiet canary. (opening of theme park Dogpatch USA)
Feb 11, 1991 ... The Quiet Canary Last week, we whispered that Melvyn Bell might not open Dogpatch USA, the theme park he owns near Harrison. A day later, Lynn Spradley, Dogpatch's general manager, told the Gazette all was well and he couldn't "wait to sing like a canary" of the park's ...
Advertising aggravation. (Arkansas Gazette's financial losses)
Feb 11, 1991; Rengers, Carrie ... Advertising Aggravation The January 5, 1991, Editor and Publisher magazine reported that the Arkansas Gazette's losses. declined by eight percent in 1990 and improvements were expected this year. If so, that reverses a trend of multimillion dollar losses that had ...
Changing the tune. (GHB Broadcasting Corp. acquires KZOU FM/AM)
Feb 11, 1991; Rengers, Carrie ... Changing The Tune When a new owner attempts to salvage a radio station that's dropped 70 percent in ratings over five years and taken an almost 50 percent dive in billings in two years, it better make immediate changes. Right? Wrong, says Jacob Bogan, chief operating ...
Snacking their way through the recession. (Pickett Industries Inc.)
Feb 11, 1991 ... Snacking Their Way Through The Recession One business' sales that are picking up during the recession is Pickett Industries, the five state vending machine supplier that annually sells $5.5 million worth of candy bars, potato chips and colas throughout the state. ...
Prescription for success. (plans to reduce financial woes of Southwest Hospital of Little Rock)
Feb 11, 1991; Ford, Kelly ... Prescription For Success Southwest Hospital of Little Rock will celebrate its third birthday March 1. Like most three-year-olds, after a wobbly year or two, the hospital has learned to get around quite well, thank you. This, despite the chorus of naysayers who thought ...
Industry fights back. (reversing public opinion about industry as cause of environmental pollution in Arkansas)
Feb 11, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... INDUSTRY FIGHTS BACK The environment has become one of the major issues of the 1990s. Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark., takes a walk in the woods with the head of the U.S. Forest Service. Days later, the Forest Service announces that clear-cutting will be halted in the Ouachita ...
Shooting for no. 1. (realty firm McKay and Co.)
Feb 11, 1991; Waldon, George ... SHOOTING FOR NO. 1 Eight years ago, John Paul McKay Jr. owned the leading real estate firm in Little Rock. McKay & Co. was selling about $33 million in property, which represented about 20 percent of the market then. The company, now led by Randy Alexander, is still the ...
Blue Cross has power of numbers. (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arkansas registered lobbyists) (column)
Feb 18, 1991; Brummett, John ... Blue Cross Has Power Of Numbers On any normal day of the state legislative session at the state Capitol, you will find a half-dozen to 10 reporters and columnists from each of the warring statewide newspapers. The only company that might have more representatives in the ...
A new Dillard's buy? (speculations on Dillard Department Stores Inc.'s plans for a new acquisition)
Feb 18, 1991 ... A New Dillard's Buy? We whispered recently that Dillard's was shopping around for their next acquisition, but the company was mum. This week another source says that while buyers in at least one department of Dillard's were originally buying down by about five percent ...
From the ground up. (C.J. Cropper begins construction of Phase II of shopping center adjacent to Wal-Mart)
Feb 18, 1991 ... From The Ground Up C.J. Cropper is busy in Jacksonville, where he's begun Phase II of the shopping center adjacent to Wal-Mart. "They're already out there scraping around on the ground," he says. When completed, the shopping center will total 55,000 SF ....
Crane layoffs? (Crane Construction Company Inc.)
Feb 18, 1991 ... Crane Layoffs? After a record $30-million 1990, we hear Crane Construction has been forced to lay off some project managers and skilled hourly employees. One source says the company is telling the superintendents they'll have to do the work. He adds that while layoffs ...
More recession indicators. (market for recycled mixed paper in Little Rock AR hits rock bottom)
Feb 18, 1991 ... More Recission Indicators The market for recycled mixed paper in Little Rock hit rock bottom this month, according to one local dealer. Nobody wants to buy the stuff. Recycled paper comes in various groupings and mixed paper is the lowest grade used to make roofing ...
Life in the Fox lane. (management of television stations KLRT, after Fox Broadcasting affiliation, and KASN 38, after losing Fox affiliation)
Feb 18, 1991; Rengers, Carrie ... Life In The Fox Lane A slight, bearded man with an unassuming voice climbs a broadcast pole in rural Arkansas to place his television station's antenna on the tower - without permission. He's done this at dozens of sites across the state and won't take the antennas down - ...
$13.2 million spent. (Little Rock's $40 million capital improvements program)
Feb 18, 1991; Waldon, George ... $13.2 MILLION SPENT The city of Little Rock is three years down the road after embarking on a $40 million capital improvements program, and the pace of activity has picked up considerably. "It was sold to the people that it would be done sometime in their lifetime," ...
Gone fishing for business. (layoffs at Noah Corp. and Ranger Boats, boat manufacturers)
Feb 18, 1991 ... Gone Fishing For Business The recession also hit last week in Conway for Noah Corp., manufacturer of Duracraft boats. Twenty-one workers got laid off. That's 33 percent of the company's workforce. "The boat business has been in a decline," says president ...
Arkansas business of the year 1990. (award winners)
Feb 18, 1991 ... ARKANSAS BUSINESS of the Year 1990 On Feb. 7, Arkansas Business - joined by 460 other businessmen and women - honored some of the best and most notable business professionals in Arkansas at our third annual Arkansas Business Awards banquet. Guests, finalists and winners ...
Wild Bill does Capitol Hill. (secretary of state W.J. "Bill" McCuen)
Feb 18, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... WILD BILL DOES CAPITOL HILL It's a Tuesday at the Capitol, and things are rocking. Droves of students march through the marble halls, supposedly there to watch their state government at work. Lobbyist stand in corners whispering, performing the type of ...
The Delta savior? (Arkansas catfish industry's potential to revitalize depressed Delta areas)
Feb 18, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... THE DELTA SAVIOR? In 1969, Pine Bluff farmer Ted McNulty became one of the first people in the country to raise catfish commercially. Prior to the 1960s, the Arkansas catfish industry consisted of commercial fishermen on the White, Arkansas, Red and other rivers. "My ...
A March deadline. (Moore Ford dealership expected to change ownership by March 1)
Feb 18, 1991 ... A March Deadline The Moore Ford dealership is expected to change hands by March 1, say insiders familiar with the transaction. That's a little quicker ...
Corporate profits next on agenda; cause is noble. (Arkansas' corporate income tax policy) (column)
Feb 25, 1991; Brummett, John ... Corporate Profits Next On Agenda; Cause Is Noble The tax-increase frenzy at the state legislature may not be over. Corporate income may be the next target. But it would be for a good and beneficial cause. Honest. And it probably won't happen, since income taxes are ...
Alltel breaking ground. (Alltel Arkansas Inc.'s construction plans)
Feb 25, 1991 ... Alltel Breaking Ground Alltel is building new corporate headquarters at No. 1 Allied Drive to match their existing seven-story complex. The new $6-million ...
New prognosis. (proposed public county health clinic building)
Feb 25, 1991 ... New Prognosis As you know, the Quorum Court narrowed its proposals to seven for the location of a new public county health clinic last week. We hear the leader among them is a new construction that would be built at Pine and Cedar Streets just south of I-630, near the Snider ...
Please don't go. (proposed public county clinic building construction by Arkansas System Building)
Feb 25, 1991 ... Please Don't Go Another of the remaining proposals for the health clinic is the Arkansas Systems building on Kanis Road in west Little Rock. We wondered where Arkansas Systems would go if this proposal happened to be the one accepted. "We're entertaining several ...
Temporarily grounded. (Eastern Air Lines INc.'s commuter planes reverted to supplier)
Feb 25, 1991 ... Temporarily Grounded Our airport eyes noticed some Eastern Metro Commuter planes sitting at Skytravel Avionics by the Little Rock Airport. Folks wondered if they were purchased at an Eastern Airlines bankruptcy auction. The story is the planes are owned by British ...
Crane called. (Rex Crane of Crane Construction; layoffs of employees)
Feb 25, 1991 ... Crane Called We said last week we had heard Crane Construction had laid off some project managers and skilled hourly employees but that Rex Crane had not returned our phone calls. Crane called this week to say he has not laid off any project managers. As for hourly ...
Spin control. (how advertising firm Mangan Rains Ginnaven Holcomb cope with economic crisis) (company profile)
Feb 25, 1991; Rengers, Carrie ... Spin Control Mangan Rains Ginnaven Holcomb Uses Its PR Savvy After The Loss Of A Principal And Seven Employees If there is one thing that Mangan Rains Ginnaven Holcomb is good at it's spin control. Last fall, MRGH lost principal Craig Rains and laid off seven ...
New blood at city hall. (new city board members of Little Rock, Arkansas)
Feb 25, 1991; Waldon, George ... NEW BLOOD AT CITY HALL A Businessman, Attorney And Ophthalmologist Alter Balance Of Power On The City Board If the influx of new political leadership at City Hall is indicative of things to come, then Little Rock is in store for a sizable dose of change. There are ...
Jackpot or boondoggle? State's efforts to attract Hollywood productions produce mixed results. (promotion of location filming in Arkansas)(includes related article on disjointed efforts to attrach motion picture production)
Feb 25, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... JACKPOT OR BOONDOGGLE? State's Efforts To Attract Hollywood Productions Produce Mixed Results In several weeks, representatives of the state Motion Picture Development Office will travel to Southern California. They won't be going on vacation. They'll ...
Big spenders: Arkansas purchasing professionals controlling billions of dollars gather next month in Little Rock. (purchasing managers convention)
Feb 25, 1991; Ford, Kelly ... BIG SPENDERS Arkansas Purchasing Professionals Controlling Billions Of Dollars Gather Next Month In Little Rock Approximately 10,000 purchasing managers or company representatives with buying power to match will gather at the Arkansas Trade Exposition at the Statehouse ...
Enterprising growth. (United Systems of Arkansas contract)
Feb 25, 1991 ... Enterprising Growth Look for an announcement soon from United Systems of Arkansas. It has just landed a sizable contract from out-of-state that means big things for the two-year-old company which started in the incubator program housed in the downtown Technology Center. ...
Who's "Saabing" now. (choice of Saab dealership)
Feb 25, 1991 ... Who's "Saabing" Now A couple of weeks ago we whispered that Walt Bennett Ford no longer held the local Saab dealership and the closest dealers were now in Shreveport, Tulsa, or Memphis. (We've since been told Shreveport is no more, either.) Anyway, we got a phone call ...
State's breakthrough came with the "The Blue and The Gray". (location shooting in Arkansas; television production)
Feb 25, 1991; Nelson, Rex ... State's Breakthrough Came With "The Blue and The Gray" From its creation in 1979 until 1985, Joe Glass headed the state Motion Picture Development Office. "I lived it, I breathed it, I ate it," Glass says. "We were an unknown in the film industry, and there were a few ...
