Arkansas Business back issues from July 1992:
Gambling on Griffin: Griffin Smith Jr. can certainly write, but can he manage? (newly named executive director of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)(includes related article)
Jul 06, 1992; Webb, Kane ... On Oct. 18, the day the Arkansas Gazette ceased publication after almost 172 years, Griffin Smith Jr. was in Austin, Texas, attending a reunion of past and current staff members of Texas Monthly. Smith was a full-time Little Rock lawyer and a part-time travel editor at the Arkansas ...
Going for the gold: Arkansas' Olympic Committee surpasses $100,000 goal.
Jul 06, 1992; Harper, Kim ... This month, television sets worldwide will be tuned to channels broadcasting the Olympic Games from Barcelona, Spain. Some of those sets will be in the homes of Arkansans. Arkansas long has been recognized as a state that loves sports. However, when it came to the ...
Benchmarking: international clearinghouse plays matchmaker for companies that want to improve. (American Productivity and Quality Center launches the International Benchmarking Clearinghouse)
Jul 06, 1992; Harper, Kim ... The United States is the world leader in terms of gross domestic product. About $46,000 in products is produced per employee in the United States each year. That's the good news. The bad news is that if current trends continue, seven countries will surpass the United ...
The Bryant building boom: $10 million in building permits issued in 1991. (community in Saline County, Arkansas)
Jul 06, 1992; Waldon, George ... Bryant, with a 1990 population of 5,269, has become a pacesetter for growth in central Arkansas. The city's population grew by 123 percent during the 1980s, and census forecasts indicate the number of residents will double again by the end of this decade. By the year 2020, ...
Two for one: First United Bancshares of El Dorado announces pending stock split.
Jul 06, 1992; Harper, Kim ... In five years, First United Bancshares Inc. of El Dorado has nearly doubled its assets. With $875 million in assets, the holding company has established itself as a major player in the state's banking sector. In September, the company could have an even higher profile if a ...
A $34.5 million boost: MacSteel at Fort Smith receives approval for second phase of expansion.
Jul 06, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... Last week's approval of the second phase of MacSteel's "ultra-clean steel program" will result in a $34.5 million expansion of the company's Fort Smith facility, a division of the Quanex Corp. Approval came from the Quanex board on June 29. Quanex is a Houston-based manufacturer of ...
Out of Africa: ambassadors visit delta to pursue agricultural partnership.
Jul 06, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... Four African ambassadors explored the Arkansas Delta during a visit to the state last month. The tour was sponsored by the Arkansas Land & Farm Development Corp., a community organization based at Fargo in Monroe County. The corporation was established in 1980 to improve the quality ...
Supporting small business: Pine Bluff's Good Faith Fund selected as recipient of SBA loan. (Small Business Administration)
Jul 06, 1992; Harper, Kim ... Small business has been hailed as the backbone of America. In recent years, however, owners and managers of small businesses in depressed areas such as southeast Arkansas have found it more difficult to obtain capital. Additional attention is now being paid to the needs of small ...
Cannon Express Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
Jul 06, 1992 ... Company: Cannon Express Inc. Ticker: CANX Industry: Trucking Headquarters: Springdale Chairman: Dean Cannon Profile Cannon Express Inc. is an Arkansas-based common carrier that transports general commodities, primarily in the eastern U.S. in an area bounded by Texas and ...
LRSD's glorified doorman: Cloyde McKinley Bernd takes over struggling urban school district. (Little Rock School District superintendent)(includes related article)
Jul 13, 1992; Rengers, Carrie ... When 48-year-old Cloyde McKinley "Mac" Bernd went back to Denver for his 30-year high school reunion, none of his former classmates could believe what he had become. "I was kind of a malcontent in school," Bernd says. "I just wasn't interested in scholarly pursuits." Bernd ...
Up in arms: Thomson withdraws its bid, but the fate of LTV's East Camden operations remains uncertain. (Thomson-CSF pulls out bid to buy missiles division of LTV Aerospace and Defense Corp.)
Jul 13, 1992; Webb, Kane ... Some consider it a victory for national security, temporary though it may be. Thomson-CSF, 58 percent of which is owned by the French government, last week withdrew its bid to buy the missiles division of LTV Corp. LTV is one of the largest defense contractors in the United ...
New synergy at Entergy: AP&L's parent company takes the view that less is more. (Entergy Corp. restructuring; Arkansas Power and Light Co.) (Company Profile)
Jul 13, 1992; Waldon, George ... The restructuring continues at Entergy Corp. The parent company of Arkansas Power & Light Co. is still attempting to become leaner in preparation for an expected period of less regulation and more competitive markets for energy. The lengthy restructuring effort has expanded ...
Rate shock: will Arkansas Power & Light Co. pull the plug on its $5 million lease in the TCBY Tower?
Jul 13, 1992; Waldon, George ... The worst-kept secret in the Little Rock office market involves the state's tallest building and one of its largest companies. Arkansas Power & Light Co. is having a market study done to help determine whether it renews its 241,500-SF lease at downtown's TCBY Tower. "We're ...
Arkansas' elite: roster of state's top 50 privately held companies slow to change.
Jul 13, 1992; Fleisch, Shelley ... The Arkansas Business Top 50, an annual list of the state's largest privately held corporations, hasn't changed much since its inception five years ago. Arkansas Best Corp. of Fort Smith, No. 1 for the third year in a row, will surrender the top position next year due to the May ...
Landing a big one: existing facility, cultural environment help Hot Springs reel in Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science. (Hot Spring, Arkansas wins bid to have school built there)
Jul 13, 1992; Webb, Kane ... The anxiety level was high July 1 at the Arch Ford Education Building in Little Rock. More than 100 people representing the seven cities trying to land the Arkansas School Mathematics and Science crowded an auditorium for the final decision. Sweaty palms were in abundance ....
A scholarship boost: Greene County couple provides for education of future farmers. (M.A. and Vestal West; M.A. "Mack" West Scholarship Fund)
Jul 13, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... M.A. "Mack" West and his wife, Vestal, never had any children. But that didn't prevent them from sending kids to college. Vestal West, who died in May 1991, became aware of the Greene County Scholarship Fund and its work in funding the higher education of area students by ...
Pine Bluff East: marketing office in Osaka will attempt to attract more Japanese companies to Jefferson County.
Jul 13, 1992; Webb, Kane ... Within the next 60 days, the Jefferson County Industrial Foundation will open a branch office. It will be 7,400 miles away. It will be in Osaka, Japan. Isn't that taking industrial recruitment to an extreme? Wallace Gieringer, the foundation's president, ...
Passing the test: university research team develops improved method for tracing dangerous bacterium. (University of Arkansas at Fayetteville; listeria monocytogenes)
Jul 13, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... A 1985 outbreak of listeriosis in southern California resulted in the deaths of 47 people. The disease was traced to a Mexican-style cheese sold in the area. Listeriosis is caused by a bacterium that usually is associated with dairy products. It can, however, affect meat ...
Simmons First National Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
Jul 13, 1992 ... Simmons First National Corp. is the seventh-largest multibank holding company in Arkansas with full-service banks in Pine Bluff, Jonesboro and Lake Village. The principal bank, Simmons First National Bank of Pine Bluff, is the largest bank outside the Little Rock metropolitan area. The bank ...
Reforming workers' comp. (workers' compensation)(includes related article)
Jul 20, 1992; Griffee, Carol ... Premiums Are Going Up And Other Changes Are Being Considered As The State Battles A Problem That Won't Go Away Arkansas business owners, already complaining about skyrocketing workers' compensation insurance premiums, are about to face a rate hike of 18.5 percent or more. ...
The right fit: Munro & Co. not only survives, it expands. (Top Fifty Profile) (Company Profile)
Jul 20, 1992; Rengers, Carrie ... "There will be survivors, and I plan to be one." That's what Don Munro said of his Hot Springs-based company, Munro & Co., in a 1985 Arkansas Business interview. The shoe manufacturing industry was depressed, and Munro makes shoes. Seven years later, the ...
The Gwatney gimmick: obnoxious ads sell cars for Harold Gwatney Chevrolet Co. (Top Fifty Profile) (Company Profile)
Jul 20, 1992; Rengers, Carrie ... When central Arkansas television viewers are asked to name the most obnoxious local commercials, the advertisements for Harold Gwatney Chevrolet Co. of Jacksonville are mentioned more often than others. "People laugh at them and make fun of them," admits Bill Gwatney. ...
A new line: leadership and bus designs changing at Conway's AmTran Corp. (Top Fifty Profile) (Company Profile)
Jul 20, 1992; Rengers, Carrie ... Some residents of Conway still think the large manufacturing facility along U.S. 65 South is owned by the Ward family. However, the school bus manufacturer, originally Ward Body Works Inc., hasn't been in the Ward family since it was sold in bankruptcy in 1980. Four new ...
Longtime affiliation: Affiliated Food Stores Southwest of Little Rock ranks no. 3 on the Top 50. (Top Fifty Profile) (Company Profile)
Jul 20, 1992; Rengers, Carrie ... Arkansas' third-largest privately held company had humble beginnings. The 850-employee Affiliated Food Stores Southwest Inc. began in the mid-1940s when 10 independent Little Rock retail grocers each invested $1,000. That created the nucleus for what was to become Model Markets ...
A slow grow: total revenues reflect weak year for Top 50 privately held companies. (Arkansas Business Rankings)
Jul 20, 1992; Fleisch, Shelley ... Arkansas Business' Top 50 privately held corporations reported total gross revenues of $8.7 billion in 1991. That was a dismal 1 percent increase over total revenues for the previous year, reflecting a stagnant Arkansas economy in 1991. Total 1990 gross revenues for the Top 50 was ...
Arkansas' top 50 private companies. (Tabular data only) (Directory)
Jul 20, 1992; Fleisch, Shelley ... <Pre> 1992 Company 1991 Rank City Rank 1 ARKANSAS BEST CORP. 1 Fort Smith 2 RICELAND FOODS INC. 2 Stuttgart ...
Familiar waters: SeaArk Marine of Monticello begins building recreational boats again. (Across Arkansas: Southeast)
Jul 20, 1992; Waldon, George ... An Arkansas operation famous for its boat-building prowess has returned to familiar waters. Following a four-year hiatus, SeaArk Marine Inc. of Monticello began producing recreational boats again this spring. SeaArk, formerly known as MonArk Boat Co., has built boats for ...
An oil field controversy: Arkansas oil producers try drilling PC&E officials. (Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology) (Across Arkansas: Southwest)
Jul 20, 1992; Waldon, George ... Some oil producers in southwest Arkansas are up in arms over a proposed regulation that would change the way they handle wastes. A move is afoot at the state Department of Pollution Control and Ecology to further restrict the use of containment pits as a means of protecting surface ...
Food fete: the Phillips Cos. of Bentonville honored for promoting Arkansas. (Across Arkansas: Northwest)
Jul 20, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... It's not exactly the America's Cup. It's not even the Stanley Cup. But to Kirk Dupps and the Phillips Cos., the Governor's Cup couldn't be more prestigious if it were made of gold. The Governor's Cup is awarded each year by the Arkansas Industrial Development ...
A career of caring: Doug Brandon was more than a politician and businessman. (Benton Douglas Brandon, Jr., president of Arkansas Children's Hospital board) (Business Tributes)
Jul 20, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... Business and politics were only two parts of Benton Douglas Brandon Jr.'s life. The former state legislator and chairman of Brandon House Furniture Co., who died July 13 of cancer at age 59, was known for his conscientious approach to government and business. But it was ...
Beverly's long-term recuperation. (turnaround of Beverly Enterprises Inc. in Fort Smith, Arkansas)(includes related article on nursing homes)
Jul 27, 1992; Rengers, Carrie ... Net Income Is Up As A Fort Smith Company Continues Its Comeback When Stephens Inc. analyst Ginanne Long talks about Beverly Enterprises Inc. of Fort Smith and its chairman, David Banks, she's careful about what she says. That's not just because the same people who own her ...
Surveying the state. (economic recovery in Arkansas)
Jul 27, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... Unemployment Grows In June, But Arkansas Economists Say The Recovery Is On A stabilization of consumer prices and the lowering of the Federal Reserve Board's discount rate should push Arkansas closer to a complete economic recovery, economists say. John Shelnutt, a senior ...
Arkansas picks: the quarterly favorites are Tyson Foods Inc., First Commercial Corp. and Dillard Department Stores Inc. (Panel Discussion)
Jul 27, 1992 ... Arkansas Business Quarterly Investment Round Table The Arkansas Business quarterly round table of Little Rock brokers, analysts and money managers was held earlier this month. Offering their observations on Arkansas-based public companies were: * John Barnes, vice ...
The fraud suit that won't go away; an unrelenting creditor pursues money, justice and Charles Basham. (Mid-State Interiors' case againt real estate developer)(includes related article on lawsuits)
Jul 27, 1992; Waldon, George ... A year ago, Charles Basham's $10 million real estate empire began disintegrating amid a flurry of lawsuits and fraud allegations. Thus far, the troubled Little Rock developer has survived the financial storm with the aid of his lawyer, David Grace of Little Rock. Basham has ...
Graying Arkansas: nursing homes to reap benefits of an aging society. (Arkansas Business Rankings ) (Industry Overview)
Jul 27, 1992; Fleisch, Shelley ... As the nation's elderly population continues to grow, the already healthy nursing home sector is expected to prosper. The Census Bureau predicts that the number of people in the above-age-75 and above-age-85 segments of the population will increase by 26 percent and 50 percent, ...
Polishing up the printing press: Jonesboro plant in the midst of $60 million expansion, renovation. (Ringier America Inc.'s facilities in Jonesboro, Arkansas) (Across Arkansas)
Jul 27, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... New York is the publishing capital of the world. But a lot of the magazines and catalogs that originate in the Big Apple are printed in Jonesboro at the Ringier America Inc. plant. The Jonesboro plant is the largest of Ringier America's offset plants in the United States. ...
A village to value: Mountain Village 1890, Bull Shoals Caverns reopen under new management. (Harry Graham's purchase of theme park in Arkansas) (Across Arkansas)
Jul 27, 1992; Taylor, Tim ... Mountain Village 1890 is more than just a collection of old buildings. Bull Shoals Caverns is more than just another cave. Harry Graham knows. It was his appreciation of the authenticity and beauty of the two attractions, located in the center of Bull Shoals just ...
Plank by plank: hardwood flooring firm seeks groove in competitive national market. (Razorback Hardwood Co.) (Across Arkansas)
Jul 27, 1992; Haman, John ... Razorback Hardwood Co. of Monticello has changed ownership. Now, the company is expanding its operations in lumber-rich south Arkansas with the assistance of a $300,000 government loan. The firm, which manufactures unfinished hardwood flooring and hardwood molding from red ...
