-
5 days ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Outside of the steel mills of northeast Arkansas, a different kind of construction is underway in the historic downtowns of Blytheville and Osceola. Residents are taking on the revival of the once-bustling areas, hoping to breathe life back into Mississippi County’s two largest population centers. According to Mallory Darby, vice president of economic development for Great River Economic Development Foundation, a resurgence of interest and investment has occurred over the past few years.
-
1 week ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
The Little Rock Technology Park is sparking new interest this year after facing a “slow” back half of 2024, according to Executive Director Brent Birch. The space is currently 77% occupied, a rate that Birch said has held “pretty steady” for the last couple of years. And this year, the Tech Park has seen more people calling, more tours and more companies “pulling the trigger” on renting.
-
2 weeks ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Arkansas must reevaluate its more than $1 billion in broadband grants amid a restructuring of the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
-
3 weeks ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Font Awesome, a Bentonville-based technology company, is coding new ways to make icons on websites, well, awesome. Already used on more than 200 million sites, the company is launching the newest version of its product this month, Font Awesome 7. Simply put, Font Awesome is a collection of icons — symbols like hearts, stars and shopping carts — that designers and developers can add to websites, apps and other projects.
-
3 weeks ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Though data centers can offer benefits, residents and environmental advocates point out there are multiple drawbacks to their establishment. A 2024 report from Gradient Corp., a risk science consulting firm out of Boston, found that residents often oppose data centers due to noise, greenhouse gas emissions, strain on local utilities, utility costs, loss of land and air quality issues.
-
1 month ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Fayetteville-based Carbon Chicken Project LLC co-founders Jody Hardin and Richard Ims hope to make poultry farming more sustainable by turning chicken litter into gold, at least as far as plants are concerned. The company — currently in its first round of venture capital fundraising — plans to turn chicken house waste into a carbon-negative fertilizer and soil conditioner.
-
1 month ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Evo Business Environments, founded in Little Rock in 2013, has established itself as one of North America’s leading providers of DIRTT (Doing It Right This Time), a prefabricated construction system that’s transforming the process of commercial interior construction. DIRTT, based in Calgary, Canada, uses advanced software to plan office spaces and prefabricate walls, windows, casing, floors and other interior components in a factory.
-
1 month ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
The Flatside Wilderness Additions Act, a bill created by U.S. Rep. French Hill to expand the Flatside Wilderness Area in central Arkansas by about 2,200 acres, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on May 13. The bill designates an additional 2,212 acres as part of the Flatside Wilderness Area, which contains sections of the Ouachita National Forest. The land is currently a 9,507-acre protected area.
-
1 month ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
The U.S. Department of Commerce last week terminated the $1.44 billion Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program (DECPG), which included $10.1 million in funds already distributed to Arkansas and $7 million set to be distributed across the next two years. UAMS was also set to receive $10.7 million in funding to support health care-related broadband expansion efforts across the state. The Arkansas State Broadband Office did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Thursday morning.
-
1 month ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Chloe McGehee
Arkansas trucking companies are shifting into high gear with technology innovations that are transforming how freight moves. New technologies are providing solutions that impact not only the driver experience inside freight trucks, but also supply chain management and logistics. When it comes to trucking technology, advancements usually fall into one of two “buckets,” according to Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton. Those buckets are safety and efficiency.
