Tyson Foods Inc. donated 27,240 pounds of chicken today (April 17) to the Arkansas Rice Depot in conjunction with the statewide food bank’s new freezer dedication and open house. 

Tyson Foods has been a long-time supporter of the Arkansas Rice Depot, which supports food pantries in all 75 counties in Arkansas. The agency combats hunger in Arkansas by annually distributing more than 9 million pounds of food every year, accounting for 15% of the state’s population.
 
“Words cannot express how grateful we are for Tyson Foods ‘generous donation,” said Laura Rhea, President and CEO of Arkansas Rice Depot. “Without the support of organizations like Tyson, we would not be able to serve hundreds of thousands of individuals, seniors, and children who might otherwise go to bed hungry. This donation will add a needed source of protein to the meals of the families we serve.”
 
Meat and poultry are nutrient dense foods, according to health experts, and can be especially helpful to people who need more protein including growing children, pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone undergoing severe stress, disease or disability.  According to food banks nationwide, meat is the most requested and least available food.
 
“The Arkansas Rice Depot helps so many Arkansans each and every day,” said Jeff Wood, Community Manager for Tyson Foods. “I hope this event will help bring awareness to the great work they’re doing to fight hunger.”

Enplanements at the Fort Smith and Little Rock commercial airports are down in the first quarter of 2013 thanks to declines in American and Delta traffic, but Northwest Arkansas is seeing a positive trend.

Enplanements at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) during the first three months of 2013 totaled 126,984, up 2.42% compared to the same period in 2012. The quarter ended on a high note with March enplanements of 49,309, ahead of the 47,365 in March 2012.

Enplanements at XNA totaled 565,045 during 2012, up just 0.4% compared to 2011. Although slight, the gain prevented XNA from posting two-consecutive years of enplanement declines.

Enplanements at XNA totaled 562,747 during 2011, down 1.38% compared to 2010. During 2010, XNA had 570,625 enplanements, up 5.49% over 2009. XNA’s first full year of traffic was 1999, and the airport posted eight consecutive years of enplanement gains before seeing a decline in 2008. It reached a peak of 598,886 in 2007.

Delta enplanements for the first quarter totaled 30,293, well ahead of the 24,026 in the same period of 2012 – although some of the increase comes from a change in branding of the flights out of the airport.

Enplanements for American Eagle out of XNA totaled 45,352 for the first quarter, up compared to the 43,483 during the 2012 quarter.

Officials at XNA are hoping to boost the gains through their active recruitment of Southwest Airlines or another discount carrier.

“We know 39% of our customers go elsewhere because our costs our higher," Airport Director Kelly Johnson said in the recent report.



FORT SMITH
Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport totaled 18,958 during the first quarter of 2013, down 7.4% compared to the same period of 2012. March enplanements totaled 7,018, down 6% compared to March 2012.

American enplanements total 11,169 for the first quarter, down 5.22% compared to the 2012 quarter. Delta enplanements were down 10.39% during the first quarter.

Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport totaled 86,653 during 2012, just ahead of the 86,234 in 2011, and marking three consecutive years of enplanement gains.

Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport during 2011 eked out a 0.12% gain over 2010, marking two consecutive years of enplanement growth at the airport. For the year, the airport posted 86,234 enplanements compared to 86,129 during 2010.

The first quarter figures at Fort Smith continue a downward trend that began in the fourth quarter of 2012. Enplanements were down almost 6% during the 2012 fourth quarter compared to the 2011 period.

LITTLE ROCK

Enplanements at the Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport (Little Rock National Airport), totaled 247,424 during the first quarter, down almost 5% compared to the 2012 quarter. March 2013 enplanements totaled 94,153, down 4.55% compared to March 2012.

The first quarter is somewhat of a surprise considering the rebound in airport traffic during 2012. Enplanements in 2012 totaled 1.147 million, up 4.07% compared to 2011. The 2012 numbers also ended five consecutive years of enplanement declines at Arkansas’ largest commercial field.

The three largest carriers serving Little Rock posted mixed results in March, with only the discount carrier showing an increase. Enplanements with American Airlines out of Little Rock were down 13.47% in March, Delta enplanements were down 4.5% in March, and Southwest Airlines posted a 0.69% increase for the month.

However, all three carriers posted enplanement declines during the first quarter, with American down 2.99%, Delta down 5.52% and Southwest down 5.66%.

POLITICAL ISSUES, TRAVEL TRENDS
The airline industry recently issued a report suggesting that an Obama Administration budget proposal will harm the industry and reduce the ability of businesses and individuals to afford air travel.

The proposed budget would raise taxes on airlines and their customers by 29%, or $5.5 billion per year, according to a report from Airlines for America. The group said the fee and tax hikes could “limit air service options to small and medium communities and ultimately harm the U.S. economy.”

The group noted in a statement: “Even without the proposed increases, air travel is already taxed at a federal rate that exceeds those for alcohol and tobacco, products that are taxed to discourage their use. On a typical $300 roundtrip domestic ticket, customers could pay $61, or 20 percent of the ticket price, in taxes. Under the President’s proposal, customers would pay nearly $75 or 25 percent on that same ticket.”

With or without the Obama plan, the predictions for air travel have not been positive.

The Boyd Group, an aviation consulting company, predicts that in 2013 the reduction in the number of seats in the commercial aviation system will result in an overall 2% to 2.5% decline in passenger traffic.

Do you wonder who refolds the graphic t-shirts so neatly stacked in perfect rows when consumers run roughshod over the table displays? And who picks up the mess and changes out the seasonal racks at a store open around the clock?

Chances are it could be Lawrence Merchandising, a Minneapolis-based third party service company that has reorganized and restocked retailer shelves for more than five decades.

Lawrence has an army of 2,000 in-store professionals who work on behalf of its supplier and retailer store management customers. Growing up in Target’s backyard, Lawrence hung a shingle in Bentonville last year to be closer to Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and the local supplier community.
 
Dee Breazeale heads up the local sales office for Lawrence and has more than 20 years of insider retail experience as a buyer.
 
Perhaps the timing couldn’t be better for Breazeale and Lawrence to grow their client base given the on-the-shelf (OSA) challenges widely reported by national media over the past few months.

THE OSA ISSUE
Wal-Mart Stores is the master of low prices and broad assortment merchandising, but efficiently re-stocking more than 100,000 products in its more than 4,000 supercenters is an ongoing challenge that has garnered the retailer negative media publicity in the last few weeks.

Wal-Mart has defended its position by insisting the “empty shelf” media blitz is not a fair representation of what is occurring in its stores across the country. The retailer surveys more than half a million customers each month for feedback on check-out, store cleanliness and service issues, who report mostly positive shopping experiences.

That is not to say some shelves in specific areas from time to time might look sparse, a problem that service providers like Lawrence and others are hired to solve.

Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer at Wal-Mart, said last year that he believed on-shelf-availability was a $15 billion opportunity.

Breazeale cited a recent case study in which Lawrence engaged with a nationwide manufacturer of salty/sweet snack foods who was not achieving projected sales within a mass merchandiser. Routine action included an inventory and restock service to ensure the product had ample qualities on the selling floor and in the stock room.

This would be followed up with a time-sensitive service call to coincide with the product’s advertised sale pricing.The service included an audit to gather competitive intelligence to ensure their product was best positioned relative to their competitors.

“The client is a newer company with recently launched product in the retailer. It was critical to maximize product placement for increased sales as successful product performance would result in expanded nationwide distribution,” Lawrence noted.

The audit found that a recent in-store demo had greatly diminished stock levels from low inventories to out-of-stock with no replenishment in the back room of the store.

“Lawrence discovered that in some stores, when the demo company ran out of product they used a competitive brand to sample, which we communicated to the client. This was crucial information that the client was unaware of,” the case study notes.

Lawrence merchandisers visited over 98% of the stores within the scheduled service dates to ensure the highest stock levels.

“Our ability to report real time issues and be the ‘eyes and ears in-store’ provided the client with critical retail intelligence they would not have been able to capture from their usual reporting,” the case study notes.

Lawrence officials said that between its first and second visits in the stores, sales rose 15%. (It is not known if this case study involved Wal-Mart, and experts say OSA challenges are felt throughout the industry.)

Wal-Mart reports on-shelf-availability at historically high levels between 90 to 95%, but says it is striving for more efficiency as store traffic increased by 23 million customers in the last year alone.

ACROSS THE AISLE
Unlike some of the other third party merchandising companies who focus mostly on consumer packaged goods, Breazeale says Lawrence does a lot of work on the other side of the store in apparel, home, toys and automotive.

Lawrence recently reset the intimate apparel department at Wal-Mart, and continually works with suppliers who have product on the retail giant’s shelves, such as Wrangler. Breazeale says Lawrence has working relationships with nearly every major brick and mortar retailer in the country, which can be advantageous for brands that sell across the sector.

For instance, Wrangler is found in Wal-Mart and Target as well as other department stores like J.P. Penney, Kohl’s and Macy’s. Specialty stores like Cabela’s and Tractor Supply also sell Wranger jeans.

Industry analysts and supply chain experts predict more consolidation of services in the future as wholesale margins remain compressed from inflationary commodity prices.

Leon Nicholsas, director retail insights for Kantar Retail, said suppliers are being asked to shoulder more responsibility for placing and keeping their products on Wal-Mart shelves.

This is inevitable given Wal-Mart’s vow to reduce overhead expenses as part of its $6 billion price investment over the next two to three years.

“We do a lot of work helping suppliers like toy companies set up modulars and in-store displays for things like Easter bunnies and of course Christmas items. The suppliers only have four weeks to sell the merchandise through and we help ensure all the product gets out of the backroom and onto the floor where it can be sold,” Breazeale said. “Then of course we change those out as the seasons progress.”

In 24-hour retail operations, Lawrence has to work around store traffic and the retailer’s own personnel. A Lawrence merchandiser can be identified as wearing a company shirt and a badge given out by the retailer.
 
“Our merchandisers work part-time, and can quickly be assembled to complete a job assignment. We can put more people on a job or scale back whichever is needed. We run a nimble business operation and pride ourselves on a strong 50-year track record,” Breazeale said.

MORE PRODUCTS
Nicholas and other analysts expect product assortment to broaden at Wal-Mart because of the retailers push to be a “house of brands.”
 
“Duncan (Mac Naughton) has four pillars for assortment density at Wal-Mart,” Nicholas said. “This will mean shelf space concerns for suppliers as Wal-Mart says it will be a destination for basics at low entry level prices in addition to offering choices for better and best comparable products.

A move by Wal-Mart to help add assortment through more localized buying could be an opportunity for Lawrence and others who have the ability to engage their army at a moment’s notice. Breazeale says Lawrence not only works with suppliers and manufacturers but also does routine contract work for the retailer.
 
Analysts say as shelf space becomes more crowded with more products – there are 50 different Oreo SKUs (stock keeping units) – it will become imperative for suppliers to ensure they are not crowded out.

It’s important to note, this product surge is happening across all channels, and not just with the big box mass merchandisers. The corner drug store, Walgreen’s offers some 109 soup items. The local grocer may have up to 620 soup units. Wal-Mart comes in at 717, and Amazon has a whopping 11,848 soup items for sale.

Therefore, added product, shrinking space and heavy shopping traffic create a perfect storm for empty-shelves. Supply chain analysts expect the problem will get worse before it improves.

On corner streets, in small towns, nestled deep in the fabric of the continental United States, lies man’s last unadulterated fortress.
 
It's a stoic place where news still comes in print and sporting events crackle through the speakers of rusty old clock radios. Artists come to work in smocks, armed to the hilt with straight razors, silver sheers and trusty old clippers that have been around since the Kennedy administration.  

Customers three generations deep, lounge in armless chairs and gaze through decade-old periodicals, as they debate everything from local prep football to which heavyweight was truly the greatest.  

In the center of this hub is the master barber. Truly a man donning many hats. The master barber, not to be confused with the hair stylist or the beautician, is a moniker that carries a deep and noble history.

As Cedric the Entertainer adequately stated in Ice Cube's classic cult-film that carries the namesake: "In my day, a barber was a counselor. He was a fashion expert. A style coach. Pimp. Just general all-around hustler."

In an age of cookie-cutter salons and chain shops that shuffle in clients like a revolving door, the classic barber shop is falling by the wayside. Only a dozen or so still remain in Northwest Arkansas.

Even in the South, where barbershops were once a staple of every small town, the competition now comes from all angles. A haircut can be had in every Wal-Mart in the area and there are currently twice as many Master Cut and Sports Clip locations as there are Dairy Queens.  

"I think its just modernization like anything else in this world," said Charles Kirkpatrick of the Arkansas Barber Licensing Board. "It’s kind of like how you don't see as many people picking up a (news) paper today. But they always say a great barber doesn't die, he just gets clipped away."

UNISEX SCHOOLING
Kirkpatrick is a master barber at The Cutting Edge in Arkadelphia. The cost of obtaining a master barber’s license is similar to cosmetology and depends of the school itself,  but no-matter the school they both take 1,500 hours to complete. For full time students that translates to around 10 months. Tuition costs between $8,000 and $10,000, which included supplies.

The schools have some major differences. Most barber colleges are thought of as old, stodgy establishments, while cosmetology schools are generally newer – built in the last two decades.

According to beautyleap.com, there are more than 50 cosmetology schools in Arkansas and just 11 barber colleges certified by the state board. The reasoning can be attributed to a number of things, namely supply and demand.

Kirkpatrick is a throwback to the age of hot lather shaves and remembers a time when barbers were a staple in the fabric of any community.

"The barber pole is the oldest sign in town, aside from the cross on the church," said Kirkpatrick. "It’s also the oldest, honest profession. It’s a shame, some of the old techniques like strapping the blade or using hot towels or lather are rarely used by today's barbers." 

"The way it’s going these days, you see a lot more salons and a lot less master barbers. ... There is a big difference in the two," he said. "For starters, the word barber is masculine at its root. It means beard. The big difference is that cosmetologists do as much on nails as they do hair, and they don't learn how to do a shave."

For example, most cosmetology students are women and in the golden age of barber shops, most women weren't working full time. Couple that with the fact that a large percentage of men are finding it less awkward to get their hair cut at a salon than they would have 30 years ago, it’s easy to see why the decline in classic shops is so prevalent.

"I get my hair cut a a few different places in (NWA) but it’s a lot easier to find a good salon that I trust than a barbershop," said Fayetteville resident John Pence, 24. "It’s not always the most comfortable thing getting my hair cut in a salon full of mostly women, so in that regard I wish I had a more male friendly place to go, but they are hard to find."

DYING ART
Sherri Blake owns the Village Barbershop in Bella Vista and says she would like to find a master barber to work in the shop several days a week.

“Barbering is a dying art. I have been looking for months to find someone who is truly a skilled master barber to help me in the shop. Oh, there are plenty of folks who can cut hair, but it’s not the same thing,” Blake said.

At 57, Blake is one of the younger barbers around. The mean age is 65. After selling cars for 15 years, Blake said she renewed her license and has been practicing in Bella Vista since 2002, purchasing the shop two years ago.

“I do have a retired gentlemen who helps me on Saturdays, but finding someone who wants to barber all the time is a challenge,” Blake said. “It’ a great job, by-in-large a cash business that averages $50,000 per year, it’s a shame more young men don’t pursue this field.”

Blake said the unisex schools today do not properly train barbers to use a straight razor or clip without the guard.

"I think most people would rather try for a cosmetology license because you have more choice with the type of business you want to run," said Lauren London, former owner of London Style in Van Buren. "Typically barbers only deal with hair and it’s fun to have the freedom to do nails as well, which you get with a cosmo degree." 

Don and Jon's Shop in Springdale and the Village Barber Shop in Bella Vista are both cut from the classic mold, as well as Chad's in Fayetteville. Nothing fancy about these joints – just meat and potatoes and plenty of jabber.

Cut-Close Barber Shop in Fayetteville might be the most popular barber shop for young adults in the area. Currently carrying a five star rating by from Yelp, it features a variety of specials for students, kids and seniors throughout the week, though an average cut cost around $16.

This throwback barbershop is a favorite among University of Arkansas students and is frequented by several former and current UA athletes. It’s not unusual to see a player walk in on a conversation about how bad his team is playing. But it’s all in good fun.

"I like it because it’s laid back, urban and above anything else (Carlos) does a great job," said Cut Close customer Stephen Tucker, 26. "It’s the type of place where you can walk in and jump right into  the conversation ... you can shoot the breeze with your boys and keep your fade looking good."

After a steady decline in barbers licenses from 2000-2008, the national board of barbers saw a 10% increase in 2009, coming off the recession. The numbers have been flat for the last few years – meaning at least for the time being our classic barber shops are off the chopping block.   

The Poultry Federation announced the opening of the Don & Randal Tyson Conference Center as part of its new building today (April 18). The announcement was made by Marvin Childers, president of The Poultry Federation, and John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods Inc.

Springdale-based Tyson Foods donated $1 million for the construction of the new building, a gift that stemmed from a commitment made by John’s late father, Don Tyson, in 2010.
 
“The poultry industry is a huge economic engine in Arkansas’ economy,” said Childers. “Poultry cash receipts of $3.6 billion, represents 47% of the total cash receipts from all agricultural commodities in Arkansas. Our industry accounts for 1 in 4 agricultural jobs in Arkansas and we are the only state to rank in the top 10 in chicken, turkey and egg production.”

The new building, located at 321 South Victory St. in Little Rock, will be the headquarters for The Poultry Federation, which serves the poultry and egg industry in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The Don & Randal Tyson Conference Center will be used for industry-related meetings and will also be available to legislators and other policy makers. The center is named in honor of the late Don Tyson, the former chairman of Tyson Foods, and the late Randal Tyson, Don’s half-brother who was a Tyson Foods vice president and served a term as president of the Poultry Federation.

“The Poultry Federation’s new building represents the future of the poultry business, which is so important to Arkansas and nearby states,” said John Tyson. “The Federation is a leader in addressing poultry industry and agricultural issues and we’re proud to be part of it.”
 
The announcement was made during a special luncheon at The Poultry Federation headquarters that was attended by representatives of Tyson Foods, Poultry Federation members and various state officials. Due to inclement weather in Northwest Arkansas, John Tyson was unable to attend in person and participated via videoconference.
 
The new Federation building is a LEED certified building located in the Capitol Zoning District. The total cost of the building, including furniture and equipment was approximately $2 million.

Arvest Bank said Thursday (April 18) it garnered  top rankings by J.D. Power and Associates for retail banking satisfaction in southwest and south central regions.

This is the fifth year that Arvest has been recognized with a J.D. Power award. The 2013 study was conducted with more than 51,000 banking consumers throughout eleven regions across the United States.

“To receive a regional award for the fifth year is a tremendous honor for our bank and our associates,” said Craig Rivaldo, Arvest Bank president and CEO in the Fort Smith /River Valley region. “We view this as validation of our customer-centric philosophy and are thrilled with this result. We pride ourselves on providing high levels of service consistently throughout our organization and through all channels of delivery whether it be in person, online or via telephone. Our associates deserve the credit for this honor, and we are truly thankful to our customers for this recognition and for trusting us to help them with their financial needs.”

The south central region Arvest received the highest score in four factors analyzed by the study—product offerings, facility, account information, account activities. This region is comprised of five states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The southwest region is comprised of six states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma and Utah. In this region, Arvest received the highest score in five factors — fees, product offerings, facility, account information, account activities.

Gary Head, CEO of Signature Bank, has announced promotions for Knight Weis to president-Northwest Arkansas, and John Spencer to president-Springdale.

Weis joined Signature Bank during its inception in 2004 and has 24 years banking experience.

As president of Northwest Arkansas Weis is responsible for the supervision of the NWA market presidents as well as assisting them in developing strategies for gaining market share and customer retention.

He will also work with market presidents to oversee their respective loan portfolios. Weis holds a MBA and a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking from the University of Arkansas.

He serves on the board of the Springdale Public Education Foundation and is a past board member for Springdale Chamber of Commerce, Springdale Country Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters of NWA.

Knight, his wife Phyllis and sons Phillip, Jacob (JT) and Thomas reside in Tontitown and are members of St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Tontitown. 

Spencer, a 10-year banking veteran, joined Signature Bank during its inception in 2004 and as Springdale president he will have responsibility for the management of the Springdale bank group as well as oversee and develop strategy for business development, market share gain and community involvement.

He will also serve as chairman of Springdale’s Board of Directors. Spencer holds a bachelors of marketing from the University of Arkansas and also attended the Consortium International University for International Business Studies in Paderno, Italy.

He has been active volunteering with the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, The Northwest Arkansas Kampaign for Kids, The Miracle League, the Springdale Kiwanis Cal Ripken Baseball League and is also a 2006 Leadership Springdale graduate.

John, his wife Amber, son Cyler and daughter Winnie Rose live in Springdale and are members of First United Methodist Church.

Signature Bank has more than $500 million in assets and employs more than 100 bankers.

Depending on what part of the Fort Smith metro area you look at, new and existing home sales are either through the roof or down in the dumps.

In Sebastian County, sales of new and existing homes were valued at roughly $14.688 million with 102 homes sold in March, which was an increase of 25.46% from March of last year.

Crossing the river into Crawford County, the numbers were bleak. Only 36 homes were sold at a value of $4.251 million, a drop of 23.09% from the same month last year.

Overall, home sales in both markets are down 5.2% during the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same quarter of 2012.

Chaney Brewer, an agent at Jim White Realty, said there are a few reasons why Crawford County's numbers could be so much weaker than Sebastian County's.

"One of the big things that's been going on right now is the threat of rural development loans going away," he said, adding that cities as large as Van Buren could be affected should the loan option disappear.

Brewer said with while the figures show a decline for Van Buren, it's not for a lack of buyers.

"As far as people buying houses, I would say that we're getting more buyers than sellers," he said. "I think that as far as inventory is concerned, we just haven't had a lot of inventory."

With the announcement of HMA locating a regional service center in the Fort Smith area, bringing with it 500 jobs and an annual payroll of more than $21 million, Brewer expects strong sales numbers to continue in Sebastian County and possibly pick up in Crawford County. http://www.thecitywire.com/node/27169

He also said with higher incomes, buyers will likely buy larger homes.

"As people come in, people's pay increases, people tend to move up into bigger homes," he said. "Some of these jobs are coming from out of town, so that will bring more buyers from out of the area."

As far as the median price of a home bought last month, Crawford County actually saw an increase of 28.87% from $97,000 in March 2012 to $125,000 in March 2013.

In Sebastian County, an increase was seen, as well, but the median sale price was lower than in Crawford County. The median sale price was $116,000 last month, a 10.74% increase from $104,750 in March 2012.

Home Sales Data (January - March)
Crawford County
Unit Sales
2013: 86
2012: 133

Total Sales Volume
2013: $8.934 million
2012: $14.763 million

Median Sales Price
2013: $96,000
2012: $99,400

Sebastian County
Unit Sales
2013: 242
2012: 213

Total Sales Volume
2013: $33.476 million
2012: $26.216 million

Median Sales Price
2013: $112,500
2012: $104,750

Simmons First National Corp. reported first quarter earnings of $5.93 million compared to $6.35 million one year ago.

The Pine Bluff-based banking company disclosed merger related expenses that had some effect on its bottom line.

“Considering interest rates continue at historical lows and due to the seasonality that we experience in the first quarter each year, we were pleased with our overall earnings performance. More so, we were pleased with the positive trends in our balance sheet, as reflected in our normalized organic loan growth of approximately 4%, which enabled us to produce a net interest margin of 4.01%. The organic loan growth, coupled with strong asset quality, bodes well for the balance of the year,” said J. Thomas May, Chairman and CEO.

Other financial highlights of the quarter for Simmons First (NASDAQ: SFNC) included:
• Total loans, including those acquired, were $1.8 billion at March 31, 2013, an increase of $176.6 million, or 10.7%, compared to the same period in 2012;

• At March 31, 2013, total deposits were $2.9 billion, an increase of $238 million, or 9.0%, compared to the same period in 2012;

• The company’s net interest income for the first quarter of 2013 was $30.1 million, an increase of $2.4 million, or 8.5%, from the same period of 2012; and,

• Non-interest income for the first quarter was $11.3 million, an increase of $590,000, or 5.5%, compared to the first quarter of 2012.

Arkansas’ jobless rate was 7.2% in March, unchanged from February and just slightly below the 7.3% in March 2012. One of the largest sector drops was in travel and tourism jobs, with employment down more than 2.2% between March and February.

March marks 50 consecutive months that Arkansas’ jobless rate has been at or above 7%. March also continued a trend in which the jobless rate improves but declines in the size of the workforce and number of employed point to ongoing weakness in Arkansas’ economy.

The number of employed in Arkansas during March was down an estimated 31,744 compared to March 2012, but the number of unemployed fell from 99,332 in March 2012 to an estimated 95,987 in March 2013.

The workforce size shrank from an estimated 1.337 million in February to 1.329 million in March. The workforce totaled 1.365 million in March 2012, according to the Friday (April 19) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Arkansas’ annual average jobless rate fell from 7.9% during 2011 to 7.3% during 2012.

ARKANSAS SECTOR NUMBERS
In the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector — Arkansas’ largest job sector — employment during March was an estimated 250,400, unchanged from a revised February number and ahead of the 241,200 during March 2012.

Manufacturing jobs in Arkansas during March totaled 155,900, down from the 157,700 in February and below the 155,900 in March 2012. Employment in the once booming manufacturing sector fell in 2012 to levels not seen since early 1968. Peak employment in the sector was 247,300 in March 1995.

Government job employment during March was 215,800, down from 215,900 in February and below the 216,600 during March 2012.

The state’s Education and Health Services sector during March had 175,400 jobs, up from the 174,300 during February and up from 171,500 during March 2012. Employment in the sector is up more than 25% compared to March 2003.

Arkansas’ tourism sector (leisure & hospitality) employed 101,300 during March, well below the 103,600 during February and less than the 103,200 during March 2012. At a revised 103,700, January 2013 marked a new employment high in the sector.

The construction sector employed an estimated 46,300 during March, up from the 44,300 during February and below the 49,000 during March 2012. Employment in the sector is down almost 14% from March 2003.

FOUNDATION ANALYSIS
“This morning’s payroll employment report for March,1 nearly four years into an economic expansion, provides more evidence the Arkansas labor market is a four-cylinder engine firing on only two cylinders,” said Greg Kaza, executive director of the Arkansas Policy Foundation, said in a statement to The City Wire. “Why term Arkansas’ labor market a four-cylinder engine? Six- and eight-cylinder engines are more powerful than their four-cylinder counterparts.”

According to Kaza’s research, the U.S. labor market is stronger, expanding 3.5% versus Arkansas’ 2.1% growth rate since the expansion started in June 2009. 

Kaza notes that six Arkansas jobs sectors representing 44% of Arkansas’ labor market have contracted or failed to expand in the expansion. The Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector is the one bright spot in Arkansas’ labor market, expanding 6.6% versus the U.S. average of 3.5%.

Job numbers for the sectors are as follows:
Mining & Logging (flat)
March 2013 (estimate): 10,100
June 2009: 10,100

Construction (down)
March 2013 (estimate): 46,300
June 2009: 50,700

Manufacturing (down)
March 2013 (estimate): 155,900
June 2009: 161,600

Financial Services (down)
March 2013 (estimate): 49,600
June 2009: 50,600

Other Services (down)
March 2013 (estimate): 41,400
June 2009: 44,600

Government (down)
March 2013 (estimate): 215,800
June 2009: 216,900

NATIONAL, REGIONAL DATA
The BLS figures show that 26 states had jobless rate decreases in March compared to March 2012, 7 states saw rate increases, and 17 states had no change. The U.S. jobless rate during March was 7.6%, below 8.2% during March 2012.

The highest jobless rate among the states in March was 9.7% Nevada, and the lowest rate was 3.3% in North Dakota.

Oklahoma’s jobless rate was 5% in March, unchanged from February and below the 5.1% during March 2012. The jobless rate in Missouri during March was 6.7%, unchanged from February and below the 7% during March 2012.

Richard Boone, the chief financial officer of Sparks Health System, has been promoted to operations/finance for the Southern and Western Group of Health Management Associates facilities.

This new role includes financial oversight of 26 hospitals in seven states, including Sparks Regional Medical Center and its sister hospital Summit Medical Center in Van Buren, Ark. The promotion was effective April 15. Boone will remain based in Fort Smith.

Boone has nearly 25 years of experience serving in various positions in the healthcare arena.  He has served as the CFO for Sparks Health System for the past year. Previous to that, he served as an Associate Administrator at Sparks.

Boone earned bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

A search is underway for a new CFO for Sparks Health System.

El Dorado-based Deltic Timber Corp. reported first quarter profits of $6.77 million, a huge jump from a $97,000 profit one year ago.

Deltic’s manufacturing segment reported operating income of $11.3 million, an increase of $9.7 million from the previous year as the lumber market continued to show steady improvement.

“Deltic’s portfolio of diverse assets continued to perform well in the first quarter of 2013, as indicated by the financial results reported,” said CEO Ray Dillon. “The improved housing market resulted in increased sales prices for both lumber and medium density fiberboard. As a result, both the financial performance of the company’s manufacturing segment and our equity in Del-Tin Fiber’s earnings improved significantly.”

In February, Deltic Timber entered into an agreement to purchase the 50% membership interest in Del-Tin Fiber, LLC owned by TIN, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of International Paper Company’s Temple-Inland Inc. The transaction was valued at $20 million.

“On April 1, Deltic successfully completed the acquisition of the other half of the ownership of Del-Tin Fiber from its joint venture partner as previously announced on February 13, 2013. As a result, we will now operate and report it as a consolidated subsidiary, as part of the Manufacturing segment, in succeeding quarters.”

Retail behemoth Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is also a real estate company of gigantic proportion with roughly 4,000 super-sized boxes scattered coast to coast amid small town America.

In fact, Wal-Mart’s single largest asset is its real estate holdings which total some 720 million square feet of space – much of which is carved up in 180,000 square-feet cubes known as "supercenters."

Roughly two-thirds of American shoppers live within five miles of a Wal-Mart Supercenter so it should come as no surprise to see Wal-Mart testing other uses for this prime space as more shopping transactions occur online, according to Robin Sherk, senior analyst with Kantar Retail.

The new supercenters are roughly 140,000 square feet, but there are plenty of 180,000 and 200,000 square feet stores across the country and lots of space that will need filling in the next decade or so as e-commerce becomes a bigger share of overall sales. Kantar has spotted several opportunities Wal-Mart is testing which could eventually become more mainstream fixtures within the giant supercenter locations as more general merchandise categories move online.

DESTINATION DISPLAYS
“Could we imagine the extra space in stores going back to suppliers? ... Wal-Mart saying if you want to take 1,000 square feet out of the supercenter and create a toy destination, or meal solution destination or beauty destination then go for it,” Sherk asked a group of suppliers during a recent conference in Bentonville

Sherk envisions the store-within-a-store concept that Apple is already testing in some locations being expanded to include other products in the future.

“When you walk into that space it is truly Apple providing that experience and expertise and that’s just the beginning of possibilities.” Sherk said.

She points to Disney’s destination store within an ASDA Supercenter in the U.K. as something that could go mainstream in the future. The Disney destination takes up about 3,000 square feet inside the store and is meant transport the child from a routine shopping trip into a magical Disney experience. Three of the in-store destinations are planned.  

“I can totally see large areas like the lawn and garden section that seem like ghost towns for much of the year being used to draw to event traffic like say having breakfast with Toucan Sam or some other fictional character,” Sherk said.

They key for retailers will be to figure out creative ways to drive traffic to these large boxes when consumers can have home delivery if they want it.

EXPANDED SERVICES
Wal-Mart continues to leverage its store traffic, which at 140 million shoppers a week is quite the captive audience.

Kantar envisions the retailer expanding its financial service offerings with the Bluebird card that is looking more like a mainstream product to replace the traditional checking account.

This year Wal-Mart also partnered with Mollen Immunization Clinics to administer 10 different vaccines recommended by the Center for Disease Control over a four-month period from August to mid November. Wal-Mart also worked with MetLife to write life insurance policies at 200 Wal-Mart stores in South Carolina and Georgia last year. And the retailer is testing in-store dental clinics in California.

“Anytime that there’s inefficiency in the system – and there’s no better poster child for inefficiency than the U.S. health care system – we believe there’s an opportunity for Wal-Mart," said Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon. 

This spring SoloHeath put health check-up kiosks in more than 2,500 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations. These kiosks let users check eyesight and blood pressure and get information of diet, vitamins and pain management. Some analysts say this is a broad test that allows Wal-Mart to assess the demand for these type of health services from its shopping public. Analysts say there is no reason why parents couldn’t get their child’s routine sports physical or a teeth cleaning at Wal-Mart while they pick up a few grocery items on the way home in the evening.

Sherk says unique services can be trip drivers to the retail center, which is why Wal-Mart is actively pursuing the ventures with an end goal to capture a larger share of the wallet.

DISTRIBUTION/ FULFILLMENT
One logical use for the massive space is warehousing fulfillment centers for online home delivery orders, given their close proximity to neighbors in more rural areas.

“Wal-Mart has to be saying to itself that they own this space, because no one else has their physical reach,” Sherk said. “If customers chose to come in and pick it up or the orders can be delivered from close proximity.”

With that she said the lockers within a store and also drive-through stores will likely become mainstream in the next decade for online orders.

Wal-Mart has pick-up today, order online and pick up at the store nearby, but Sherk says in the coming years that could mean order your pet food, baby diapers and a small bill of groceries, pay a small fee to have Wal-Mart shop the list and store the items in a locker for you to pick up later.

“Perhaps we just pull up to lawn and garden center and they load it in the back of our car. I see this appealing to baby boomers who no longer want to trek through the massive stores,” Sherk said.

As Amazon Prime is expected to go next-day delivery later this year, supply chain expert Dr. Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins International, said retailers will have to find some way to compete or risk losing market share.

Sherk says Wal-Mart has some real opportunities with same-day delivery on thousands of products, if they can figure out how to use their supercenter assets as fulfillment centers.  At the same time, she says these supercenters also need to be a destination for services and the broad merchandise assortments their customers have come to expect.

Officials with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the Walmart Foundation on Monday (April 22) announced that they have given more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions during the most recent fiscal year.

According to the Wal-Mart statement, it is the “first time Walmart or any U.S. retailer has achieved that level of giving.”

Much of the fiscal year in which the record was reached included the tenure of Sylvia Burwell, who was president of the Wal-Mart Foundation beginning in January 2012. On March 3, 2013, it was announced that Burwell was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Prior to January 2012, Burwell had an executive leadership role with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Wal-Mart said the increase in giving was boosted by in-kind donations in the U.S. to food banks and to families suffering through disasters.

STATE LEVELS
Arkansas was one of the top beneficiaries of the giving, with the total from Wal-Mart and the foundation reaching $72.807 million, second only among the 50 states to Texas which received $86.211 million.

Rounding out the top five states were Florida (3) at $53.677 million, North Carolina (4) at $39.853 million, and Georgia (5) at $37.055 million.

Oklahoma cash and in-kind support totaled $27.543 million, and the Missouri total was $31.652 million.

"At Walmart we believe in taking care of our neighbors and our communities," said Leslie Dach, executive vice president of corporate affairs for Walmart. "We serve people who fight hard for their families, and we are going to fight for them. We have a responsibility to do what we can to give them better options and better lives."

Dach, who is leaving Wal-Mart in June, said the company attempts to use its “size and the unique strengths of our business” to boost giving and direct it to programs and locations that really need it.

DIVERSIFIED GIVING
Overall, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation's total global contributions of $1.08 billion in the last fiscal year include:
• U.S. giving of $1 billion in cash and in-kind gifts, up from $872.7 million last year;
• More than 351 million meals to local food banks through Feeding America;
• 1 million bottles of water to residents impacted by Hurricane Sandy;
• $1.9 million in grants to Share Our Strength to provide 122,000 families the skills and resources needed to prepare healthy, affordable meals;
• Individual stores and clubs gave $4.9 million toward first responders, including nearly $3 million toward local law enforcement;
• $106.4 million in cash and in-kind gifts given by Sam's Club and the Sam's Club Giving Program;
• Helped 3,600 small-business owners get the training they need to succeed;
• Provided grants to nonprofit partners that enabled 265 small-business loans; and,
• International giving of $82.2 million in cash and in-kind gifts.

Some of those benefitting from Walmart's hunger relief efforts include students at Port Towns Elementary School in Prince George's County, Md., where 80% of students live at or below the poverty line. Last year, the Walmart Foundation donated more than $700,000 to the Prince George's County school district to help fund a Breakfast in the Classroom program.

In addition to the more than $1 billion from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, Walmart and Sam's Club customers and associates around the world raised $156.3 million for local organizations such as the Salvation Army and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

INCOME COMPARISON
There is no break out for how much of the $1.08 billion was cash. However, the total giving amount is almost 7% of income the company generated in the fiscal year.

For the full year ended Jan. 31, Wal-Mart profits declined 4.2% to $15.699 billion, while revenue rose 5.9% to $443.854 billion. But a conservative guidance for fiscal 2013 also concerned investors.

Total revenue for the first quarter of the new fiscal year ended April 30 was $113.018 billion, up 8.5% compared to the same quarter in 2011 — and that was up against a negative foreign currency exchange rate that reduced the top line by about $800 million.

The past year has been taxing for Wal-Mart directors serving on the retailer’s audit committee due to the ongoing global investigation into ethics and alleged bribery allegations made public in April 2012.

In the annual proxy filing released Monday (April 22), Wal-Mart Stores noted to shareholders that the company paid audit committee members more than the standard director fee because of the extra work they took on regarding those investigations.

Three directors will not stand for re-election, including Arnie Sorenson, chief executive for Marriott International, who served on the audit committee. James Breyer, the board's presiding director, and M. Michele Burns are each leaving the board after more than 10 years of service.

During this past year the audit committee met 15 times, while other committees met an average of six times in sync with the six meetings conducted by the full board, according to the proxy filing. Audit committee members were paid an additional $60,000 fee, while the committee's chairman, Christopher Williams, received $85,000 in compensation for their service last year.

Wal-Mart cited the audit committee's extra work in the proxy filing and decided to double the cash portion of the annual retainer for audit committee members, and doubled the chair fee for the chair of the audit committee. Wal-Mart paid Williams a total of $189,000 in fees for fiscal 2013, the most of any of the 15 board members who are not part of Wal-Mart's management team. He has been a board member since 2004.

The additional payments to audit committee totaled $325,000 and add to the $157 million the company said it spent last year on its investigation into the bribery allegations in Mexico, Brazil, China and India, and the internal improvements to the retailer's compliance protocols.

MERIT PAY
Wal-Mart executives for the most part enjoyed fruitful gains in their total compensation packages last year as their core performance bonuses paid off on the heels of a stronger overall sales and income.

Wal-Mart posted a 5% increase in sales to $466.1 billion last year.

CEO, Mike Duke, 63, earned $20.7 million last year, up from $18.1 million a year earlier. His higher pay is a combination of a 4% rise in annual salary and a fatter bonus based on improving sales.

Duke received a base salary of $1.3 million and stock awards of $13.6 million. His performance-based cash bonus jumped to $4.4 million up from $2.9 million, according to the filing. Other compensation totaled $644,450, the perks included $101,947 for the use of the company aircraft.

Charles Holley, chief financial officer, earned a total of $6.63 million, up 29.8% from the prior year, hoister higher by a 2.78% salary hike and bigger bonus as well.

Bill Simon, CEO of Walmart U.S., earned $11.22 million, up 32.9% from a year ago. Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart International, earned $9.563 million, down from $10.96 million in the prior year, challenging global growth is the reason for the dip in overall performance income for McMillon.

Newcomer Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Sam’s Club, received compensation totaling $14.457 million last year, her first year in senior level management with the retailer. The total income reflects two years of cash performance stock awards given her start date near the tail-end of fiscal 2012.

DISGRUNTLED STAKEHOLDERS
Despite record stock prices this past year, huge dividend payments and overall strong financial performance, some stakeholders remain disgruntled by the ongoing ethics violations.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and its OUR Walmart subsidiary are calling for Duke and Rob Walton, son the company founder, to be ousted.

The groups sent letters to Wal-Mart's global ethics office calling for Wal-Mart's board to remove Duke and Rob Walton "for their failure in leadership in preventing the alleged bribery, trying to cover it up" and not setting up controls or actions to fix the internal ethics violations.

Duke and Walton were implicated as “potentially knowing” about the alleged bribery dealings in the company’s Mexican business unit and not notifying their regulatory oversight agency in a timely fashion.

Shares of Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) dipped  to $77.97 on Monday after setting an all-time high of $79.28 just one week ago.

Students interested in completing their degrees may now have an easier time finding not only a school, but also a degree program that fits their busy schedules following an announcement by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

The school announced Tuesday (April 23) that it has entered into a partnership with the Northwest Arkansas Education Consortium and its program, Graduate NWA, a website focused on helping northwest Arkansas residents with some academic credit complete their degree.

Numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show that 19,329 residents of Sebastian County residents have some college credit, but no degree.

"Life happens," said UAFS Chancellor Paul Beran. "We understand that, but completion of the degree doesn't need to elude them forever."

According to Rob Smith, a communications and policy specialist with the Northwest Arkansas Council, UAFS and the five other schools in the consortium have discussed a partnership since February. Smith said the announcement is an outgrowth of work being done by groups in both Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas.

"There are places to work together and this is an easy one," he said. "Both of our regions are trying to increase the number of graduates we have. We have several people with credits, but no degrees."

Sam T. Sicard, president of First National Bank of Fort Smith and the chairman of the Fort Smith Regional Council, echoed Smith's sentiments. He said becoming a part of the consortium was beneficial to both students and the greater Fort Smith area.

"The Fort Smith Regional Council is focused on educational advancement and we think it's tied to economic development," Sicard said.

With a higher number of residents completing degrees, he said more businesses will see Fort Smith as a good fit as they seek to expand.

"If you're going to recruit higher-paying jobs to the region, (corporate site selectors are) going to look at your demographics," Sicard said. "It's not a positive when our area in the Fort Smith region has a degree completion rate well below the national average."

Beran cited a Georgetown University report that said 60% of all jobs "will be for people with some kind of college degree." Statistics like those, which Beran called "remarkable," are the reason why local business leaders and the administration of UAFS sought out the partnership.

While a better-educated workforce encourages growth and expansion of corporations into the region, Sicard said it also would benefit the region in other ways, encouraging more small business opportunities.

"These people that are well educated will be more successful entrepreneurs, more adept at starting a business and managing a business, so that's a benefit as well."

Beren said as the Fort Smith economy continues to evolve, it is more important than ever for former students to go back and finish their degrees.

"Recent plant closings and the uncertainty imposed by the changing mission of the Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing push the need for people to reconsider their education," Beran said, adding that an increased number of college-educated residents benefits the entire state of Arkansas.

Sicard added that partnerships, such as the consortium, should be a statewide goal.

"This is a real opportunity for partnership between northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith and we have a lot of the same interests," he said. "What's good for northwest Arkansas is good for Fort Smith and vice versa. The way we partner with each other is advantageous for both of us."

With 7,337 students enrolled last fall, UAFS is the third largest school in the consortium behind the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and NorthWest Arkansas Community College. Other schools in the consortium are John Brown University, Northwest Technical Institute and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest.

“Frustrating” contract negotiations between Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have again been extended, with May 31 the new deadline.

The Teamsters issued a statement on April 19 suggesting that new proposals from Arkansas Best have put the negotiations “at risk.”

The existing labor contract between ABF and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters expired March 31 for the about 7,500 Arkansas Best employees represented by the Teamsters.

The largest subsidiary of Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best is ABF Freight System, one of the largest less-than-truckload carriers in the U.S. Most of the 7,500 are drivers but the union membership also includes dockworkers, mechanics and office staff. Arkansas Best employs more than 10,000.

Existing contract terms were agreed to in 2008 as part of a National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA) with which Arkansas Best, YRC and other trucking companies participated.

Negotiations got off to a rocky start in December when company and Teamster officials issued less-than-kind statements about each other’s negotiating positions.

However, statements issued in late March said a 30-day extension had been set, with both sides indicating that progress had been made.

The April 19 statement from the Teamsters indicated that new proposals from Arkansas Best included:
• A 6.5% wage reduction;
• The elimination of coverage for employees working fewer than 130 hours in a month;
• Employee co-pays including a $240 per month employee contribution for family coverage;
• Significant increases in out-of-pocket employee costs; and,
• Overall reduced benefits.

“While we’ve made progress on major local and over-the-road work rule issues over the last few months, the company’s new proposals this week are very disappointing and place our progress at risk,” Gordon Sweeton, Teamsters ABF National Negotiating Committee Co-Chairman, said in the statement. “We’ve put millions of dollars worth of opera- tional relief on the table but that apparently is not enough.”

Teamsters National Freight Division Director Tyson Johnson said the company’s proposals were “certainly frustrating.”

“Perhaps most disturbing is the company’s meat axe approach to benefits. It certainly raises a question about how the company values its employees,” Johnson said in the Teamsters statement.

ARKANSAS BEST STATEMENT
Following is the April 22 statement from Arkansas Best about the contract extension. (Arkansas Best has a policy of not commenting on the negotiations beyond the statements released.)

“Following Friday’s announcement of another 30-day contract extension to allow for continuing contract discussions, misperceptions about our pension proposals have been circulating and must be corrected.

“Our goal is to stay in every pension fund and ensure ABF’s long-term viability in order to continue contributing to the funds. We pay money into 25 different multiemployer pension funds. Nearly two-thirds of our Teamster employees are enrolled in plans that are currently in the “critical” or “endangered” zone. Withdrawal from the pension plans would expose ABF to potentially significant withdrawal liability, which would be counterproductive to our efforts to better align our costs with our competitors.

“The terms of our initial proposal include pension payments that we believe are sufficient to allow the continued participation of our employees in each of the current 25 pension plans, including the Western Conference pension plan. It is not our intention, nor do we envision any scenario that would result in our withdrawal from any fund in which we are currently participating.

“As we have said throughout the course of the negotiations, here are our goals:
1. To maintain the best-paying jobs in the freight industry.
2. To stay in our current pension funds.
3. To ensure our employees have great benefits.
4. To adapt to the changing needs of our customers, who ultimately decide the fate of our jobs and company.
5. To put ABF on a path of profitability to secure jobs and retirements, now and in the future.”

TROUBLED FINANCIAL HISTORY
Arkansas Best posted a $7.7 million loss in 2012, a swing of almost $14 million when compared to the $6.159 million net income in 2011.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the company was ahead of 2011 when comparing income and revenue. But a $2.4 million charge to adjust for workers’ compensation expenses and estimated lost revenue of $2 million to $2.5 million from Hurricane Sandy resulted in a fourth quarter loss of $7.9 million. The per share loss of 31 cents was well off the consensus of analyst’s estimate of a 4 cent per share loss.

For the full year, total revenue was $2.065 billion, ahead of the $1.907 billion during 2011. Fourth quarter revenue was $537.042 million, up 16.3% compared to the 2011 quarter.

Company officials were hoping to string together two consecutive years of positive income. Net income for 2011 reached $6.159 million, a huge swing from the $32.693 million loss during 2010. The company posted a net income loss of $127.522 million loss in 2009, with $64 million representing an accounting charge. The company posted net income of $29.168 million in 2008.

The company’s reserves – cash and short-term investments – as of Dec. 31 remain strong at $119.756 million, but are down from $175.255 million at the same time in 2011. Arkansas Best used $80 million in cash in the deal to acquire Seville, Ohio-based Panther Expedited Services. The deal closed June 15.

LAWSUIT COMPLICATION
An interesting factor of the negotiation is that Arkansas Best is also pursuing a $750 million lawsuit against the Teamsters and competitor YRCW.

Arkansas Best alleges that wage deals between the Teamsters and YRC violated the NMFA. The NMFA, implemented April 1, 2008, was designed to create equal labor costs and other benefit payments among trucking companies with drivers represented by the Teamsters.

The lawsuit, first filed in November 2010, was recently dismissed a second time by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Webber Wright (Eastern District of Arkansas). On Oct. 29, 2012, Arkansas Best appealed the case again to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (St. Louis). The Circuit has once appealed in favor of Arkansas Best.

Arkansas Best is set to release first quarter 2013 earnings on April 30.

The highest ranking agriculture member in the country had a candid conversation with roughly 100 guests – students and agricultural professionals – at the University of Arkansas on Tuesday (April 23.)

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was the speaker at the Dale and Betty Bumpers Distinguished Lecture Series on the UA campus. The lecture series was made possible by a grant from Tyson Foods and the Tyson family. Last year, President Bill Clinton was the inaugural speaker for the lecture series.

Vilsack joked that he hated to have to follow Clinton as speaker and warned the crowd not to expect too much. He spoke favorably of Bill and Hillary Clinton who he said helped him come from behind to win his bid for Iowa Governor several years ago. He then turned to former U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers to say he was humbled to be speaking at function bearing the Bumpers name.

"When I set out on public service 25 years ago, Dale Bumpers was the one public servant I most chose to emulate. I only hope to accomplish half as much he did during his tenure.," he said.

Vilsack began with a simple message that resonated well in the room: "Rural farms are undervalued and under-appreciated by mainstream America today."

He spoke passionately about the need for more young farmers and agriculture research scientists who will help to feed a hungry world in the coming years.

“We are a food secure nation," he said. "Something even China can’t say today.”

That same message was recently shared with The City Wire by Anita Munyon, a young cattle and poultry farmer near Lincoln.

“We are fortunate to grow enough food in the country to feed our people because the family farms. I would hate to think about having to rely on some other nation for our food staples as volatile as world politics are today,” Munyon said.

Anita and her husband Jared, closed their dairy farm last year, when the economics no longer worked. Neither had ever wanted to anything but dairy for a living. That dream is gone, but they couple is still making a go of it with their large commercial beef cattle herd and a broiler grower business for Simmons Foods.

Vilsack said 32,000 family farms like the Munyon’s produce 50% of the food consumed in this country.

He said activist groups need to put down their signs and pick up the conversation, and organic farmers and larger commercial operations must figure out ways to coexist and thrive in the coming years as it will likely take “all hands on deck” to feed a growing world population amid shrinking land acreage.

He shared how food costs for American families pale in comparison to every other country in the world, largely because of the American farmer. It's a scene that is in jeopardy as more rural families migrate to jobs and professions in cities.

PERCEIVED THREATS
Vilsack outlined a few threats for the livelihood in rural America and the need for a five-year farm bill. First and foremost he addressed the ongoing labor shortage needed to harvest crops and work entry-level processing plant jobs, which are typically filled by immigrant populations.

“We need comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway for citizenship for the agriculture workers who have been doing those jobs for 20 years.  We also need a guest worker program to ensure our farmers they have enough labor in the future,” Vilsack said.

Next he gave his full support for a five-year farm bill that could build in some protections and incentives to keep today’s youth on the family farm.

“It’s hard to fund long-term programs when the annual budget continues to shrink. I am working with less money today than I had in 2009,” he told the group.

He said the USDA will have to be more creative in the ways it helps. Aside from just doling out money, the agency can facilitate cooperative opportunities for expanded markets and localized farmer’s market initiatives. He shared that 7,800 local communities across the country have active farmer’s markets, and is proud of the fact these local markets have increased 68% over the past four years.

Vilsack said more food hubs are needed, as they can aggregate single producers into one seamless process that allows for the sale of food to institutions, like schools, hospitals and grocers.

“We need to do more of this because people want to know where their food comes from and how their farmers are. That’s a good thing because it connects people,” he said.

Finally, Vilsack said the bio-based economy provides a wide range of opportunity for rural America and requires our attention.

“Taking everything we grow, waste and all turning it into a more valuable commodity. They are taking hog waste and making asphalt of it in Ohio. Wisconsin is taking corncobs and producing plastic bottles for Coca Cola, taking wood products and turning into lighter more durable body armor through nanotechnology. This is the future,” he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE
Vilsack said as the planet is growing warmer, evident from the violent weather swings that dealt misery throughout the farm belt over the past several years, investment is needed today for the research that will save the farms 30 to 40 years from now.

“We have got to think about water shortages, creates ways in which we can mitigate the risks of pests that are result of a warmer climate. If we don’t adapt mitigation strategies some of what we grow through the country might not be possible in the next three to four decades,” he said.

He said all of these threats facing rural America can be addressed if the right conversations are happening.

“I talk to farmers all across the country and hear about too much regulation and high taxes. While that may be true as they see it, that’s not the message we need to send our kids today. We need to have a proactive message to the young people here. One that shares the potential for reshaping the future. Because they can help to rebuild the value system in rural America and rise to leadership roles at a very early age,” Vilsack said.

He said the 1% of farm population still has to convince the other 99% that the job they perform is worth saving. That comes with open conversations, breaking down barriers and working together toward a common causes, he said.

“The entire value system of this nation is wrapped up in the family farm and is what has made this nation great.” he said.

The new ownership of Grand Savings Bank of Grove, Okla., is anxious to expand across the border with a new branch in Bentonville as soon as federal and state regulators sign-off of the plans.

Grand Savings was formerly owned by Peterson Holding Company, as a sister institution to Decatur State Bank. That was until December when Chambers Banchares, led by Johnny Chambers, acquired the banking assets of Peterson Holding Company from the heirs of poultry pioneer Lloyd Peterson.

Guy Cable and Tyler Steele along with a local banking investment group bought Grand Savings Bank, which was divested away from Peterson Holdings in recent weeks. The local investment group includes Anthony and Suzanne Steele, Rex and Carolyn Grimsley, Gary and Jan Anderson, Guy and Eiizabeth Cable, Kirby and Robyn Lane, Tyler and Patricia Steele and Roland and Betty Julian.

“We have customers and have built long term relationships in Benton County, and look forward to getting a branch to serve and grow that business,” Cable said.

He said the bank has strength and expertise in small business lending and is in a great position to grow loans given its strong capital base and liquidity ratios.

For the full year of 2012, Grand Savings Bank recorded total profits of $259,000, for a respectable return on assets of 0.89%. The bank has $22 million in equity capital, and for its $226 million in assets carries exemplary capital ratios, which deem the bank well-capitalized in the eyes of regulators.

Grand Savings does not have heavy real estate exposure on its books like many of the banks it would compete with in Northwest Arkansas.

Mark Londigin, is the CEO and president of Grand Savings Bank, and has held that position for 28 years. During the past couple of years, he also served dual roles at Decatur State Bank, prior to the sale to Chambers Bancshares.

The new board of directors include:
Tony Steele – chairman
Guy Cable – vice chairman
Rex Grimsley
Kirby Lane
Roland Julian
Mark Londagin
Beverly Jones
Lendell Bass
Tyler Steele, former vice president at First National Bank of Rogers

Northwest Arkansas continues to see a stream of newcomers to the region – an average of 30 day – which will push the metropolitan area population above 500,000 by mid 2014.

Business and community leaders met Tuesday (April 23) to discuss and identify ways to assist newcomers in becoming more engaged in their local community.

ConnectNWA, sponsored by Walmart Stores Inc., was hosted by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Northwest Arkansas Council. It brought together 50 leaders for a one-day summit focused on connecting newcomers.

“The summit is an opportunity to bring the community together to better understand the benefits of a diverse workforce,” said Lee Culpepper, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Wal-Mart.

The newcomers consist of immigrant workers and other professionals relocated here for work assignments anywhere from two to five years. Recent University of Arkansas and John Brown graduates often stay in the region as they are recruited by local companies.

“Our ability to engage newcomers in our community and helping them find success here is critical to our region moving forward,” said Mike Malone, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council.

Those participating in the summit represented churches, community organizations, colleges and universities, cities, school districts and businesses.

The summit’s facilitators included United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce CEO Al Zapanta, Migration Policy Institute Senior Policy Analyst Randy Capps and Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation CEO Sherece West-Scantlebury.