LITTLE ROCK — ABF Freight to expand
to South America
ABF Freight System of Fort Smith said Thursday it will expand its ocean transportation services to six South American countries.
The company will offer full container load and less-than-container load shipments to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay, according to a news release. In December, ABF Freight said it was offering ocean transport service to Europe and Turkey.
“With an established presence in Europe, China, India and Southeast Asia countries, South America is a natural extension of our global coverage,” Carlos Martinez-Tomatis, ABF global supply chain services division vice president, said in a release. “ABF Global now covers nearly 90 percent of the total ocean international market to and from the United States.”
The company anticipates it will reach 96 percent of the total import/export market by the end of 2013.
St. Vincent receives national designation
St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock announced Thursday that it is the first hospital in Arkansas to earn The American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition designation.
The program honors hospitals for excellence in nursing leadership, clinical practice, innovations and positive outcomes. There are currently 395 magnetdesignated organizations in the world.
“This is a historic day for St. Vincent. This is also a monumental day for nursing and health care in Arkansas,” Peter D. Banko, president and chief executive officer for St. Vincent Health System, said in a release. “There is no higher honor in nursing and quality patient care than to meet the nation’s highest standards set forth by the ANCC.”
The application process began at St. Vincent Infirmary in April 2011 and involved thousands of pages of documentation, according to the release. A threeday on-site visit followed.
State index rises, closes at 253.91
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 1.85 to 253.91 Thursday.
Twelve stocks advanced and four fell.
Tyson Foods gained 3.8 percent and traded at a 52-week high of $21.44 before closing at $21.23.
The four stocks that declined - Acxiom, Wall-Mart, P.A.M. Transportation Services and Windstream - were off less than 1 percent each.
Bank of the Ozarks was up 2.4 percent a day after announcing positive earnings in the fourth quarter.
Bank of the Ozarks reached a 52-week high of $35.52 during the day, before closing at $35.36.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business, Pages 27 on 01/18/2013