Small-firm center
gets $90,000 grant
The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center has been awarded a $90,000 federal grant intended to support technology- and innovation-driven small businesses.
This is the fifth year for the center, which is a partnership of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business, the U.S. Small Business Administration and other colleges and universities in Arkansas.
More than $2 million worth of grants were awarded to colleges, state and local economic development agencies and business development centers through the administration's Federal and State Technology program. Grants are earmarked to stimulate economic development among small, high-tech businesses.
Money awarded to the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center will be used to help small-business owners obtain Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants.
-- Chris Bahn
Arkansas gas prices
fall a penny to $3.48
Retail gasoline prices in Arkansas have fallen little more than 1 cent in the past week, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.
On Monday, the average price of gasoline in Arkansas was $3.48 a gallon, down from $3.49 a week ago. The national price of gasoline was $3.68 a gallon, unchanged from last week.
While retail gas prices in Arkansas have weakened in the past week, this holiday weekend "will still be the most expensive July 4 at the pump since 2008," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, in a statement.
"Just in time for the July 4 weekend, it appears the national average has hit a new 2014 high in the last week," he said. "The good news is that we're seeing signs that the peak price we hit last week is starting to unwind, but with July 4 just days away, motorists shouldn't be expecting any big retreats in price before the weekend."
-- Jessica Seaman
Amid mixed trading,
state index rises 1.35
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 1.35 to 350.94 Monday.
"Despite a better-than-expected report on the U.S. housing market, the major averages were mixed on the final trading day of June," said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock. "Arkansas stocks fared slightly better than the broad indexes with advancing issues outpacing decliners by 11 to six."
P.A.M. Transportation rose almost 8 percent in active trading, Williams said.
Dillard's shares fell just over 1 percent on heavy volume, he said.
Total volume of the index was 22.7 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 07/01/2014