Hybrid-car charger wins R&D 100 honor
Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc. has earned recognition in R&D Magazine's R&D 100 Awards.
Arkansas Power Electronics was recognized for its work on a hybrid-vehicle charger that uses silicon-carbide-based technology. The company, founded in 1999, developed a charger that is more efficient than currently available commercial technology.
The technology behind the charger can be used in other ways, the company said. It is not limited to vehicles, although it was developed as part of a project with Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. Other entities involved in the charger's development, which was funded by the U.S. Energy Department, include the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, an academic research center based at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Cree Inc.
Past R&D 100 product winners include the ATM, fax machine and high-definition television.
-- Chris Bahn
Poultry group picks officers for 2014-15
The Poultry Federation of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma has announced its board of directors and officers for 2014-15.
Steve Storm, operations vice president for Cal-Maine Foods in Jackson, Miss., is chairman of the board. Vice Chairman is David Elam, complex manager for Wayne Farms in Danville. Elam will also serve as the 2015 annual Poultry Festival chairman.
The treasurer is James Smith, vice president of live operations for Simmons Foods in Siloam Springs. The secretary is Jim Smith, president of Keith Smith Co. in Hot Springs. Shane Acosta, general manager at Cargill in Springdale, is serving as past chairman of the board.
Two allied membership representatives serve on this year's board of directors: Preston Stiles, vice president of Conveyor Technology in Conway, and Tim Scott, managing partner at Clearview Enterprises in Tontitown.
-- Brian Fanney
State index dips 0.01 on light trading day
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, slipped 0.01 point to 349.18 Friday.
Shares of P.A.M. Transportation Services climbed 3.6 percent on average volume. Bear State Financial rose 2.1 percent with fewer than 1,000 shares traded. Acxiom fell 2.7 percent in light trading.
For the week, 13 stocks declined and four advanced. Tyson Foods rose 3 percent for the week ,and Acxiom shares fell 7.1 percent.
Total volume of the index was 13.4 million shares. The average daily volume for the week was 23.4 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 07/12/2014