CJRW, one of the state's largest marketing, public relations and advertising firms, announced Monday that Darin Gray is the firm's new chairman and chief executive officer. Outgoing Chairman Wayne Woods, a founder in the firm, had been chairman and CEO since 2010.
Also Monday, CJRW opened for business in a three-story building redeveloped at the corner of Main and Third streets in Little Rock. Its previous office was at 303 W. Capitol Ave.
Gray, 50, was named president of CJRW early last year as part of a plan for a change in leadership at the company. Woods will become chairman emeritus while managing the agency's publications division, which produces numerous tourism-related publications.
Gray was most recently owner of Gray Matters LLC, publisher of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. He keeps the title of president at CJRW.
Trucker to buy back shares worth $17.6M
P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. expects to buy back 298,566 shares of company stock valued at more than $17.6 million.
The Tontitown-based company announced the preliminary results of its buyback Friday. The stock will be purchased from stockholders for $59 per share and represents about 4 percent of the company's outstanding shares as of May 20.
P.A.M. announced in May that it would repurchase shares from stockholders, representing its third buyback program since January 2014. The company repurchased 675,000 shares valued at $13.8 million in January 2014 and 571,865 shares valued at $28.5 million in January of this year.
More than 1.4 million shares were made available by stockholders during the latest buyback period, according to the company. The shares expected to be repurchased include 149,940 made available by Matthew Moroun, chairman of the company's board.
State firms buoyed by Greek debt deal
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 3.75 to 368.63 Monday.
"Stocks surged higher after an agreement among eurozone leaders was announced providing for further bailout aid to Greece," said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Simmons First Investment Group Inc. in Little Rock.
Dillard's shares rose just over 2 percent on light volume, Williams said.
Windstream fell 3.7 percent in active trading, hitting a 52-week low, Williams said.
Murphy Oil reached a 52-week low but closed with a gain of nearly 1 percent despite being downgraded to a sell by Morgan Stanley, he said.
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 07/14/2015