Dassault announces
new Falcon 6X jet
Dassault Aviation, which operates a business jet completion center at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field in Little Rock, has unveiled its newest aircraft.
The Falcon 6X twin-engine wide-body jet boasts the largest cabin in its class and a class-best range of 6,325 miles, according to the French company.
The 6X is based on the Falcon 5X, which was canceled in December because of technical problems with its engines. The 6X, which has different engines, will make its first flight in 2021. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2022.
"Given their current completion activity in Little Rock, we are very expectant and hopeful that this will mean additional work for this facility to continue the tradition of excellence that this site has provided Dassault Falcon Jet for many years," said Jay Chesshir, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.
The Dassault Falcon Jet center at Clinton National handles customized interior work and exterior paint. The company has employed as many as 1,800 people at the facility.
-- Noel Oman
Verizon will close
call center in LR
Verizon Communications plans to close its customer call center in Little Rock by the end of October and allow the 600 employees to work from home, Verizon said recently.
"Our goal is to always provide the highest levels of service to our customers," said Jeannine Brew, a company spokesman. "We believe this flexible work environment will improve both our customers' and our employees' experience."
Verizon's company-owned facility at 1 Allied Drive in Little Rock will remain open and continue to house employees with other staff functions, Brew said.
Verizon has 16 call centers in the United States. It plans to convert six to the "home-based agent" model, Brew said.
-- David Smith
Arkansas Index ticks
up 0.58 to 411.08
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, gained 0.58 to 411.08 Thursday.
"Stocks sold off again for the third straight day following Senate testimony from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell combined with concerns of a trade war sparked by the announcement of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports with the decline in equities led by the industrials sector," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 03/02/2018