Fort Smith's Sykes will add 200 jobs
Communications company Sykes Enterprises is adding 200 jobs over the next year to its Fort Smith operations, the company said in a news release.
Sykes already employs nearly 500 workers in its Fort Smith call center, which it opened in 2011. The additional jobs come to support a new contract, the company said.
In a statement, Abbie Littleton, the site director for Sykes in Fort Smith, said the city's support and the high quality workforce in Fort Smith give the company other job-growth opportunities. Tim Allen, president and chief executive officer of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the new jobs reflect the city's diverse economy and growth potential.
Sykes Enterprises has locations in 20 countries and operates in online chat, social media, email and voice communications. It provides services to many Fortune 500 companies, according to the company.
-- John Magsam
LR chamber to honor small businesses
The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce announced it will accept nominations through March 15 for its inaugural Small Business Impact Awards to recognize local businesses and organizations for their innovation, vision and contribution to the local economy.
Winners will be awarded in the following categories: Small Business of the Year, Small Business Owner Under 30 of the Year, Community Impact of the Year, Health and Wellness Business of the Year and Sustainable Small Business of the Year.
A business with 250 employees or fewer can be nominated online at littlerockchamber.com/nominations, the chamber said in a news release.
Winners will be announced at a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 14 at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Little Rock.
Small businesses account for 88 percent of total businesses in the community, said Jay Chesshir, the chamber's president and chief executive officer. "We are excited to celebrate the very best of these small businesses and share their success stories with the region."
More information, including tables and sponsorship opportunities, is available from Calli Turner at (501) 377-6027.
-- Noel Oman
Ex-developer defends bankruptcy filing
Attorneys for Bill Schwyhart and his wife, Carolyn, have asked a Texas judge to dismiss an objection to the discharge of their bankruptcy, contending they've done nothing improper.
In July, Schwyhart and his wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in Texas, where they reside, claiming more than $90 million in debt. Bill Schwyhart was a prominent developer during the Northwest Arkansas building boom.
In a filing made Thursday afternoon, the Schwyharts' attorneys asked the complaint be dismissed, arguing the couple never intended to hinder, delay or defraud and that all acts or failures to act outlined in the objection were justified under the circumstances of the case.
Arkansas investment group CHP objects to the discharge of Schwyhart's debt, contending the couple concealed assets through a "web" of limited liability companies and lived in a Rogers mansion under the pretense they were its caretakers while they actually owned it though another limited liability company Bill Schwyhart controlled. CHP's objection was based in part on information covered by 2013 confidentiality agreements between Bill Schwyhart and others.
-- John Magsam
New Walmart HQ will encourage bikes
Walmart Inc. has set a goal to have 10 percent of employees at its headquarters biking to work by 2023, Daniel Trujillo, the retailer's executive vice president and global chief ethics and compliance officer, said Friday.
Trujillo spoke briefly at the annual awards luncheon of the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.
Walmart plans to build the new campus on 350 acres on the east side of Northeast J Street between Central Avenue and Arkansas 102 near downtown Bentonville, less than 2 miles from its current home office. The company said in September 2017 the timeline for completion was an estimated five to seven years. It hasn't released an estimate of the project's cost.
The new campus' amenities will include improved parking, meal services, natural lighting, a new fitness center and proximity to the community trail system. Walmart's website states the campus will be integrated into the trail system for easy walking and cycling access.
-- Serenah McKay
Home BancShares' chief earns $6.1M
John Allison -- chairman of Centennial Bank's parent company, Home BancShares -- earned about $6.1 million last year, the Conway-based firm said in its recently released proxy statement.
Allison earned about $3.1 million in stock awards, $1.6 million for exercising stock options, a salary of $400,000, a bonus of $445,000 and about $590,000 in all other compensation.
The other Home BancShares executives named in the proxy and their income last year were Tracy French, chief executive of Centennial Bank, $3.3 million; Kevin Hester, chief lending officer, $1.6 million; Brian Davis, chief financial officer, $1.1 million; and Randy Sims, Home BancShares' chief executive, almost $704,000.
Sims' pay for 2018 was $703,941, which equals 17.6 times the median employee's income. The Dodd-Frank Act requires publicly traded companies to compare the information in their proxy statements.
The median income of Home BancShares' approximately 1,800 employees was $39,983 last year. The median means half the employees (excluding Sims) made more, and half made less.
Home BancShares' annual meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 18 at the Centennial Valley Country Club in Conway.
-- David Smith
Southwest sues its mechanics union
DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines has raised the stakes in a showdown with its union of aircraft mechanics by filing a lawsuit late Thursday over what it claims is an illegal work slowdown that is grounding planes and disrupting flights.
It is Southwest's second lawsuit in three years against the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association and follows more than six years of contract negotiations.
Union representatives did not respond to requests for comment late Thursday or Friday. In previous interviews, they have denied organizing a work slowdown, and have countered that Southwest maintenance supervisors have pressured mechanics to approve planes for flight, which they say is a safety hazard.
-- The Associated Press
Business on 03/02/2019