News in brief

Job Corps centers reopen in Arkansas

Arkansas Job Corps Centers are once again open for business after being shut down because of the ongoing pandemic.

Career centers in the state are part of an announcement made Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor, which said it is reopening student enrollment for in-person instruction and job training at Job Corps centers across the nation.

Job Corps serves disadvantaged students and helps them gain job credentials or high school diplomas and their equivalencies so they can work in apprenticeships and internships to prepare for full-time careers. Students ages 16-24 have access to room and board while they learn skills in specific training areas for up to three years.

In addition, Job Corps provides transitional support services, such as help finding employment, housing, child care and transportation.

Registration and more information is available at jobcorps.gov.

-- Andrew Moreau

Encore Bank readies for latest expansion

Encore Bank has appointed an executive team to lead the company's expansion in the Carolinas, a move that is part of the bank's strategic-growth plan.

"This is an opportunistic and strategic move for Encore," Vice Chairman and Chief Banking Officer Phillip Jett said in a news release Friday. "Less than three years ago, we started with seven employees in one office in Arkansas and we are now one of the fastest-growing banks in the country."

With the expansion, Encore has $1.3 billion in assets and now operates in 16 markets across seven states with about 200 employees.

Initial locations will be established in Charleston, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C., though Jett said the bank also is looking at offices in the Piedmont Triad, Greenville, Asheville, Columbia, Raleigh and Wilmington if the bank finds the right leaders there.

Encore's Carolinas team will include Michael Sharpton as executive vice president and regional president; Fallon Meyer as head of the Charleston market; and Ben Freeman to lead operations in Charlotte.

-- Andrew Moreau

State Index climbs to a record 704.08

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Friday at 704.08, up 17.01, setting a record high.

Shares of P.A.M. Transportation Services rose 18.3% the day after posting a quarterly net income of $21.4 million. J.B. Hunt Transport Services shares rose 8.7% after reporting a third-quarter net income of $199.8 million. Shares of USA Truck rose 6.6%.

Murphy USA shares fell 0.93%.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

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