Blytheville roofing supply plant to grow
Mississippi County will be home to another expanding manufacturing business with Sierra Group Roofing and Solar of Blytheville announcing Wednesday it will invest $1.6 million to grow its metal manufacturing plant.
The company said it will produce standing seam, R-panel, gutters and metal roofing accessories made with galvanized steel and galvalume to provide a long-term supply chain solution for markets in northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, west Tennessee and north Mississippi.
Sierra Group will add an 11,000-square-foot headquarters and 40 full-time jobs with the expansion.
"Today's announcement reiterates our commitment to Mississippi County and the state of Arkansas by providing the best supply chain solution and value add to our markets," Marcos Sierra, Sierra Group Roofing and Solar president and chief executive officer, said in Wednesday's announcement. "Our intention with this investment is to offer our customers in the region the combined benefit of localized service and access to local resources."
Sierra Group was founded in 2013.
-- Andrew Moreau
Texas medical firm leases LR clinic site
GI Alliance, a physician-led gastroenterology practice based in Texas, is leasing 12,400 square feet of space to open a clinic at SR Plaza in Little Rock.
The majority physician-owned practice is leasing space at 11700 Cantrell Road, just north of Pleasant Ridge Town Center and west of Interstate-430. The plaza features high-end office space at the intersection of Pleasant Ridge Road and Cantrell. GastroArkansas, a GI Alliance practice, will be the sole tenant in the building and plans to occupy the space in December.
"This property will be a fantastic location for GastroArkansas with its easy freeway access and location on one of west Little Rock's busiest thoroughfares," said Brandon Rogers, who represented the seller on behalf of Colliers of Arkansas. "Our firm was thrilled to have the opportunity to bring such a great tenant to this ownership group."
The property was built in 2015.
-- Andrew Moreau
Index jumps 32.20, ends day at 756.69
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state closed Wednesday at 756.69, up 32.20.
Shares of Dillard's Inc. rose 12.4% and America's Car-Mart shares rose 9.7%.
"Equities climbed following the release of the May Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes as investors took comfort that officials would reassess the impact of monetary tightening following the current expected rate hikes," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.