Stories by Andrew Moreau

OPINION | ANDREW MOREAU: Little Rock's Breckenridge Village shopping center looks for turnaround with entertainment district New owners of Little Rock's Breckenridge Village shopping center, built about 40 years ago, are planning to resuscitate the property by creating an entertainment-restaurant district featuring loca... July 3, 2022

SWEPCO rate increase approved, to start in July Nearly 125,000 western Arkansas customers served by Southwestern Electric Power Co. will see average residential electric rates go up about $13.02 a month beginning immediately with July's billing... June 30, 2022

Labor secretary brings $2M grant U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh stopped in Little Rock on Wednesday to tout an administrative effort to build jobs programs in the nation and he left behind $2 million to help the city get started.Th... June 30, 2022

News in brief Brown elected chairof LR Port AuthorityBobby Brown, who has served on the Little Rock Port Authority since 2016, has been elected chair of the organization's board of directors for a one-year term... June 28, 2022

OPINION | ANDREW MOREAU: Old tulip farm cements North Little Rock as transportation hub Dust floats through the air on the far eastern edge of North Little Rock, adjacent to the gleaming Amazon distribution center, as heavy construction equipment lumbers through farm fields to make way f... June 26, 2022

Bella’s Kitchen rises to top of competition Three-year-old Bella Hurst inspired her mother to start a home-cooked meal delivery service that led to a $5,000 cash prize this week, funds that will support Bella's Kitchen and Wellness as it ex... June 25, 2022

Trex Co. signs up materials supplier Trex Co., preparing for its entry in the Arkansas market, has reached an agreement with a longtime Van Buren recycling company to supply materials for the decking manufacturing operation when it begin... June 23, 2022

With new owners, hopes high for downtown Little Rock towers Two of downtown Little Rock's signature buildings -- aging towers at least a half-century old -- are taking on new owners and inspiring hope that the city's central business district could be ... June 19, 2022

NLR firm plans gasoline stations with aboveground tanks in 22 states Gas Pos of North Little Rock has an opportunity to highlight its fuel-support technology on a national level.Four years ago, company founders decided to make Central Arkansas the company's home af... June 19, 2022

Arkansas' May unemployment steady at 3.2% Arkansas officials reported Friday that May's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.2%, following a national trend of standing firm from April. At 3.6%, the overall U.S. jobless rate also was ... June 18, 2022

State awaits $81.7M for rural businesses State officials are awaiting approval of $81.7 million in federal aid that would be funneled to small businesses in underserved rural areas of Arkansas. Funding could be available as soon as August.Fe... June 17, 2022

Analysts pare earnings outlook at two Arkansas banks, raise it for one Growth projections for two of Arkansas' largest banks that recently expanded operations in Texas may not be as promising as first hoped.Last week, banking analysts with Stephens Inc. lowered earni... June 12, 2022

Pandemic spurs Arkansas bankers’ digital transformation Customers of Simmons First National Corp. who try to open a new checking account through the bank’s website encounter an unusual experience — they’re encouraged to use their mobile p... June 12, 2022

Regulators seek input on revisions to Community Reinvestment Act Forty-five years ago, Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act to encourage banks to expand lending in poor and underserved areas in a full-scale effort to help eliminate redlining, a discrimina... June 5, 2022

New York firm buys Little Rock Regions Center A New York hedge fund has purchased the 550,000-square-foot Regions Center building in downtown Little Rock, moving the office center out of long-running bankruptcy proceedings.Officials with Taconic ... June 3, 2022

Arkansas economy improves modestly Economic conditions in Arkansas are continuing to grow, showing "modest improvement" over the first few months of the year, though a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank noted Wednesd... June 2, 2022

Southern completes acquisition of FCB Southern Bancorp Inc. has completed its acquisition of FCB Financial Services of Marion, a $213 million asset bank that also operates branches in West Memphis and Jonesboro as Premier Bank of Arkansas... June 2, 2022

Fed report shows high level of household financial well-being last year Across the nation, families seem to have largely recovered financially from the economic devastation caused by the lingering pandemic, with the Federal Reserve System issuing an in-depth study last we... May 29, 2022

Prices, interest rates squeeze homebuyers In Arkansas, and across the U.S., the housing market is reaching an affordability crisis that is squeezing out many buyers as home prices continue to soar and mortgage-rate increases are zapping famil... May 22, 2022

Reduced retail vacancies reveal consumers are going out more The pandemic-related fog that has enshrouded the Central Arkansas commercial real estate market appears to be lifting though the high rises in downtown Little Rock continue to struggle to find tenants... May 22, 2022

State unemployment rate hits 3.2% Arkansas' unemployment rate increased slightly in April, moving up one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.2% and driven primarily by a surge of workers reentering the labor pool and seeking jobs, st... May 21, 2022

Windstream says 1Q earnings down Privately held Windstream Holdings Inc. told investors earlier this week that earnings fell in the first quarter as the company continued to add household broadband subscribers.Windstream recorded $19... May 21, 2022

State in view for new defense plant; facility would create as many as 100 jobs Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Airbus announced a commitment Wednesday to build an Airbus manufacturing facility in Arkansas to support the defense industry -- if they win a contract from the U.S. Ai... May 19, 2022

Robotics center in Harrison gets $2M; grant funded by U.S. rescue plan A federal agency is contributing $2 million to help complete development of North Arkansas College's Center for Robotics & Manufacturing Innovation, a workforce training initiative that will s... May 18, 2022

Report sees better days ahead for banks in state, Southwest region All three public banks in Arkansas reported a hit on profits in the first quarter, but the banking research team at Stephens Inc. is offering a broader perspective on future growth prospects for the r... May 15, 2022

PSC plan for solar grid fee rejected Commercial solar energy users across Arkansas won a major victory this week with an appeals court ruling that rejected a Public Service Commission order that allowed utilities to impose a grid charge.... May 14, 2022

BSR logs 47% rise in profits from 1Q Profits jumped 47% in the first quarter for BSR Real Estate Investment Trust, the Little Rock company reported, as it ended a 13-quarter spree of either acquiring or selling an apartment property.BSR ... May 12, 2022

BSR to release quarterly results today BSR Real Estate Investment Trust is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings today after the stock market closes.The company also has scheduled a conference call for analysts and investors at 10 a.... May 10, 2022

OPINION | MOREAU: Arkansas remains 44th in broadband availability, annual study shows Arkansas appears to be holding its own in initiatives to expand broadband availability across the state -- though in one recent analysis that means remaining near the bottom of the nation in high-spee... May 8, 2022

Uniti bounces back in 1Q, reports profit of $52.9M Uniti Group Inc. opened 2022 with a return to profitability, producing net income of $52.9 million and earnings per share of 21 cents, which rebounded from a loss of 2 cents per share in the first qua... May 6, 2022

Inflation surpasses pandemic as region’s top economic threat In Central Arkansas, we've apparently moved from the pandemic being the biggest threat to the region's economy to inflation taking over the top spot.Last week, Metroplan, lead planning agency ... May 1, 2022

Simmons 1Q profit declines by 3.5% First-quarter earnings declined nearly 3.5% at Simmons First National Corp., the Pine Bluff bank reported Thursday, though the company said it also is experiencing a "return to more normalized le... April 29, 2022

Conway bank’s 1Q profit dips 29% Home BancShares Inc. on Thursday reported substantial decreases in net income and earnings per share -- well into double-digit drops for each metric -- in what the Conway bank described as a turbulent... April 22, 2022

Bank OZK reports sag in profitability Bank OZK reported sagging profitability in the first quarter, with net income down by 13.7% and earnings per share decreasing by 10.5%, the Little Rock lender announced Thursday.Net income for the qua... April 22, 2022

Fed sees gain for factories in state Manufacturing activity in Arkansas has "strongly increased" over the past month and service and transportation sectors also have seen increased spending, according to a Federal Reserve Bank ... April 21, 2022

KlariVis wins MVP at fintech accelerator for banking solutions The Little Rock Venture Center wrapped up its financial technology accelerator supporting community banks and announced the winning entrepreneur from Roanoke, Va.Eleven start-ups from across the natio... April 21, 2022

Searcy packaging factory plans $80M expansion, 142 new jobs Bryce Corp., a Memphis-based packaging company, announced Wednesday it will create 142 new jobs and invest $80 million to expand operations in Searcy.The privately held business said it will build a n... April 14, 2022

Entergy Arkansas rate increase shaved to $6.80 per month for average household Entergy Arkansas has agreed to shave $32 million off a recently filed rate-increase request based on recommendations from the Public Service Commission staff. Customers across Arkansas will begin payi... April 12, 2022

PB bank finishes purchase of Spirit Simmons Bank branches opened across Texas on Monday after its parent company, Simmons First National Corp., completed the acquisition of Spirit of Texas Bancshares Inc. of Conroe.The Pine Bluff bank s... April 12, 2022

Report finds state’s Northwest tops for pro-growth business climate Northwest Arkansas remains the state leader -- and one of the nation's top metro areas -- for creating an overall business climate that promotes growth and resilience.A report released last week b... April 10, 2022

Future bright, says U.S. Steel chief U.S. Steel Chief Executive Officer David Burritt told the state's economic development leaders Wednesday that he is "extraordinarily bullish" on Arkansas and the steelmaker's future ... April 7, 2022

Arkansas-based Westrock Coffee Co. announces plan to go public, valued at $1B Arkansas is gaining another public company with headquarters in state.Privately held Westrock Coffee Co. announced Monday morning that it plans to trade its shares on the Nasdaq market after a transac... April 5, 2022

Arkansans join rest of nation in buying more homes at higher prices As interest rates soar to their highest levels in years, Americans and Arkansans are continuing to buy homes at a record pace and paying more than they ever have before. And the hot market is fueling ... April 3, 2022

Lender’s purchase in Texas complete Home BancShares Inc. is now officially operating in Texas as Happy State Bank.The Conway lender announced Friday that it closed on the acquisition of Happy Bancshares Inc. of Amarillo, which operates ... April 2, 2022

State’s transport, financial stocks take 1Q dip Stock markets delivered a volatile performance in the first quarter of 2022, and that turbulence was reflected in the Arkansas Index, which tracks the 14 largest publicly traded companies in the state... April 1, 2022

UA winner at state entrepreneur event Student entrepreneurs representing the University of Arkansas, working on a device to diagnose a viral infection that plagues 32% of cats worldwide, won the top prize Thursday at the 2022 Arkansas Gov... April 1, 2022

Envirotech hires bus firm as factory representative Envirotech Vehicles Inc., an electric vehicle manufacturer relocating to Arkansas, announced Tuesday it has signed an agreement with a Missouri company to promote, sell and service Envirotech vans and... March 30, 2022

Region’s commercial real estate market expected to keep trending up The commercial real estate market in Central Arkansas should continue to stabilize heading into the last nine months of 2022 as covid anxieties ease and more workers return to the office.The region en... March 27, 2022

Arkansas jobless rate falls to 3.1% Unemployment continues to reach record lows in Arkansas, with state officials reporting Friday that joblessness dipped to 3.1% in February and remained significantly below the U.S. rate of 3.8%.The 3.... March 26, 2022

Commissioner of Arkansas’ Securities Division quits post Eric Munson has resigned from his position as commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Division. The resignation was effective Tuesday and Munson submitted a letter to his boss, Commerce Secretary Mike... March 26, 2022