Tyson Foods has agreed to pay workers in its Goodletteville, Tenn., beef and pork processing plant a $7.75 million settlement. A federal judge has given preliminary approval of the donning-and-doffing settlement reached this week.


As part of the settlement, the meat giant will pay $7.75 million into a fund to cover awards to employees “under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state law breach of contract claims,” as well as attorneys’ fees and costs and the settlement administrator fees. Tyson also will cover the employer’s portion of payroll taxes for the payout, according to documents filed in federal court.

This deal ends seven months of negotiations, and avoids a trial that was slated to begin in August.

Northwest Breast Imaging Center is now offering the 3D mammography for breast cancer screening. The 3D mammography produces a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue that helps radiologists identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue.

Research has shown the Hologic 3D mammography screening has increased cancer detection and reduced the numbers of false positives.
 
Researchers found that 3D mammography finds significantly more invasive or lethal cancers than a traditional mammogram.

Mercy is rolling out a new way for patients of all ages to access convenient, local health care. Mercy Mobile Health, a $650,000 motor coach, is part of a $1 million investment to reach underserved and rural communities and provide easy access for diagnostics testing.

The 40-foot long, eight-foot wide unit will offer services including mammography, cardiovascular screenings and point-of-care testing that will provide patients with immediate results.

Mercy Mobile Health will also offer convenient access for corporate wellness with screenings and education, as well as charity care services. The unit will be set up at General Mills offices at 3605 Southern Hills Blvd,, Suite 300, in Rogers on Tuesday, July 29.
 

Electronic games of skill (EGS) wagers at the state’s two racinos continued to climb with Oaklawn topping more than $100 million in wagers monthly every month during the first half of 2014.

EGS wagers include gambling spent on video blackjack, poker, slot machines and other casino-style games.

The latest statistics released by the Arkansas Racing Commission showed gamblers at Hot Springs-based Oaklawn wagered $690,820,196 on electronic games of skill from January through June 2014 — a 21.4% increase versus the previous year.

Oaklawn has undergone a large expansion of its casino-style gaming area and is in the process of further expansion.

At West Memphis-based Southland, EGS wagers cooled off compared to the previous year. From January through June 2014, Southland EGS wagers totaled $1,111,086,390 — a 3.3% increase over the previous year.

Southland is also in the process of a major expansion.

In 2013, combined EGS wagers between the two racetracks was $3.228 billion for the full year.

In the current year, the two tracks have seen $1.802 billion spent on EGS wagers.

Southland posted $2.074 billion in EGS wagers in 2013, a 16% uptick from the previous year. The figure is the highest EGS total since casino-style gambling was introduced at Southland in 2006.

Oaklawn posted 2013 EGS wagers of $1.154 billion, a 10% increase from 2012. That figure was also the highest EGS revenue total since Oaklawn opened its casino in 2006.

Alma-based InvoTek recently received a $175,000 Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will fund the development of technology to enable people with high-level spinal cord injury the opportunity to enjoy the health benefits of handcycling.

The Lakeshore Foundation and University of Alabama at Birmingham are collaborating with InvoTek on this project.

“Lack of access to fitness and recreation equipment is one of the primary barriers to participating in health-enhancing fitness activities for people with spinal cord injuries," James Rimmer, Lakeshore Foundation director of research, said in a statement. "The Quad Rider can open up the possibility of promoting a wonderfully engaging form of physical activity for people with high level tetraplegia and help lower their risk of heart disease and diabetes and improve their mental health status."

The Quad Rider makes it easy to shift gears and brake, enabling people with poor grip-control to safely cycle. According to InvoTek President Tom Jakobs, the mechanism does not require strength to brake quickly, which is important for someone with limited hand control.

“Plus, the rider can change gears by puffing air into a device (through a straw) attached to their helmet, allowing them to keep their hands in position to steer and brake,” Jakobs added.

The Quad Rider will attach onto a standard handcycle. Phase II will focus on enhanced automation for people with even more severe injuries so that they too can exercise.

Founded in 1988, InvoTek specializes in creating and applying technology to the needs of people with severe disabilities. InvoTek is a founding sponsor of Be Extraordinary, a non-profit organization that helps people with severe disabilities who want to accomplish a life goal.

Kelly Hughes has been promoted to vice president, mortgage operations manager at Signature Bank.

Hughes, a 20-year veteran banker, is responsible for the daily management of work flow in Signature’s mortgage operations, in addition to managing the bankers in that department.

“Kelly has been vital in the building of our mortgage department,” Chris Morrison, president of Signature Mortgage Lending, said in a statement.

Previous to joining Signature Bank in 2007, she was a loan coordinator, mortgage loan closer and mortgage originator for another local bank.

Kelly, her husband Mike and son Dylan live in Springdale.
 
Signature Bank operates several banking offices in the area: Signature Plaza in Fayetteville, Har-Ber Meadows in Springdale, Fountain Plaza in Bentonville as well as two locations in Brinkley.  The bank has more than $500 million in assets and has more than 100 employees.

Downtown Bentonville retailer Klōthe Boutique and local clothing designer Nancy Martin are coming together to raise funds and provide in-kind donations to benefit Dress for Success® Northwest Arkansas. Klōthe will give 10% of proceeds raised from the sale while NA MARTIN will donate one signature pencil skirt for every four (4) skirts sold during the sale.

"We think it's important for women to give other women a hand-up," said Martin, local attorney and NA MARTIN designer. "We think our customers feel the same way and will come out to support this wonderful organization."


Dress for Success supports women internationally, helping them enter the workforce with professional attire, a network of support and career development tools. The local affiliate impacts the women of NWA directly having served 94 women and suited 126 women year to date. The work of local volunteers makes a direct impact for the women of NWA’s chances of improving their economic independence which ultimately impacts their families and the Northwest Arkansas community.

"This is an opportunity for customers to get a great deal on the latest trends while giving back to the community,” said Mallory Hauskey owner of Klōthe Boutique.

The sale will be held Saturday, July 26, at Klōthe Boutique, 203 NE A. in Bentonville (across from the 21C Museum Hotel. Boutique hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Board of Directors of Fort Smith-based ArcBest Corp. (formerly Arkansas Best) announced Thursday (July 24) of 3 cents per share payable Aug. 21 to shareholders of record Aug. 7.

ArcBest shares (Nasdaq: ARCB) closed Thursday (July 24) at $43.21, up 47 cents. During the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged from a $45.68 high to a $19.40 low.

ArcBest Corp., the parent company of less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight System, closed the second quarter at $43.51, up 28.65% compared to the Jan. 2 closing price of $33.82.

The company is set to issue second quarter earnings on July 31. The consensus estimate among the 14 analysts who follow ArcBest estimate $642.6 million in revenue for the quarter, more than 11% above the $576.9 million in the second quarter of 2013.

ArcBest officials have said growth in the non-asset businesses are necessary to diversify the company’s revenue stream and to help reach a goal of $3 billion in revenue in 2014.

A coalition of 82 organizations signed a letter sent to the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday (July 24) opposing the antitrust process of Tyson Foods’ planned take over of Hillshire Brands.

In the letter, the coalition asked the Justice Department to take more time to carefully consider the complicated merger that would “substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly.” The group includes the National Farmers Organization, R-Calf USA, National Farmers Union, Poultry grower associations in Virginia and Alabama, Missouri Beef Cooperative and Food and Water Watch who together ask the Justice Department to extend the review timeline from 14 days to 30 days.

The coalition claims that the deal would increase Tyson’s power over hog farmers, likely raise prices, reduce consumer choices and undermine competition.

"Tyson's takeover of Hillshire certainly warrants further investigation by the Department of Justice and should be stopped," President of the National Farmers Union Roger Johnson noted in a statement. "It's time for the Justice Department to enforce our anti-trust laws."


The Justice Department declined to comment on the letter.


Higher prices for consumers is the major concern voiced by Food & Water watch research director Patrick Woodall.


“Having the largest meat company buy another one of the largest meat companies gives Tyson a much stronger grip on the entire food chain,” Woodall said. The merger would make it possible for “Tyson to undermine Hillshire’s sausage and lunchmeat rivals by disrupting their access to pork supplies” and hampering competition.

First National Bank of Rogers announces it is rebranding its name to First National Bank of NWA. A new logo is also being introduced to reflect the new name. This name change is effective Aug. 1 with signage being changed in the coming months.

“The name and logo change represent our commitment to our community and our customers throughout northwest Arkansas,” said Rob Husong, regional president of First National Bank of NWA.

In the next year, Husong confirmed that the company has plans to create new job opportunities and more customer convenience with additional locations.

First National Bank of NWA is a division of the First National Bank of Fort Smith, which was chartered in 1872. The company provides its Northwest Arkansas customers with four branches, including Rogers (Pinnacle), Rogers (Dixieland), Lowell and Centerton, with additional bank locations added over the next year.

The University of Arkansas Bookstore, its shops at the Garland Center and all of its Razorback Shops will observe the Arkansas “sales tax holiday” on Saturday, Aug. 2, and Sunday, Aug. 3. State and local sales tax will not be collected during this 48-hour period on the following items:

• School supplies,
• School art supplies,
• School instructional materials,
• Clothing and footwear priced under $100 per item,
• Clothing accessories and equipment priced under $50 per item, or
• Cosmetics

The University of Arkansas Bookstore Shops in the Garland Center, as well as the Bookstore’s Razorback Shops in the Northwest Arkansas Mall, Pinnacle Hills Promenade and Arkansas Student Union will all be open and fully stocked for the event.

Sales Tax DataLINK of Bentonville received a new patent for sales tax software that is titled: “System and Method for Tax Filing, Data Processing, Data Verification and Reconciliation.”

“Sales tax compliance becomes more sophisticated and complex every day, so businesses need new technologies to stay ahead of these challenges.” said Noel Hamm, CEO of Sales Tax DataLINK. “The patent has been awarded on the basis of innovative technology that gives companies the ability to evaluate the health of their sales tax systems and to make educated corrections resulting in more accurate tax filing each month.”

The new Sales Tax DataLINK software automates the validation steps providing business intelligence, resulting in fewer errors and better tax filing.

States are beginning to use technology to connect internal data sources to identify issues with indirect tax compliance. States are using this technology to identify and schedule taxable audits, so businesses must take a more granular approach in their review process, the release states.

Englander dZignPak, a retail display and packaging provider, recently announced a relocation of its Northwest Arkansas office to 3607 SE Metro Parkway near I-49 and Walton Boulevard in Bentonville.

The new location is strategically located to better serve the Walmart/Sam’s Club community and will provide a space to foster a creative and collaborative design-driven culture. The purchase of the building included an extensive renovation to transform a former restaurant into an office and design space. In addition to the renovation, 1,200 square feet was added to accommodate the company’s digital printing and prototyping capabilities.       
 
“After being part of the Northwest Arkansas business community for three years, we felt it was time to invest further in the community. We looked for 18 months to find the right location to call home. At Englander dZignPak, we pride ourselves on our creative solutions, so I am thrilled we found a unique space that not only expresses our creativity but also allows for future growth,” says Englander dZignPak CEO, Marty Englander.
 
The new 8,000 square foot facility will house staff in graphic and structural design, customer service, account management, and business development.

Dave Robertson has been named director of the Center for Business and Professional Development at the The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. The position was open following the retirement of Pat Eller.
 
As director, Robertson will work to develop and promote current and future programs of the center, in addition to supervising six instructors, two staff and numerous adjunct faculty. Robertson also continues to serve as the director of the Family Enterprise Center, a business outreach program at UAFS.
 
The Center for Business and Professional Development provides development and training opportunities for companies across the state in areas including business skills, finance, human resources and management. The CBPD also offers a workforce leadership program, training for commercial truck drivers and business consulting.

Robertson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, and earned a master’s in business administration from Webster University. He is a certified professional accountant with more than 25 years of experience working with local business and industry leaders in the accounting and auditing fields.
 
Robertson said he will continue to raise awareness about the CBPD, which has served nearly 300 companies, and the services it offers.
 
“I want to make sure that everyone is aware of this fabulous resource that we have for customized training,” he said. “Part of the mission of UAFS is economic development, and we’re trying to do everything we can to improve what is already a great workforce.”
 
Robertson said he plans to set up a collaborative relationship between the FEC and CBPD. 
 
“What I want people to know is that the service level of the FEC won’t decrease but will actually improve,” he said. “The additional resources of the CBPD create many collaborative opportunities between the two centers.”

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art employees Manuela Well-Off-Man and Chad Alligood have been promoted to curator, and Mindy Besaw has joined the museum as a curator. She previously worked at the Whitney Western Art Museum in Cody, Wyo.

The curatorial team will work with art and education branch directors — Niki Stewart, director of education and exhibitions; Catherine Petersen, director of the library; and Elizabeth Weinman, registrar — under the guidance of museum executive leadership, including executive director Rod Bigelow and president Don Bacigalupi. The Bentonville-based museum’s search for a director of curatorial is ongoing.

“Manuela and Chad have played key roles in the development of the museum’s programs and exhibitions, and Mindy brings an impressive career of curatorial accomplishments,” Crystal Bridges Executive Director Rod Bigelow said in a statement. “Together, the team will work toward the museum’s ongoing goal of making art accessible to all, while building on the positive momentum of the upcoming State of the Art exhibition. With the diverse perspectives and collective academic credentials, our curatorial team is uniquely positioned to expand the impact of Crystal Bridges through outstanding collection development and exhibitions.” 
 
Well-Off-Man joined the museum as assistant curator in 2009. Prior to Crystal Bridges, Well-Off-Man served as curator of art at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture at the University of Montana in Missoula. Previously, she worked as independent curator at the H. Earl Clack Museum in Havre, Montana and the Westphalian State Museum of Natural History in Münster, Germany. Well-Off-Man earned a doctoral degree in art history from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, a master’s degree in art history from the University of Cologne and a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Heidelberg.
 
Alligood joined the museum as assistant curator in 2013. Alligood came to Crystal Bridges from Cranbrook Art Museum where he worked as the Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow, curating exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. He previously served as an adjunct professor of art history at Brooklyn College. Alligood completed his doctoral coursework at City University of New York (CUNY), earned his master’s degree in art history from the University of Georgia and his bachelor’s degree in history of art and architecture from Harvard University. 
 
Besaw comes to Crystal Bridges from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Whitney Western Art Museum, where she served as curator and spearheaded the new installation of the Whitney for its 50th anniversary. Besaw is the co-curator of Painted Journeys: The Art of John Mix Stanley, the first examination of Stanley as an important 19th-century American artist. Prior to that, Besaw was at the Denver Art Museum, where she was curatorial associate at the Institute of Western American Art and planned the re-installation of the permanent collection galleries in the new wing of the museum. Besaw earned her master’s degree in art history at the University of Denver where she focused on museum studies, and her bachelor’s degree in art history at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Besaw is working to complete a PhD in American Art History from the University of Kansas and will join the Crystal Bridges curatorial team in September on a part-time basis while she completes her dissertation.

During its regular meeting Monday evening (July 28), the Fort Smith School Board approved a contract with an insurance company to provide liability insurance for the district's pre-k programs even though the district is seeking a court ruling to determine whether the insurance is necessary for the district.

According to Fort Smith School Board member Rick Wade, an attorney with the Daily and Woods Law Firm, the issue for the district revolves around an issue of tort immunity, which makes certain governmental entities immune from negligence when it involves legal proceedings.

Even though Wade said the district falls under tort immunity, Act 778 of 2009 required the district to have a general liability insurance policy with a $1,000,000 in coverage for occurrences of negligence. The policy only applies to the district's pre-k program, Wade noted.

The total annual premium approved by the district Monday is $9,672 with a $1,000 deductible per claim.

"I recommend that we purchase this policy while continuing to seek judicial legislative relief," Superintendent Dr. Benny Gooden told the board in a memo. The vote was 7-0.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved special education contracts with a variety of companies that provide services to students with disabilities;
• Approved ethics disclosures detailing potential conflicts of interest between certain faculty and staff and the district;
• Approved election procedures for the unchallenged school board election later this year; and
• Awarded an annex renovation project valued at $269,475 to Turn Key Construction;
• Awarded a renovation project at Morrison Elementary valued at $4.487 million to The Cone Group; and
• Approved a resolution officially renaming the addition to the Northside High School Fine Arts Building the William N. Shaver III Band Center after the high school's band director from 1957 to 1975.

U.S. consumer confidence increased four index points in the second quarter of 2014 to a score of 104. This marks an upward trend that began in the first quarter of 2013. While confidence has climbed 11 points since then, spending levels at retail are still below where they were before the 2008 recession.


“In the U.S., positive news for the job, housing and equity markets appears to have buoyed the spirits of Americans,” said James Russo, senior vice president, Global Consumer Insights, Nielsen. “The retail environment for non-durable goods, however, is still catching up. Retail dollar sales of fast-moving consumer goods are up 1.3% in latest six months ending June. Consumers are moving ahead slowly, and marketers need to adjust to a new consumer mindset of restraint, which will take time to reverse.”


Americans are thinking positively, however. Nearly half of Americans (49%) believed now is a good/excellent time to spend. This is the highest level reported since 2006 and up 6% from the first quarter of 2014.


Optimism about job prospects and personal finances rose in the second quarter as well. While the outlook for jobs (46%) was still below pre-recession levels (63%), the sentiment represents a significant improvement from 2009, when it was at 20%. Almost two-thirds of U.S. respondents (64%) said their personal finances were in good order, marking a rise of 5% from the first quarter.

Acosta Sales & Marketing, an in-store merchandising and marketing agency in the consumer goods industry, is being acquired by The Carlyle Group, according to a company release.


The deal is worth an estimated $5 billion, including debt. The sale is expected to close in the next quarter.


Carlyle will purchase the full ownership stake from investor Thomas H. Lee Partners. Following the investment, Acosta senior management will continue to lead the company.

Acosta's management team will continue to have significant ownership of the company.

Founded in 1927, Acosta offers marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of food-related consumer packaged goods. It is projected to have fiscal 2014 revenues of about $1.85 billion, according to Moody’s Investors Service Inc.


Thomas H. Lee acquired the Jacksonville, Florida-based company in 2011 for more than $2 billion from private equity firm AEA Investors LP.


Acosta is a third-party service provider for Wal-Mart Stores and operates an office in Bentonville.

Wall Street analysts at Goldman Sachs took a long look at big-box discounters this week and downgraded Wal-Mart Stores to neutral from buy, while upgrading competitor Costco to a buy.

Goldman analyst Matthew Fassler said Costco is on the “right side of the emerging divide in discount retailing.” He notes that membership-only clubs are stealing market share from super-stores like Wal-Mart and Target, and are seeing stronger traffic growth and customer renewal rates in the U.S. and overseas.

For Costco, Fassler points out that 30% to 40% of revenue growth is coming from the international arena.

Goldman also notes that the rise of e-commerce has prompted customers to see less value in general merchandise stores with large product assortments. Shoppers now prefer a combination of value and convenience, which analysts said they have found in narrow-assortment retailers like dollar stores, drug stores and warehouse clubs.

Goldman said Wal-Mart has become more focused on investing in online and small stores. But Fassler said these are understandable decisions but the time when the company is executing against them is not necessarily the most rewarding to own the stock.

Wal-Mart Stores shares closed Tuesday (July 29) at $75,44, down 27 cents. Wal-Mart shares are down 4% year-to-date.

WalmartLabs announced Tuesday (July 29) the acquisition of Luvocracy, a social marketplace startup based in Silicon Valley. The retailer notes that this is primarily a talent acquisition as it plans to shutter the Luvocracy website that has been compared as a Pinterest-like experience where friends can recommend products to others.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the startup raised $11 million in funding from the investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Google Venture, Marissa Mayer, Tony Robbins and Ali Pincus. This is Wal-Mart’s 14th startup acquisition since 2011.

CEO Nathan Stoll is among the 16 Luvocracy employees moving to WalmartLabs San Bruno offices. Stoll founded the online business in 2011 after selling his social search company Aardvark to Google in 2010.

Walmart bloggers note that the retail business thrives on finding products they think customers will love and then introducing them to each other. Whether in pages, pixels, or aisles, facilitating such moments is at the very core of what retailers like Wal-Mart are wanting to do.

At Walmart, the Luvocracy team will be tasked with working on projects at a larger scale. Specifically, the team will work to innovate on “design, product and discovery shopping,” the retailer says.

“There’s no bigger stage in commerce than Walmart, and the opportunity to take our vision of social discovery and decision-making in commerce to their audience of hundreds of millions across the world was incredibly attractive,” Stoll said. “I am super excited about the opportunity to work with the very talented team they’ve been building. Right now, their organization for global e-commerce is about the same size Google was when I joined in 2002 — with the opportunity for huge growth to come as they have so much untapped potential.”