Brand giant Proctor & Gamble has been working to streamline its products most recently selling 43 beauty brands to Coty in a $12.5 billion deal, announced Thursday July 9.

Euromonitor notes this deal gives Coty the world's No. 1 fragrance maker ranking ahead of L’Oreal. Some of the brands that Coty is acquiring in the P&G deal include: Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci.

Some of the top beauty brands moving to Coty include: CoverGirl, Wella and Vidal Sassoon hair-care, Miss Clairol and Lacoste and Max Factor. In all the deal affects 10,000 workers worldwide which is 8% of P&G’s workforce. It’s also 200 jobs in the company’s Cincinnati headquarters. The transaction is expected to close next year with the transfer ownership of eight factories and nine distribution centers, including three U.S. facilities.

This divestiture is the biggest sale under the leadership of CEO A.G.Lafley who first unveiled his plans to shed 100 brands in the summer 2014. His plan for P&G is to focus on 65 core brands which display the largest growth potential.

The deal will simplify P&G's nearly $20 billion beauty business that Lafley helped create: reducing it to roughly $14 billion in annual sales and leaving it much more focused on hair and skin care sold at mass retailers like Wal-Mart.

P&G's remaining beauty business will be anchored by Pantene and Head & Shoulders shampoos and Olay and SKII skin care brands that command more than $9 billion in annual sales.

Earlier this year P&G announced plans to sell off Duracell batteries to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Last year P&G sold lams and other pet foods businesses that grossed about $1.6 billion in annual sales.

P&G officials said the recent transaction marks the sale or exit to more than 90 brands.

"This represents a significant step forward in the work to focus our portfolio on 10 categories and 65 brands that best leverage P&G's core competencies," Lafley said Thursday.

P&G said it will either spin or split off the beauty brands in a transaction that will generate a $5 billion to $7 billion one-time gain with minimum tax impacts. The company plans to repurchase shares and step up dividend payments to turn the proceeds P&G indicated it will share the proceeds with stockholders by stepping up stock repurchases and dividend payments.

Coty and Proctor & Gamble operate large offices in Northwest Arkansas overseeing their businesses with Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.

Walmart U.S. plans to hire up to 95 people for a new Neighborhood Market now under construction on U.S. 71 South in Fort Smith.

The store, with an address of 5900 Painter Lane, is set to open this fall. Interested applicants may also apply online at this link.
careers.walmart.com/
 
Walmart will offer a job to any eligible U.S. veteran honorably discharged from active duty since the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment launched on Memorial Day 2013.

According to store manager Jesse Pinkston, the store will hire full- and part-time associates. The majority of new employees will begin work in July to help prepare the store for its grand opening.

The Steel Horse Rally Board of Directors presented its first donation to a local charity, The General Darby Legacy Project, on Thursday (July 9) at Old Fort Harley-Davidson in Fort Smith.
 
Dennis Snow, president of the Steel Horse Rally Inc. said he is proud to present this first charitable donation along with the board members.

“After an exceptionally successful inaugural event, we are honored to present our first charitable donation to the General Darby Legacy Project,” Snow said. “This donation is from everyone who attended the first Steel Horse Rally. This first charitable donation holds an extra special significance because it honors the contributions of General Darby and the military, which the Steel Horse Rally is dedicated to, and it will also help improve the city of Fort Smith.”
 
The General Darby Legacy Monument will honor the memory of Fort Smith native, Gen. William O. Darby for his contributions during World War II and his role as the founder of the modern day U.S. Army Rangers.

The installation of the Gen. William O. Darby Statue will take place during the Steel Horse Rally, April 29-30, 2016. The date of the 2nd Annual Steel Horse Rally was scheduled so rally-goers could be part of the dedication and unveiling ceremony.

The monument will be unveiled at Cisterna Plaza in the heart of downtown Fort Smith, and will be a recreation of documented pictures of Gen. Darby riding a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA during World War II. The Darby Legacy Project began raising funds for the project on Feb. 8, 2013, Gen. Darby’s birthday and they are continuing to raise money for the completion of the project. Customized engraved bricks are being sold to help raise funds for the monument and will be placed on the base of the monument. Link here for more info about the project or to make a donation.
 
The Darby Legacy Project is one of four local charities that applied to the Steel Horse Rally along with the Fort Smith Museum of History, The Gregory Kistler Treatment Center and the Arkansas Veterans Home. These charities were selected out of nearly two dozen charities that applied for funding from the Steel Horse Rally Inc., a 501(c) 3 non-profit charity that helps raise money for local charities that help children, veterans and the betterment of the Fort Smith area. Because of the success of the first Steel Horse Rally which brought more than 30,000 people to downtown Fort Smith and had an economic impact on the area of more than $4 Million, the Steel Horse Rally Inc. will be making donations to four charities.

The U.S. Marshals Museum has received a $25,000 gift from Wells Fargo Advisors. It is the firm’s largest grant in the Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas region for 2015. A portion of the grant will be used to sponsor the museum’s Descendants Day, which is scheduled for July 25 in Fort Smith.

“We’re grateful for Wells Fargo’s support of the museum and its continued investment in the Fort Smith community,” said Jim Dunn, president and CEO of the museum. “Wells Fargo has a long history with the U.S. Marshals Service, and we look forward to a continued partnership with the organization as we move forward in building the institution.”

Co-hosted by the Fort Smith National Historic Site, the 2015 Descendants Day drop-in event will give community members an opportunity to share their artifacts, documents, photographs and stories with the future U.S. Marshal Museum. The free event will be held at Frisco Station at the foot of the Garrison Avenue Bridge on July 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

“The museum is such a natural fit considering our company’s longstanding history with the marshals,” said Wells Fargo Advisors’ Robert O’Neal, who serves as branch manager of Wells Fargo Advisors in Fort Smith. “We’re proud to support the museum’s efforts to obtain more artifacts and stories through Descendants Day.”

The gift to the U.S. Marshals Museum is part of the Wells Fargo Community Affairs program, which invests in local community efforts such as financial education, healthy aging, arts and culture and workforce development.

Advertising and PR powerhouse CJRW has a new chairman and CEO, just as the Little Rock-based agency opens for business at its new headquarters in downtown’s Creative Corridor.

On Monday, CJRW Chairman and CEO Wayne Woods said Gray would succeed him.

“Over the course of the last 18 months, the decision to designate Darin as my successor as Chairman and CEO has been validated time and time again,” said Woods. “He has broad experience in leading, managing and growing businesses and has played an instrumental role not only in our move to Main Street, but in positioning us for continued success moving forward.”

Gray, 50, will continue his duties as the firm’s president, a title he’s held since early 2014. Since being named President of CJRW, Gray has split his time between the agency’s Northwest Arkansas office and its Little Rock headquarters. Effective immediately, he will be based primarily in Little Rock and continue to maintain an office in Northwest Arkansas.

Woods, 67, cited expansion of the firm’s digital and interactive division and realignment and reorganization of several divisions as part of the agency leadership move.

“I could not be more humbled by the confidence Wayne and the Board of Directors have placed in me to lead this great firm,” Gray said. “CJRW is an iconic Arkansas business that has helped countless clients succeed since it was founded. It has clearly set the standard for excellence in our industry and we will continue to set that standard moving forward,” he said.

Woods, who has been with the firm since 1970, will assume Chairman Emeritus status and manage the agency’s publications division, publisher of numerous tourism-related publications annually.

“To be able to turn the reins over to Darin and step back into my first love and what I do best is extremely gratifying at this stage of my career,” said Woods. “That was my plan when we started this process and to see it come to fruition as we move into our new building is especially fitting.”

Gray began his professional career in the economic development arena while working for the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission (now AEDC). He also spent several years working in the Chamber of Commerce industry including a stint as the Economic Developer for the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.

While serving in the economic development sector, Gray attended and graduated from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and the Arkansas Community Development Institute.

Gray is a past chairman of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission. He is also a founding member of the Northwest Arkansas CEO Forum and currently serves as a board member of the Center for Missions Mobilization. He previously served as a board member of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce as well as secretary treasurer of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Eric Heim, a hand surgery specialist and orthopedic surgeon, is returning to his hometown of Fort Smith to join Cooper Clinic.

He will practice with orthopedic surgeons Dr. Jeffrey Evans, Dr. John Harp, Dr. Jody Bradshaw, his father Dr. Stephen Heim, and non-surgical orthopedist, Dr. Michael Wolfe.

Heim earned his medical degree and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He completed an orthopedic hand surgery fellowship through the University of Colorado including fellowship training in pediatric and congenital hand surgery through Children’s Hospital Colorado.

He will practice general orthopedic surgery and specialize in surgery of the hand, wrist and elbow.

Heim’s practice will be located in the Medical Building, 7001 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith. He plans to perform surgery in Fort Smith at Mercy Hospital and Sparks Regional Medical Center, as well as at Sparks Medical Center in Van Buren, and will begin accepting new patients in August. Cooper Clinic is a physician-owned multi-specialty group with doctors in 25 specialties/subspecialties.

Bank of the Ozarks easily beat year ago results and met Wall Street expectations by reporting second quarter earnings of 52 cents a share, up 53% from 34 cents a year ago, the company announced after the close of market on Monday.

For the quarter ended June 30, the Little Rock regional bank reported net income of $44.8 million, a 69.1% increase from $26.5 million for the second quarter of 2014. The bank’s financial results included $4.8 million from tax-exempt income insurance benefits and sales of investment securities, which were partially offset by $4.5 million for prepayment penalties related to a federal loan advance and administrative expenses. Those one-time items, however, only added a penny to the company’s quarterly earnings results, bank officials said.

With those adjustments, the Arkansas bank reported second quarter earnings of 52 cents per share on revenues $117 million. Wall Street analysts had expected the fast-growing Arkansas holding bank to report quarterly earnings of 51 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters.

“We are very pleased with our excellent second quarter results, including our $456 million of growth in non-purchased loans and leases, growth of $596 million in the unfunded balance of closed loans, efficiency ratio of 36.6%, net interest margin of 5.37% and excellent asset quality,” Chairman and CEO George Gleason said in a statement. “Our annualized return on average assets of 2.17% during the quarter builds on our track record of having achieved returns on average assets in excess of 2.00% in each of the last five years.”

Additional financial highlights from the quarter included:
Total deposits were $7.09 billion at June 30, 2015, a 42.2% increase from $4.98 billion at June 30, 2014.

Total assets were $8.71 billion at June 30, 2015, a 38.3% increase from $6.30 billion at June 30, 2014.

Common stockholders’ equity was $1.21 billion at June 30, 2015, a 42.2% increase from $850 million at June 30, 2014.

Including purchased loans, total loans and leases were $6.59 billion at June 30, 2015, a 44.1% increase from $4.58 billion at June 30, 2014.

Net interest income for the second quarter of 2015 was a record $93.8 million, a 44.7% increase from $64.8 million for the second quarter of 2014.

Mortgage lending income increased 57.4% to $1.77 million in the second quarter of 2015 compared to $1.13 million in the second quarter of 2014.

During the second quarter, the Little Rock-based financial holding company joined the Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 and acquired the Bank of the Carolinas Corp. in early May in an all-stock deal worth $65 million – its 13th acquisition since March 2010. Following the takeover of the small North Carolina bank’s eight offices between Charlotte and Winston-Salem, the fast-growing Arkansas bank’s portfolio will include 24 banking locations in that state.

At the close of trading Monday, Bank of the Ozarks’ shares (NASDAQ: OZRK) closed at $46.29, up 57 cents as more than 8000,000 shares traded hands. The bank has traded in the range of $19.14 and $48.68 during the past 52 weeks.

The River Valley Regional Food Bank has been awarded a $120,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program. The funds will be used to purchase a replacement Retail Recovery Refrigerated Truck to recover grocery store products no longer considered retail salable.

The truck will be similar in configuration to the Rural Delivery Truck provided by the Walmart Foundation to the food bank last year.  The unit will replace the 2009 model currently being used.  The unit has logged over 120,000 miles.  Ironically, this retiring unit was donated by Walmart and Sam’s Club to the food bank as part of a pilot program that launched food bank retail recovery across the nation.

“Truck repairs not only take money away from food, but take away valuable time in bringing fresh products back to the food bank,” said Ted Clemons, director River Valley Regional Food Bank.  “We are once again grateful to Walmart and Sam’s Club for recognizing the importance of logistics in what we do.”

The River Valley Regional Food Bank works in eight counties in west and central Arkansas through a network of just under 190 member agencies. In an area slightly larger than the state of Connecticut, where more than 300,000 live, there are more than 53,000 classified as food insecure and the food insecure include 25,000 children.

For 29 years, the food bank strives to alleviate hunger by sourcing food and related product donations and distributing that food through a network of 189 member agencies. Annually, the food bank provides 8 million pounds of food, valued at $13.6 million, to families with children, the elderly and the disabled, homeless, veterans in need and long term unemployed adults.

The food bank hopes to have a new vehicle in operation by September, which is Hunger Action Month.

A year after an acidic chemical release mishap by Tyson Foods in Monett, Mo., the meat giant announced a collaboration with the Nature Conservancy in an effort to protect rivers and streams in Northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri.

Tyson Foods contributed $500,000 to the collaboration effort on Wednesday July 15 as volunteers from the company and the Nature Conservancy picked up trash and debris along Spring Creek in Springdale.

Tyson said the funds will help support stream restoration, reforestation, erosion prevention, unpaved road improvements, watershed research and community engagement in conservation projects throughout the area, including the Kings, Elk and Buffalo Rivers.
 
“We are very appreciative that Tyson wants to work with The Nature Conservancy. They have been supporting The Nature Conservancy and the conservation work of other organizations for decades. We are particularly excited they have developed this program to fund water quality improvement projects and are looking forward to working together with their employees on some of the most beloved rivers of northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri,” said Scott Simon, director for the Arkansas Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

This larger bi-state region is home to more than 14,000 Tyson Foods employees, eight processing plants, and over 800 contract farmers. The company also said it owns seven pre-treatment wastewater facilities in the region.
 
“Our footprint in this area is significant and along with that comes an important responsibility to conserve our precious natural resources,” said Mike Roetzel, Springdale-native and Tyson Foods’ group vice president of operation services. “This is just one way we hope to protect the quality of life we experience in this beautiful part of the country.”

Tyson Foods reached a settlement with Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster in January for the company’s faulty release of a highly acidic substance used in animal feed into the city of Monett’s sewer system. The discharge caused the city’s wastewater treatment system to fail and contaminated containing a high level of ammonia flowed into Clear Creek killing 100,000 fish.

Tyson paid the state $163,898 for natural resource damages as well as $110,000 in civil penalties. The Springdale-based meat company also agreed to reimburse the state’s Nature Resources department $11,000 in expenses related to the mishap, while the state’s conservation office received $36,000 in related expenses.

Meat industry lobbyists succeeded in getting the county-of-origin labels for beef, pork and poultry repealed by the U.S. Congress, but it seems that consumers preferred them.

A study by the University of Arkansas researchers found that country-of-origin labels were influential to consumers about food safety and quality.

Researchers found that consumers preferred meat from the United States when provided only with information about where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered – and not given information about country-specific meat-processing standards.

“The country-of-origin requirement appears to provide consumers with additional information that has both direct and indirect effects on purchase intentions,” said Scot Burton, professor of marketing at the UA. “The requirement impacts inferred attributes, meaning that meat products from the United States are perceived to be safer, tastier and fresher than meat products from Mexico. Of course, these attributes, in turn, have positive effects on purchase decisions.”

Burton conducted the study with Elizabeth Howlett, professor of marketing, and marketing graduate students Christopher Berry and Amaradri Mukherjee. Their findings were published in the Journal of Retailing.

Congress passed legislation in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills requiring U.S. retailers to provide country-of-origin labeling for most meat and poultry products. The mandate requires meat labels to identify the country where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. Backed by U.S. ranchers competing with the Canadian cattle industry, the legislation was also intended to provide customers with information to help them make informed shopping decisions.

But the mandate has been controversial. Previous research has suggested that consumers do not value U.S.-labeled meat products more than those simply from North America. Some groups have estimated that implementation of these labeling requirements have cost retailers more than $100 million.

Canada and Mexico claim the law discriminates against their producers and have threatened to impose billions of dollars in tariffs on American goods. In reaction to this, the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to repeal the law requiring country-of-origin labeling.

The researchers used three studies to better understand the effect of country-of-origin labeling on consumer choices. Survey respondents were given country of origin only and asked to share their opinions on food safety, taste and freshness of meat and poultry products from 10 countries – Mexico, India, Brazil, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Russia, Thailand, China, the United States and Canada. Participants perceived meat from the United States and Canada to be safer than meat from the other countries.

In the second study, one group received beef and chicken labeled with the United States as country of origin, and a second group received beef and chicken labeled as originating in Mexico. The participants of this study preferred meat from the United States.

However, the third study revealed that when consumers were told that meat-processing standards in Mexico were similar to those in the United States, purchase intentions for U.S. meat were no longer higher.

Springdale-based Core Brewing and Distilling Co. plans to open on Friday (July 17) its first pub in Fort Smith. The location is 701 Rogers Ave. in downtown Fort Smith, just three blocks from where his father and Uncle Kit operated Core’s Grain and Feed bar.

“Uncle Kit is one of our bartenders at the Springdale tap room who is affectionally known as the ‘grumpy ole bastard,’ but he draws them in from all around because he’s so much fun. He is going to open the Fort Smith Pub for me and we have collected old Core’s Grain & Feed memorabilia to use at that location,” Core told The City Wire in this January 2015 interview.

The Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce is holding a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m., Friday, at the new location.

The 1,725 square-foot building was sold for $95,475. Core said in January that the local pub will offer aged Arkansas Whiskey, along with another new whiskey label named for the historic hanging gallows in downtown Fort Smith.

The new pub, Core Public House, will be open 7 days a week, serving all the company's  brews that have made it the state's largest brewery. There is free popcorn and hotdogs are available for purchase.

Jesse Core, who is a Fort Smith native and 1991 graduate of Northside High School, has a history of operating in downtown areas. Earlier this year he opened a distillery in Northwest Arkansas and announced earlier this year plans to open a pub in a downtown Springdale in a portion of the former Ryan’s Department Store on Emma Avenue.

Core, a former Tyson Foods system analyst, is putting his Harding University master’s business degree to good use. He’s grown his beer brewing hobby from a family garage to more than 20 employees and counting in the past three years. He also has plans to open a location in Bella Vista.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Jolie Hobbs of King Elementary School in Van Buren, Ark. with the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE).

She was honored today at a ceremony at the White House for teachers and students from across the nation for their work to promote environmental education and stewardship.

“Jolie Hobbs’ dedication to environmental education inspires students to promote sustainability in their school and their community,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “She is making a difference in generations across Arkansas.”

Hobbs expanded her school’s sustainability efforts and increased community awareness on important environmental issues, such as recycling, sustainable food farming and watering practices. She also started the Green News Program, which integrates environmental education into the school’s weekly assembly. Her efforts provide a positive learning environment where children discover the world around them, connect with their community and have fun at the same time.

The annual PIAEE competitions recognize exceptional K-12 teachers employing innovative approaches to environmental education in their schools. These teachers creatively utilize their local ecosystems, environment, community and culture as a context for learning.

Startup Junkie Consulting will host Northwest Arkansas’s 2015 Mentorcamp for about 100 entrepreneurs this week. Roughly 60 mentors are also taking part in the week-long event in conjunction with Winrock International.

Founded by entrepreneurial expert, Permjot Valia, Mentorcamp connects promising startup communities around the world to talented mentors with the expertise and insight needed to thrive.

“This is a rare opportunity for the local community where startups, funders and mentors are gathered to share expertise, foster strategic advantage and grow entrepreneurial communities,” Valia said. “It is likely that some of the mentors will invest as they have done at every Mentorcamp.” 

Mentorcamp is designed to validate business models, prepare founders for future investment and introduce entrepreneurs to mentors that will aid in the success of business ventures across the globe.

Phyl Amerine, co-founder of Startup Junkie, said 24 startup companies, 22 angel investors and more than 10 venture capital funds will be attending this week’s event which wraps up Friday (July 24.)

Dr. Dumitru Rotaru is joining Drs. Michael Coleman Sr. and Michael Coleman Jr. of the Cooper Clinic Department of Nephrology.

Relocating from Little Rock, Rotaru is a board certified nephrologist. He completed fellowship training at UAMS then served as an assistant professor of nephrology with teaching and research activities in addition to clinical practice.

As a renal specialist, he will treat kidney disease and provide care to patients requiring dialysis.  Dr. Rotaru’s practice will be located in the main Cooper Clinic location, 6801 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith.

He will begin seeing patients Aug. 3. New patients, including those with Medicare coverage, are now being accepted.

Cooper Clinic is a physician-owned multi-specialty group with doctors in 25 specialties/subspecialties.

Northwest Health System will host its second annual Parent Left Behind interactive seminar from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 29 at the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers.

This year the seminar will focus on what bereaved parents and families can expect in terms of grief, what tools they can develop to survive the storm, and suggestions for moving forward including recognizing the need for professional help, when necessary. 

Surviving the storm of grief and rebuilding your life after the death of a child is the theme for the 2015 seminar, provided at no charge, for parents and families who have lost a child. The program will feature the story of Dr. John Redwine, who lost his oldest son was killed in a mountain climbing accident in Beirut, Lebanon, just one day before he was to return to the U.S. as a new father himself.

Registration of the event begins at 8 a.m. and participants will have the opportunity to attend two of six interactive breakout sessions, addressing the needs of bereaved parents, on the day of the event. Each session will be directed by a specialist in counseling and/or bereavement. The event will close with a memorial ceremony honoring the memory of loved ones.

Jaclyn Cochran has been named director of operations at Fayetteville Montessori School after returning to the school on June 1.


She brings 15 years experience in early childhood education to her new position. She began her career at the Fayetteville Montessori School, holding several different positions from 2001 to 2008.

Cochran was the program manager of the Better Beginnings program, a quality rating and improvement system for early childcare and school age programs with the Arkansas Department of Human Services. She also worked as a Child Care Licensing Specialist for five years while at the Department of Human Services.

The University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing has received a federal grant of $1 million to increase the number of advanced practice registered nurses. The program is aimed at helping meet the health and wellness needs of Arkansas’ medically underserved populations.

The grant of $1,081,735 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be paid over three years. Anna Jarrett, assistant professor of nursing, is the principal investigator and will oversee the grant project.

“The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is playing a critically important role in helping to make sure all Arkansans receive high-quality health care,” said Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions.

Pegge Bell, professor of nursing, said the grant enables the nursing school to prepare preceptors who will support the clinical education of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students.

“By supporting the preceptors in a number of ways including using technology, our students will have a more meaningful clinical experience,” said Bell, who recently retired as director of the nursing school. “We will be creating a network of preceptors while improving the clinical experiences of our students.”

Preceptors supervise clinical hours of graduate students and ensure that students complete work satisfactorily at the clinical site. The nursing school approves the selection of preceptors to participate in the academic programs.

Jarrett said mutually beneficial clinical partnerships formed as part of the project will implement an innovative, collaborative plan to enhance the educational experience of both clinical preceptors and D.N.P. students.

The board of Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas and Jim Medley issued a joint announcement on Tuesday saying that medley would retire from his post as the agency’s president and CEO.

Medley, who has been with the agency for 37 years and is a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, will retire July 22.

“At this time in his life, Mr. Medley decided it was time to focus on his family as well as his other interests, including his plans to seek re-election to the Quorum Court of Sebastian County,” noted the joint statement.

According to the release, Medley began with the Area Agency on Aging when it was a department of the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District in 1978, and subsequently moved the Agency to a separate corporation in 1979.

“Mr. Medley helped grow the AAA from six employees to over 600 employees it has today, and another 300 individuals through subcontracted organizations,” noted the statement.

The statement listed several accomplishments of the agency under Medley. Those included:
• Provide a better quality of life through individually-tailored care with home health, transportation in 21 counties, apartment complexes, 22 senior activities centers, 7 nursing centers, and the purchase of 13 parcels of property, including the corporate office building in downtown Fort Smith;
• The agency led Arkansas among the other seven Area Agencies on Aging in the provision of meals to the elderly and disabled while receiving the least amount of federal dollars for such purpose; and
• Leaving the agency in “excellent financial condition.”

The U.S. Department of Education has granted Arkansas more than $2 million in funding for Arkansas Higher education through the federal Student Support Services Program.

"Supporting diversity throughout higher education is important for our state. These grants will expand education opportunities and help Arkansans from all walks of life develop the skills they need to be successful in the workforce," said U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, said the money will help produce a better workforce.

“Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce. These grants make the dream of college attainable for more Arkansans than ever before by providing the funding for much-needed support of these students and others who are in need of such services. This will allow our campuses to grow increasingly diverse and ultimately, help more Arkansans earn a degree and enter the workforce with confidence. I applaud this important investment,” Womack said.

The following institutions of higher education received funding:
Arkadelphia: Henderson State University will receive $247,582 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

Batesville: University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville will receive $220,000 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

Fort Smith: University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will receive $220,000 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

Helena-West Helena: Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas will receive $314,691 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

Hot Springs: National Park Community College will receive $352,838 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

Melbourne: Ozarka College will receive $278,421 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

North Little Rock: Pulaski Technical College will receive $231,103 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

Russellville: Arkansas Tech University will receive $220,000 for funding under the Student Services Support Services.

Siloam Springs: John Brown University will receive $231,103 for funding under the Student Support Services Program.

These competitive grants are awarded to institutions of higher education to provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. Student Support Services (SSS) programs aim to provide services promoting persistence in and graduation from postsecondary institutions for low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.

Carl Albert State College in Poteau has received a five-year $2,116,410 million Student Support Services (SSS) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant begins Sept. 1, 2015 and ends Aug. 30, 2020 and will serve 285 CASC students at the Poteau and Sallisaw locations each year.

Deborah Cummings serves as grant writer for Carl Albert. She, along with SSS Coordinator/Counselor Kim Hughes, worked to put together this grant that received a perfect score. The grant also received an additional six points for addressing the optional competitive preference priorities.

One of the federally funded TRIO programs, SSS provides assistance to first generation and/or low income students as well as disabled students in their pursuit of a college degree. Carl Albert State College’s SSS program was first funded in 1973 and was the first of CASC’s seven TRIO grant programs. Cummings explained,

“When we receive a grant award, it is a brand new grant program, not a continuation of the previous grant. We have to submit a new proposal for the national competition each time one of our TRIO grants expire,” Cummings said.

Michelle White serves as TRIO Director at Carl Albert.

The SSS staff at Carl Albert provides services for participants of the program ranging from counseling, tutoring, advising, financial aid assistance, transfer assistance following graduation and much more.