Dr. Justin Voris will join SouthPointe Family Practice located at 3808 South Gary St., near Southside High School, in August. As a primary care physician, Voris will help manage and maintain the health of his patients.



“Family medicine is all encompassing. It allows me to see babies all the way to geriatrics,” said Dr. Voris. “I love what I do, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to provide medical care to the whole family.”



Voris offers a full range of services in his medical practice with an emphasis in outpatient clinical care, minor surgical procedures including permanent sterilization for men and women and other women’s health services including prenatal and obstetric care. 


Research shows patients who regularly see a primary care physician or a family doctor have better management of chronic diseases and lower overall healthcare costs. For example, simple testing during a visit with your primary care physician can reveal health problems, such as high blood pressure, that may go unnoticed and lead to more serious issues later in life. Voris is accepting new patients of all ages.

Voris is a graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed his residency at UAMS West Family Medicine. Originally from El Dorado and a Fort Smith resident since 2007, Voris became familiar with the area more than 12 years ago when he met his wife Elizabeth, a Fort Smith native, while students at Ouachita Baptist University. The couple has three children.

 Voris also is a member of the Fort Smith Airport Commission.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has acquired the outstanding shares in Yihaodian, taking full ownership of its fast-growing e-commerce business in China, according to a release from the retail giant on Wednesday evening (July 23).

Wang Lu, president and CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce in Asia, will lead Yihaodian as part of his overall executive responsibilities.
 
With full ownership of Yihaodian, Wal-Mart plans to invest in both accelerating e-commerce and creating a seamless experience for customers across online, mobile and stores.

Wal-Mart, which previously held approximately 51% of Yihaodian, acquired the remaining shares from Ping An of China, a financial services group, and the co-founders, former Chairman Gang Yu and former CEO Junling Liu.

The two co-founders announced earlier this month that they are leaving Yihaodian, and will continue to serve as chairman emeritus and strategic executive advisor respectively to ensure a smooth transition and contribute to the future success of Yihaodian. 

Wal-Mart’s planned investments are included in the company’s previously announced e-commerce budget. 
 
“Yihaodian has excelled as one of China’s top e-commerce businesses. We’re excited about the team at Yihaodian and their strong local e-commerce experience,” said Neil Ashe, president and CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce. 

“This local experience, combined with Wal-Mart’s global sourcing and our strong local retail presence and supply chain will allow us to deliver low prices on the products customers need in new and exciting ways. Our investment in Yihaodian is part of our long-term commitment to grow in China, and we look forward to continuing to play a positive role in the development of the e-commerce industry.
 
“We thank Gang and Junling for their entrepreneurship and innovation, and for creating a world-class foundation and team to lead Yihaodian going forward,” Ashe added.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced a quarterly cash dividend to its shareholders. The company’s board of directors approved 21 cents per common share of stock owned as of July 31. The dividend is payable Aug. 14.

The company’s largest shareholder Johnelle Hunt, co-founder of the trucking and logistics company, will receive $4.064 million in dividend payments this quarter for her 19.353 million shares of common stock. Hunt still owns 16.6% of the company’s outstanding shares as of the most recent Proxy filing with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shares of J.B. Hunt were trading down 1.36% in the early afternoon session on Thursday (July 23). Shares trading on the Nasdaq exchange were valued at $82.05, down $1.33. The share price has ranged from a low $71 to a high $93.50 over the past 52-week period.

The Leadership Fort Smith program announced July 23 the 25 members of the 2016 class.

The 25 participants were selected based on leadership or potential leadership ability and commitment to the community, along with several other factors and considerations. An effort is made each year to build a diverse, well-rounded class representative of the Fort Smith region.

Leadership Fort Smith is a 10-month program that offers participants a backstage pass to the Fort Smith region. The class focuses on the strengths, challenges, needs, and overall community issues that our participants can directly address. Sessions will cover diverse topics such as education, healthcare, history, crime, local government, and education. In addition, our participants will learn about economic development and will have the opportunity to see, hear, and meet the catalysts for growth in our region.

Leadership Fort Smith is a professional development opportunity that benefits the participant, his/her employer, and our community.

Following are the 2016 class members.

Trace Andres, a vice president of Commercial Lending at Arvest in Fort Smith.

Tommy Bishop, a Battalion Chief and Fire Marshal with the Fort Smith Fire Department.

Michael Borrows, the executive vice president and CFO at USA Truck in Van Buren.

Dr. Deborah Braboy, a licensed professional counselor with Fresh Roots Counseling in Fort Smith.

Jenna Clemons, director of finance for the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care.

Samantha Cole, director of community health and access for Mercy-Fort Smith.

Melissa Curry, director of special events for the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Kelly Davis, the supervisor of payroll and employee benefits with the Fort Smith Public School District.

Jennifer Dreisbach, the marketing and specialty leasing manager for Central Mall, owned by Jones, Lang, LaSalle.

Cassie Elwonger, a real estate agent with Weichert Realtors – King Realty Group.

Jennifer Foughty, office manager for Fort Smith EMS.

Stephen Gebhart, the vice president of operations for the Mercy Clinic-Fort Smith.

Matthew Garner, an internal auditor for Baldor Electric Company.

Theresa Hayward, the marketing coordinator for HSA Engineering Consulting Services, Inc.

Lori Hopkins, director of Sales/Use Tax for Golden Living.

Christy Koprovic, the vice president of sales and marketing for KMF, Inc.

Moises Ledezma, the chief operating officer at Business Insurance Consultants, Inc.

Jeremy May, a lead marketing analyst for U-Pack/ArcBest Corporation.

Allison Montiel, the CEO of La Casa de Montiel.

Greg Pair, a deacon and director of lay ministries at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

Bryan Peters, a Chief Master Sergeant with the 188th Wing, serving as the Force Support Squadron Superintendent.

Kaylee Rainwater, a loan officer with BancorpSouth.

Lorie Robertson, director of marketing for the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority. (Chaffee Crossing).

Julie Strickland, a community service representative with Home Instead Senior Care.

Scott Zuerker, a partner with Ledbetter, Cogbill, Arnold, & Harrison Law Firm.

CEO Connection has included ArcBest President and CEO Judy McReynolds on its list of the top 25 women in the U.S. based on their ability to influence change, innovation and standards for excellence in companies with annual sales between $100 million and $3 billion.

CEO Connection is a membership organization exclusively for mid-market CEOs.

McReynolds has nearly 25 years of experience in the transportation industry, including 17 years at ArcBest. During her tenure, McReynolds has evolved the ArcBest strategic focus to expand  its logistics services in order to better serve customers across the supply chain spectrum.

McReynolds also serves on numerous outside boards including OGE Energy Corp., First National Bank of Fort Smith, the Transportation Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Westark Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, on the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, the UAFS Foundation Board and is a member of the American Trucking Associations Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
 
The 2015 list also includes Buffalo Wild Wings President & CEO Sally J. Smith, The Children’s Place President & CEO Jane T. Elfers and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store President & CEO Sandy Cochran.
 
The honorees will be recognized at the 2015 Mid-Market Convention on Oct. 18-21 at The Wharton School in Philadelphia. The event will feature hundreds of global CEOs, business experts, political leaders and presidential candidates.

America's Car-Mart Inc. has opened its 142nd dealership. The dealership is located in Albany, Ga., and it’s the seventh dealership in the peach state for the Bentonville-based used-car dealer. The Albany dealership will be managed by Josh Wolf.


“We currently expect to open our Rolla, Mo., dealership within the next couple of weeks and we have eight additional new location projects in process at this time,” according to CEO Hank Henderson.


Henderson has said the company plans to grow its store count between 8% and 10% annually until it reaches 200 dealerships.


Car-Mart shares are trading at $44.53, up 3 cents in the morning session on Monday (July 27). For the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged from $35.68 to $57.55.

NASA has awarded two grants totaling nearly $245,000 to Ozark Integrated Circuits Inc., a technology firm affiliated with the University of Arkansas.

The company, which designs semiconductors at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park, will use the grants to design complex integrated circuits that can operate on the surface of Venus, where the temperature can reach 500 degrees Celsius – 932 degrees Fahrenheit.

The two silicon-carbide-based circuits could be incorporated into the overall design of the space agency’s proposed Venus Landsailing Rover, said Matt Francis, Ozark IC’s president and CEO.

The company will collaborate with electrical engineering students at the UA on one of the projects. It will also utilize the integrated circuit packaging expertise and facilities of the university’s High Density Electronics Research Center at the research park. In electronics manufacturing, circuit packaging is the final stage of semiconductor device fabrication.

“Silicon carbide is a semiconductor that is ideally suited for the extreme environments found on Venus,” Francis said. “We have many years of experience working with this semiconductor fabrication process, developing models and process-design kits specifically for this process.”

In the first NASA award Ozark IC will address the development of a reliable ultraviolet imager that is suited for planetary composition experiments and Earth observation in space. The imager will allow monitoring of ultraviolet signals in order to understand the environment on Venus as well as for ultraviolet astronomy by observing and analyzing other planets and stars.

“We will demonstrate the feasibility of creating these needed integrated circuits,” Francis said. “We will also generate a commercial feasibility analysis based on projections of the manufacturing costs for each of these integrated circuits.”

In the second award the company will address NASA’s need for a microcontroller to provide real-time programmability for the proposed mobile lander for Venus.

Alan Mantooth, professor of electrical engineering at the UA, will supervise student research on this project.

The board of directors of ArcBest Corp. on Tuesday (July 28) declared a quarterly cash dividend of 6 cents per share to shareholders as of Aug. 11 and payable on Aug. 25.

The Fort Smith-based transportation holding company is scheduled to report second quarter earnings on Aug. 3. The consensus estimate is that the company will post per share earnings of 73 cents per share on revenue of $691.99 million. Both estimates, if realized, would top earnings and revenue during the same quarter of 2014.

First quarter net income of $745,000 for ArcBest was below what the market expected, but it was the company’s first first-quarter profit for the first time in seven years and a wide swing from the first quarter 2014 loss of $5.19 million. First quarter revenue for ArcBest was $613.276 million, up 6.1% compared to the first quarter of 2014.

The company has posted two consecutive years in the black. Full year net income in 2014 was $46.177 million, up 192% compared to the $15.811 million in 2013, and a wide swing from the $7.7 million loss in 2012. Total revenue during 2014 for the publicly held company (NASDAQ: ARCB) was $2.612 billion, up 13.6% compared to 2013.

Company shares (NASDAQ: ARCB) closed Tuesday at $30.69, up $1.16. During the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged from a $47.52 high to a $29.39 low.

Boeing on Wednesday (July 29) broke ground on a new 290,000 square-foot facility in Oklahoma City that will house 800 employees.

The new structure, the third in Boeing’s existing campus, will open in summer 2016 and house employees working in engineering, research and development laboratories, and some support staff, according to a press release from the office of Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.

Global Services & Support (GS&S) President Leanne Caret said at the groundbreaking that the headquarters for GS&S’ Aircraft Modernization and Sustainment (AM&S) division would move to Oklahoma City in the months ahead. This decision transfers approximately a dozen senior management positions to Oklahoma City and reflects the site’s importance to the company.

“We see a bright horizon for the aircraft sustainment business because of the highly trained and motivated workforce we have in Oklahoma City,” Caret noted in the statement. “Expanding our presence and bringing AM&S headquarters here continues a trend of combining Oklahoma’s home-grown talent with the best of the enterprise to support some of our customers’ most critical missions.”

Aircraft modernization and sustainment provides support and modernization services for U.S. and coalition lift, executive transport, airborne refueling, airborne command and control, and global strike capabilities. This includes commercial derivative aircraft, airborne early warning and control platforms, C-17 Globemaster III maintenance, tanker maintenance and support, and bomber/weapons modernization and logistics.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses. Based in St. Louis, Defense, Space & Security is a $31 billion business with 53,000 employees worldwide.

Arkansas oil giant Murphy Oil Corp., now a pure play oil and gas explorer, saw its second quarter earnings fall deeper into the well as benchmark international crude prices on Tuesday fell to their lowest since the beginning of the year.

Murphy Oil CEO and President Roger Jenkins responded by saying the El Dorado-based oil and gas company has reduced its payroll by cutting over 100 positions from its global workforce of more than 1,500 employees – a nearly 7% reduction.

“We remain focused on organizational efficiency, capital allocation and reducing operating expenses. We addressed general and administrative costs by reducing our workforce by 7%,” Jenkins said the El Dorado oil company, which has a global workforce of more than 1,500 workers. “Murphy remains well-positioned financially to carry out our plans and evaluate opportunities to improve our business going forward.”

For the period ended June 30, El Dorado-based Murphy Oil reported a net loss of $73.8 million, or 42 cents per share, compared with net income of $129.4 million, 72 cents a share, a year ago.

Net losses from continuing operations were $59 million, or 51 cents per share, compared to a profit of $142.7 million, or 79 cents per share, in the second quarter a year ago.

Revenues fell dramatically to $738 million, down 35% from $1.35 billion a year ago. Wall Street expected the Arkansas oil company to report second quarter profits of 55 cents per share on revenue of $698 million, according to Thomson Reuters.

Jenkins primarily attributed the earnings slide on a 44% decline in both Brent and West Texas Intermediate benchmark crude prices.

In trading Wednesday, Brent crude futures settled down 17 cents, or 0.3%, at $53.30 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe, the lowest settlement since Jan. 30. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate closed up 59 cents, or 1.2%, to $47.98 a barrel, ending a four-day decline.

In its Eagle Ford Shale operations, which was comprised of 90% liquids, Murphy averaged near 60,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) net.

“As planned, we continue to operate four drilling rigs and two completion spreads and we expect to stay near this level of activity for the rest of the year,” the company said. “We brought 36 new wells on line in the second quarter and have brought 58% of our total estimated wells for the year online in the first half.”

Company officials said production in the third quarter of 2015 is estimated to average over 59,000 boepd with the 2015 full year outlook now expected to average near 59,000 boepd, slightly ahead of annual production for 2014.

Overall, Murphy’s second quarter production averaged 201,000 boepd, beating its earlier guidance of 197,000 boepd as new well performance in the Eagle Ford Shale was better than expected.

Jenkins said the Murphy has increased its full year production guidance to a range of 200,000 to 208,000 boepd. Capital spending was unchanged at $2.3 billion for fiscal 2015.

In other developments, Murphy Oil on Monday named Kelly Whitley as its new vice president of investor relations and communications, replacing Barry Jeffery who has taken a new role as vice president of insurance, security and risk.

At Wednesday’s closing bell, Murphy’s shares were up 11 cents at $34.13. Murphy’s shares have fallen off 32% for the first six months of the fiscal year, while trading between $32.50 and $68.15 over the past 52 weeks.

The Federal Highway Administration has accepted a recommendation by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to expand Interstate 30 to 10 lanes through downtown Little Rock, a project that includes the replacing of the I-30 Arkansas River Bridge, the AHTD announced in a press release Wednesday.

The project, known as the 30 Crossing, will include five lanes in each direction from south of Broadway Street in North Little Rock to the Highway 10 interchange north of 3rd Street in Little Rock. Two of the lanes in each direction will serve as collector/distributor lanes, Collector/distributor lanes are separated from the main lanes by a barrier and connect by ramps to the rest of the interstate. Speed limits are lower than the rest of the interstate but higher than frontage roads.

The acceptance letter, which was received July 1, comes after a year-long planning and environmental linkages (PEL) study that considered the system’s capacity, safety and deficiencies. AHTD began considering alternatives in April 2014. The study considered the area on I-30 between I-40 and I-530, as well as an area on I-40 between JFK Boulevard and U.S. Highway 67.

The recommendation now will undergo a National Environmental Policy Act study for more detailed analysis of interchange design, location of ramps and interchanges, and potential impacts.

Construction of the interchange is scheduled to begin in 2018. Prior to that, the environmental and schematic phase is scheduled to be completed in mid-2016, with design-build work beginning in early 2017.

Randy Ort, AHTD assistant chief for administration, said the project will be constructed using a design-build to a budget process. The same team will design and construct the roadway based on a dollar figure.

“We’re basically going to say, what can you do in this corridor for this amount of money,” he said.

The amount of money is yet to be determined, Ort said.

“They’ve been tossing around $400 to $450 million, but the actual (number) that we land on is still a moving target,” he said.

The project is part of the Connecting Arkansas Program, a voter-approved initiative funded by a 10-year, half-cent sales tax that includes 35 congestion-relieving projects in 19 corridors.

Dr. Mohammad Al Madani has joined Sparks Health System and will work as an interventional cardiologist at the Cardiology Center at Sparks.

He recently completed his training and fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, N.J., where he took part in more than 500 coronary intervention procedures and more than 100 peripheral interventions, which included the use of the most updated technologies to open blood vessels. He spent six years at East Tennessee State University before starting his fellowship in Newark.



Al Madani works with patients who have risks or symptoms of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, heart attacks, angina and heart valve problems. He will also treat patients who suffer from leg ulcers and leg pain and peripheral arterial disease, a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs.

More people die annually from cardiovascular diseases than from any other cause, according to the World Health Organization. 

“We not only improve symptoms quickly, but save lives,” Al Madani said in a statement from the hospital.

Al Madani is married with a young daughter. He will work alongside Dr. A. Nasser Adjei, Ali Sheharyar, Robert Parris, Ahyan Zia, Thomas Williams, and German Kamalov, at the Cardiology Center at Sparks.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced the hiring of Lee Rudofsky as the state’s solicitor general on Thursday. Rudofsky comes to the Attorney General’s Office from Wal-Mart where he has served as an assistant general counsel since 2014.

“I am truly excited to welcome Lee as the State’s first solicitor general,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Lee brings a wealth of experience and expertise from the public and private sectors, as well as being one of the top litigators in the country.”

Arkansas was one of several states that did not have a solicitor general position, which generally represents a state in federal or multi-state cases. A committee in the 2015 General Assembly reclassified a position to allow for a solicitor general post and established a salary of $120,000.

“I felt the position was needed to assist with the growing number of large multi-state consumer protection cases and the increasing appellate matters at the state and national levels,” Rutledge said.

Rudofsky, a native of New York, is a 2005 graduate of Harvard Law School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Public Administration from Cornell University in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

Prior to assuming the role of assistant general counsel for Wal-Mart, Rudofsky spent several years at the Washington, D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP litigating commercial and constitutional cases.

In 2012, he served as deputy general counsel for Romney for President Inc. He was also deputy general counsel to the Steve Poizner for Governor 2010 campaign.

His clerkships have included the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Office of Counsel to the Governor of Massachusetts and Office of Counsel to the President of the United States during the George W. Bush administration.

A long-time area provider of free and affordable healthcare services has a new name as part of an expanded effort to offer medical services to a broader audience.

The Northwest Arkansas Free Health Clinic is now “WelcomeHealth,” a name that better reflects the nonprofit clinic’s mission following changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to Monika Fischer-Massie, executive director of WelcomeHealth.

“We felt that our previous name created a misconception in the community that we were simply a place for the uninsured to receive free care,” Fischer-Massie said. “Truth is, we provide medical services for that group as well as for the fully insured, including those who face challenges meeting co-pays, deductibles and other ancillary charges.”

While ACA has made health care more accessible for thousands of area families who were previously uncovered, the cost of monthly insurance premiums, prescriptions and co-pays means many still cannot afford basic medical services, Fischer-Massie said.

Opened in 1986, the center provides a number of services, from primary care and prescriptions to specialties such as dental, pulmonology, women’s health, mental health and more. WelcomeHealth records about 12,000 patient visits annually, according to Fischer-Massie. The medical staff is made up of about 30 healthcare professionals, most of whom are volunteers.

“None if this would be possible without the kindness of volunteers and the generosity of donors and corporate sponsors who provide financial help. Thanks to them, many of our neighbors are leading healthy–and thus productive–lives,” Fischer-Massie said.

WelcomeHealth is located at 1100 N. Woolsey Ave. near the VA Medical Center and the UAMS Northwest campus.

Tyson Foods has named Mikel Durham as a new board member which was made effective July 30.

Durham will be an independent director. She serves as the chief commercial officer of CSM Bakery Solutions, a private equity backed bakery supply company based in Atlanta.

She formerly worked at Bain & Company, where she served in several roles working in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Russia. In 1994, she joined PepsiCo in the U.S., where she was promoted to vice president and general manager of the company’s south European and north African restaurant operations. Subsequently, she served as a managing director of Guinness, as president of Burger King North America; and as president of global supply for Cadbury Schweppes.

 In 2009 she returned to PepsiCo where she worked as global growth officer for PepsiCo Foodservice. She joined CSM Bakery Solutions in 2014. 



“Mikel’s background in branded consumer packaged goods, her deep understanding of foodservice, as well as her experience leading international growth strategies are among key reasons why she was recommended by our nominating committee,” said Tyson Foods Chairman John Tyson. “We believe she will be an excellent addition to our board and we’re pleased to have her.”
 
Durham holds a bachelors’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree from the Harvard Business School.

Dr. Jason Johnson, an audiologist has joined the Cooper Clinic Department of Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy. His services include hearing and balance testing for all ages, customized hearing aid fittings, repair, and maintenance, tinnitus evaluation and management, and noise protection devices.

After a 12-year career in sound recording as the engineer and co-owner of Omega Sound Recording Studios in Fort Smith, he completed the audiology doctoral program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. While at UAMS, Johnson presented research at two national audiology conventions, served as the audiology trainee for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and completed a one-year externship in the audiology department of Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Johnson works alongside Cooper Clinic ENT specialists Drs. Byron Erstine, Michael Gwartney, and Amy Stinson, providing audiology care to patients with hearing disorders. 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.

Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport has filed a prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a new $350 million bond issue due July 15, 2022. The logistics company plans to use the majority of the proceeds to repay $250 million in principal on the 3.3375% unsecured notes that mature on Sept. 15.

The company will use up to $97 million to retire outstanding amounts under its revolving credit agreement, according to Moody’s Investors Services. The rating service assigned a Baa1 rating to the new unsecured notes and a stable outlook for the company. Standard & Poor’s assigned a BBB+ rating to the new issue which has 3.3% coupon rate.

J.B. Hunt should net $346.941 million in proceeds from the new issue after underwriting fees.

Moody’s said the rating is supported by the company's strong track record of revenue growth, operating margins that have been consistently in the 10-11% range, and good cash flow generation.

With a moderate $1 billion of total debt at June 30, (after Moody's standard adjustments of $117 million for operating leases), Hunt has a low debt to earnings ratio as well as good liquidity. The stable rating outlook reflects Moody's expectation of high single digit growth in revenues (excluding fuel surcharges) and an (adjusted) operating income margin of around 11%.

The Dale Bumpers College at the University of Arkansas has named Leslie Edgar its assistant dean. Edgar will also serve as the director of the Office of International Program, remain a tenured professor at the UA and she will be in charge of the school’s honors program.

“Leslie has involved and worked with faculty in setting the direction of the Office of International Programs, and was cited by search committee members as a caring colleague with great organizational skills. Her appointment enables synergistic opportunities for student research, honors work and international learning experiences,” said Dean Mike Vayda.

Her responsibilities include curriculum overview, promotion, additional international experience opportunities and increased access to funding.

Edgar said her experience working with several department heads in recent years have helped her build relationships that she will leverage in this position.

“I enjoy working with the departments, faculty and students to assist them in finding success in programs of interest. I look forward to working with students and faculty to increase collaboration, opportunity, partnerships and promotion of our honors program,” Edgar noted in the release.

Edgar received her bachelor’s degree in animal science in 2000 and her master’s degree in agriculture systems, technology and education in 2002, both from Utah State University. She earned her doctorate in agricultural leadership, education and communications from Texas A&M University in 2007.

The board of directors for Arvest Bank in Benton County recently approved the promotions of nine bankers.

 “Promotions are taken to the board on a periodic basis by the respective senior managers,” said Craig Rivaldo, president and CEO of Arvest Bank in Benton County. “These are commendable associates who have displayed leadership ability, passion for the job they do and for the community they live in, are leaders of their respective departments or divisions, and exemplify the Arvest core values.”

Kelly Carlson was named vice president and senior commercial banker. He has been a a junior commercial lender since joining that department in August 2012. In that role Carlson has originated $57 million in commercial loans throughout Northwest Arkansas. Carlson has been with Arvest Bank since June 2008.

Vice president promotions went to three of Arvest’s client advisors who will continue working in that area of finance:
• Amie Fielder
• Michelle Hauge
• Steve Gibbs

Five other Arvest bankers were promoted to assistant vice president roles:
• Catherine Alexander, trust advisor in Bella Vista
• Ryan Mattiza, morgage lender in Rogers
• Nicole LaRocco, mortgage lender in Bentonville and Rogers
• Adam Robinson, consumer loans in Centerton
• Beverly LaFera, consumer loans in Bentonville

One day after exiting the IT outsourcing business, Acxiom Corp. saw strong sales growth but still reported first quarter losses as the Little Rock data marketing giant undergoes an organization restructuring to improve the company’s operations and bottom line.

For the period ended June 30, Acxiom reported net losses of $2.8 million, or 7 cents per share, a marked improvement over losses of $13 million, or 14 cents, in the prior year. Revenues for the Little Rock tech company grew by 5.5% to $196.9 million in the first quarter, compared to $186.7 million in the same period a year ago. Wall Street had expected Acxiom to report first quarter earnings of five cents per share on revenues of $187 million, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters.

“The first quarter was a solid start to fiscal 2016,” said Acxiom CEO Scott Howe. “Our results this quarter demonstrate the continued strength of Connectivity. A growing list of customers and synergies from our combination with LiveRamp contributed to dramatically expanding revenue, gross margin and bottom-line performance.”

Howe continued: “We are also pleased to announce that the sale of our IT Infrastructure Management business was completed on July 31, 2015, leaving Acxiom with a portfolio of businesses that share a single vision and mission.”

Here are additional highlights of Acxiom’s first quarter results and operations:
• LiveRamp added 30 new customers during the quarter and added 10 new partner integrations. Marketers can now onboard and distribute their data to a growing network of over 200 marketing platforms and data providers.

• Acxiom relaunched its email and cross-channel marketing business, Acxiom Impact, an advanced marketing offering specifically designed to meet the unique needs of sophisticated enterprise marketers.

• Acxiom appointed Jeremy Allen as president of Marketing Services. Allen’s appointment completes Acxiom’s new divisional structure, which includes Travis May as president of Connectivity and Rick Erwin as president of Audience Solutions. Acxiom’s CFO, Warren Jenson, is heading the company’s international operations.

• Acxiom repurchased approximately 832,000 shares for $15 million during the quarter. Since inception of the share repurchase program in August 2011, the company has repurchased 13.7 million shares for $217 million.

On July 31, 2015, Acxiom completed the sale of its IT Infrastructure Management business to Charlesbank Capital Partners and co-investor M/C Partners. On Tuesday, Acxiom closed its previously announced $190 million deal to sell off its IT outsourcing business to Boston-based private equity firms Capital Partners (Charlesbank) of Boston and M/C Partners as part of management’s three-year process to “tighten our strategic direction.”

Howe had previously said the Little Rock data marketing giant will use proceeds from the sale to pay down debt and to fund the expansion of its share repurchase program.

Under the terms of the deal with Charlesbank, total potential cash consideration is nearly $190 million, comprised of $140 million in cash at closing and up to $50 million in contingent payments subject to certain performance metrics. In addition, Acxiom will receive a 5% profit interest in the go-forward company.

The new company, called Acxiom ITO, appointed former CenturyLink executive Jeff VonDeylen as the CEO. At the close of business Wednesday, Acxiom’s shares were up 35 cents at $18.35 on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The company’s stock has traded in the range of $15.78 and $21.25 over the past year.