BUSINESS BRIEFS

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Mi Casa Expands Management

Mi Casa Real Estate, with headquarters in Springdale, became a division of a new company, Specialized Real Estate Group. Owners Seth Mims and Jeremy Hudson made the announcement Feb. 22, which also explained the establishment of a second division, MC3 Multifamily.

The reorganization reflects the company’s growth in multifamily real estate, the owners said in a news release. The MC3 Multifamily division focuses on apartments, town homes and similar properties.

Services include assistance for investors who are buying or selling property, property management, and client services such as maintenance, housekeeping and project management.

One project is ECO Modern Flats, a green apartment renovation in Fayetteville. MC3 is handling project management and property management for the apartments, planned as Arkansas’ first to qualify for LEED green building certification.

The Mi Casa division continues to target singlehome properties, especially in lower-cost markets.

The company formed in 1998, and became Mi Casa Real Estate in 2000, to focus on Spanish-speaking home buyers. Mi Casa entered the property management market in 2006, now managing more than 1,000 units in Benton and Washington counties.

Specialized Real Estate Group employs seven agents and 25 other employees. No change in staffing is planned due to the reorganization, owners said.

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Louie’s Opening In Rogers

Louie’s Grill & Bar is renovating space at 4404 W. Walnut St. in Rogers to add a second sports bar and restaurant in Arkansas. The Rogers restaurant will open in late March or early April.

Suite 12 has 5,200 square feet, which is being gutted after years as King Buffet.

Arkansas franchise holder Mark Martinez has 5,850 square feet at his Louie’s at 100 E. Joyce Blvd. in Fayetteville. The Rogers Louie’s will have the same menu and services, but the bar will be in the center. It will staff 25-30 employees in front and 10-15 for back-of-the-house cooking and other positions.

Alex Martinez said she and her husband had been looking for a second location when the property became available. Their next focus will be a Louie’s for Fort Smith.

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Salon Opening In Bentonville

Oasis on the Edge opens Monday at 700 S.E. Walton Blvd. Suite 6 in Bentonville.

This is the company’s second full-service hair and nail salon. Oasis Salon and Day Spa of Joplin opened in May 2001.

The Bentonville spa will feature six hair and nail technicians, but more could be hired in the future. The spacehas 20 hair stations, a full nail room and two pedicure stations.

Tiffany DeBusk of Grow Marketing said the Walton Boulevard site was previously a salon, so remodeling was limited to some cosmetic enhancements such as paint.

Oasis on the Edge will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 am. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

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Women In IT View Future

“Discovering Tomorrow Together: How the IT Woman of the Future Is Created Today” is the theme for the seventh annual Women in IT Conference at the University of Arkansas. The conference, presented by the Information Technology Research Institute of the Walton College of Business, begins at 1:45 p.m. March 10 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development, 145 N. Buchanan Ave. in Fayetteville.

Participants will tour the Radio Frequency Identification Research Center Laboratory. An awards reception that evening recognizes eight high school girls in Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma for their computing-related achievements and interests.

Speakers include Jill Puleri, vice president and global retail leader for IBM; Penelope Prett, senior executive of outsourcing at Accenture; Dr. Janet Ply, co-founder of Pendere;

Cynthia Pettus-Puryear of Mitchell Communications Group; Belinda Watkins, vice president of network computing for FedEx; and Theres Steifer, director of the UA’s Center for Management and Executive Education.

Moderator Melanie Arterbury, senior manager of Mitchell Communications Group, will lead a panel discussion by: Brandy Mitchell, vice president of product development for Arvest Bank Operations; Sharon Moura, vice president, global information technology and customer services for Tyco Retail Solutions; Barbara Sugg, vice president of information technology for Southwest Power Pool; and KristenWilliams, leader of heath and wellness and point of sale innovation for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Registration is $225, and a 20 percent discount is available for educators, UA employees and members of the National Center for Women and Information Technology. Registration is available through March 8 at itri.uark.edu/1987.asp.

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