Business news in brief

Business makes Franchise 500 list

Comfort Keepers of Northwest Arkansas was recognized by Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500 rankings for 2013. The magazine recognized Comfort Keepers as the top franchise within the senior care category as well as No. 59 among the top 500 franchises.

Gary Halstead is general manager of Comfort Keepers of Northwest Arkansas.

Comfort Keepers is a franchise network in the in-home care market for seniors and other adults. Since its founding in 1998, the company has grown to more than 700 franchised locations around the world.

Entrepreneur’s 34th annual Franchise 500 listing ranks companies, regardless of size, by the same criteria: objective, quantifiable measures of the franchise operation.

According to Entrepreneur, the Franchise 500 shows that many of the most competitive companies are those that go after a specific demographic. Among the top growing demographic categories, nationally, is senior care.

New brew pub coming to Fayetteville

Construction is under way for Fayetteville’s latest brewing company. Evan McDonald, Ching Mong, Al Shaffer, Daniel Smith, Sammie Stephenson and Joe Utsch started work on The Apple Blossom Brewing Company.

The brewing company, located at 1550 E. Zion Road, is expected to open this summer.

The brew pub is named after the Arkansas state flower and will seat 250 people in the 8,500-square-foot building.

The 10-barrel brewing system will be the birthplace of many styles and flavors, specializing in trends from the coasts and Colorado. The kitchen will be headed by Utsch and will feature soups, salads, sandwiches and focaccia pizzas.

Briefs are for businesses in Northwest Arkansas that are new, have moved or closed, opened a new branch, changed owners or have been honored by an independent organization. E-mail items to [email protected]. Information will be published as space allows.

Business, Pages 58 on 01/20/2013

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