Business news in brief

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Springdale cake shop wins competition

Jennifer Matsubara, owner of Shelby Lynn’s Cake Shoppe in downtown Springdale, was awarded the grand prize worth $42,400 at the Grand National Wedding Cake Competition in Tulsa. The winnings included $24,400 in cash. The national competition on Sept. 29 was part of the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show during the Tulsa State Fair.

The ornate cake framed by golden elephants may be viewed at facebook.com/jennifer.matsubara.

Matsubara opened the business in 2001 and began gaining attention at competitions in 2004. She made her first appearance on the Food Network Challenge series in 2007, gaining the title Challenge Champion, according to the business’s website.

Company’s website now in 6 languages

Cobb-Vantress, with headquarters in Siloam Springs, has expanded its new website, cobb-vantress.com, by offering content in six languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic.

“Cobb has customers, partners and employees spanning the globe, so it’s crucial that we provide them every opportunity to view our information, research and expertise in a convenient and digestible way. By adding additional languages, we are able to increase the efficiency of communication with our customers and enhance our recruitment and retention efforts,” said Roger Vessell, director of world marketing.

Construction award banquet planned

Reservations are due Oct. 14 for the Construction and Developers 2013 Appreciation Award Banquet, which begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Fayetteville Town Center, 15 W. Mountain St. The buffet dinner is scheduled at 6:45 p.m. and the program at 7:10 p.m.

Walt Coleman of Little Rock will be the keynote speaker on topics of leadership and teamwork. Chairing the event committee is Mike Davis of Milestone Construction.

The annual event recognizes nine to 12 projects completed in the previous 18 months, plus one individual award to a person or business. The awards banquet highlights projects in Northwest Arkansas, recognizing the owners’ investments and the construction and development teams of architects, general contractors, engineering companies and other professionals.

The event is free for Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce members (two complimentary seats per business).

Sponsorships are available. Reservations are available by contacting Chung Tan at (479) 521-1710 or [email protected].

Fayetteville chef competes in Las Vegas

Jeremy Gawthrop of Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville is one of eight chefs who topped more than 1,000 submissions for the US Foods Next Top Product contest. Finalists received online votes for their chosen food; Gawthrop’s entry is the black bean slider.

The finalists will compete for $20,000 in cash and prizes Nov. 8 at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas. The winning chef will have his or her original recipe developed into a US Foods product to be distributed in the following year. The winner will receive $5,000 in cash and a $15,000 kitchen makeover by US Foods.

Forum to explain how mediation works

A public forum called “Can a Mediator Help Me Settle My Dispute?” will be free and open to the public 4-6 p.m.

Monday at Wal-Mart Auditorium, Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies, 1000 S.E. Eagle Way, on the campus of NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.

The forum is sponsored by the Benton County and the Washington County bar associations and Legal Aid of Arkansas Inc. .

Questions may be directed to the moderator Jon Comstock, former circuit judge, at (479) 659-1767.

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. Email items to [email protected]. Information will be published as space allows.

Business, Pages 70 on 10/06/2013