After raid by U.S., NLR firm reopens

CORRECTION: Ross Alan Hope is the chief executive officer of Powers of Arkansas. This article incorrectly identified the CEO. Also, company spokesman Steve Davison said none of the firm’s offices, including corporate headquarters, closed.

A North Little Rock energy company reopened Thursday after being raided by federal agents.

Powers of Arkansas had been closed most of Wednesday while agents searched the company's offices at 5440 Northshore Drive.

Agents could be seen removing numerous boxes from the business, but it was unknown what was seized.

Powers of Arkansas spokesman Steve Davison, contacted Thursday by phone, said the agents were from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General. He said they had a search warrant and that DAV Construction, which shares office space with Powers of Arkansas, was the target of the raid.

"Powers of Arkansas has cooperated completely with the federal authorities and has provided all requested information. DAV Construction Company is the focus of this investigation," Davison said.

Calls to the VA department's Office of Inspector General hadn't been returned Thursday.

Powers of Arkansas offices in Springdale and Heber Springs were not part of Wednesday's raid, according to Davison.

He declined to comment further.

"We really don't know much right now ... We don't have much to say," he said.

Powers of Arkansas president and Chief Executive Officer Ronald Alan Hope told the Democrat-Gazette on Wednesday afternoon the raid was a "total surprise," but that it seemed to involve DAV Construction. Hope didn't return calls seeking comment Thursday.

State business records list Hope as an officer at DAV Construction. James Wells of Sherwood is listed as company president.

No one answered the door at Wells' home in Sherwood on Thursday afternoon. A phone number listed for Wells was out of service.

DAV Construction has received more than $19.9 million in federal contracts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, VA and U.S. Department of Defense, federal records show. Many of the 64 federal contracts it received since registering in Arkansas in 2007 have been for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning services.

Several of those contracts were obtained through a federal program for small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

Also raided Wednesday by federal authorities was Kullander Construction at 7820 Cantrell Road in Little Rock. The company's vice president, Mikel Kullander, serves as the vice president of DAV Construction, according to state records.

Kullander has received more than $3 million in federal contracts, all from the U.S. Department of Defense, since 2007, the last year such data were available.

Kullander and the company's president, Karl Kullander, did not return calls seeking comment.

Metro on 08/21/2015

Upcoming Events