J.B. Hunt's $500,000 to add to arts center
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. has made a $500,000 gift to the Walton Arts Center, and the donation will go toward the Fayetteville center's $23 million expansion.
The Walton Arts Center announced the gift Thursday, describing the Lowell-based company as a longtime supporter through a busing subsidy. The subsidy assists partner schools with busing costs to the Walton Arts Center.
"The Walton Arts Center not only enriches the lives of children and families in Northwest Arkansas, it sculpts the creative minds of our future innovators," J.B. Hunt president and chief executive officer John Roberts said in a news release.
The Walton Arts Center plans to add 30,000 square feet of space, including an atrium lobby that connects to Dickson Street.
-- Robbie Neiswanger
Sentinel-Record exec leaving for bank job
Gary Troutman, general manager of the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs, has resigned from the newspaper, a step effective June 10, and will be joining First Security Bank in Hot Springs.
"It is hard to say goodbye to so many wonderful people that have been just like family the past 5 1/2 years, but I am tremendously excited about the opportunity that lies ahead," Troutman said.
The Sentinel-Record is owned by WEHCO Media Inc., the parent company of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Troutman was named general manager in January 2010. His title with the bank was not disclosed.
A search will be conducted for his replacement, said Jeff Jeffus, president of WEHCO Newspapers Inc.
First Security Bank recently opened its first branch in Hot Springs and will be opening a new office later this year.
"When building a community bank from the ground up, it is vital to bring the right people on board, and Gary is one of the most involved and respected leaders in the local business community," First Security's Scott Dews said.
-- The Sentinel-Record
Arkansas Index adds 0.74, ends at 382.88
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 0.74 to 382.88 Thursday.
"U.S. stocks surged higher on Thursday as the S&P 500 Index set a closing high amid better-than-expected weekly jobless claims numbers and some weaker-than-expected [Producer Price Index] data," said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services rose 2.3 percent in average trading.
USA Truck fell 4.4 percent on three times its average volume.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 05/15/2015