Tech firm to hire 28 for Paragould office
GW Communications, which builds cable networks for telecommunications companies, plans to hire 28 employees and open an office in Paragould, the firm said Thursday.
GW Communications' clients include companies such as Windstream, AT&T and Verizon.
The jobs to be created in Paragould include computer-assisted drafting and computer operator positions.
The company is creating jobs that pay a competitive salary and will have a positive impact on many area families, said Sue McGowan, president of economic development and chief executive officer of the Paragould Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Coppell, Texas-based GW Communications operates in Texas, Kansas, California and Oklahoma.
-- David Smith
Wal-Mart accepting startup-event entries
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has opened the application process for its second annual Technology Innovation Open Call, which will be held in Bentonville on Oct. 6.
The open call will give startups a chance to pitch technology for retail, logistics, big data, security and social media, according to the retailer. The deadline for applications is July 22 or the first 250 entries. Companies selected for the open call will be notified by Aug. 1.
The open call is part of the 2016 Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Technology Council. A spokesman said Wal-Mart is increasing the scale of the open call event after its debut last year.
"Our goal in the event is not only to offer these companies a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but to keep Wal-Mart on the cutting edge of technology," Tom Douglass, director of Wal-Mart Lab 415-C, said in a statement on the Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit's website.
-- Robbie Neiswanger
State index dips 5.03 as tech shares shed
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 5.03 to 329.72 Thursday.
"U.S. stocks sank lower in Thursday afternoon trading after billionaire investor Carl Icahn disclosed he sold his stake in Apple Inc. over China concerns, sparking a sell-off in technology shares," said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
Total volume for the index was 19.2 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 04/29/2016