LR chamber meeting to feature AT&T chief
The chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T will be featured in a discussion at the 154th annual meeting of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 4.
Randall L. Stephenson will participate in a "fireside chat" format with Scott T. Ford, co-founder and chief executive officer of Westrock Group and a member of the AT&T board of directors.
The two will discuss the current state of media and telecommunications and AT&T's role in helping support and drive business growth in Arkansas, according to a news release.
The luncheon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Tables and tickets are available by calling (501) 377-6040.
Stephenson began his AT&T career at what was then known as Southwestern Bell in 1982 in Oklahoma. He rose to chief operating officer before being named to his current post in 2007. The company had more than $170 billion in revenue in 2018.
-- Noel Oman
Tyson stops making food-scrap snacks
Tyson Foods Inc. has ended production of its snack brand Yappah, a line of protein crisps made from grain, vegetable and chicken scraps.
Tyson's innovation lab in Chicago developed the product to repurpose leftover ingredients in efforts to curb food waste in the company's supply chain.
The brand name was derived from the South American term "yapa," which refers to an extra gift that merchants would give valued customers so nothing went to waste.
"We have decided not to move forward with it at this time for a variety of reasons, including overall viability," company spokesman Susan Wassel said. "Food waste is still a focus for us."
The crisps came in four flavors and were made from Tyson's poultry trim and vegetable puree, along with spent beer grains from beverage company Molson Coors. Flavors included chicken; carrot-curry and chicken; and IPA-white cheddar.
Time named it one of 2018's 10 Smartest Sustainable Products.
-- Nathan Owens
Seven advancers lift state index to 436.76
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 436.76, up 3.80.
Seven index stocks rose, with P.A.M. Transportation gaining 7.69%.
"Equities retraced a portion of Tuesday's gains following weaker than expected retail sales data for September released early in the day as the energy and information technology sectors saw the most pressure," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 10/17/2019