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SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 H1
BY CURT HODGESSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — The num-ber of shoppers at The Mall at Turtle Creek con-tinue to increase, topping 10 million last year, de-spite a national recession, marketing director Sarah McGavran said.
The mall’s big anchor stores, bevy of specialty shops and a large food court have driven the numbers up since the mall opened in 2006, she said. And so far in 2010 figures continue to rise, she said.
“Things are really good. Traffic is up,” Mc-Gavran said. Traffic num-bers from 2008 and 2009 showed a 6-percent in-crease, and so far in 2010 the numbers are nearing 7 percent.
In 2009 more than 10 million shoppers visited the mall, she said.
Shopping habits
Mall officials are also seeing changing trends in shopping. Store operators are reporting that people
are spending a little more on quality and buying bet-ter clothing they know will provide years of use and be a better value.
McGavran said that al-though the larger tenants, such as Dillard’s, J.C. Penney, Target and Best
Buy don’t report to them, conversations indicate definite increases in traf-fic and sales this year.
McGavran said there are a few empty slots in the mall where Steve and Barry’s, Anne Taylor and J. Jill were. But mall of-ficials have received in-terest in the former Steve and Barry’s location, and a potential tenant is look-ing into combining both the J. Jill and Anne Taylor spaces.
While nothing definite
has been reported, Mc-Gavran is encouraged by the interest in the spaces. She said David Hocker and Associates, which also operates the Barnes Crossing Mall in Tupelo, Miss., has reported simi-lar increases in traffic.
J.C. Penney, Dillard’s and Target are the mall’s main anchor stores, with Barnes & Noble and Bed Bath & Beyond as junior anchors. The mall fea-tures more than 70 stores, a food court and restau-rants in the mall and at outlots on the perimeter property.
There is an indoor play area for small children, who must be at or below a certain height to partici-pate. Children also must be accompanied by a par-ent or other adult during visits to the play forest, which was provided by St. Bernards Medical Center.
Replaced Indian Mall
The Mall at Turtle Creek essentially replaced Indi-an Mall, which was built in 1967. Indian Mall quickly became the place to be on
weekends, for families to socialize and shop.
As the population grew, the need for a new and larger shopping center became apparent to the Warmack family of Tex-arkana, owners of Indian Mall. They bought land on Southwest Drive and cleared it for a proposed Southern Hills Mall.
But Southern Hills was never built, opening up an opportunity for local busi-nessman Bruce Burrow of MBC Holdings to begin researching the construc-tion of a mall-type shop-ping center on a former
75-acre cow pasture at East Highland Drive and Stadium Boulevard. He soon began construction on the $100 million shop-ping center.
After three years of building, Target and J.C. Penney both opened in late 2005. Dillard’s opened its store early in 2006 fol-lowed by a complete mall opening in March 2006.
‘Main Street’ mall
The mall is somewhat symmetric in shape. The developers wanted to give the mall a “Main
Street” look with the an-chor and “mid-anchors” having storefronts that face Highland Drive.
When it was opened, The Mall at Turtle Creek became the fifth largest mall in Arkansas in terms of square footage, with a total 750,000 square feet, 230,000 of it for retail space.
MBC Holdings also bought Indian Mall, where Sears remains, and announced future plans to raze the site and build an-other mall.
Turtle Creek traffickeeps on increasing
From left, Preston Portis helps Michael Sharp and Genesis Watkins shop for a new television in Best Buy at Jonesboro on Oct.
21, the evening before the store’s grand opening.
‘Things are really good. Traffic is up.’Sarah McGavranmarketing director,The Mall at Turtle Creek
Saundra Sovick | The Sun
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H2 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
BY ANTHONY CHILDRESSSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — Retail busi-ness has slowed a bit in Northeast Arkansas dur-ing the economic down-turn over the past year or so, but new shopping opportunities still remain a viable option in the re-gion.
Ashley Furniture Home-store has opened its new doors at 1843 East High-land Drive, next to Hobby Lobby.
The home-furnishing retailer signed a 10-year, $2 million lease for space in the Bernard Court Shopping Center, occupy-ing space formerly used by now-defunct Goody’s Family Clothing.
“It represents a nice, natural fit for us. We are excited about being part of this community and serving the people who shop here,” said Shaun Roberts, senior regional manager for Saltillo, Miss.-based Ashley’s
franchisee Spencer En-terprises.
The new store, which occupies 25,000 square feet in the east end of the shopping center, opened in February.
Roberts said the compa-ny did its homework, and when it came time to ex-pand, the first expansion was into Jonesboro.
The new location is a full-line Ashley center and features Sealy bedding in its line of merchandise.
Roberts said Spencer Enterprises operates Ash-ley stores in Memphis, Jackson and Chattanooga in Tennessee; Tupelo, Miss.; and Bowling Green, Ky.
Bernard Court is one of two Jonesboro centers owned by New York-based Stonemar Properties. The Ashley announcement completes the leasing of the center, a major por-tion of which was vacated when Goody’s closed.
Along with Ashley and Hobby Lobby, the court
is home to Shoe Carnival, which extended its lease to keep space occupied in the complex.
To that end, Hobby Lobby has expanded to encompass another 12,000 square feet.
Along with the Cross-roads Shopping Center, Bernard Court is located in a major trade center for 350,000 people in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri. The property is shadow-an-chored by a top-gross-ing Wal-Mart Super-center and is located just three-quarters of a mile from The Mall at Turtle Creek, a recently opened 750,000-square-foot re-gional shopping mall that draws consumers from across NEA, Southern Missouri and Western Tennessee.
Barton’s of Paragould
New space dots the landscape in the Greene County seat.
Barton’s of Paragould opened at 1000 Country Club Road on March 12-13.
Store Manager Matt Gordon said it repre-sents another signal that Barton’s is committed to maintaining a strong retail presence in the re-gion. The store’s parent company — E.C. Barton and Co. — got its start as a grocery store in Jones-boro in 1885.
To date, Barton’s oper-ates stores in 14 states. Di-visions are Barton’s, Sur-plus Warehouse, Gross-man’s Bargain Outlet, Builders Material Compa-ny, E.C.B. Brokerage and Surplus Purchasing.
Around NEA
New retail locations and businesses have sprung up around the region, including eateries like Pizza Hut, Sonic Drive-In and other food establish-ments.
Economic development
officials, such as Jones-boro Regional Chamber of Commerce President-Chief Executive Officer Mark Young, cite the sta-ble retail environment as one that has helped keep the area in a better posi-tion than other parts of the state and nation.
Despite downturn retail outlets open ‘We are excited about being part of this community and serving the people who shop here.’Shaun Robertssenior regional manager,Spencer Enterprises
Saundra Sovick | The SunThe final displays and finishing touches are completed in Barton’s at Paragould on Jan. 15.
Saundra Sovick | The SunDannelle Rogers measures the dimensions of furniture in the Ashley Furniture Homestore at Jonesboro on Wednesday.
BY SHERRY F. PRUITTSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — A retail shopping leader in North-east Arkansas and South-east Missouri, Jonesboro features area shopping centers that have a rich assortment of stores and shops throughout the hub of region.
Other unique stand-alone stores and service providers are stuck in the nooks and crannies of this city of more than 60,000.
Many Jonesboro busi-nesses, such as Back Beat Music, Posey Ped-dler and Harris Furni-ture, are owned by native or longtime residents of the city, but other compa-nies came to Jonesboro because they saw a need and a market for services they offer. Together, both types complement the City of Jonesboro.
Back Beat
Back Beat Music relo-cated on March 1 to 613 Southwest Drive, the former Arkla Gas build-ing, owner Greg Arnold said. The business, open since 1995, sells musical instruments and offers music lessons. In addi-tion to serving 220 music
students, the company also offers summer mu-sic camps.
“We have the longest-running music lesson program in Northeast Ar-kansas,” he said.
Bassett
Wade Quinn opened a Bassett Design Shop in January at the Shoppes at Hilltop. The business can customize upholstery and have the furniture within four weeks, he said.
The full-line Basset dealer expanded Swank into three additional bays to offer the Bas-sett products. The store grew from 7,000 to 12,500 square feet, he said. The business also is working with Office Interiors and plans to have a showroom to showcase its products inside Swank. The pro-jected opening date is June.
“It will let us take a commercial job from start to finish,” he said.
“We’re pretty excited about that.”
Fred’s
Fred’s of Jonesboro has a new image and a reno-vated store on Caraway Road. The new look re-flects the company’s new image and a new custom-er appreciation plan.
Fred’s has been in Jonesboro since the 1960s, and this is one of the company’s new-est designs. The com-
pany has been at 2308 South Caraway Road since 1980, but every-thing has been removed and replaced, including the floor. The front wall of the store was remod-eled to be more customer friendly with new auto-matic doors. There are new display floats and racks, lighting and a re-paved parking lot.
Fred’s is holding its own in the present eco-nomic downturn, and Fred’s pharmacy is one of the main reasons the store has been success-ful in Jonesboro over three decades, store of-ficials said. The remod-eled store also includes a drive-through for the convenience of Fred’s pharmacy customers, particularly senior citi-zens.
Portraits
The owner of Portraits by John Lindsey Photog-raphy moved his busi-ness from Little Rock to 406 Acme Road in his hometown of Harrisburg about six months ago.
Lindsey attended Ar-kansas State University and has five years of professional photogra-phy experience. Lindsey takes portraits, art pan-
els and senior high school pictures. He also shoots commercial and food photographs.
PSC Oncall
Professional Communi-cation Services OnCall is a Jonesboro business.
Jonesboro native Kev-in Richardson has cel-ebrated the 25th year of the company, which is located 3212 East Nettle-ton Ave., its original loca-tion.
PCS OnCall provides call services for various types of businesses, such as plumbers, electri-cians, physicians, attor-neys, medical equipment suppliers and real estate agents.
“After hours when you call a doctor, you get us,” he said. “We take your information and then fol-low that customer’s pro-tocol, locating the person on call.”
The first-generation entrepreneur said the company is planning for growth.
“We have purchased land. We’re building a new building, and that will allow us to triple the size we are now,” Rich-ardson said.
Area businesses make additions, change locations
PLEASE SEE BUSINESS, H3
Maria Flora | The SunBack Beat Music owner Greg Arnold plays a guitar in the store on Wednesday.
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Sage Meadows POA
The Sage Meadows Property Owners As-sociation has things worked out so it can run day-to-day operation of the clubhouse and golf course.
In November the POA voted 313 to 62 to buy the golf course, clubhouse and other Sage Meadows assets, with a lease-pur-chase option.
A club committee has been established by the POA to oversee and fa-cilitate operation of Sage Meadows Country Club and the golf course.
Plans are to create more programs and ac-tivities that provide members with distinc-tive experiences while they relax, play and so-cialize at the club
Development of Sage Meadows started in 1997 by Troutt Properties, which owned and oper-ated the facility until re-cently.
Surplus WarehouseSurplus Warehouse, a
discount building mate-rials retailer, is in High-land Square Shopping Center, 2016 South Cara-way Road.
Store manager Rick Fahr said customers will be better served at the new location with im-proved product displays, more convenient access and a wider selection.
Surplus Warehouse, a division of the E.C. Barton & Co., with head-quarters in Jonesboro, began as Union Salvage on Union Street before moving to East Johnson Avenue.
The new store occu-pies 27,500 square feet in the shopping center, with primary lines in-cluding floor coverings, cabinets, millwork and plumbing.
Cabinets, countertops, vent hoods, faucet sets, pulls, sinks, floor cover-ings and other items are on display. Toilets, tubs, showers, pedestal sinks
also are available.
Harris Furniture
Harris Furniture Co., 2701 East Nettleton Ave., was founded by Charles and Wava Harris in 1968 in Downtown Jonesboro. It is now owned by their son, Keith, and his wife, Rebecca Harris. The business moved to its current location in Octo-ber, marking 40 years of business.
The oldest furniture store in Jonesboro, Har-ris carries many brand-name lines including Flexsteel, La-Z-Boy, Lane, Broyhill, Massoud, Mayo, Ashley, Universal, Sealy, Jamison, Riverside, Pu-laski and Vaughan-Bas-sett.
At the new location, everything is under one roof. Harris Furniture previously operated on both sides of South Main Street, and the change saves time for the em-ployees and customers.
The facility has 23,000 square feet of display
area and 5,400 square feet of warehouse. That allows the display of a great number of furni-ture possibilities for cus-tomers and a good selec-tion in the warehouse for immediate delivery, offi-cials said.
Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby is a ma-jor crafts chain and an-chor tenant at Bernard Court Shopping Center. The 12,000-square-foot expansion into a vacant store makes Hobby Lob-by about 62,000 square feet, officials said.
The expansion was de-signed to provide extra sales space and increased comfort and convenience for customers.
Merchandise should be more accessible, and bet-ter furniture displays are possible with the larger space, officials said.
Sylvan Learning Center
Ashley Hill, the new co-owner and director of
Sylvan Learning Center, 2007 East Nettleton Ave., is a teacher whose pas-sion for education landed her at the center.
The Jacksonville na-tive and Hendrix College graduate bought the local office with husband Bri-an this summer, just in time to prepare students for the new school year. She said the center’s ap-proach is tailored to the needs of children strug-gling with various as-pects of learning.
The list of offerings includes tutoring, home-work help, specific course support and study guides. The company prepares pre-kindergar-ten and elementary stu-dents and high school-ers. Sylvan also provides online tutoring services. The center uses a target-ed approach to tutoring, and most children are in the program for a few months.
Travel With Us
Travel With Us Tours and Cruises, 2718 East Nettleton Ave., has added a division called Spiritual Journeys. The company has offered faith-based trips, such as the Steps of Paul, the Holylands and Egypt.
The company has in-creased its escorted group and individual travel trips, as well.
This year Travel With
Us owners Drs. Bill and Emelda Williams will cel-ebrate 25 years in busi-ness. Several of the eight employees have been recognized for their ac-complishments. They are Amy Cantin, travel con-sultant and certified stan-dards specialist; Larinda Rainwater, manager and consultant; and Kristie Bennett, consultant and Disney vacation planner.
The company is a San-dals preferred agency and was named by The Sun readers as favorite travel agent for 10 con-secutive years.
Tucker’s Appliances
Tucker’s Appliances, 1312 Stadium Blvd., in Stadium Crossing Center, has more than 500 pieces in the 12,500 square-foot facility and five employ-ees. Bobby Williams is an independent dealer who sells new products and new scratch-and-dent ap-pliances that are under warranty.
Sun staff writers Curt Hodges and Anthony Childress contributed to this report.
James Byard | The SunHobby Lobby’s customer service manager Penny Coin arranges artificial flowers at the Jonesboro store. Hobby Lobby recently did a 12,000-square-foot expansion.
BUSINESS: Northeast Arkansas-based companies see benefits of expanding offerings, facilities in areaFROM PAGE H2
Saundra Sovick | The SunRosalie Statler (right) reviews different fabric swatches and listens as Jennifer Collins answers her questions in-side Harris Furniture at Jonesboro on Jan. 17.
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H4 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
BY KELLIE COBBAND RAYMOND WHITESIDE
SUN STAFF WRITERS
JONESBORO — Various new restaurants have opened in the past year to suit to whatever tastes residents have.
Restaurants that have opened in the past year include the following.
Olive Garden
The Olive Garden Ital-ian Restaurant, 1918 Sta-dium Blvd., opened in January.
The “Tuscan Farm-house” theme offers a rustic and earthy design inside and out.
The restaurant’s decor creates a genuine Ital-ian home dining experi-ence. Inside there’s a lot of wood, stone, slate and tile. A big stone wall and a stone fireplace add to the restaurant’s homey appeal.
The menu features au-thentic Italian dishes. The restaurant’s recipes were created at the Culi-nary Institute of Tuscany.
The restaurant also has an alcoholic beverage permit.
The Olive Garden is open for lunch and din-ner daily. It can seat 290 guests.
The Jonesboro Olive Garden was the first of eight facilities owned by Darden Restaurants Inc. to be targeted for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. The restau-rant features several en-ergy-saving features in-cluding the increased use of natural light, Energy-Star rated equipment and LED light bulbs.
La Cascada
Ignacio Patino opened La Cascada Mexican Restaurant, 8247 U.S. 49 North, Brookland, in No-vember.
In December Patino told The Sun the restau-rant is a popular place for people from Brookland, Jonesboro, Paragould, Rector, Marmaduke and
other towns. This is the third restau-
rant for Patino, who owns La Cascada restaurants in Manila and Lake City. Patino and his family live in Manila.
Patino said Brookland is a good spot because of the busy highway and nice people.
The restaurant is open daily for lunch and din-ner.
Skinny J’s Cafe
Residents of Cash and travelers passing through the western Craighead County town have begun enjoying Skinny J’s Cafe.
The restaurant, 4883 Ar-kansas 18 South, opened Nov. 9.
The business began serving only breakfast and lunch but soon opened on Friday and Saturday nights and served steak and pasta.
The restaurant is now open for lunch and sup-per Monday through Sat-urday.
“Since opening, we’ve tried to cater to outly-ing communities with lo-cal food favorites,” said James D. Best, owner and chef.
Recent improvements also include an expanded kitchen and dining room.
Two Sisters
Robbin Taber opened Two Sisters Coffee, Deli and Desserts, 241 South Main St., Jonesboro, in September. The business offers fresh-baked goods, deli sandwiches, salads, soups and specialty cof-fees.
Taber offers a lunch delivery service to the downtown area and ca-ters luncheons or busi-ness events.
The atmosphere of the place is that of a Seattle coffee shop with a hint of Southern charm.
The business is open Monday-Saturday.
Burger King
A new Burger King Restaurant is almost fin-ished on Caraway Road in Jonesboro.
The old store, the third in the Drury Restaurants Inc. chain, was built in 1972.
The new restaurant, 1423 South Caraway Road, will feature a play-ground, video games, movies and other forms of entertainment.
The building will be smaller but will offer a larger dining area with outdoor seating.
Drury Restaurants is headquartered in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The chain owns 35 Burger Kings in four states.
Cregeen’s Irish Pub
Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 201 South Main St., will open soon.
The store is a sister res-taurant to the Cregeen’s in North Little Rock and is owned by the same people.
The establishment fea-tures three levels. The main floor has a sunken area with a mezzanine. Private dining rooms have been constructed on the second floor, and on the rooftop is a deck.
The dining rooms take on a historic feel and are made from doors and wood from a 110-year-old dental office on Hunting-ton Avenue.
Cuisine will feature Irish and Scottish dishes such as Guinness Stew, Irish nachos and Scottish eggs, which are boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and deep fried.
Don Jose
Don Jose Authentic Mexican Restaurant opened on Dec. 12, 2008.
The establishment is in the old Captain D’s seafood building at 2200 Wilkins St. near Kroger in Jonesboro.
The business is the third Don Jose. The oth-ers are in Forrest City and Wynne and are owned by the Mercado family.
S e v e r a l s p e c i a l t y items are offered on the menu, including “Alex’s Special.” The dish con-sists of grilled chicken, shrimp, peppers and on-ions topped with cheese sauce and served with rice and guacamole. It is named after the Jones-boro restaurant’s owner, Alex Mercado.
Family members have expressed an interest in expanding to Paragould.
Fazoli’s
Fazoli’s Italian Restau-rant is back in town and in the same location it left about two years ago.
The national chain opened it’s Jonesboro lo-cation, 1730 East High-land Drive, for a second time on March 17.
Patrons will notice sev-eral changes, including the interior decor and menu additions.
Modern decorations and wall hangings are new, but the layout is the same.
Some new menu items include baked products such as Chicken Parmi-giano, Riggatoni Romano and Twice-Baked Lasa-gna. There’s also pizza, oven baked “Submari-nos,” fresh salads, kids meals and sweet treats. Value meals and family meals are other features.
One thing has stayed the same — the breadsticks.
There are more than 240 Fazoli’s nationwide, and the company has been in business for about 20 years.
The local store is owned by Rob and Nancy Hearden of Hernando, Miss.
Front Page Cafe
The Front Page Cafe, 2117 East Parker Road, Jonesboro, reopened Aug. 31 after being closed for more than eight months because of fire damage.
The fire occurred on Dec. 15. Rebuilding the restaurant took longer than expected because the fire damage was more ex-tensive than first thought — and then there was the January 2009 ice storm, which put everything on hold. Phillips Construc-tion and Serve Pro got the building ready for cus-tomers again.
For the most part the layout of the restaurant remained unchanged. But owner Mickey Felts said some things were upgraded including new flat-screen televisions and redoing the parking lot and landscaping.
Harps Food Store
Wallace & Owens Su-permarket, 203 West Highland Drive, became Harps Food Store in late 2008.
Harps Food Store, based in Springdale, is the larg-est employee-owned com-pany headquartered in Arkansas. Harps has 61 stores in Arkansas, Mis-souri and Oklahoma.
[email protected]@jonesborosun.com
The sweet taste of progressNew restaurants open in Jonesboro
Chris Swindle | The SunServer Kevin Wright (right) grates cheese for Brad and Amy Castleberry at Olive Garden in Jonesboro on Wednesday.
Saundra Sovick | The SunRobbin Taber prepares a hot coffee drink at Two Sisters Coffee, Deli and Desserts in Jonesboro on Feb. 9.
BY CURT HODGESSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — Integrity First Bank has been in its new building at Rains and East Highland Drive since March 15, and a bank official said the new location gives the staff the elbow room they have needed for a long time to properly serve their customers. Plus, the new brick and stone building helps provide the kind of image the bank has needed.
The new building has a residential look and feel, said Business De-velopment Officer John McPike.
“That’s kind of what the bank was going for when
the new building was designed and built,” he said. “We’re a customer-oriented, old-school bank with a new-school twist.”
“Service-oriented” and “good, solid bank” were other words that McPike used to describe the busi-ness.
“We are very appre-ciative of our customers and work hard every day to take care of them and their banking needs,” he said.
“We are very proud of the new offices and in-vite everyone to stop by and visit,” he said. The Highland Drive location is Integrity First’s only Jonesboro location.
McPike said bank offi-cials plans an open house
in the near future. Right now a modular bank has just been moved off the site, and repair work, paving and sodding are under way.
He said the new offic-es will provide the bank with the additional space necessary to expand its product offering as well as allowing a higher level of convenience and ser-vice for its customers.
The 7-acre location for the new 15,000-square-foot building was bought by the bank in 2007. Ground was broken for the construction project in February 2009.
Bank officials said the new location offers high visibility and additional convenience for its cus-
tomers. More than 20,000 cars pass the site each day.
Integrity First Bank, a division of First National Bank and Trust of Moun-tain Home, opened a
loan production office in Jonesboro in June 2006. Later the bank opened a full-service branch at
2212 Fowler Ave. The new bank offers
full-service banking and features drive-through lanes and automated teller machines. Bank-ing hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. on Friday in the drive-through.
Integrity First Bank President G.L. Lieblong has described the Jones-boro banking market as “very competitive. Jonesboro has such a di-verse economy as far as retail, industry, agricul-ture, medical and educa-tion,” he told The Sun in a previous article. “It’s just an oasis in Northeast Arkansas and continues to grow, and there con-
tinues to be a lot of eco-nomic activity.”
Residents of Mountain Home and Pocahontas who bank with the com-pany’s sister bank, Bank of Pocahontas, will also be able to conduct all of their business at the branch in Jonesboro.
Integrity First Bank officials, customers enjoy new location
‘We’re a customer-oriented, old-school bank with a new-school twist.’John McPikebusiness development officer,Integrity First Bank
1-800-237-5341
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SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | THE JONESBORO SUN | H5www.jonesborosun.com
BY KARIN HILLSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — There has been a surge in new Asian restaurants over the last few years, with more di-verse eateries adding to the local landscape of tra-ditional Chinese restau-rants.
In 2009 Jonesboro got Hiro Japanese Cuisine at The Mall at Turtle Creek, Oriental Express at Brown’s Lane Access and Windover roads, and Kumarn Premier Thai Cuisine Etc., Etc., Etc. at
Turtle Creek Corner on Stadium Boulevard.
Hibachi Grill and Su-preme Buffet, which in-cludes Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine, opened earlier this month just two doors down from Kumarn. And a new es-tablishment, Osaka Japa-nese Steakhouse, is about to open just south of the Parker Road-South Cara-way Road intersection.
Proprietors of the newer places report they have been successful, but it hasn’t been easy. Residents of Jonesboro
are used to Chinese buf-fets, with just two Japa-nese restaurants — Fuji and Shogun — open for a number of years and Sai Thai operating downtown since 2008.
“A lot of customers still don’t know how to order. They’re used to the buf-fets all the time,” Ori-ental Express manager Amber Wang said. “We’re trying to teach customers to enjoy more variety of Asian foods.”
Kitt Chompupong, the owner and head chef of Kumarn, said he had the same experience when he first opened last fall, but now it’s compounded be-cause a buffet has opened in the same shopping cen-ter.
“People walk in my place and say ‘Where is your buffet table?’” he said. “I say, ‘No, it would be two doors down.’”
Chompupong said he is not bothered by the sud-den influx of restaurants, even though he’s had a few dry spells that he thinks are due to Olive Garden opening across the street and Hibachi Grill next door. But he hopes there will be greater diversity.
“I don’t think there are too many Asian restau-rants, but if you really look at it, it’s redundant — the same types of res-taurants over and over again,” he said. “It’s buffet, fast food. I have nothing against more restaurants going in, but we need more quality, bring more culture, bring more diversity. I’m for business, but against un-healthy eating lifestyles like buffet.”
Chompupong spent a
year preparing the menu, hiring a staff and deco-rating the restaurant, which provides an atmo-sphere that blends Thai and modern styles. The menu builds on the chef’s Thai background.
Oriental Express also is making an effort to offer healthier options, Wang said. The selection in-cludes Japanese, Chinese and Korean foods, and the menu is about to change for the summer.
“It will be a lot lighter and more healthy food,” Wang said.
Chefs and servers at the Japanese restaurants still encounter many cus-tomers who don’t know much about their menus. Although they offer a number of hibachi dishes, including chicken, steak, shrimp, vegetables, rice and other items, the sushi menu remains a mystery to some diners. Often the servers have to point out that not all sushi is raw, and the newer restau-rants are including sym-bols on their menus to
denote which are cooked, raw or spicy.
At Hiro, the sushi menu alone consists of dozens of items, and the chefs create unique specialty rolls that not only aim to please the taste buds but also the diner’s artis-tic sensibilities. Unique rolls have included the Razorback, Harry Pot-ter, Beauty and the Beast and Transformer rolls. Their specialty, the Hi-ro roll, includes spicy crab, avocado and cream cheese and is topped with shrimp, avocado, masago, tobiko and hiro sauce.
Just five months into operations, Kumarn is adding a new feature — cooking workshops. The inaugural class was held March 20, with guests creating a total of four dishes to take home. If it’s successful, Chompupong plans to continue the Sun-day evening events. Any-one interested will need to call or stop by to sign up.
The class is part of his attempt to educate din-
ers about Thai and oth-er Asian foods, with an emphasis on fresh and healthy ingredients.
In the meantime, Chom-pupong is still a little con-cerned about the market being over-saturated with Asian eateries, but he’s counting on customers to make the right choices.
“If there is more diver-sity, it will be good for business,” he said. “And once they have diversity, restaurants will compete with quality of the food instead of quantity of food.”
Asian restaurants aim to offer variety ‘I have nothing against more restaurants going in, but we need more quality, bring more culture, bring more diversity.’Kitt Chompupongowner and head chef, KumarnPremier Thai Cuisine Etc., Etc., Etc.
Saundra Sovick | The SunChef Kitt Chompupong adds the finishing flavors to a dish in Kumarn in Jonesboro on Dec. 5.
Saundra Sovick | The SunSushi Chef Anak Kresna created the Hiro Roll for the Hiro Japanese Cuisine restaurant in Jonesboro.
BY JOHN M. FLORASPECIAL TO THE SUN
JONESBORO — The vol-unteer organization cre-ated to foster downtown revitalization may have faltered, but the private sector is charging ahead to enhance downtown Jonesboro’s status as an entertainment and shop-ping destination.
Phyllis Burkett, presi-dent of the Downtown Jonesboro Association, said the association is in a period of reorganiza-tion, looking for sources of funding. The group has been without an adminis-trative assistant since De-cember, and its Web site hasn’t been updated since June 2008.
The association was a driving force behind the creation of a 103-space parking lot in the half-block bounded by Union, Madison and Monroe streets and helped coordi-nate several major events that drew thousands of people to the area.
The Downtown Jones-boro Association was ac-cepted into the Arkansas Downtown Network in 2008. The network, oper-ated by the Main Street Arkansas organization,
gives the Jonesboro as-sociation access to Main Street Arkansas’ quar-terly training meetings, organizational assistance, limited technical assis-tance from Main Street staff members and ac-cess to the Main Street resource center.
“Main Street Arkansas is aware that we are tem-porarily suspended,” Bur-kett said. “We’re in the process of trying to help the Downtown Jonesboro Association become more historic and preserva-tion oriented, and become 501(c)3 organization. This will help us with fund-raising and to better meet the goals of Main Street Arkansas.”
In the meantime, busi-nesses are popping up like spring dandelions in the downtown district.
Developer Clay Young said an Irish pub and two new restaurants, as well as a redesigned restau-rant are scheduled to open in the next four months.
Cregeen’s Irish Pub is scheduled to open in mid-April, he said, adding the new Dragon City is set to reopen May 1.
A May 1 opening is also planned for Doe’s Eat Place, and a Japanese res-
taurant, named Bamboo, featuring five hibachi grills and a sushi bar ex-pected to open July 1, he said.
Young said he is also ne-gotiating with three more restaurants for Down-town Jonesboro.
At the same time, the Brickhouse Grill has ex-panded, A’s Restaurant is in the midst of remod-eling and is expected to reopen in mid-May, and the owner said he’ll seek a club status.
Other downtown busi-nesses reporting growth include Rockstar Cloth-ing, Roman Touch Salon, Black Arrow Tattoo and Zen Factory Extreme Graffiti.
Godsey’s Grill has opened a separate facil-ity for catering, and the Sam Jones IV art gallery is expected to open next month.
And downtown is be-coming an attractive place to live as well.
“We now have a total of 82 loft apartments scat-tered all over the upstairs of downtown buildings,” Young said. “The demo-graphic ranges from young married couples to young professionals and corporate clients like
Nestle and Frito Lay.”The corporate clients
maintain temporary living space for business people staying here briefly, and the lofts include full maid service.
“There’s a simplicity to downtown loft living,” Young said. “All you have is an electric bill. High-speed Internet, water and sewer are paid. And there is a charm to the old brick walls and the high ceilings and being able to walk to a growing number of places to eat and shop.”
Realtor Brenda Da-cus said she has shown downtown lofts to several clients. Current listings range from $85,000 to $185,000.
And downtown Jones-boro continues to draw crowds to special events. The annual Paint the Town Red celebration that marks the kickoff of the Arkansas State Uni-versity football season is set for Sept. 18, and plans are going forward for the NEA D.A.R.E. Bike Clas-sic, as well as the annual Christmas parade and holiday season activities.
Downtown revitalization continueseven though organization on hiatus
‘There’s a simplicity to downtown loft living.’Clay Youngdeveloper
PARAGOULD — The Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society made progress for 2010.
The services it provides are books, microfilm, Greene County family research and Greene Coun-ty, Arkansas Family History Book, volumes I and II in its offices at 110 North Pruett St., or online at http://www.greenecountyargen.com.
There are about 270 members in the organiza-tion. Officers are Norma Addison, president; Mike Woodside, first vice president; Claire Jenkin, sec-ond vice president; Yvonne Watson, record secretary; and Cynthia Starling, treasurer.
The major products provided to the public are the 522-page vol-umes of Greene County family histories.
The society sponsored a road show in March with speakers and five subject experts. There were about 150 attendees. The society plans to continue the road show in the future and will host a Heri-tage Faire on April 17.
Other honors for the society were the Volunteer of the Year awards for 2009. Winners were Wood-side, Charles Wood, Vic Hosman and Frank Red-dick.
For more information call 240-8944.
Society keeps historyalive in Greene County
On the Net |Greene County Historical
and Genealogical Soci-ety: http://www.greenecountyargen.com
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H6 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
BY MICHAEL WILKEYSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — A number of ho-tels and motels in and around Jonesboro have seen growth in the past year or so, according to management at the respective establishments.
Hilton
Lindy Frizzell, general manag-er of Hilton Garden Inn, said of-ficials there are pleased with the response they’ve received since opening in November.
The 4-story hotel at 2840 South Caraway Road features 109 rooms, a banquet area and a full-scale restaurant, named the Great American Grille.
Frizzell said the restaurant is a favorite among hotel guests and area residents.
“We are happy with the local response,” Frizzell said. “The restaurant has an American menu, with standard lunch and breakfast.”
Frizzell said the restaurant of-fers items including steak, sand-wiches and salads for custom-ers.
The hotel, which averages about 40 employees, also fea-tures suite-style rooms, some-thing many people request, Friz-zell said.
“Our suites are larger, up-graded rooms,” Frizzell said. “We do not cater to families with the rooms per se, but to people who want a separate and larger room.”
Comfort Suites
Comfort Suites General Man-ager David Henry said the hotel has also prospered since opening in September 2008.
“We have done really well,” Henry said. “People have shown interest in the big suites we of-fer.”
Henry said the hotel at 3404 Access Road offers customers personal service.
“We have an indoor heated pool, fitness center and made-to-order omelets for break-fast,” Henry said. “We also have a massage chair in our lobby and sitting area in each room.”
The hotel also offers free trans-portation in or around Jonesboro
with advance notice, as well as a batting cage for visitors who play baseball or softball, Henry said.
He said the hotel, with its close proximity to NEA Baptist Medi-cal Center, also has customers who have family members in the hospital.
Fairfield Inn
In June 2009 the Fairfield Inn and Suites also opened nearby at 3408 Access Road.
The 4-story, 84-room hotel is a Marriott-affiliated hotel with 50 suites, catering to business trav-elers.
Each room has a flat-panel tele-vision, tiled bathrooms and black granite countertops.
The hotel offers complimen-tary continental breakfasts, an exercise room, an indoor swim-ming pool and laundry service.
Park Place Inn
Vicky Patel of Park Place Inn said the hotel along Caraway Road has been renovated since
her family bought it last Au-gust.
Patel said the hotel rooms have been renovated “big time,” with several small projects still to be done.
Ken Patel, who owns the hotel, said earlier this year that old carpets have been cleaned, new carpet was installed and painting was done.
Vicky Patel said the hotel has seen an increase in customers due to its closeness to Arkansas State University.
The hotel also hopes to see an increase of customers during the summer, Vicky Patel said.
Sun staff Writer Curt Hodges contributed to this report.
City apparently is great place to visit
BY TYLEE TRACERSUN STAFF WRITER
PIGGOTT — The Piggott Chamber of Commerce has many things planned for the city in the coming year.
Chamber president Tim Blair said the organiza-tion is around to help its community and to do anything it can for resi-dents. There are about 13 members in the chamber, which focuses on growth in Piggott.
In the last year the chamber has taken on sponsorship to a car show. Also, the chamber put on a Relay for Life last year to help support cancer re-search.
To help economic de-velopment, Blair said the chamber has increased hours at the visitor center and more hours for the staff.
The chamber has achieved a Tourism Award at a Delta Byways Banquet last year to rec-ognize its effort in sup-porting the community.
For information on Pig-gott Chamber of Com-merce call 598-3167.
Rector
The Rector Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote economic growth, set a standard of excellence to members and to provide the com-munity with worthwhile activities, said chamber organizer Jacinda Welch. There are about 70 mem-bers of the chamber.
Rector has received a 501(c)3 grant in the last year, which helps restore and support his-toric buildings in the downtown area, which is called Rector Downtown Central. Welch hopes this grant will help organize, promote and design eco-nomic restructuring in the community.
The chamber has helped organize and develop a North East Arkansas In-novative Training Cen-ter, which has received $260,000 in grants for renovations. The center aims to help train people with life skills such as learning how to put a resume together for po-tential employers, an in-terview prep course and many other learning pro-grams.
The chamber is also working on building the downtown area and revi-talizing its buildings.
For more information on the Rector Cham-ber of Commerce call 595-3035, or visit rectorarkansas.com.
Clay Countychamberswork hard
On the Net |Piggott Chamber of
Commerce: www.pig-gott.net
Rector Chamber of Com-merce: www.rectorar-kansas.com
North East Arkansas In-novative Training Cen-ter: www.NEAITC.org
James Byard | The SunHonoree Carrie Mae Snapp (left) visits with Leslie Rutledge during the Triumph of the Human Spirit banquet March 1 in the Hilton Garden Inn banquet area.
BY BRIAN SMITHSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — Months before the “Big Switch” to digital television in 2009, Malco Theatres had al-ready made its own big switch to digital projection at Jonesboro.
For the Memphis-based com-pany, 2009 was a chance to build on that work.
“We chose to go fully digital when we added screens and re-modeled the theater last year, and our patrons have expressed their pleasure in the results of
our expansion — their comments have been overwhelmingly posi-tive,” said Karen Scott, market-ing director of Malco Theatres Inc.
The former Hollywood 12 now has 15 digital screens. For the theater audience, digital projec-tion means a clearer picture that doesn’t degrade after repeated showings. It also makes more sophisticated 3-D projection pos-sible — as of mid-March, three of the 15 screens were devoted to two 3-D movies, “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland.”
“We chose what is regarded by many in our industry to be the ‘Mercedes’ of the 3-D processes, Dolby 3-D,” Scott said. “Movie-goers have truly embraced the new 3-D ‘wow’ factor in our in-dustry, and Jonesboro now has a state-of-the-art cinema equal to any modern facility in the coun-try.”
Digital projection devices are more expensive than traditional film projectors, but they make installing and changing movies much simpler. They also have the capability to broadcast live events.
“With digital cinema, we are now able to present alternative content such as concerts, sport-ing events, opera and ballet on the big screen,” Scott said. “As digital cinema continues to evolve, there will be more con-tent available to be shown in the-aters.”
The additional screens at the Malco Hollywood followed the loss of screens in November 2008. That was the month the company closed the Malco Cin-ema 13 on East Highland Drive.
“We continue to explore our op-
tions for the old Malco location and have had a number of inqui-ries, but have not decided on the best use for the property,” Scott said. “Right now we are content to wait until markets improve and the right user comes along.”
Until then, the company’s focus remains on the entertainment experience at its 15 Jonesboro screens.
“Our long-term plan is to con-tinue bringing any new technol-ogy to our cinemas,” Scott said. “The considerable investment we made in digital technology has been well-received and ap-preciated by the most important people we know, our patrons.”
Malco hears rave reviews of digital screens
QuickINFO |
Name: Malco Hollywood; (corporate) Malco TheatresBusiness: New movie releasesAddress: 2407 East Parker Road, Jonesboro; (corporate) 5851 Ridge-
way Center Parkway, Memphis 38120Phone: 802-3456; (corporate) (901) 761-3480Fax: (corporate) (901) 681-2044Officers: Stephen Lightman (president and chief executive officer),
Robert Levy (senior vice president of marketing), James Tashie (se-nior vice president of theater operations), Karen Scott (marketing director)
History: Founded in Memphis in 1915On the Net: www.malco.com; www.facebook.com/malco theatres;
twitter.com/malcotheatres
Saundra Sovick | The SunShannon Weeden helps put the finishing touches on the new Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites in Jonesboro last June 18.
‘We have an indoor heated pool, fitness center and made-to-order omelets for breakfast.’David Henrygeneral manager, Comfort Suites
‘Our patrons have expressed their pleasure in the results of our expansion.’Karen Scottmarketing director, Malco Theatres Inc.
SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | THE JONESBORO SUN | H7www.jonesborosun.com
JONESBORO — Many ar-ea professionals made changes to their practices and received awards and certifications in the last year.
Architects
Brackett-Krennerich& Associates Architects
The architectural firm of Brackett-Krennerich & Associates Architects has seen many honors and projects completed in 2009. Owner and ar-chitect Jerry W. Brack-ett was elected presi-dent of the Arkansas chapter of the American Institute of Architects, while owner-architect George J. Krennerich III was appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe to the Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers. Kyle Cook obtained his license to practice and is now a registered architect.
Projects completed in-clude the Delta Center for Economic Develop-ment, Red W.O.L.F. Center and Donald W. Reynolds Center for Nursing and Health Professionals, all at Arkansas State Univer-sity, and Trumann High School.
All projects are devel-oped first using Autodesk Revit architecture soft-ware then using building information modeling.
Brackett-Krennerichhas been in business since 1977 and is located at 100 East Huntington Ave., Suite D. It special-izes in planning, architec-ture and interior design and has 14 employees. The company may be reached at 932-0571 or online at www.bkarchts.com.Jim Maddox Architect Inc.
Jim Maddox Architect Inc., 402 South Main St., was established in 1968. The company provides architectural services, particularly contained en-vironments.
Principle officers in-clude Jim Maddox, presi-dent; Timothy Maddox, vice president; and Bren-
da Maddox, secretary-treasurer.
Recently completed projects include the Highland Multipurpose Building for the Highland School District.
Tim Maddox also opened deMx architecture in Fay-etteville in November 2008, and plans include a wider range of practice through joint ventures with the Fayetteville firm.
Call Jim Maddox at 935-3813, or e-mail [email protected] M. Wage Architect
William M. Wage Archi-tect, 101 South Church St., Suite 207, opened for business in 1972, providing architectural services in Northeast Ar-kansas and beyond. Over the last 18 months he has designed the Jonesboro Church Health Center, Total Life Building for St. Bernards Senior Center, Godsey’s Grill, Omar’s Restaurant, the Center on Aging-Northeast Care House and Southern Bank renovation, all in Jonesboro; the dialysis unit expansion for Cross Ridge Community Hospi-tal, Wynne; Toney Dental Clinic in Pocahontas; the concessions building for the Marked Tree Sports Complex; the dental clinic for Byhalia Health Care in Byhalia, Miss., and the Bank of Holly Springs, Holly Springs, Miss.
Wage may be reached at 336-3999 or by e-mail at [email protected] Associates Architects
Stuck Associates Archi-tects, established in 1926, is one of Arkansas’ old-est architectural firms, providing expertise in architecture, interior de-sign and planning. An en-gineering division, SAA Engineering, was added in 2009.
Several of the firm’s members have received additional certifications during that time. Paul Hoelscher, principal ar-chitect, and Matthew Mazzoni, intern archi-tect, both received Lead-ership in Energy and
Environmental Design-Accredited Professional certification; Mazzoni and Michael Holmes, marketing director, were both accepted into the Leadership Jonesboro Program; Ashley Craw-ford, interior designer, received certification by the National Council of Interior Design Qualifi-cation; and Mark Enos, project architect, helped found NEA Leaf, a local chapter of the United States Green Building Council, and served on the City of Jonesboro Land Use Advisory Com-mittee from 2006-09.
Stuck Associates has 10 employees and is situ-ated at 328 South Church St. It is online at www.stuckarch.com or may be reached by phone at 932-4271.
Attorneys
Wilcox, Parker, Hurst,Lancaster and Lacy PLC
The law firm of Wilcox,
Parker, Hurst, Lancaster and Lacy, 3000 Brown’s Lane, opened in 2008 as a full-service law firm. Owners and principal of-ficers are Tony Wilcox, Don Parker, Harry Hurst, Scott Lancaster and Bran-don Lacy.
The focus of the partner-ship is to serve all clients as their needs arise. New attorneys and staff are being added as the firm grows to better serve that goal. There are 20 em-ployees.
In the past year, the firm was added to the Martindale-Hubbell Reg-ister of Preeminent Law-yers, and Wilcox was in-ducted into the American Board of Trial Attorneys.
Wilcox, Hurst, Lan-caster and Lacy may be reached at 931-3101 or on-line at www.wphll.com.Orr Willhite PLC
Orr Willhite PLC was es-tablished in 1997 and spe-cializes in personal injury;
family law, including di-vorce, custody and guard-ianship; probate; worker’s compensation; and civil litigation. Partners in the firm are Kevin J. Orr and M. Scott Willhite.
In July the firm added Mimi Mangrum to the staff. Mangrum is a para-legal and office manager. Office efficiency has been improved by scanning and managing closed files and other documents elec-tronically. The firm plans to expand soon by adding new attorneys and legal support staff.
Orr Willhite is on the first floor of 301 West Washington Ave. and may be reached by phone at 972-1500 or online at www.owattorneys.com.Stricker Law Firm
R. Theodor Stricker be-gan practice in 1980. The Stricker Law Firm is at 249 South Main St. with a satellite office in El Do-rado. The firm provides legal services throughout Arkansas predominantly in the areas of Social Se-curity disability and per-sonal injury.
In 2009 a vacant lot on Union Street behind the firm was converted to a paved parking lot with handicap accessibil-ity to better serve clients with medical disabilities. Stricker is the only attor-ney in the firm, which has a total staff of five.
He may be reached at 931-7300 or by e-mail at [email protected].
CPAs, financial advisers
Jones & Co. Ltd.Jones & Co. Ltd., certi-
fied public accountants was established in 1975 by the late Phil Jones, CPA.
It is the largest full-ser-vice accounting office in Jonesboro according to a news release. Services in-clude tax, audit, business valuation, Quickbooks consulting, business plan-ning, payroll services and cost segregation studies.
In the last four years the company has sought
new and innovative ways to help clients during tough economic times. By accepting an invitation to join BDO Seidman Alli-ance, Jones and Co. now has worldwide resources to offer up-to-the-min-ute services in a local environment, including financial planning, eq-uity-based compensa-tion planning, retirement planning, asset manage-ment services, corporate internal investigations, financial statement fraud, technology advisory ser-vices and infrastructure and security solutions.
The principal share-holders of the firm are Hal White, Sherry String-er and Brent Stidman. Jones and Co. has a total employment of 25, which is a 9-percent increase in staff during 2009.
S e v e r a l m e m b e r s passed milestones or re-ceived honors in 2009 in-cluding Cheryl Dean, tax manager, who achieved 25 years of service; Eric Green, staff accountant, who passed the CPA ex-am; and Charlott Jones, tax manager, who was honored as the 2009 Busi-ness Woman of the Year by Jonesboro Business and Professional Women.
The company offices are at 501 Southwest Drive and can be reached by phone at 935-2871 or online at www.jonescpa.com.Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch, which supplies brokerage ser-vices and was re-estab-lished in 2006 at Jones-boro, finished as the No. 2 small market office in the Merrill Lynch system with more than 200 per-cent growth in 2009.
Merrill Lynch in Jones-boro also moved to a per-manent location, 2000 Brown’s Lane Access, two years ahead of schedule. The move resulted in ex-pansion of the firm.
The firm employs 12, and Stacey Harral serves as resident director. Mer-rill Lynch can be reached at 932-0920.
Professionals make changes, earn recognition
Saundra Sovick | The SunJeff Herren, an architect, looks over construction docu-ments for the Newport Elementary School designed by Brackett-Krennerich Architects in Jonesboro.
WALNUT RIDGE — As nearly everyone knows, Arkan-sas is a heavily agricul-tural state, particularly in the Mississippi River Delta area, Arkansas Riv-er Valley and the Grand Prairie sections of the state.
The state’s farmers de-pend heavily on aerial applicators to spray in-secticides, herbicides, fertilizer and sometimes even seed crops, particu-larly rice, of which the state is the leading U.S. producer.
The state also has the most ag pilots and ag air-craft, a fact that officials of American Agviation of Walnut Ridge are very aware.
American Agviation is the only company li-censed to build and re-build the Ag Cat bi-wing agricultural application aircraft. It does so in a
large hangar facility at the Walnut Ridge Munici-pal Airport, the former location of a World War II and Korean War training facility.
Owners Frank and Dar-rell Kelley say their goal is at some time to begin new production of Ag-Cat aircraft at the Walnut
Ridge facility, which they say can create as many as 150 new jobs and make Arkansas the “world’s ag air capital.”
Currently the company
refurbishes and rebuilds Ag Cats, and the result-ing aircraft are virtually new, they say.
The owners said the company provides air-craft and pilots for flight testing; performance evaluation of new ra-dial engine innovations, which they say promise to enhance the efficiency; and reliability of piston engines used in aerial ap-plication.
“We want them to have the finest aircraft to work with,” Frank Kelley said.
Company officials in-clude: Frank Kelley, president; Darrell Kelley, treasurer; Bobby Mike Watson, operations man-ager and chief pilot; Del-bert Wead, major fabrica-tions; and Shawn Vaughn, maintenance director.
The company employs 12. E-mails can be sent to [email protected].
Company builds agricultural aircraft
‘We want [pilots] to have the finest aircraft to work with.’Frank Kelleyowner, American Agviation
1515 Caraway RoadJonesboro
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Charles FriersonWard 1. Council
Gene VanceWard 1. Council
Jim HargisWard 2. Council
Chris MooreWard 2. Council
Ann WilliamsWard 3. Council
Chris GibsonWard 3. Council
Phillip CregoCity Attorney
Donna JacksonCity Clerk
John StreetWard 4. Council
Mitch JohnsonWard 4. Council
Darrel DoverWard 5. Council
Rennell WoodsWard 5. Council
Tim McCallWard 6. Council
Mikel FearsWard 6. Council
Harold PerrinMayor
H8 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
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SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | THE JONESBORO SUN | H9www.jonesborosun.com
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H10 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
BY KEITH INMANSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — A special project sponsored by The Sun as part of Jonesboro’s Sesquicentennial celebra-tion in 2009 illustrated the importance of the printed word in the city’s history, Publisher David Mosesso said.
At the same time The Sun continues to upgrade its technology to move the printed word forward, including plans for un-veiling a true electronic version of the daily paper later this year.
“A History of Jonesboro and Craighead County through The Jonesboro Sun’s Front Pages,” pub-lished in 2009, chronicled the area and world’s his-tory over the past 100-plus years through the papers’ headlines.
“It was a great proj-ect,” Mosesso said of the publication. “I commend Roy (Ockert, Sun editor); I commend Joel Gambill for all their hard work. We produced a nice book; it’s a keepsake.” Gambill is chairman of the Arkan-
sas State University De-partment of Journalism.
The book also showed readers how the look of Jonesboro’s newspapers changed over the years.
The process of print-
ing words at The Sun has changed many times throughout The Sun’s 107-year existence, and work is under way to make an-other change in the pro-cess, Mosesso said.
“The newest change is called computer-to-plate,” he said.
Each page of the news-paper is designed on a computer.
“Most recently, we
were computer-to-film-to-plate,” Mosesso said. “The film side of it is very labor-intensive. Not to mention it’s fairly ex-pensive.”
A new device will re-place an image setter that converts the product sent from the computer to film with a process that takes it directly to a met-al plate.
“And the neat thing is, every step that you can take out, you improve the print quality,” Mosesso said.
The new print plates will be automatically bent to fit the shape of the press and will have holes punched that will more accurately line up processed color images, he said.
Vance Construction So-lutions of Jonesboro has been hired to renovate a portion of the business’ building to further aid the efficiency of The Sun’s press employees, Moses-so said.
All this will help assure The Sun and its sister newspapers provide more of the latest and most ac-
curate news coverage in the area, he said.
“I think the printed word is vitally impor-tant,” Mosesso said. “And the method of transmis-sion is debatable as to whether delivery is going to be on newsprint or not in 25 or 30 years. Who’s to say? A lot of predictions have already said that we wouldn’t be printing to-day.”
Mosesso said recent technological changes have developed plat-forms that are more user-friendly.
“And that’s why I think our e-edition is going to be served well in that platform,” Mosesso said. “And I think that’s going to create some software programmers out there in the world who are re-ally going to focus on newspaper content deliv-ery. Because nobody does it as well as newspapers. Because we are still cov-ering what’s going on in this country, and we’re the news source people trust.”
The Sun continues to make technology upgrades
Saundra Sovick | The SunAssistant press foreman Roxy Crawford puts a metal plate on The Sun’s press on Wednesday at Jonesboro. The Sun is changing to a computer-to-plate process.
BY KEITH INMANSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — The nation-wide switch to digital tele-vision and the need for converter boxes for older TVs were the big commu-nications news of 2009.
But several radio sta-tions are quietly making the switch to high defini-tion as well.
KDXY, The Fox, 104.9 FM, upgraded to digital in December 2008. That con-version cleared the way for what is now known as the Jonesboro Radio Group to create two new products — Hot 107.5, and True Oldies 92.7, said Trey Stafford, president and general manager.
KDXY-HD-1 operates at 104.9, on the digital band
and on the traditional FM channel. Digital sta-tions can also provide up to two secondary signals. The digital signal for KDXY-HD2 is 104.9-1 and is rebroadcast in analog through a translator on 107.5 FM Stafford said. KDXY-HD3 (104.9-3) is rebroadcast at 92.7 FM as True Oldies 92.7.
Stafford said the two new stations have small audiences because few people have HD receiv-ers.
“It’s in its infancy,” Staf-ford said. “We spent about $250,000 on the upgrade, and if some stations don’t spend the money to put it in, then it’s never going to drive the public to even worry about buying it.”
Unlike last year’s na-
tionwide conversion of television from analog to digital, any conversion to HD radio is voluntary, Stafford said.
Unlike TV, “people will probably never have to get an HD radio because we’re probably never go-ing to turn off that analog signal.”
The Jonesboro stations are among about two dozen Arkansas HD radio channels in operation. Al-most two dozen Memphis HD signals are also avail-able, including some AM stations, according to the HD Digital Radio Alli-ance.
KAIT-TV
Full-power TV stations across the country ended
analog broadcasting last June.
While the signals are digital, stations have not completely abandoned older equipment.
Tim Ingram, president and general manager of KAIT in Jonesboro, said the conversion won’t be complete for some time because of economics. He said the Federal Com-munications Commission allowed his station to in-crease its power to reach some areas that lost ser-vice after the digital con-version.
“We have converted about 12 stations so far out of our 46, and we’re work-ing to get more converted this year,” Ingram said of Raycom Media’s conver-sion process.
Digital TV has made it possible for KAIT to pro-vide additional program-ming.
KAIT operates on HD channel 8-1. A 24-hour lo-cal weather channel can be seen on channel 8-2. Ingram said he hopes to find suitable program-ming for channel 8-3 this year. The channel went on the air with a music video network that soon went bankrupt. Finding a good business model for a new channel is proving diffi-cult, he said.
KAIT is also serving as a demonstration station for Raycom in the experi-mental use of cell phones for delivering video from the field to the studio.
“We’re using Motorola Droids, and we’ve actually done some live shots with our cell phones,” he said. The phones are equipped with digital cameras and microphones and allow reporters to send video reports to the station from sites that remote broad-
cast trucks can’t go.Ingram said KAIT has
continued to devote more of its energy to its Web site, kait8.com.
EAB
May will mark the com-pletion of three years of local ownership of a group of radio stations in Jones-boro.
East Arkansas Broad-casters of Jonesboro con-sists of three FM and two AM stations, including two of the most power-ful stations in the area. KFIN 107.9 FM and KIYS 101.9 “Kiss” FM provide 100,000-watt signals, which allow the stations to reach audiences in neighboring states. Other stations include The Wolf 95.9 FM, KNEA ESPN Ra-dio 970 AM and KBTM News Talk 1230 AM.
EAB is locally owned by Bobby Caldwell of Wynne.
“We have big plans to provide more local news and information in the coming year and at the same time continue to be a broadcast billboard for the area,” Caldwell said.
He said listeners can expect bigger and better things from 101.9 KISS FM.
“Working for a locally
owned radio station has really been refreshing,” said Brandon Baxter, operation manager and morning show personal-ity. “These guys are not scared to add a breath of fresh air to Jonesboro radio. ... We just hired Nicole Slayton to join the KISS morning show team. That makes her the only female doing morning ra-dio in Jonesboro.”
KFIN program director Mitch Mahan is complet-ing his first year with the station and was instru-mental with putting Ar-kansas State University Red Wolf football and bas-ketball on the station.
“Getting ASU sports to the regional listener was important to us,” Ma-han said. KFIN’s morning show team of Phil Jamison and Matt Stolz has added “8 seconds of free radio” every Friday at 8 a.m. Ma-han said it’s a way to let people take to the airways to advertise nonprofit fish fries, bake sales, yard sales and more.
East Arkansas Broad-casters Jonesboro is part of a 19-station group, covering all of east Ar-kansas from the Missouri bootheel to Louisiana bor-der.
Even some radio stations going digital
JONESBORO — Ritter Com-munications has made a lot of progress in the past year.
The company has offic-es at 2109 Fowler Ave. in Jonesboro, 646 East Main St. in Blytheville and 106 Frisco St. in Marked Tree.
A subsidiary of E. Ritter & Company, Ritter Com-munications has provid-ed telephone service in Northeast Arkansas since 1906 and currently em-ploys 162 full-time work-ers, an increase of six per-cent over the last year.
The business provides residential and commer-cial services. For local businesses, Ritter Com-munications offers local and long distance tele-phone service, high-speed Internet, Web, e-mail, domain hosting, business telephone systems and computer networks and solutions to a variety of current communications challenges businesses face.
For residential custom-ers, Ritter Communica-
tions offers residents of Northeast Arkansas from Blytheville to Swifton and from Brookland to Cherry Valley fast Internet ac-cess speeds, cable televi-sion service, high-defi-nition TV and local and long distance telephone service.
Over the past year, the company began a con-struction project to bring a fiber optic network to area businesses that will provide unlimited broad-band capacity at high speeds. Ritter also began a project with Arkan-sas State University and the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network to connect the Jonesboro campus to fi-ber-based research and education networks. The completed project will give ASU the speed, flex-ibility and security to encourage research and innovation in the future, company officials said.
Ritter also launched a complete line of new phone service and tech-nology in Bassett, Bly-
theville, Bono, Brookland, Cherry Valley, Gosnell, Harrisburg, Hickory Ridge, Joiner, Lake City, Luxora, Osceola, Tru-mann and Wilson.
Ritter plans to continue investing in communica-tion infrastructure for Northeast Arkansas that will allow its customers to enjoy options comparable to or better than what is available in larger met-ropolitan areas. Ritter in-tends to continue focusing on growth and the shifting demands of customers.
The privately-held com-pany has launched new IP switching and admin-istration systems that will allow for the addition of hosted applications and remote capabilities to help area businesses manage the integrity and security of their data and information systems.
For more information, visit www.getritter.info, contact Ritter Communi-cations office at 336-3434 or contact the customer care center at 1-888-336-4466.
Ritter adds employees, services
Michael Wilkey | Sun photo illustrationHD radio technology allows AM and FM radio stations an opportunity to broadcast their stations digitally. The system provides listeners with no hissing sound, distor-tion or problems with station drop-off.
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JONESBORO — Area real estate firms have much to celebrate this year.
Exit Realty Center
Exit Realty Center moved to 2532 Alexander Drive, Suite B, in November 2008. In 2009 it added 12 new agents, bringing the total em-ployment to 29.
Exit held an October contest, “90 Listings in 90 Days” to encourage agents. Local agents completed their goal, and their volume was more than $9 million in produc-tion.
During the annual Arkansas Real-tors Association Awards Banquet, several Exit Realtors were recog-nized for their sales efforts in 2009. Andy Anderson, Andrea Harrell, Kevin Jones, Heather Nix and Rob-in Nix Sr. all received Silver Level Awards for selling more than $2 million in volume. In February An-derson, Harrell, Gary Black, Matt Clegg, Terry Davis, Rita Hicks, Pam Holler, Jones, Heather Nix and Robin Nix Sr. were recognized regionally as million-dollar pro-ducers.
Exit has reduced its environ-mental impact by conducting more business electronically and recy-cling cans, plastic and paper.
Exit is owned by Robin Nix Sr. and Judson Nix. The company may
be reached at 931-9090 or online at exitrealtycenterar.com.
ERA Doty Real Estate
ERA Doty Real Estate is located at 2205A Grant Ave.
The agency was named to the top 100 ERA firms in the U.S. in 2009.
Principal broker Steve Doty was named among the top 25 ERA bro-kers in the U.S. Those named as the top 25 ERA agents in Arkansas were sales associates Jon Moore, Bob Troutt, Kim Stem, Greg Lee, Cheryl Perry and Terri Rorex and associate broker Jim Drake.
The agency employees 16.ERA Doty Real Estate can be
contacted at 268-0155 or by visiting www.dotyproperties.com.
Fred Dacus Associates
Fred Dacus Associates is located at 2529 South Caraway Road. Own-ers Fred and Brenda I. Dacus and president Margaret E. Green have been active in the business since 1974.
Sales manager Bill Waldrip has served 34 years, while sales asso-ciate Phil Reginelli and executive broker Deloris White have each served 32 years.
For National Wear Red Day, a part of the Go Red for Women cam-paign, the business raised more
than $600 with events including a luncheon, silent auction and com-petitions.
In 2009 the Blackwell Team of Sherlyn, Dale and Derek Blackwell was named Top Producing Agents by the Jonesboro Board of Real-tors.
The business may be reached at 935-0731. It is online at www.jonesbororealestate.com.
Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker Village Commu-nities is located at 2704 South Cul-berhouse St., Suite A.
Coldwell Banker employees vol-unteer with Special Olympics and CityYouth Ministries.
In 2009 three agents were among the top Coldwell Banker agents in the state. David Howell was ranked No. 1, Kevin Kercheval was ranked No. 4, and Keith Pace was ranked No. 5.
The company is owned by Ray Pierson, Carroll Caldwell and Mar-vin Hinton. Pierson is also services and principal broker, while Hinton and Jack Crabtree are executive brokers. There are 44 employees.
Coldwell Banker can be reached at 935-7800 or online at www.coldwellbankerjonesboro.com.
Crye-Leike Realtors
Crye-Leike Realtors-Jonesboro is located 2907 South Caraway Road. In 2009 it was Jonesboro’s No. 1 real estate agency in sales, closing 17 million more than their closest competitor, according to a news release.
Nine agents or sales teams at Crye-Leike-Jonesboro received multi-million dollar sales awards in the last year. They were Mar-shall Ghant, Sue MacDonald, Be-linda Wimpy, Joyce Isbell, Larry Lamkin, Gloria Slusser and Danna Johnson and the Eric Burch All-Star Team and the Rick McKinzie Team
The agency is owned by Harold Crye. Joyce Isbell and Cathi Nisen-baum are managers in Jonesboro. The business may be reached at 935-0701 or online at www.crye-leike.com.
Area real estate firms doing wellSUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | THE JONESBORO SUN | H11
www.jonesborosun.com
BY GEORGE JAREDSUN STAFF WRITER
POCAHONTAS — Steps tak-en by community leaders in 2009 may lead to mas-sive economic growth in Randolph County and surrounding areas in the coming years.
Last year county and Pocahontas city officials joined the Northeast Ar-kansas Regional Intermo-dal Facilities Authority. The partnership includes the cities of Hoxie, Walnut Ridge and Corning. Law-rence and just recently Clay counties, joined the group focused on build-ing an industrial “super site” within the next five years, according to offi-cials.
“We’re miles ahead of most communities that have to do this from scratch,” Randolph Coun-ty Chamber Executive Director Tim Scott said.
Several years ago Gov. Mike Beebe envisioned the creation of large, in-dustrial sites, ones that could attract a manufac-turer that would employ at least 1,000 workers.
Authority Chairman Wayne Gearhart said he heard that calling and be-gan to work toward build-
ing one of those sites in Northeast Arkansas. About 300 acres near the Walnut Ridge Airport in Lawrence County have been tapped as the best place to put an industrial park by Crafton Tull and Sparks, the engineering firm hired to develop plans for a site.
The Walnut Ridge Air-port tentatively approved leasing the acres to the Authority at a recent meeting.
The close proximity of the airport to Randolph County could mean high-paying employment for its citizens, Scott said. And engineers deter-mined that if a major manufacturer decided to locate at the airport, Pocahontas has ample warehousing space that could create even more jobs, he said.
Officials chose the air-port because of it has air, rail, highway and water transportation outlets.
A lot of progress had been made by the Author-ity by the time it celebrat-ed its one-year anniver-sary in January, but more work remains, Scott said. Officials will start peti-tioning for federal and state funds to develop the
project further, he said. It will be two or three
years before the site and incentive packages will be completed, he added.
Randolph County didn’t add a major job-produc-ing business in 2009, but efforts to save Five Riv-ers Medical Center since 2007 may have saved the county hundreds of jobs.
Over the last two years since the city created a public entity to buy the hospital as it faced clo-sure, it has become more soluble, said Scott, who also serves as an alder-man on the Pocahontas City Council.
In December 2009 the city was given a $7.5 grant from the United States Department of Ag-riculture to buy the hospi-tal from the public entity.
The low-interest loan will help the city save at least $15,000 a month in interest payments, of-ficials said. Five Rivers Administrator John Tuck-er is a primary reason the hospital that was on the verge of closure is start-ing to thrive, Scott said.
Pinnacle Frames and Accents recently hired 30 more workers as its contracts have expanded, officials said. The com-
pany makes a variety of wood and other types of frames.
Besides the major em-ployer moves, smaller
businesses continue to open in Randolph County, Scott said. In the coming weeks a new restaurant, still unnamed, will open in
the building that housed the recently closed Green Tomato Cafe.
Randolph County leaders aim to continue moving area toward growth
JONESBORO — Suddenlink Communications has big plans.
Suddenlink, 1520 South Caraway Road, offers customers video, voice and Internet service.
In 2009 and January 2010, Suddenlink added more high definition programming available to Jonesboro residents. A new TV Caller ID ser-vice was also introduced for customers who have a minimum combination of Suddenlink phone and ad-vanced digital television service.
A new eCycling pro-gram was launched on July 21, to help Jones-boro residents safely discard old electronics equipment. The focus of the new initiative is to provide an eCycling drop site at Suddenlink’s Jonesboro retail center. The company is working with Craighead County’s Legacy Landfill to ensure proper disposal.
The initiative also in-cluded efforts to host events that would edu-cate the community on the importance environ-mental awareness, work with schools to orga-nize “green” initiatives, broadcast public service announcements and pro-vide important informa-tion about eCycling on-line.
To date, Suddenlink has delivered 28,360 pounds of electronic waste to be safely disposed of at Leg-acy Landfill.
What’s to come?
In the near future, Sud-denlink plans to provide a fourth Internet speed op-tion, add more HD chan-nels, allow customers to
get triple play services — video, voice and Inter-net— on one bill, and in-troduce video on demand. The new Internet speed option is expected to be the fastest service in the area, officials said.
These changes are pos-sible because the nation-wide company is pursu-ing a new investment program called Project Imagine and is calling for $350 million of capi-tal investments beyond what the company normal spends.
Several Suddenlink em-ployees have been rec-ognized in the past year. Gary Bowman, Sudden-link director of opera-tions for Northern Arkan-sas and Missouri, is cel-ebrating 37 years. Jimmy Yancy has been with the company 20 years. Judy Linzy, customer care rep-resentative and commu-nity ambassador, was pre-sented with a hero award.
Jonesboro-based Sud-denlink Mid South Com-munity and Government Affairs Manager Maryce Cunningham was elected president of the Louisiana Cable and Telecommuni-cations Association and chairman of the Arkan-sas Cable Telecommuni-cations Association. She received the LCTA’s Vir-gil Evans Award and the 2009 Achievement Award from the national Asso-ciation of Cable Commu-nicators.
Suddenlink’s Jonesboro location employs 40. For more information, call 1-866-401-3769.
Suddenlink expandingservices, ‘green’ efforts
On the Net |Suddenlink online:
www.Suddenlink.com
Saundra Sovick | The SunWade Gay, Exit Realty agent, finds home listings for clients in his office at Jonesboro.
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It’s Greatin
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H12 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
BY CURT HODGESSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — Local auto-mobile dealerships have seen increased traffic and sales in their show-rooms despite a recession and recalls.
Ken Yarbrough, general manager of Central Deal-erships in Jonesboro, said the region’s people make the difference.
“The majority of people here go to work every day and try to do their best,” Yarbrough said. “They pay their bills, their mortgages, buy grocer-ies, give to charity, go out to eat, shop and buy cars and trucks.”
It’s the last part that has kept Yarbrough’s at-tention during General Motors’ troubles and now Toyota’s.
“All of the GM brands are on the upswing,” Yar-brough said.
“It’s been a remarkable turnaround,” he said. La-menting the demise of Pontiac, Yarbrough said it seems that Buick is
picking up steam and be-coming a leading brand for the company.
But then he’s also amazed by Chevrolet, which he said is having its own resurgence led by the Malibu and the new Traverse Crossover and being pushed along sol-idly by the ever-popular Chevrolet Silverado.
Central also has Nissan, which Yarbrough said has been a steady performer for the dealership during the worst of the reces-sion and as Toyota sales slumped in the face of re-calls.
“Nissan has always been a good brand for us,” Yarbrough said.
Even with its troubles, Toyota is still doing well, and Yarbrough said the dealership, when word of the fix came out, started notifying its customers and making the repairs.
“We have done more than 1,000 recall repairs at our store,” he said. “The recall business is still steady, but not like it was a couple of
weeks ago.”Long-term, Yarbrough
remains upbeat, probably due in large part to his ex-perience as a farmer.
“I’m an optimist when it comes to Northeast Ar-kansas,” he said. “I think we are fortunate to live in this part of this state.”
Aaron Baltz of Cav-enaugh Ford Lincoln Mer-
cury agrees the people of NEA are the key to suc-cess in this area. He said business the last year has been ups and downs and so far in 2010 it has been up.
“Business has been real good,” Baltz said, way up from 2009, and that’s almost across the board of the brands that Cav-
enaugh dealerships in Jonesboro and NEA offer — Ford, GM, Hyundai, Kia — “they’re all doing well, and sales are up.”
“I think the troubles that Toyota has had have helped some,” Baltz said. He said because of those troubles people are look-ing into other brands, and he said they are finding
what they are looking for and buying.
“I’m going to say our business is up 15 per-cent,” he said. Over the past 30 days Baltz said there has been a remark-able increase in traffic and business.
He sees a number of reasons for that. For one, the car companies ap-pear to be in better shape. Because of the shakeout there is less competition and a smaller inventory taking away the despera-tion that he saw in compa-nies trying to move vehi-cles they had on hand.
He also said the quality of the vehicles has im-proved.
“There are good deals to be made, and people are making them,” he said. “The economy seems to be improving, and that may be part of the in-crease we are seeing in vehicle sales.”
Both men said they see 2010 as improving across the board.
Auto dealers see clear roads ahead in 2010
Saundra Sovick | The SunDevin Smith (left) and Kevin James wipe down a Chevrolet Monte Carlo at Central Dealerships in Jonesboro on Wednesday.
BY RAY WHITESIDESUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — Construc-tion in Jonesboro and Craighead County was down in 2009 compared to 2008.
“I’d say it dropped by 80 percent. People just aren’t building,” said 911 coordi-nator Mark Hogan, who registers new addresses for emergency response purposes.
Hogan said most people are buying homes instead of building new ones.
“It’s just more feasible to buy with the way the economy is right now, but there are still a lot of empty homes out there,” he said.
Mobile homes have also become more prevalent, the director said.
Terry Adams, chief building official for Jones-
boro, said the county seat hasn’t fared much better.
Home building permits are down, while multi-family and commercial permits are slightly up, he said.
“Overall, we didn’t do as well in 2009 as we did in 2008,” he said. “The econ-omy has really hurt us.”
The city issued 3,818 building permits in 2009 with an estimated con-struction cost of more than $88.2 million.
Residential building permits numbered 335 and cost an estimated $30,954,367, while 46 commercial building per-mits were issues and cost about $20,387904.
Areas that saw residen-tial growth included Sage Meadows in north Jones-boro, and RidgePointe, Plantation Estates and the Valley View area in south
Jonesboro, Adams said.Two major commercial
projects occurred in 2009 — Nordex USA Inc. in east Jonesboro and Fami-lies Inc. on Johnson Ave., he said.
Craighead County does not issue building permits but tracks new projects primarily by address reg-istration through the 911 emergency system, offi-cials said.
“The economy is still showing its downside, but I do think that in the spring and summer per-mit numbers will jump back up,” Adams said.
April 2009 was the best month for permits in the city when 316 permits were issued and valued at $16,535,469.
The worst month was January, when only 183 permits valued at $1,194,460 were issued.
TrumannTrumann Chamber of
Commerce director Jack-ie Ross said construction workers are building a new McDonald’s restau-rant on Industrial Drive near the Wal-Mart Super-center.
The restaurant will re-place a longtime building on Arkansas 463, Ross said.
Ross said the number of housing permits granted here have increased since early 2009.
At least 22 new homes and 68 add-ons were also built in 2009, Ross said.
Harrisburg
David Owens, an im-mediate past president of the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce, said a new senior center was built near the Poinsett County Fairgrounds along North East Street earlier this year.
Owens said several churches have added onto the buildings, while doc-tors’ offices and business-es have sprung up along Arkansas 1 heading into the Poinsett County town.
Hoxie
The city plans to expand its water and sewer lines
along an incorporated stretch of land along U.S. 63.
About 100 acres of com-mercial land will receive service from Cox Ka-wasaki shop to Sullens Road. Officials hope the $236,000 project will spur growth near the Hoxie-Walnut Ridge bypass.
To pay for the systems upgrade, the city received a federal Rural Devel-
opment grant. Wilson Schmidt owns the land and wants it improved for business growth, officials said.
Officials expect signifi-cant business growth on 63 in the coming years.
Sun staff writers Michael Wilkey and George Jared contributed to this story.
Construction down in area in ’09
John Flora | Special to The SunSteve Cline of Bono marks a 2-by-4 for cutting Wednes-day afternoon at a new home construction site in Blue Ridge Estates at Brookland.
BY MICHAEL WILKEYSUN STAFF WRITER
WYNNE — Officials with the Cross County Cham-ber of Commerce are approaching issues in a countywide manner and working to reach out to people in the county’s four towns and unincor-porated areas.
Brian Thompson, direc-tor for external affairs for the chamber, said the past year and a half has been busy for chamber members.
Thompson said the chamber created a lead-ership program in 2008, and the first class gradu-ated in May.
The first class of 14 members was sponsored by the University of Ar-kansas Extension Ser-vice, Thompson said.
“The class was open to residents and people who work in the county,” Thompson said. “We visit-ed all incorporated cities and visited Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Library and the Arkansas Electrical Cooperatives headquarters.”
Several chamber com-mittees grew in mem-bership in the first three months of 2010.
The chamber faced a pair of setbacks in 2009
as county residents voted no on a pair of sales tax elections to extend the county’s sales tax on eco-nomic development.
In March 2009 voters went against the proposal by a vote of 807-to-678.
That vote was followed up in September 2009 by a 1,343-to-1,204 vote against extending the tax
for three years. The tax was passed by
county voters in 1999. Despite both defeats,
Thompson said chamber officials are looking at other options on funding and are optimistic.
Thompson said cham-ber officials will continue to push for a countywide approach for economic development and growth.
In the past year or so, Thompson said the coun-ty has seen growth with Neil M. Footwear Inc., a Wynne shoe manufac-turer; Ashrock Metals, a company that recycles iron and non-iron met-als, in Wynne; and a new
Dollar General in Cherry Valley along Arkansas 1.
CrossRoads Coalition
The executive direc-tor of the 10-county co-alition, based in Wynne, said the group is working with officials in Cross County and other areas to promote economic devel-opment.
Melissa Rivers said the CrossRoads Coalition has completed a strategic plan for its coverage ar-ea, which includes Cross, Mississippi and Poinsett counties.
Regional tourism is also a focus of the group, created in 2002 by people in Cross, Crittenden and St. Francis counties who were attempting to lure a Toyota plant to the re-gion.
The group is also work-ing on a regional lead-ers program in 2010 and a youth work readiness program in 2011, Rivers said.
“We want to equip peo-ple with economic devel-opment knowledge,” Riv-ers said. “(The leaders program) will help them if a prospect comes. They will be able to handle the prospect.”
The 8-week youth pro-gram targeting school students will teach per-sonal responsibility, time management, finance and career planning.
Chamber works on county level in Cross, starts leader program
‘We want to equip people with economic development knowledge.’Melissa RiversCrossRoads Coalition
To Subscribe870-935-5525
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SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | THE JONESBORO SUN | H13www.jonesborosun.com
BY CURT HODGESSUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO — Many peo-ple, when moving to a new city or planning such a move, make their first contact with the Chamber of Commerce.
T h a t ’s s o m e t h i n g people do almost daily in Jonesboro, and the friendly, informed staff at the Jonesboro Region-al Chamber of Commerce is ready to answer most questions people ask.
Since its inception in 1915, the Jonesboro Re-gional Chamber of Com-merce has been the leader in business and commerce in Northeast Arkansas. The chamber is the only viable organization that exerts its total effort to-ward developing busi-ness and commerce in this area. The chamber is a voluntary organization of business people work-ing together to improve the civic and economic vitality of our community. Chamber members give countless hours to the agency they believe has played a critical role in the growth of Jonesboro into a regional service center.
It’s that community par-ticipation and enthusiasm that have made the cham-ber a success, officials said.
Cari White, chamber chief operating officer, said 2009 and 2010 have been successful despite economic difficulties around the nation.
“The main thing we have been saying, and we know it to be true, is that [Jonesboro] has been so fortunate and blessed in that we have not expe-rienced the drastic eco-nomic turndown that has been seen in other parts of the nation and even other parts of Arkansas,” White said. There have been problems, she said, but not to the extent expe-rienced elsewhere in the nation.
In 2009 Jonesboro expe-rienced an increase in the number of jobs even dur-ing a worldwide economic recession. This city was one of five communities in the South that saw posi-tive job growth for six consecutive months, ac-cording to Southern Busi-ness and Development and was the only Arkan-sas city so listed, White said.
Nordex USA broke ground for its $100 million facility last year; NicePak began production; Star-Tek and the Alberto Cul-ver Co. expanded and hired additional people; and Nestle Prepared Foods invested more than $60 million to expand its frozen foods manufactur-ing facility, creating 200 additional jobs in the pro-cess, chamber officials noted.
Highway projects, Sea-Port Airlines providing essential air service and many other activities highlighted a growth year, chamber officials said.
New houses are still be-
ing built here, real estate values are holding up well, and other factors in the local economy remain positive in a period when those same factors were negative in other parts of the nation.
An annual chamber ac-tivity that has proven to be valuable is the Wash-ington Fly-In. This year the event was Feb. 27 though March 3.
Ed Way, chairman of the chamber’s Transportation Committee and Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said they felt that the 2010 visit was successful in not only continuing the local con-tact with congressional representatives but solid-ifying their relationships with congressional staff members with whom they are in contact regularly.
That contact has al-lowed the city to reap many benefits such as grants for infrastructure and recreation, airport improvements and most of all highway improve-ments including funding for a connector between U.S. 67 at Arkansas 226 to U.S. 49 west of Jonesboro at Gibson Switch.
“Projects like that and other highway improve-ments don’t just ben-efit Jonesboro, but all of Northeast Arkansas and beyond,” the mayor said. “It is a team effort.”
He said the chamber’s leadership over the years in all aspects of economic development has been one of the keys to the success for Jonesboro and the en-
tire region.Enabling Mark Young,
chamber president and chief executive officer, to concentrate on industrial recruitment, Perrin said the city has saw industrial growth in the city expand during hard times.
“That has really paid dividends for us,” Perrin said.
Jonesboro is the fifth largest city in Arkansas and the second largest in square miles. Form a tri-angle by connecting Little Rock, St. Louis and Mem-phis on a map, and you’ll see Jonesboro stands out as the largest metropoli-tan city in what amounts to 17,000 square miles.
Strategically located within 70 miles of Mem-phis with a 4-lane access the entire way, it takes less than an hour to reach the Bluff City, which many consider to be the nation’s trucking and distribution center.
It is that strategic lo-
cation and the quality of leadership, including the work of the chamber of commerce, that has helped to forge Jonesboro into the trade center that it has become.
The city is a proven leader in a number of cat-egories attractive to busi-ness, including geography, favorable climate, viable economy, advantageous tax structure, affordable housing, low crime rate, growing medical commu-nity, opportunity for edu-cation, expanding retail and industrial communi-ty, recreational opportu-nities, cultural, sports and civic organizations, plus low utility costs.
The Jonesboro Metro-politan Statistical Area was recently recognized as seventh strongest in the nation for manufac-turing.
There are more than 100 industrial plants or facili-ties in the Jonesboro area, according to the chamber.
The city includes attrac-tive plant sites in four industrial parks and high-quality transportation in-frastructure.
Jonesboro is served by two railroads, about 50 trucking companies and a regional airport which offers airline service to Memphis. Memphis Inter-national Airport is only an hour away by car.
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce is located at 1709 East Nettleton Ave. It can be reached at 932-6691 or online at www.jonesborochamber.org.
The chamber staff in-cludes: Young; White; Donna Holt, economic development associate; Mandy Cook, membership director; Tammy Pope, di-rector of operations; Can-dace Martin, director of business and community development; and Octavia Lewis, receptionist.
Area chamber integralto Jonesboro’s success
Saundra Sovick | The SunRick Bowen (left) hands Laura Weaver a card as Weaver visits with Bowen and Hol-ly Stanley at The Salvation Army’s booth for the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Business Expo inside
the Arkansas State University Convoca-tion Center at Jonesboro last April 23. The 2010 expo is scheduled for April 22 with the theme “A Billion Acts of Green.”
JONESBORO — SynTel LLC, incorporated in 1999, develops software used by businesses to earn discounts on postage rates through the use of mail automation software called AutoMail, to man-age documents through Mailstream Manager and to prepare year-end IRS notices for banks through Tax Notice Solution.
AutoMail gives quali-fied users the opportu-nity to earn an average of 25 percent on postage rates. Mailstream, which includes AutoMail, helps businesses design, pro-cess, print and-or deliver documents to an electron-ic archive for research and e-Delivery.
SynTel’s 2010 plans are to launch SynTel Print So-lutions (SPS).
By the end of the 2nd quarter of this year, the company intends to in-augurate SPS to provide third-party outsourced, print-to-mail services to all businesses. This will be especially useful for processing DDA checking accounts, daily and peri-odic notices for certain banks. SPS will also com-plete and process market-ing mailings for banks and other businesses.
Disaster Recovery services will be offered through the company to banks in SPS’ secured, document production en-vironment. Banks are re-quired to have a disaster recovery back-up site and SPS plans to offer this ser-vice to banks within a 250-mile radius of Jonesboro.
In 2009 the company
pursued an initiative to develop and market soft-ware solutions that are not dependent on the U.S. Postal Service for their value proposition, but include AutoMail in the event users want to earn mail automation discount postage rates.
Syntel also set out to develop solutions that would offer electronic delivery of documents, which would allow users to broaden their delivery channels beyond print-to-mail documents to include electronic archive, e-mail, Internet, fax and mobile devices.
The company, owned by Harry Herget, Steve Smith and Jim Melescue, is located at 3401 One Place, Jonesboro, and employs 26 workers. Key officers include Jim Jack-son, senior vice president of sales; Tommy Shew-maker, senior vice presi-dent of development; and Jeremiah James, vice president project man-ager.
Jackson has been with the company for 10 years and oversees sales and marketing activities.
James now oversees the scope of work on all software installations, required changes and en-hancements.
Adam Boyles, assistant vice president, is the man-ager of Mailstream Man-ager Product Suite.
Evonne McMinn, pre-installation coordinator, is the manager of corpo-
rate communications and liaisons with the United States Postal Service. She is USPS certified, an executive mail center manager and mailpiece quality control special-
ist and sits on the board of the USPS Remittance Mail Committee.
Syntel can be reached at 268-5325, 1-800-898-2540 or www.syntelllc.com.
Software company focuses on business mail services
Evonne McMinn, marketing and pre-installation coordi-nator for SynTel, prepares a mailing for a customer on a Pitney-Bowes DI-9050 folder-inserter on March 3.
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H14 | THE JONESBORO SUN | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
www.jonesborosun.com
BY MICHAEL WILKEYSUN STAFF WRITER
HARRISBURG — The coun-ty’s chambers of com-merce have been busy in the past year or so work-ing on city-related proj-ects and an economic de-velopment program.
In 2008 the county began a partnership in a pilot program with the Arkan-sas State University Delta Center for Economic De-velopment and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives.
At the time of the an-nouncement, Jerry Smith, an official with the Delta Center, said the program was key to future growth in the county.
“In collaborating, you’re not just a collection of towns. Something new will come from it. ... You bring together assets, stress-ing equity, not equality,” Smith said.
He said officials have focused on creating the
program in 2009 and early 2010.
Several town-hall meet-ings were held around the county, from Marked Tree to Trumann to Harrisburg, to gauge the support and ideas of residents, while a key part of the program was to get the support from city and county lead-ers, Smith said.
A combined effort by city, county and industrial leaders can benefit the area, Smith said.
“Weiner and Marked Tree alone may have lim-ited resources. But when you combine, you have so much to work with,” he said.
Each of the city may-ors in Poinsett County — Fisher Mayor Homer Anschultz, Harrisburg Mayor Donnie Faulkner, Lepanto Mayor Kevin Wright, Marked Tree Mayor Dixon Chandler, Trumann Mayor Sheila Walters, Tyronza Mayor
Marion Bearden, Walden-burg Mayor William Wood and Weiner Mayor Arthur Booth — got behind the ef-fort, Smith said.
County Judge Charles Nix of Harrisburg also played a vital role in the plan. “It happened under the leadership of Charles Nix. He applied for the program. The countywide economic development program is a program of substance, with enough resources and assets.”
Smith said Delta Center officials are close to hav-ing information for a co-hesive plan.
“The future for our ar-ea is going to hold some growth,” David Owens, Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce board mem-ber, said. “We are working with Trumann and other towns on economic devel-opment, for economic de-velopment countywide.”
Poinsett looks to grow
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SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 | | OUTLOOK 2010 | | THE JONESBORO SUN | H15www.jonesborosun.com
BY JUDY BEARDSPECIAL TO THE SUN
NEWPORT — In Newport community involvement begins with the Newport Area Chamber of Com-merce.
The chamber, under the direction of Julie Allen, plays an instrumental role in activities to instruct, beautify, entertain and welcome new businesses and people to the commu-nity.
This is the eighth year the chamber has hosted a New Vision Newport class. The monthly class promotes leadership and community involvement. Class alumni have gone on to hold many elected and leadership roles in Jackson County including positions on city councils, quorum court and school boards.
“This year’s class has already proven to be very competitive,” Newport In-dustrial Development Di-rector Jon Chadwell said. “They are not willing to give up when faced with problems.”
In August the cham-ber hosted the fourth an-nual Business Expo at the Newport Business Re-source Center. This year’s event featured more than 30 local businesses and organizations. Admission
to the event was free. The chamber also co-hosts an annual job fair with the NEDC each year. “The job fair and Business Expo are just two ways we try to serve the needs of our members and the commu-nity,” Allen said.
One of the chamber’s newest projects is the Community Pride rec-ognition program, which began four years ago. The program acknowledges businesses and organiza-tions that do something new to beautify their property.
The chamber also plays a major role in the com-munity’s two yearly fes-tivals, Portfest and Depot Days.
The 29th Annual Port-fest celebration will be on the banks of the White
River at Jacksonport State Park the first week-end in June. Entertain-ment already announced includes rock legend Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who will perform June 4. Saturday’s entertainment is still in negotiations, but Shenandoah has signed as the opening act.
Residents bring their lawn chairs to Front Street for the Depot Days Cele-brations in the fall. The 1-day festival includes arts and crafts, a live auction, barbecue cooking contest and entertainment.
The 2009 festival paid tribute to rockabilly leg-end Billy Lee Riley, who died that year. It also marked the official dedi-cation of Rock N Roll U.S. 67 from Newport to Poca-hontas. This year’s festival
will be late September.One of the chamber’s
newest efforts is the Delta Arts Commission, which was recently renamed the Blue Bridge Regional Arts Center. The project is in its second year of development led by three members of the Clinton School of Public Service. The ultimate goal is to open a freestanding cen-ter in downtown Newport.
Other activities spon-sored by the chamber in-clude the Miss Three Riv-ers Scholarship Pageant and the Miss Outstanding Teen Contests, which are preliminary pageant for the Miss Arkansas and Miss Outstanding Teen Arkansas. The Christmas Parade is also a commu-nity favorite each Decem-ber.
The chamber also hosts the annual Chamber Ban-quet and Awards Dinner in February. This year’s featured speaker was Clinton School Director Skip Rutherford.
The chamber’s most ba-sic but important function is membership. In 2009 it held a membership drive, which resulted in more than 50 new members.
“Membership is key to our success,” Allen said. “We are here to serve the people and businesses ... in whatever way we can.
Newport chamber stays busy
Judy Beard | Special to the SunA young boy buys concessions at Portfest.
BY GEORGE JAREDSUN STAFF WRITER
PARAGOULD — Developing young professionals and keeping them in Greene County is the goal of a new program instituted by the Paragould Regional Cham-ber of Commerce.
Paragould Young Professionals has 25 members, and officials hope the number will grow to 50 by year’s end, Chamber Executive Director Sue Mc-Gowan said, adding, “We want to develop our young professionals and give them tools to succeed.”
Chamber members from ages 21 to 39 may join the group. A nominal membership fee must be paid, and participants are expected to attend seminars and meetings, membership director Lesley Hobbs said.
Seminar topics have included balancing work and home life and healthy eating and exercise, Hobbs said. Future topics will cover buying a first home and saving and investing money.
Members range from the self-employed to indus-trial workers and those in the medical field.
Slow year for development
Industrial recruitment and business development were slow in 2009 due to the national recession. “This is an attractive area for business,” McGowan said. “Activity all over the country has just been slow.”
But recent signs point to an improving economy, McGowan said. Major employers such as Anchor Packaging have expanded employee bases, and less workers are being laid-off, she said.
American Railcar industries, one the largest em-ployers in Northeast Arkansas, recently announced it will start building self-propelled passenger train cars in Paragould and Marmaduke.
McGowan said she is cautiously optimistic that will add even more jobs this year to Greene County.
Targeting land for industrial growth and devising plans to attract a major job provider are among the chamber’s goals in the coming year, the director said. The area’s labor force is its most attractive feature to potential industries, she said.
“Our entire community can work together, and I think that’s important for attracting business,” Mc-Gowan said.
Chamber focuseson young workers
BY NAN SNIDERSPECIAL TO THE SUN
BLYTHEVILLE — The Greater Blytheville Area Chamber of Commerce is 500 mem-bers strong and growing.
“We keep our members very involved in whatever is going on in our city and the surrounding area,” Executive Director Liz Smith said. “Members vol-unteer to attend all public meetings, which includes school boards, city coun-cils and quorum court. We stay close to public is-sues.
“Like all other cities we have felt the impact this year of the reces-sion but have kept spon-sors. We can best help our merchants and citizens by knowing about future plans, financial situations and current needs of our community.
“The chamber is an ac-tive, persuasive stimulus in governmental affairs, especially at the local, county and state levels,” she said. “We pledge to be an influential voice in local and regional legisla-tive issues affecting the business community.”
Political work
“We have expanded our political advisory pro-gram,” Smith said. “We independently travel to Washington, D.C., two times a year, in the fall and in the spring.”
The chamber will host a political forum on May 18 to get to know the can-didates running for office in 2010.
The monthly chamber luncheon is well-attended,
and the program always includes informative speakers addressing cur-rent topics.
An honors banquet is held each year in March with special recognition given to Educator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Large and Small Business of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards. This year’s ban-quet was March 15.
The Greater Blytheville Chamber of Commerce Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
“We are a community development-orientated chamber,” Smith said. “We work with (Arkansas State University) in Jonesboro through social network-ing and small business de-velopment. We have a con-tinued alliance with ANC, here in Blytheville, and are very proud of their strong educational base.”
‘Book from Jan’
The Blytheville Cham-ber started “Books from Jan” to honor Jan Ball Gurley after her death in 2007. Gurley served as educational chairman for the chamber for many years. The chamber es-tablished the foundation and patterned it after the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
“We have enrolled 120 children in Books from Jan,” Smith said. “Each child gets a book a month from birth until the time they are 5 years old, for a total of 60 books. This ... has produced more avid readers among our students. The results are phenomenal when a child
is encouraged to appreci-ate books and to read. The program is accessible to all children in our area, and the foundation pays for the books and mail-ing.”
Blytheville held its third in a series “Star Dust on Blytheville” at the Ritz Civic Center downtown. The historic early 1900s opera house on Main Street, which contains 475
seats, is also home to the Blytheville Arts Council. Smith serves as author interviewer for the hour and a half “Star Dust” pro-gram.
“We are fortunate to have That Book Store in Blytheville,” Smith said. “Owner Mary Gaye Shipley draws many fa-mous writers to Blythe-ville for book signings at her store. We have been able to have three of them speak at ‘Star Dust in Blytheville.’ Authors have included John Grisham, George Ham-ilton, and Sam and Mary Haskil. The proceeds from the Haskil event were donated to our Books for Jan program.”
“Booking with the
chamber is another edu-cational program the chamber sponsors,” Smith said. “Members read to first- and second-grad-ers in area elementary schools. Book circles are being established for stu-dents through the eighth grade.”
The chamber contin-ues to sponsor the Junior Blytheville Leadership Program, which has 35 students enrolled this year.
Blytheville will soon add another educational first for Northeast Ar-kansas, with the addition of a Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) school. There is only one other such school in the state, and it is in Helena. KIPP is a national network of free, open enrollment, col-lege-preparatory public schools dedicated to pre-paring students in under-served communities for success in college and life. The new school is to be on South Franklin Street and will begin with fifth-grade students.
“We are not a high cost of living area,” Smith said. “And we are not totally dependent on tourism. We were continually moving forward on a progressive trail until the national economy took a nosedive, and now we are working to keep all programs go-ing until the economy im-proves.
“Above all, our area is a community of leaders, that come to the table and make things work. They continually amaze me. They never give up and always look optimistically toward the future.”
Blytheville growing, looking to future
‘Above all, our area is a community of leaders, that come to the table and make things work.’Liz Smithexecutive director, Greater Blytheville Area Chamberof Commerce
BY FRANK M. WITOWSKI JR.SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce re-mains intact and active despite a fragile economy.
Chamber Executive Secretary Kathy Bradley said the chamber has 205 members. The chamber has sev-eral events throughout the year to promote business and industry in the county.
“We have Business after Hours, quarterly meet-ings, an annual banquet, ribbon cuttings, anniversary recognition for businesses, an e-mail newsletter, fes-tivals and other events throughout the year,” Bradley said. “The chamber is hosting a marketing seminar on April 28 to help current businesses as well as new ones market their business.”
Bradley said the marketing seminar is a new event in the mix of what the chamber does to stimulate growth in Lawrence County. The marketing seminar which is open to the public will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Lawrence County meeting room next to the public li-brary and will be led by Summer Deprow.
“The chamber is always looking for ways to bring businesses into our area as well as helping current businesses remain,” Bradley said.
Iron Mountain Festival
A new attraction gaining popularity in Lawrence County and across NEA is the Iron Mountain Festi-val held annually in downtown Walnut Ridge. Prepa-rations are in the works already for this year’s event to be Oct. 30. “The Iron Mountain Festival is hosted by the chamber, but any monies made goes back in the event fund for next year’s festival,” Bradley said.
The event consists of live entertainment featur-ing local bands, dance troops and vocalists, a Karate board break benefiting the L.C. food bank, a hot dog eating contest, train rides and games for children, a bicycle rodeo (a bicycle is given away to the winner), the Nuttin’ But Talent Show, an Arkansas Game & Fish Aquarium, Little Rock Zoo animals, an art show featuring local art students, quilters and china paint-ers, a duck-calling contest, a moon walk and slide, pony rides, a dog costume contest, craft booths and food vendors.
Bradley said the chamber currently does not have an executive director, adding that she has the only staff position at the chamber.
Lawrence busy as ever
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