Youth Entrepreneur Showcase Announces Top 25 Finalists

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Top 25 Finalists Announced for 2015 Youth Entrepreneur Showcase Fifth- through Eighth-Grade Business Plan Competition

The Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF), an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation Group in Little Rock, announced the finalists of its 10th annual Youth Entrepreneur Showcase (Y.E.S.), a business plan competition for elementary, middle, and junior high school students in grades five through eight. Below are the finalists in alphabetical order by team name: [Read more…]

Last Chance to See the Works of Kathy Strause, Taimur Cleary and Christie Young

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“People, Places, and Things”

2nd Friday Art NightThe Arkansas Capital Corporation Group (ACCG) is dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Arkansas succeed. Arkansas artists are certainly entrepreneurs. In 2013, ACCG began showcasing the work of Arkansas artists in our offices and began hosting open houses open to the public to help support the artists, as well as provide our community of staff, clients and visitors with a chance to be inspired by the art and be able to network at our offices as part of downtown Little Rock’s 2nd Friday Art Night. We are continuing that successful public-artist venture with the December 12th Friday Art Night with works by: Kathy Strause, Taimur Cleary, and Christie Young in a show titled “People, Places, and Things”. The exhibit “People, Places, and Things” is curated by Robert Bean. Whether you are interested in learning more about the many lending products or just need a little visual inspiration, please stop by our offices Friday, December 12 from 5-8 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. The artists will all be at the event to discuss their work, and all work is for sale with proceeds directly benefiting the artist. [Read more…]

242 Teams Compete in 2015 Y.E.S. for Arkansas Competition

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Y.E.S. for Arkansas Winners
Wonderful Wire Works, Hazen Elementary School, Hazen holding their awards from the 2014 Y.E.S. for Arkansas Expo Day.
It’s an exciting year for Y.E.S. for Arkansas, with 242 teams of fifth- through eighth-graders from across the state participating in the 2015 youth business plan competition. This is the second-biggest competition pool in the 10-year history of Y.E.S. Students from 35 elementary and middle schools in 14 counties wrote original business plans to compete for prize money and an invitation to the Y.E.S. for Arkansas Expo Day. Judging is in progress, with more than 80 business, community, and education leaders evaluating the plans. The 25 finalists will be announced via video at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 10, at https://acccapital.com/aeaf/yes. [Read more…]

E-Waste Mining Center Digs Up NMTCs

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  Download pdf: E-Waste Mining Center Digs Up NMTCs BlueOakA new electronic waste (e-waste) recycling center under construction in Osceola, Ark., has project partners calling it “the place where the Silicon Valley meets the Mississippi Delta.” Developed by California-based BlueOak Resources Inc. using federal new markets tax credit (NMTC) financing, the BlueOak Arkansas facility will use a high-temperature furnace to extract precious metals found in electronics, such as circuit boards and cell phones. Priv Bradoo, BlueOak’s co-founder and CEO, said that the concentration of precious metals in electronic scrap, such as printed circuit boards, is more than 100 times greater than precious metals in the same amount of virgin ore. With more than 50 million tons of e-waste being generated around the world every year, she said people have a responsibility to recognize these waste streams as a valuable resource. Bradoo said the Osceola facility will be the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to recovering high-value metals from electronic scrap. Once BlueOak begins operations at the end of 2015, it will be able to process at least 15 million pounds of e-waste annually with technology designed to be both efficient and environmentally friendly. “If the BlueOak technology works, it will not only lessen environmental degradation resulting from mining, it will also dramatically lower the amount of harmful pollutants emitted from current recycling processes, as well as drastically reduce the toxic exposure currently confronted by individuals involved in e-waste recycling around the globe–many of whom are already suffering from living in deep poverty,” said Deborah La Franchi, president of National New Markets Funds, which was one of BlueOak’s NMTC allocatees. [Read more…]

Live, Laugh, Love Learning Center

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Live, Laugh, Love Learning Center
Jeramie and Bray Felton of Live, Laugh, Love Learning Center
Owning a business was a goal of Jeramie and Bray Felton of Hoxie, Arkansas. When a local child care center came up for sale, they knew it was time to make the leap. The Felton’s were referred to Center Director Laura Miller at the Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center by lenders at Arkansas Capital Corporation. They were working with Arkansas Capital Corporation to secure a SBA guaranteed loan for the business purchase. Miller provided market research to help the Felton’s learn more about their competition and the demographics of the area surrounding the business. She reviewed their business plan and worked with them to prepare financial projections. Throughout the loan process, she continued to work closely with them to help them provide the information requested by their lender. [Read more…]

Custom Aircraft Cabinets Success Story Featured on the SBA Website

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Custom Aircraft CabinetsFrom SBA.gov:

Paul Reesnes and Michael Gueringer, co-owners of Custom Aircraft Cabinets, are the 2014 Arkansas Small Business Persons of the Year.

Like many American success stories, Custom Aircraft Cabinets, Inc. (CAC) originated from humble beginnings. In 1989, co-owners Paul Reesnes and Michael Gueringer discovered a niche market and began custom-building aircraft cabinets in the garage at Gueringer’s family home in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Their philosophy back then as well as today is three fold: Treat each customer and employee honestly and with integrity, deliver exceptional quality products priced fairly, and exceed all expectations in customer service. [Read more…]

Arkansas Capital Corporation Received Federal Approval for EB-5 Immigrant Investment Program

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PineState-logoPine State Regional Center, an affiliate of The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group (ACCG), has received U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approval to operate the only Arkansas-based federal Immigrant Investment Program. USCIS administers the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as EB-5, to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. Under a pilot immigration program first enacted in 1992 and regularly reauthorized since, certain EB-5 visas also are set aside for investors in Regional Centers designated by USCIS based on proposals for promoting economic growth.The program is administered federally by the USCIS, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. “Pine State Regional Center, as the only EB-5 program based in Arkansas, will sponsor a wide array of commercial projects throughout Arkansas resulting in additional jobs for Arkansans,” said Rush Deacon, acting chief executive officer of Arkansas Capital Corporation. “We are working closely with Arkansas Chambers of Commerce, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and other local economic development groups to create successful, sustainable industries and jobs throughout the state. Our strong capital position and long operating history in Arkansas will ensure that we have a high probability of economic success in Arkansas.” [Read more…]

Arkansas Capital Corporation Is Pleased to Showcase the Work of Matt McLeod, Tod Swiecichowski and Robert Bean

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2nd Friday Art NightThe Arkansas Capital Corporation Group (ACCG) is dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Arkansas succeed. Arkansas artists are certainly entrepreneurs. In 2013, ACCG began showcasing the work of Arkansas artists in our offices and began hosting open houses open to the public to help support the artists, as well as provide our community of staff, clients and visitors with a chance to be inspired by the art and be able to network at our offices as part of downtown Little Rock’s 2nd Friday Art Night. We are continuing that successful public-artist venture with the September 12th Friday Art Night with works by Matt McLeod, Tod Swiecichowski and Robert Bean in a show titled “Bold Contrasts.” Robert Bean is also the show curator. Whether you are interested in learning more about the many lending products or just need a little visual inspiration, please stop by our offices Friday, September 12 from 5-8 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. The artists will all be at the event to discuss their work, and all work is for sale with proceeds directly benefiting the artist. [Read more…]

Arkansas Capital Corporation Board Announces Staff Promotions

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The board of the Arkansas Capital Corporation Group is pleased to announce the promotion of several employees within the organization. Sam Walls III has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Arkansas Capital Corporation (ACC) with overall responsibility for all of the organization. Leslie Lane has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of ACC affiliate divisions. Within the ACC lending division, Al Hodge was promoted to executive vice president of lending; Sandra Hairston was promoted to executive vice president of servicing; and Bert King was promoted to senior vice president of servicing. [Read more…]

Arkansas Capital Corporation Is Pleased to Showcase the Work of Spencer Jansen, Sandra Sell and Matthew Gore

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2nd Friday Art Night The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group (ACCG) is dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Arkansas succeed. Arkansas artists are certainly entrepreneurs. In 2013, ACCG began showcasing the work of Arkansas artists in our offices and began hosting open houses open to the public to help support the artists, as well as provide our community of staff, clients and visitors with a chance to be inspired by the art and be able to network at our offices as part of downtown Little Rock’s 2nd Friday Art Night. We are continuing that successful public-artist venture with the June 13th Friday Art Night with works by Spencer Jansen, Sandra Sell, and Matthew Gore in a show titled “Texture, Color and Shape.” The show is being curated by Robert Bean. Whether you are interested in learning more about the many lending products or just need a little visual inspiration, please stop by our offices Friday, June 13 from 5-8 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. The artists will all be at the event to discuss their work, and all work is for sale with proceeds directly benefiting the artist. [Read more…]

Winners of the 2014 Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Competition Named

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BioBotic Solutions Takes Second Place Undergraduate Award

Second Place, Undergraduate — BioBotic Solutions, University of Arkansas & Hendrix College
Second Place, Undergraduate — BioBotic Solutions, University of Arkansas & Hendrix College

The Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation, an affiliate of The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group, is pleased to announce BioBotic Solutions with team members from University of Arkansas and Hendrix College took second place in the Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Award competition. The competition was held at The Mirage of Las Vegas.

In the undergraduate track, Owlpal Healthcare from the University of Tulsa took first place. In the graduate track, Dragonfly Energy from University of Nevada, Reno, was awarded first place, and Driven Analytics from University of Oklahoma, Norman, was awarded second place. First place winners took home a $30,000 cash prize, a team trophy and individual plaques. The second place winners received a $20,000 prize, a trophy and individual plaques. The team’s’ faculty advisors each earned a $3,500 check. [Read more…]