Young Entrepreneurs Prepare to Showcase Ideas on Jan. 14

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Image by Stacy M. Jones
Fort Smith students, Abby Clemons, Sarah Spradin and Cara Shipley, work on their Youth Entrepreneurial Showcase product, which featured crosses sold in pairs so the buyer could keep one and give one away.
Arkansas school children are bringing their entrepreneurial dreams to life in an annual competition that features kids’ inventions and innovations. The Youth Entrepreneurial Showcase will feature the innovative products and services of the 25 finalists’ teams, along with a marketing piece and a display booth the school teams have developed for the competition. “More than 180 business plans were turned in for the 2011 competition,” said Kerri Daniels, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation, which sponsors the statewide initiative. AEAF is a division of Arkansas Capital Corporation Group. [Read more…]

Reeves to Lead University of Arkansas’s Entrepreneurship Programs

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Carol Reeves, associate professor of management in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, will join the university office of research and economic development as the associate vice provost for entrepreneurship, effective Jan. 1, 2011. In her new role, Reeves will promote entrepreneurship and economic development in the region and across the state of Arkansas. She will work with faculty and students in all colleges at the University of Arkansas to encourage the start-up of new companies based on university research. Reeves, who also holds the Cecil and Gwen Cupp Applied Professorship in Entrepreneurship, has worked closely with the University of Arkansas Technology Licensing Office and Technology Development Foundation to develop student-led start-ups, and she will continue to work with these units to support entrepreneurship among faculty and students. [Read more…]

Year-End Message from CEO C. Sam Walls

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There hasn’t been much said about it, but we are rapidly approaching the end of the first decade of this century. Looking back, I believe it has been a good time for our organization as we have significantly improved the level of contribution we make to the economic development of Arkansas. Though it has been a period of constant change for us, these have proven to be good changes with tangible results. In January, we will pass the billion dollar mark in the amount of capital our organization has participated in providing to Arkansas companies. In the twelve months after that, we are on track to increase that amount over ten percent. [Read more…]

Small Business Jobs Act to Boost Tax Deductions

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Small business owners will benefit from significant tax deductions in 2010 and 2011 thanks to the Small Business Jobs Act which was recently signed into law. One aspect of the new law that small business owners are keen on is Section 179, this part of the law pertains to business equipment tax deductions and amount of money available for deduction. Prior to the passage of the act, which is fully named The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5279), business owners were unsure of the status of Section 179. The benefits and deductions granted under this particular section were set to expire this year and there were not many indications that Section 179 would be extended or increased. Luckily for business owners, the popular section will be increased significantly and will go into effect for 2010 and 2011. [Read more…]

Kauffman Foundation Announces Global Entrepreneurship Week Activities

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For one week, millions of young people around the world join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people, to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Countries across six continents come together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark. [Read more…]

Arkansas Businesses Will Benefit from Small Business Jobs Act of 2010

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Substantial SBA loan product enhancements will be available

The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group’s Chief Executive Officer C. Sam Walls on Friday highlighted enhancements to the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 which will have the greatest impact on Arkansas’s small business owners. “These enhancements are the most impactful I’ve seen in my 20 years of working with government guaranteed lending,” Walls said. “These tools are meaningful in their ability to assist and encourage business owners to grow their enterprises.” ACCG offers an alternative source of financing for small business; the Group partners with banks across Arkansas to provide the most attractive financing package available to small business owners. Highlights of the enhancements include: [Read more…]

Businesses Advised to Plan Now for Disaster

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A prepared business is a resilient business. That was the lesson learned this week at a daylong workshop teaching company owners how to plan for disasters. “The Verizon Preparedness Planning Summit: A Readiness Workshop for Small Businesses” drew about 100 representatives from small- and medium-sized businesses. Business owners discovered how susceptible their companies can be when disaster strikes, whether it takes the form of a flood, earthquake, tornado, fire or even terrorist activity. Verizon Wireless sponsored the event, held at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis, along with the Shelby County Office of Preparedness, the Greater Memphis Chamber and the Memphis Business Journal. [Read more…]

AgRobotics Names Charles Mitchell New COO

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AgRobotics has named Charles V. Michell, Jr., its president and COO, the North Little Rock firm announced Tuesday. AgRobotics, founded in 2006, manufactures and distributes the world’s first on-the-go soil sample collection technology. “We are very pleased to have someone as experienced and capable as Charles Michell join our management team at AgRobotics during this time of great opportunity and explosive growth potential in automated soil sampling,” said Jeffrey Burton, interim CEO. [Read more…]

U of A Team Wins Prestigious Boston Business Plan Competition

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A team of University of Arkansas students who created a business plan for a more efficient manufacturing process of solar cells has won first place at the Licensing Executives Society Foundation Graduate Student Business Plan Competition. The competition was held in Boston, Mass., on May 18, in conjunction with the Licensing Executives Society USA and Canada and Licensing Executives Society International annual meeting. The Silicon Solar Solutions LLC team won a cash prize of $10,000 and in-kind prizes provided by donors valued at $40,000. [Read more…]

UA Entrepreneurs Win Big at Tri – State Governor’s Cup in Las Vegas

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Teams from the University of Arkansas earned top honors in the third-annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup tri-state business plan competition held May 21. The Arkansas teams were awarded first and second place in the graduate division, and first place in the undergraduate division, which included cash that can be used as funds to start their businesses. Faculty advisers also received cash awards. Top honors in the Tri-State competition went to: [Read more…]