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A surgery center in Springdale sold for $2.6 million.

Willow Creek Landholdings LLC bought the 13,156-SF medical office on Willow Creek Drive. 

The LLC is led by Conner Eldridge, a partner with the Eldridge Brooks Partners law firm in Rogers; Eldridge is the former U.S Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.

Encore Bank provided a loan of about $1.8 million.

The sellers were John and Patricia Adams Kendrick. John Kendrick is a general surgeon who runs the Minimal Access Surgery Center.

Busy Kendricks

The Kendricks weren’t done after selling. They paid more than $2 million for two homes next to each other on a point of land on Beaver Lake.

The larger house is 4,420 SF and sits on slightly less than one-half acre of land. The Kendricks paid $1.595 million for it.

Next to it is a 1,436-SF house that sold for $595,000. The two properties total nearly an acre and have access to a boat dock with two slips associated with the houses.

Morgan Stanley Private Bank in Cincinnati provided a loan of nearly $1.2 million.

The seller of both properties was the Gary and Carolyn Owens Revocable Trust, led by trustee Christopher Owens. The Owenses acquired the properties for $35,000 in 1979.

Clear Creek Home

A 11,343-SF home and adjacent lot in the Clear Creek subdivision in Fayetteville sold for $4 million.

R. Patrick and Jennifer Cameron LLC bought the home on Turnhouse Circle, which sits on 1 acre and includes another 1-acre lot. The home has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

The subdivision is a gated community around John Tyson’s Blessings Golf Course. Patrick Cameron, a former two-year football letterman for the Arkansas Razorbacks, is a financial advisor and real estate investor.

The seller was the Kellie Anne Lavy Living Trust, led by Kellie and Trevor Lavy. The Lavys purchased the property as land for $207,000 in 2003.

Another Clear Creek Home

A northwest Arkansas attorney paid $1.9 million for a home in the Clear Creek subdivision.

Stephen W. Butler, through his Alan Dean House LLC, bought the 8,575-SF home on Prestwick Circle. 

Butler is a partner with the Miller Butler Schneider Pawlik Rozzell law firm, which has offices in Rogers and Fayetteville. 

The sellers were Julie Rieger and Suzanne Taylor. The pair paid $1.15 million for the home in 2018, and it was the 21st most expensive home sold in northwest Arkansas that year.

Bentonville Whataburger

A California investor paid $3.55 million for a Whataburger location on South Walton Boulevard in Bentonville.

The Alan and Yolanda Sheridan Trust bought the 3,606-SF building that was once a Pizza Hut. 

The seller was 1404 SWB LLC of Dallas, led by Douglas MacMahon. Whataburger’s parent company and 1404 SWB signed a lease agreement in July 2021 for the property, which is scheduled to open this year.

Simon Sells, and Buys

Jay Simon of Stuart, Florida, was busy this past month, selling a residential building just off the downtown Bentonville square and buying a commercial property.

Simon and his wife, Marilyn, sold a 4,500-SF, two-story home on SE B Street for $2.3 million. 

The home, which is also zoned for commercial use, is two stories with six bedrooms and five bathrooms and has a garage apartment.

The buyer was Third Floor Revocable Trust, led by John Paul and Jennifer Marie Frank. 

Simon paid $1.75 million for a 7,560-SF warehouse office on Phyllis Street. The property is the home of a moving company and covers 1.6 acres.

The seller was LRB Enterprises LLC, led by John and Christie Baldwin.

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If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

– All-you-can-eat Korean barbecue is on its way, with 88 K-Pot opening perhaps in December near the Wine & Spirits store in the Bethlehem Square shopping center. 

– Air Products’ joint venture in Saudi Arabia has acquired an industrial-gas business for an undisclosed price. The Abdullah Hashim Industrial Gases & Equipment venture acquired Khafrah Industrial Gases from Paris-based Air Liquide S.A.

– Anatolian Kitchen is still closed for renovations, according to a sign at the Taylor Court, Bethlehem, business. 

– After 36 years, the owners of Cavaluzzo’s Pasta, Steaks & Subs in Emmaus are retiring, and the restaurant will close.

– The high-tech conglomerate formerly known as II-VI (pronounced “two-six”) has taken on the name of a company it acquired, Coherent Corp. 

– Palmer Township’s board of supervisors approved a conditional-use application for four industrial buildings know as “First Park 33” on Tatamy Road, between Newlins Mill and Corriere roads.

– The Florida-based chain Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers plans to open three physical-therapy clinics within two years in the Lehigh Valley.

– Radish Republic, a specialty grocery store on North Seventh Street in Allentown, is closing after three years.

– The Palmer Township Zoning Hearing Board made the decision to keep a cease-and-desist order against The Reserve at Palmer Pointe apartments, which township officials say were built contrary to designs submitted six years ago.

– The Allentown-Based payment-processing company Shift4Payments Inc. introduced SkyTab POS, a point-of-sale system for restaurants. 

– The Bethlehem Planning Commission approved three separate “mixed-use” buildings for South Bethlehem, on East Fourth Street, South New Street and West Fourth Street.

– Transform Rehabilitation’s physical-therapy clinics in Allentown, New Tripoli and Whitehall are now part of Upstream, which owns or manages more than 1,200 locations in the U.S.

– The Lehigh Valley’s newest Wawa opened on the east side of Nazareth Pike/Route 191, just south of the Borough of Nazareth. 

– DoubleTree Hotel has expanded its catering to private jets that take off from Reading Regional Airport.

– The not-for-profit Kutztown Community Partnership has discussed buying the shuttered Strand Theatre to continue its tradition, but KCP would need grants and donations to keep it going.

– A man police say was drunk drove into Budd Lake Bagel & Deli II in Hackettstown, New Jersey, on Sunday night, causing the shop to close indefinitely.

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Gas inflation has broken records at a dizzying pace: In June 2022, the national average gas price hit a high of more than $5 per gallon, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Simultaneously, the Consumer Price Index, which measures how the cost of consumer goods and services changes over time, saw its highest 12-month increase in 40 years.

As summer ended, those prices had started to recede, AAA data shows, but there’s no promise that the trend will continue.

Here are five ways small businesses can offset high gas prices by saving money at the pump and elsewhere.

1. Earn cash back at the pump

Small businesses that spend a considerable amount on fuel costs might consider applying for business gas credit cards that offer up to 3% cash back on fuel purchases. These cards can be used alongside gas apps — which help consumers find the cheapest gas in their area — and station-specific membership accounts that award consumers points or discounts.

2. Monitor how your cost of goods sold changes

A business’s cost of goods sold, or COGS, comprises all expenses directly related to the sale of products or services. It strongly influences a business’s bottom line; a business’s sales must be greater than its cost of goods sold to generate a profit.

Julie Oldham, a certified public accountant and consultant at the Michigan Small Business Development Center, says small-business owners can’t continue to operate as is when their cost of goods sold rises. Money spent on gas is often included in the cost of goods sold for service- and product-based businesses.

“It goes back to the grindstone,” she says. “Really just being on top of your numbers.” As your cost of goods sold increases, your consumer-facing prices should rise to ensure you’re still making a profit.

3. Know when to raise your prices

If small businesses don’t raise their prices when they’re being affected by inflation, Oldham warns, they risk going out of business. In service-based businesses, this price hike should be clearly stated in invoices so that customers understand why they’re paying more. More specifically, Oldham says, business owners should create a sub-account under expenses for gas costs to isolate and monitor the exact amount spent on fuel.

Oldham also suggests businesses review client contracts to ensure they include the right to raise prices.

4. Invest time in financial forecasting

“Even if you try to cut down on your expenses … you have competition,” Oldham says. One of her clients, for example, recently tried purchasing an electric van to save money on fuel, but the competition had beaten her to it and none were available. Financial forecasting can put small businesses in a position to make these decisions before prices skyrocket by helping them set goals and estimate their future profit.

If your accounting software doesn’t include forecasting capabilities, the small-business coaching organization SCORE offers free templates on its website.

5. Improve your business’s efficiency

Switching to an electric vehicle is one way to battle high gas prices, but small businesses can also offset the cost of fuel by making changes to other parts of their operations. For example, Oldham suggests reviewing packing and shipping processes. “Do you have lighter-weight packing materials?” she asks. “How about the smallest containers?”

On a different note, small-business owners might explore ways to make their buildings more efficient in the long run, says Joni Krolczyk, a senior business consultant at the Michigan Small Business Development Center.

“There are a lot of entities and programs that are coming to light now, encouraging businesses to explore those options and incentivizing them to do so,” Krolczyk says. “So they may not reap those benefits immediately, but over five, 10, 15 years, that’s going to affect their bottom line.”

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency can help small-business owners find energy-related tax deductions, tax credits, grant programs and rebates in their state. Some local utility companies also have small-business energy efficiency programs that offer entrepreneurs additional incentives.

The article 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Offset High Gas Prices originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — A growing number of businesses, including grocery stores and gas stations, are temporarily closing across Puerto Rico as power outages caused by Hurricane Fiona drag on in the U.S. territory, sparking concern about the availability of fuel and basic goods.

Hand-written signs warning of closures have been popping up more frequently, eliciting sighs and groans from customers on an island where 62% of 1.47 million clients still do not have power more than four days after the storm hit.

Betty Merced, a retiree who lives in the southern coastal city of Salinas, said she has spent several days looking for diesel to fill up her generator to no avail. She uses a sleep apnea machine and cannot risk going without it.

“There are a lot of people with a lot of needs,” she said. “If there is no diesel, we’re going to be very much in harm’s way.”

Merced said she would travel to the nearby town of Santa Isabel on Friday, and if she doesn’t find diesel there, she will drive more than an hour to the northern city of Caguas, where at least one convenience store had a “No gas” sign on its door Thursday evening.

“I didn’t think we were going to be so many days without power,” she said.

Gasoline also was unavailable in Salinas after all gas stations shut down Wednesday, said community leader Wanda Ríos Colorado.

“When I saw that, my stomach almost turned,” she said, adding that it gave her flashbacks of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths and sparking severe shortages of fuel, food, water and cash.

People also have struggled to get their prescriptions as some pharmacies temporarily close.

Puerto Rico’s Department of Consumer Affairs said there is no shortage of fuel, but rather a disruption to the system as a result of flooding, landslides and an island-wide power outage caused by Fiona when it slammed into Puerto Rico’s southwestern corner Sunday as a Category 1 storm.

Some fuel stations were unable to reopen or could not be refilled in the storm’s early aftermath, officials said.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Edan Rivera sought to temper concerns, saying that “there is no basis to talk about a fuel shortage in Puerto Rico.” He added that his agency also has found sufficient supplies of basic goods.

On Thursday evening, Rivera announced that crews finally restored power to a gasoline distribution terminal in the southeastern town of Yabucoa that had been operating at a third of its capacity because it was running on a generator.

Rivera said this would speed up distribution of fuel across the island because the terminal could now operate 24 hours a day until the island recovers from the storm.

He said there is 16 days’ worth of regular gasoline, 17 for diesel and 29 for premium.

“There’s a peak in demand in the most affected areas, but it has been normalizing as trucks arrive,” he said.

Rivera added that some wholesalers have taken measures to prevent retailers from hoarding fuel.

“Some will say they have received less product, but it’s not that they’re getting less. They asked for a lot, and to err on the side of caution, they’re not being given everything they ask for,” he said.

Rivera also noted that a container ship carrying 300,000 barrels of diesel would arrive Friday and the product would be distributed starting Saturday.

Government officials said they expected to restore power by Friday in areas that were not severely affected by the storm, although they have not said when people living in storm-ravaged areas might have electricity.

U.S. President Joe Biden pledged Thursday to help Puerto Rico recover from Fiona, saying, “We are with you, we are not going to walk away.”

He recently approved an emergency disaster declaration and a major disaster declaration, which would free up more federal assistance to those affected by the hurricane. Biden also announced 100% federal funding for debris removal, search and rescue efforts, power and water restoration and shelter and food for one month.

“We’ll do everything we can to meet the urgent needs you have,” he said. “And we know they’re real, and they’re significant.”

Associated Press journalist Maricarmen Rivera Sánchez contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve delivered its bluntest reckoning Wednesday of what it will take to finally tame painfully high inflation: Slower growth, higher unemployment and potentially a recession.

Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged what many economists have been saying for months: That the Fed’s goal of engineering a “soft landing” — in which it would manage to slow growth enough to curb inflation but not so much as to cause a recession — looks increasingly unlikely.

“The chances of a soft landing,” Powell said, “are likely to diminish” as the Fed steadily raises borrowing costs to slow the worst streak of inflation in four decades. “No one knows whether this process will lead to a recession or, if so, how significant that recession would be.”

Before the Fed’s policymakers would consider halting their rate hikes, he said, they would have to see continued slow growth, a “modest” increase in unemployment and “clear evidence” that inflation is moving back down to their 2% target.

“We have got to get inflation behind us,” Powell said. “I wish there were a painless way to do that. There isn’t.”

Powell’s remarks followed another substantial three-quarters of a point rate hike — its third straight — by the Fed’s policymaking committee. Its latest action brought the Fed’s key short-term rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to 3% to 3.25%. That’s its highest level since early 2008.

Falling gas prices have slightly lowered headline inflation, which was a still-painful 8.3% in August compared with a year earlier. Those declining prices at the gas pump might have contributed to a recent rise in President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings, which Democrats hope will boost their prospects in the November midterm elections.

On Wednesday, the Fed officials also forecast more jumbo-size hikes to come, raising their benchmark rate to roughly 4.4% by year’s end — a full point higher than they had envisioned as recently as June. And they expect to raise the rate again next year, to about 4.6%. That would be the highest level since 2007.

By raising borrowing rates, the Fed makes it costlier to take out a mortgage or an auto or business loan. Consumers and businesses then presumably borrow and spend less, cooling the economy and slowing inflation.

In their quarterly economic forecasts, the Fed’s policymakers also projected that economic growth will stay weak for the next few years, with unemployment rising to 4.4% by the end of 2023, up from its current level of 3.7%. Historically, economists say, any time unemployment has risen by a half-point over several months, a recession has always followed.

“So the (Fed’s) forecast is an implicit admission that a recession is likely, unless something extraordinary happens,” said Roberto Perli, an economist at Piper Sandler, an investment bank.

Fed officials now foresee the economy expanding just 0.2% this year, sharply lower than their forecast of 1.7% growth just three months ago. And they envision sluggish growth below 2% from 2023 through 2025. Even with the steep rate hikes the Fed foresees, it still expects core inflation — which excludes volatile food and gas costs — to be 3.1% at the end of 2023, well above its 2% target.

Powell warned in a speech last month that the Fed’s moves will “bring some pain” to households and businesses. And he added that the central bank’s commitment to bringing inflation back down to its 2% target was “unconditional.”

Short-term rates at a level the Fed is now envisioning will force many Americans to pay much higher interest payments on a variety of loans than in the recent past. Last week, the average fixed mortgage rate topped 6%, its highest point in 14 years, which helps explain why home sales have tumbled. Credit card rates have reached their highest level since 1996, according to Bankrate.com.

Inflation now appears increasingly fueled by higher wages and by consumers’ steady desire to spend and less by the supply shortages that had bedeviled the economy during the pandemic recession. On Sunday, Biden said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he believed a soft landing for the economy was still possible, suggesting that his administration’s recent energy and health care legislation would lower prices for pharmaceuticals and health care.

The law may help lower prescription drug prices, but outside analyses suggest it will do little to immediately bring down overall inflation. Last month, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office judged it would have a “negligible” effect on prices through 2023. The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model went even further to say “the impact on inflation is statistically indistinguishable from zero” over the next decade.

Even so, some economists are beginning to express concern that the Fed’s rapid rate hikes — the fastest since the early 1980s — will cause more economic damage than necessary to tame inflation. Mike Konczal, an economist at the Roosevelt Institute, noted that the economy is already slowing and that wage increases — a key driver of inflation — are levelling off and by some measures even declining a bit.

Surveys also show that Americans are expecting inflation to ease significantly over the next five years. That is an important trend because inflation expectations can become self-fulfilling: If people expect inflation to ease, some will feel less pressure to accelerate their purchases. Less spending would then help moderate price increases.

The Fed’s rapid rate hikes mirror steps that other major central banks are taking, contributing to concerns about a potential global recession. The European Central Bank last week raised its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a percentage point. The Bank of England, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Bank of Canada have all carried out hefty rate increases in recent weeks.

And in China, the world’s second-largest economy, growth is already suffering from the government’s repeated COVID lockdowns. If recession sweeps through most large economies, that could derail the U.S. economy, too.

AP Economics Writer Paul Wiseman contributed to this report.

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Even though we’re only at the tail end of summer, retailers have already spent months gearing up for the holiday shopping season.

And due to a tornado of factors — including inflation, supply-chain woes and consumer spending habits that changed during COVID-19 lockdowns — retailers are looking ahead to a shopping season that promises to be even more challenging than usual.

It’s critical to prepare for the holiday season, because Black Friday and the weeks beyond can make or break a brick-and-mortar store, says Richard Rizika, partner and co-founder of Beta Agency, a commercial real estate agency based in greater Los Angeles. Rizika was also a vice chair in the retail services group at CBRE, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate investment firms.

“Many of the merchants haven’t made money this year and are counting on that push through the holiday season to produce the profits,” Rizika says. “If things fall flat, or you miss the merchandise or the consumer just doesn’t show up, it can be tragic.”

Thankfully, there are things business owners can do to set themselves apart amid a shopping environment that’s even more cutthroat than usual.

1. Get the word out about holiday sales early

Gone are the days of customers idly wandering the neighborhood or the mall and popping into stores. Today’s consumers are doing far more research before stepping foot into a store than they ever have, says Sean Turner, co-founder and chief technology officer of Swiftly, an e-commerce technology company.

“I think the biggest thing is being able to get the word out to consumers effectively to celebrate the savings and deals that they have,” Turner says. “Consumers have gotten a lot more planful.”

It’s a smart strategy for retailers to advertise their upcoming holiday sales as much as possible: through in-store signs, yes, but mostly through their websites and social media presence. Those are the platforms customers are checking before they choose whether to visit a store, especially if they’re planning to spend more than they typically do on nonessential items.

“Show them great savings and deals to drive that trip,” Turner says.

2. Better yet, launch sales earlier than your competitors

Sure, you can get customers excited about your upcoming sales. You could also roll out those sales earlier than your competitors, and even before the holiday season unofficially kicks off with Black Friday (Nov. 25 this year).

“Don’t be afraid if you’re a retailer and a good operator to make those deals available earlier than you have in the past,” says Jason Baker, principal at Baker Katz, a Houston-based retail brokerage.

Even if you can’t roll out your landmark sales before the holiday season, consider offering smaller sales now to entice shoppers into your store. If they aren’t familiar with your brand, those sales could bring customers back to complete their holiday shopping with you in a couple of months.

“Retail’s an early-bird game,” Turner says. “The first place you see the deal and you decide to buy it — guess what? That’s a product you’re not buying at another retailer.”

3. Have a top-notch website

If your store doesn’t already have a website, it’s too late to make that happen before this year’s holiday season, Baker says. If you have one, make sure it’s at least fully operational, user-friendly and completely up to date on your current inventory and availability. It’s a good time to polish your social media presence as well.

Retailers can optimize their website for heavy holiday traffic by “clearly marking which merchandise is out of stock or unavailable and sharing delivery options upfront,” says Peter Messana, CEO of Searchspring, an e-commerce software company.

Of course, these improvements aren’t needed just for the holiday season. Roughly 17.2% of all retail sales happen online, excluding cars and restaurant purchases, according to CBRE. And around 80% of shoppers first search for a store’s website before visiting the brick-and-mortar storefront, according to a 2021 survey conducted by Visual Objects, a creative design directory.

The best retailers, Rizika says, are “not only engaging while they are open — they’re engaging while they are closed.”

“Talk to the consumer and sell to the consumer while your doors are closed, through your ability to engage with them online, whether that’s with a great website or social media,” Rizika says.

4. Create an inviting place that’s more fun than online shopping

No longer is it enough for brick-and-mortar storefronts to showcase top-notch products and services. Today’s businesses need to make the store a destination that’s even better than the conveniences of online shopping.

“To use the store as a competitive advantage to me is something that the small business has to learn how to do,” Rizika says.

These improvements don’t have to be huge. If you’re in a temperate climate that allows year-round patio seating, consider setting up a couple of chairs or tables outside your store if that’s permitted. Maximize your store’s natural lighting. Set up some pretty, place-making plants around the store. Heck, see if there’s room for a comfy couch or some stylish chairs at the front of the store.

The point is, think about small ways to activate the space.

“Owners thinking about their places as brands, and trying to connect their brand with the consumer, is something you’re seeing great retailers have done for a long time, and more and more retailers are starting to recognize that trend,” Rizika says. “All these things that have become more and more important to us as consumers.”

The article 4 Things Retailers Can Do to Prepare for Holiday Shoppers originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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Last week’s Arkansas Hospitality Association convention in Little Rock provided a snapshot of where the state’s hospitality industry is post-COVID and the challenges that remain.

First, the good news: Arkansas, having posted a banner tourism year in calendar year 2019, is back on the upswing following the pandemic pause of 2020. 

According to a convention presentation by state tourism officials, Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax collections hit nearly $20.9 million in 2021, up from a seven-year low of $14.2 million in 2020 and the previous high-water mark of $17.9 million in 2019.

In all, 41.3 million people paid a visit to Arkansas last year, up more than 41% from 2020 and nearly 15% over 2019. Those visitors spent $8 billion last year, up 33% from 2020 and even with 2019.

And after losing nearly one in four Arkansas tourism jobs in 2020, industry employment bounced back in 2021 to 98% of pre-pandemic levels in restaurants, 96% in recreational businesses and 89% in lodging.

Second, the challenges: During a Tuesday luncheon panel, two hospitality leaders — Aaron Frazier, vice president of public policy for the National Restaurant Association, and Katie Wright, senior director of state and local government affairs for the American Hotel & Lodging Association — shared a national perspective of the industry obstacles that anyone in business knows by heart:

1) Staffing. Frazier and Wright said staffing is the No. 1 issue in their respective sectors. Frazier noted that, as of July, restaurant employment levels — while rising — remain 635,000 jobs below the pre-pandemic peak. While employment has bounced back in Arkansas, everyone in hospitality is worried about attracting and retaining a quality workforce.

2) Supply chain delays. Wright said that 96% of hoteliers are experiencing supply chain difficulties, making it difficult, for example, to stock cleaning supplies and linens.

3) Inflation. The rising cost of everything is roiling the industry. Frazier said food prices are up 16% year over year, and wages are up 10% — brutal for a low-margin business like restaurants.

So what happens now? With demand for travel and dining returning, how can hospitality confront these challenges? Frazier and Wright had some ideas:

1) Cultivate workers early. Both Frazier and Katie Beck, CEO of the Arkansas Hospitality Association, mentioned initiatives like ProStart, a high school instruction program that trains students in culinary arts and restaurant management. Arkansas has six schools in the program and Beck wants it to grow. 

The idea is to get to students early — perhaps elementary school — with the message that there are transferable skills and multiple career paths in hospitality. J.R. Shaw, executive director of Visit Rogers, mentioned to me our current era of the celebrity chef, but said the industry also needs “accountants and finance people, they need engineers, they need maintenance people, they need designers, they need marketing personnel.”  The industry “is much bigger than just what happens in the back of the house in the kitchen,” he said, and young people need to know that.

2) Restore access to foreign workers. Kraig Pomrenke, general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center, told me hospitality has lost the base of foreign workers it relied on and it needs to get them back. One hope: the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement (EWEA) proposal in the U.S. House, which would create a pathway for workers to come to the U.S. and work in certain low-margin industries. That could mean 60,000 new workers in the law’s first year. Frazier said getting EWEA passed will be a major focus of the association next year.

3) End the trade war. The trade war that began in 2018 must end, Frazier said, and removing tariffs on certain goods would mean a quick drop in some prices, easing the strain on hospitality. Remember that many of China’s retaliatory tariffs hit agriculture — soybeans, pork, i.e., things on restaurant menus.

Arkansas tourism enjoyed a banner year before the pandemic and appears to be back on the rise. Beck, Shaw and Pomrenke are optimistic about where the local industry is headed, despite current pains. And state tourism officials say the national perception of Arkansas as a tourism destination changed during the pandemic, drawing new visitors to the Natural State.

“Now it’s about building up the base,” Shaw told me, “… and understanding the challenges that we have moving forward to get the industry back to a whole state, and then even above that.”

 

Lance Turner is the editor of Arkansas Business.

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If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

– The Cadillac Pub opens where Klingers used to be at 24 E. Main Street in Fleetwood

– II-VI Inc. (pronounced “two-six”) will become Coherent Corp., taking on the name of a company it recently acquired.

– ABEC, a company that provides services and products to the pharmaceutical industry, with headquarters in Northampton County, will invest in a new disposable-container facility in North Carolina.

– A new Lehigh Valley Martial Arts center will hold a grand opening starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, with a ribbon-cutting shortly afterward.

– Bethlehem Township’s planning commission has approved an Amazon parking lot with 248 spaces at Brodhead and Mowrer roads.

– The Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board rejected variance requests that would have allowed multifamily homes to go up on the Southside properties at 508-512 Selfridge St.

– Northampton County Council voted 1-8 against a tax break for development of a proposed warehouse at the Dixie Cup building on South 25 Street in Wilson Borough.

– The former Valley Farm Market, now known as Gerrity’s Valley Farm Market, will take on a new name as of Oct. 14: Gerrity’s The Fresh Grocer.

– Hamsa Exoticz is already open at the Lehigh Valley Mall, but it will hold a grand opening at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 with the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce.

– A new Home Depot will open a 136,048-square-foot building on about 21 acres of vacant land just off Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township.

– Rocco Ayvazov’s Monocacy General Contracting received approval from the Bethlehem Planning Commission to put up a six-story building with 55 apartments and retail space on the first floor at 128 E. Third St.

– The old Allen Organ showroom building on Route 100 in Lower Macungie Township will come down and about 100 total apartment units will go up.

– Reading Hospitality’s Catering by DoubleTree will handle food at events at Reading Country Club, after Exeter Township supervisors approved a new agreement.

– Natural healing is the goal at Reike Balance, which will open Sept. 9. on Reading Avenue in West Reading.

– The Pocono Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening at the Bartonsville branch of Farmhouse Cafe.

– The reopening date for the historic Frenchtown Inn building overlooking the Delaware River in New Jersey remains unclear. 

– River Paws, a pet-supply store, is across Race Street from the Frenchtown Pharmacy.

– The planned reopening date of Aug. 13 for Toby’s Cup was pushed back after ownership said a dispute about the occupancy of a home on the hot dog stand’s property delayed the reopening.

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SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to press his attack on Ukraine despite Ukraine’s latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the country’s vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

Speaking to reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Putin said the “liberation” of Ukraine’s entire eastern Donbas region remained Russia’s main military goal and that he sees no need to revise it.

“We aren’t in a rush,” the Russian leader said, adding that Moscow has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Some hard-line politicians and military bloggers have urged the Kremlin to follow Ukraine’s example and order a broad mobilization to beef up the ranks, lamenting Russia’s manpower shortage.

Russia was forced to pull back its forces from large swaths of northeastern Ukraine last week after a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine’s move to reclaim control of several Russian-occupied cities and villages marked the largest military setback for Moscow since its forces had to retreat from areas near the capital early in the war.

In his first comment on the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin said: “Let’s see how it develops and how it ends.”

He noted that Ukraine has tried to strike civilian infrastructure in Russia and “we so far have responded with restraint, but just yet.”

“If the situation develops this way, our response will be more serious,” Putin said.

“Just recently, the Russian armed forces have delivered a couple of impactful strikes,” he said in an apparent reference to Russian attacks earlier this week on power plants in northern Ukraine and a dam in the south. ”Let’s consider those as warning strikes.”

He alleged, without offering specifics, that Ukraine has attempted to launch attacks “near our nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants,” adding that “we will retaliate if they fail to understand that such methods are unacceptable.”

Russia has reported numerous explosions and fires at civilian infrastructure in areas near Ukraine, as well munitions depots and other facilities. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks and refrained from commenting on others.

Putin also sought Friday to assuage India’s concern about the conflict in Ukraine, telling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Moscow wants to see a quick end to the fighting and alleging that Ukrainian officials won’t negotiate.

“I know your stand on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you have repeatedly voiced,” the Russian leader told Modi. “We will do all we can to end that as quickly as possible. Regrettably, the other side, the leadership of Ukraine, has rejected the negotiations process and stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, on the battlefield.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it’s Russia that allegedly doesn’t want to negotiate in earnest. He also has insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine as a precondition for talks.

Putin’s remarks during the talks with Modi echoed comments the Russian leader made during Thursday’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when Putin thanked him for his government’s “balanced position” on the Ukraine war, while adding that he was ready to discuss China’s unspecified “concerns” about Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Putin said he and Xi “discussed what we should do in the current conditions to efficiently counter unlawful restrictions” imposed by the West. The European Union, the United States and other Western nations have put sanctions on Russian energy due to the war in Ukraine.

Xi, in a statement released by his government, expressed support for Russia’s “core interests” but also interest in working together to “inject stability” into world affairs. China’s relations with Washington, Europe, Japan and India have been strained by disputes about technology, security, human rights and territory.

Zhang Lihua, an international relations expert at Tsinghua University, said the reference to stability “is mainly related to China-U.S. relations,” adding that “the United States has been using all means to suppress China, which forced China to seek cooperation with Russia.”

China and India have refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine while increasing their purchases of Russian oil and gas, helping Moscow offset the financial restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

Putin also met Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss bolstering economic cooperation and regional issues, including a July deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to resume from the country’s Black Sea ports.

Speaking at the Uzbekistan summit on Friday, Xi warned his Central Asian neighbors not to allow outsiders to destabilize them. The warning reflects Beijing’s anxiety that Western support for democracy and human rights activists is a plot to undermine Xi’s ruling Communist Party and other authoritarian governments.

“We should prevent external forces from instigating a color revolution,” Xi said in a speech to the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member nations, referring to protests that toppled unpopular regimes in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.

Xi offered to train 2,000 police officers, to set up a regional counterterrorism training center and to “strengthen law enforcement capacity building.” He did not elaborate.

His comments echoed longtime Russian grievances about the color-coded democratic uprisings in several ex-Soviet nations that the Kremlin viewed as instigated by the U.S. and its allies.

Xi is promoting a “Global Security Initiative” announced in April following the formation of the Quad by the U.S., Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijing’s more assertive foreign policy. U.S. officials complain it echoes Russian arguments in support of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

Central Asia is part of China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across an arc of dozens of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was formed by Russia and China as a counterweight to U.S. influence. The group also includes India, Pakistan and the four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran is on track to receive full membership.

Follow all AP stories about the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.

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Worlds of Work

Today is the deadline for businesses to register for the fall Worlds of Work 2022. WOW welcomes eighth-grade students to the James R. Wilkins Jr. Athletic and Events Center at Shenandoah University on Oct. 13 and 14 to learn about career opportunities at your business. Information, registration: email Jenna French at jfrench@shenandoahcountyva.us or visit https://tinyurl.com/56uapsvr.

Paws & Purrs

The Paws & Purrs, a new program developed by Blue Ridge Hospice that provides free pet services to patients, will be at Muse Vineyards from 5 to 8 p.m. today at 16 Serendipity Lane, Woodstock.

The event will include a complimentary drink, snacks, pet photography, pet awards and more. Four-footed and furry friends welcome.

Tickets, which are $30 per person, can be obtained at https://tinyurl.com/msfmuru2.

DCCU shred day

DuPont Community Credit Union in Woodstock will host a community shred day from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

EDC breakfast

The Yellow Barn will host this year’s Shenandoah County Economic Development breakfast from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday at 470 Caverns Road, Shenandoah Caverns. Registration: https://tinyurl.com/5b3u9c4f.

Banks Education Foundation

Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown is one of 13 community colleges benefiting from the Virginia Banks and Virginia Bankers Association Education Foundation’s new Virginia Banking Fellows Program that begins this fall in partnership with the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education.

The mission of this new statewide program is to provide opportunities for deserving community college students to pursue academic goals, strengthen leadership skills and learn more about the banking industry.

Thirteen students from 10 Virginia community colleges have been designated as Virginia Banking Fellows and will each receive a $7,000 scholarship to support tuition, books, fees and other expenses related to their education.

The banking industry contributed an additional $3,000 per Fellow to cover educational elements and the administrative fees of the Program, for a total of $10,000 per Fellow and $130,000 in all.

Seven Virginia banks have also committed a total of $70,000 to sponsor a student from each of the following community colleges for the 2022-2023 Virginia Banking Fellows Program:

• Laurel Ridge Community College, sponsored by First Bank

• Northern Virginia Community College, sponsored by the Bank of Clarke County Foundation

The Fellows program launched Sept. 15-16 at an orientation in Richmond and will run through May.

Commonwealth Senior Living

Commonwealth Senior Living at Front Royal was named among the Best Memory Care Communities for 2022 by MemoryCare.com. Recipients of this recognition are judged in four main categories: providing a safe and secure environment for residents; maintaining cognitive abilities; managing behavioral challenges; and facilitating a high quality of life. In total, 18 Commonwealth Senior Living communities across the East Coast were named Best Memory Care Communities for 2022 by MemoryCare.com.

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