THE STATE’S BUSINESS NEWS AUTHORITY. Light It Up Arkansas cities, counties and Arkansas school districts are taking advantage of new financing to save money by going solar . [P10] Business [PHOTO PROVIDED] UPDATED DAILY: ArkansasBusiness.com VOL. 36, NO. 29 JULY 22-28, 2019 $1.50 SPOTLIGHT: Infrastructure Water rushes through the levee along the Arkansas River in Dardanelle on May 31. [YELL COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT VIA AP] Executive Q&A With A.J. Gary Th e director of emer- gency management says businesses need to have plans and to make sure employees know them. [P22] Whose Levees? The Lists [P13-15] Historic flooding forces re-evaluation of long-neglected system Subcontractors, By Jan Cottingham | [email protected] Highway Projects Whispers [P3] n the end, what was most The flooding caused more farmland inundated, sections should be responsible for the Gross-ery case surprising was that the than $100 million in dam- of roads and highways washed levees? Who should pay for their settled in Alma levees held up as well as age in Arkansas and another away. And damage estimates maintenance? they did. $450 million in damage to the are still being compiled. Examining the state’s levees IThe historic spring flood- McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Now comes the re-evaluation will be the job of the 25-mem- ing along the Arkansas River Navigation System alone, Gov. of Arkansas’ long-neglected ber Arkansas Levee Task ARKANSAS BUSINESS unleashed “an inland tsunami,” Asa Hutchinson told Arkansas levee system, which will surely Force, whose members were PUBLISHING GROUP in state Sen. Jason Rapert’s Business last week. Houses and seek to address at least two big words. businesses were destroyed, public policy questions: Who LEVEES CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Public-Private Partnerships Making Progress By Mark Friedman Arkansas at Little Rock’s Bowen profits from the project, while [email protected] School of Law. taxpayers, at least in theory, will He said that state agencies save money because the private Arkansas is less than a year that don’t have money to pay company brings experience and away from tapping a rich new they could yield a gusher of proj- for projects could do so under efficiency while covering most source of economic develop- ects, according to legal experts the public-private partner- of the upfront costs. ment, public-private partner- and state development officials. ships program, known as P3s, “If you expand the access to ships that will build and operate Public-private partnerships which allow for a private firm other financing sources, then public assets like college dormi- “will increase development and to finance, design, build and more projects can be execut- tories or parking decks. investment in the state,” said operate a public asset. The state ed,” said Watkins, who also Authorized by a 2017 state Larry Watkins, an adjunct pro- agency will continue to own the law, the partnerships have fessor, who teaches construc- asset. PARTNERSHIP CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 drawn little notice so far, but tion law at the University of The private company gets the Now accepting entries for the 2019 Trendsetter City Program Pg. 23 www.ArkansasBusiness.com/Trendsetter ANNOUNCING THE 2019 BEST PLACES TO WORK IN ARKANSAS • Acxiom • Advantage Service Company • Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield • Arkansas Federal Credit Union • Baldwin & Shell Construction Company • Baxter Regional Medical Center • BNSF Logistics, LLC. • Braswell and Son Pawnbrokers • BSR REIT • CaseStack, LLC • Catholic High School for Boys • Central Arkansas Water • CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs • CJRW • Conway Regional Health System • Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus, P.C. • Datamax, Inc. • Delta Dental of Arkansas • Edafio Technology Partners • Entegrity • Farmers Bank & Trust Co. • Flintco, LLC • FNBC Bank • Harrison Energy Partners • Information Network of Arkansas (INA) • Kimbel Mechanical Systems, Inc. • Medical Center of South Arkansas • Movista, Inc. • Perks Worldwide • Phigenics • Publishing Concepts, LP • Rainwater, Holt & Sexton • Rausch Coleman Homes • RevUnit • SHARE Foundation • Simmons Bank • St. Bernards Medical Center • Supreme Lending • The Brad Hendricks Law Firm • Total Quality Logistics • Travel Nurse Across America • TRS Healthcare • USAble Life • VCC Construction • WELSCO, Inc. • Wright Lindsey Jennings JOIN US FOR AN AWARDS LUNCHEON HONORING THE 2019 WINNERS THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Embassy Suites, Little Rock For more information & To Purchase Tickets: ArkansasBusiness.com/Tickets/BestPlaces19 PRESENTED BY SPONSORED BY Keeping People Productive at home...at work...at life IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Arkansas Business July 22, 2019 3 Arkansas Business Whispers For daily news, register at ArkansasBusiness.com/Enews Grocery Deal property and most of those were used for An Alma wholesaler and discount its wholesale business, said its attorney, grocery store operator reached an agree- J. Dalton Person of the law firm Jones ment last week with the federal gov- Jackson Moll McGinnis & Stocks of Fort A classic View-Master brought faraway places ernment in a case that may turn your Smith. into our homes with hand-held images. stomach. J&L also operated a deep discount If you recall, last November, the U.S. grocery store, but none of the FDA’s alle- Food & Drug Administration seized more gations involved that operation, J&L’s Lunar Refl ection than $400,000 worth of FDA-regulated court filings said. The 50th anniversary of landing by the oscillating drone of cicadas products from J&L Grocery LLC because Person said J&L, which is owned by a man on the moon turned our while contemplating the Space Race. they were being stored in insanitary con- James T. White and managed by Lori A. thoughts back to the 1960s. It was a Pointing to the heavens and the ditions, according to a news release for Layne, decided to close the store at the simpler time when mutually assured earth’s nightlight, the child asks: “Is the FDA. end of June. destruction provided comfort during that where they are shooting rockets?” An FDA inspection last year at the J&L agreed to destroy the items seized the Cold War. “Yes,” his mother confirmed. 5.2-acre property found “multiple live about nine months ago. The consent Clicking through early childhood After pondering the consequenc- and dead rodents, rodent nesting, live decree ends a forfeiture complaint filed memories, the decade was a mixture es of firing missiles at the moon, he racoons, live cats, a dead possum, ani- by federal prosecutors in U.S. District of bottle rockets, Saturn rockets and blurts out a disturbing observation: mal feces, and urine-stained products in Court in Fort Smith. intercontinental ballistic missiles. “Don’t they know they’ll blow it up?” and around the company’s seven ware- “Once they destroy all the goods, … A particular image on our View- He was relieved to learn that the houses and sheds used to store food, they’re going to move forward and do Master reel of time drew a lingering lunar missiles would be carrying a medical products and cosmetics,” the something that does not involve FDA- gaze. A very young boy is sitting on different payload than their nuclear- release said. regulated goods,” Person said. the front steps of his small-town, warhead-toting brethren. We’re going to spare you the photo He said they might open another liq- Arkansas home with his mom one The moon would be spared from exhibits. You’re welcome. summer evening. They are serenaded target practice. ■ J&L had several buildings on the WHISPERS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Little Rock Darragh Headquarters Lowell Darragh/Arkansas Rebar 1401 E. 6th Street • Little Rock, AR 72202 317 Commercial Ave. • Lowell, AR 72745 501-372-2112 • Fax 501-372-1001 479-725-0707 • Fax 479-725-0713 Conway Darragh/Tool Central Benton Arkansas Rebar 675 E. Robins Street • Conway, AR 72032 1222 B Airlane Drive • Benton, AR 72015 501-358-6988 • Fax 501-358-6548 501-315-7654 • Fax 501-315-6915 Fort Smith Darragh/Tool Central Batesville Tool Central 4731 Zero Street • Fort Smith, AR 72903 1240 N. St. Louis Street • Batesville, AR 72501 479-648-3930 • Fax 479-648-3795 870-698-8665 • Fax 870-698-0009 Hot Springs Darragh/Tool Central Pocahontas Tool Central 1800 Higdon Ferry Road • Hot Springs, AR 71913 2010 Industrial Drive • Pocahontas, AR 72455 501-520-4440 • Fax 501-520-4449 870-892-8665 • Fax 870-892-7076 Jonesboro Darragh/Tool Central Memphis Tool Central 2919 S. Caraway Road • Jonesboro, AR 72401 4871 E. Shelby Drive • Memphis, TN 38118 870-934-8788 • Fax 870-934-8786 901-795-0705 • Fax 901-795-0683 Texarkana Darragh/Tool Central 6201 Mall Drive • Nash, TX 75569 ToolCentral.com SHOP ONLINE! 903-793-3822 • Fax 903-793-4222 DarraghCompany.com 4 July 22, 2019 Arkansas Business WHISPERS WHISPERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 ◗ Glen Una Holdings Little Rock LLC of Seller? Exit 114 Properties LLC, led by Los Gatos, California, bought the 104 Kenneth Martin. Where the Yellow Went uidation facility and probably call it J&L Champs Blvd. project in Maumelle for ◗ The Cynthia Ann Hubach Trust sold a You may have read in Whispers last Liquidators. $20.7 million. home in Little Rock’s Edgehill neighbor- week that the state’s new medical mar- “But I don’t think that name is certain Seller: RCS-Little Rock LLC, an affiliate hood for $1.5 million to Dora Flesher. ijuana market has mango and lemon yet,” Person said. of Real Capital Solutions of Louisville, ◗ Los Gallos Taqueria Inc., led by flavored gummies, but to the eye they Colorado. Sergio and Javier Atilano, acquired the might as well be blueberry. ◗ D&D In North Little Rock Inc., led by former Hardee’s at 8703 Geyer Springs “ABC said no to the mango and lemon Big Deals Umesh Patel, sold the Super 8 Motel at Road in southwest Little Rock for $1.2 colors,” said Robert Lercher of Bold Team A 484,932-SF distribution facility in 3925 McCain Park Drive for $2.3 mil- million.