MULLENIX & ASSOCIATES

Two of Mississippi County’s largest employers, Big River Steel and Atlas Tube, have both made renewed investments in the “Work Here, Live Here” housing incentive program, contributing more than $800,000 in new funds.

The National Cold War Center and the Woodrow Wilson Center, whose parent company is the Smithsonian Institution, have announced a partnership to help preserve the story and advance learning about the world’s most protracted and expensive war.

Arkansas native Ted Mullenix was elected by the National Association of State Lobbyists to serve on its board of directors. 

“There’s no place like home,” is one of my favorite movie lines of all time because it sums up how I feel about where I am from and reminds me how amazing things can often be found right under my nose. Nowhere is that more true than one of my favorite places in the world, the incomparable Oaklawn Hot Springs, Arkansas.

U.S. Steel has been certified to sell products manufactured at its Big River mill in Osceola as ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel.

Mullenix and Associates' own Austin Grinder was recently recognized as a "Legal Elite" by Arkansas Money & Politics.

In northeastern Arkansas, Blytheville was ranked No. 54, the highest of any micropolitan area in the state. With a population of 38,896, Blytheville is the largest city in Mississippi County. 

In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, Dr. Sam Taggart, a retired family medicine physician and author of several books, speaks about his latest book, “For Every Family, a Family Doctor,” which explores the history of family medicine in our state. 

Three lawmakers met with local business, education, and defense industry leaders to highlight economic opportunities and workforce development.

Whether in the buying-selling process or eagerly awaiting next steps, the Arkansas Realtors Association shared some of its go-to guidance.

Industry experts say green steel is the future, and Mississippi County steel plants are leading the way.

Hybar of Osceola is set to partner with CarbiCrete of Montreal to manufacture cement-free concrete blocks.

The National Cold War Center aims to become a major tourist attraction in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Realtors Association will provide $2 million in recovery funds to those impacted by the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes.

Clif Chitwood, CEO and president of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, shares Mississippi County's magic playbook for industrial recruitment.

In this Executive Q&A, Dr. Chris Heigle shares how Arkansas Northeastern College is recruiting students, building industry partnerships and ensuring the highest first-year pay for graduates in the state.

With a snip of a thick, red ribbon, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital officially opened a state-of-the-art, $95 million expansion that ups the hospital's intensive care capacity and features technology that will position the hospital as one of few worldwide boasting innovative technology for young patients with cardiac complications.

When complete, the National Cold War Center will be a “hub of heritage tourism," telling the story of “nuclear deterrence” during a time our country faced the ever-growing threat of annihilation.

Chicago-based Zekelman Industries, North America's largest manufacturer of steel tubes and pipes, is investing up to $120 million to expand a Mississippi County factory and for products made by a subsidiary, Atlas Tube.

Our client, Arkansas Northeastern College, is a model for how two-year institutions can tailor programs to meet industry needs and help fuel our state's economic growth.

Congratulations to our client, Lenore Trammell of Big River Steel, on being named to Arkansas Money & Politics 2024 C-Suite.

Dr. Karla Neathery, president of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators offer her advice for how to be a successful leader.

Quincy Hurst, COO of Superior Senior Care, shares tips about how to determine if or when a loved one might need a caregiver.

Congratulations to our very own Julie Mullenix, attorney and lobbyist, on this well-deserved recognition from Arkansas Money & Politics.

Having been a part of Oaklawn for more than a third of its 120-year history, senior vice president, board of directors member and Arkansas Business Hall of Famer Eric Jackson has been an integral part of those transformations, both old and new.

Congratulations to our long-time client, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, on once again making Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Midsize Employers."

Stephanie White has been named chief executive officer of the Arkansas Realtors Association of Little Rock, one of the state’s largest associations.

Work to return the historic Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa in Hot Springs to its former glory has progressed in ways that even casual passersby can’t help but notice.

As David Stickler of our client Hybar LLC said in this Executive Q&A, "Arkansas is clearly open for business, especially the steel business."

Congratulations to our client on receiving one of the 2023 Northeast Arkansas Outstanding Business of the Year Awards!

Highland LLC is expanding its footprint in Pine Bluff to meet the rapidly growing demand for renewable power generation by acquiring Fiber Resources. It will now operate as Highland FR.

The National Cold War Center in Blytheville will receive half a million dollars from the Arkansas Attorney General's office.

The world is changing, US Steel president and CEO Dave Burritt said, and perhaps it is no more evident than in the new line that can produce the thinnest gauges, widest widths and biggest coils in the domestic steel market today.

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas is donating more than $5.9 million to five Arkansas organizations to address child and adolescent mental health, suicide and substance abuse issues.

BAFB's five galleries are a warm-up act for the planned National Cold War Center. Its indoor-outdoor complex is targeted to open here in 2027 as another potentially major Arkansas visitor attraction.

Lexicon, Inc. has entered into a partnership with Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) to expand a level two maintenance mechanics course for employees.

Whether it was rural labor during his childhood or the challenge of taking office as the first Republican in Garland County since Reconstruction, Ted Mullenix was undaunted by hard work.

One of the largest industrial projects in Arkansas is being completed in Jefferson County, bringing more than 200 new jobs and hoping to bring economic stability.

In honor of Dancing With Our Stars on September 7, we’re sharing a throwback video of Ted Mullenix, 2021 Mirror Ball winner and 2023 event co-chair.

A newly formed company, Hybar LLC, announced that it has started construction on its technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable scrap metal recycling steel rebar mill project.

For the second year in a row, Forbes magazine has listed Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield among the nation’s Best Employers for Women.

Mullenix & Associates is honored to represent the Local Railroads of Arkansas and highlight its positive economic impact on the state.

Mississippi County has seen its revenue jump in recent years thanks to the steel industry. Now government officials hope people will start moving to the county and reverse a longtime decline in population.

Big River Steel in Osceola is firing up a $450 million electrical steel line early in the third quarter, making thin steel sheets for industrial motors and EV engines. It’s also continuing work on a new $3 billion plant, Big River 2, that owner U.S. Steel describes as one of the most advanced steel mills in the world.

Hosted by the Children’s Tumor Foundation, this year’s Dancing with Our Stars on September 7 is co-chaired by Ted and Julie Mullinex.

The National Cold War Center in Blytheville announced it has received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways program, in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

Plans for a multimillion-dollar museum of the Cold War era — during which the Eaker Air Force Base once served — are viewed as signs of hope and prosperity.

Austin Grinder, Mullenix & Associates attorney and lobbyist, shares a mid-session legislative update.

Our client, the National Cold War Center, has received a $400,000 grant from the Division of Arkansas Heritage Cultural Institutions Trust Fund.

U.S. Steel announced that its Big River Steel facility in Osceola has a production agreement with General Motors, the nation's largest automaker.

U.S. Steel has existed for more than 120 years, and one reason is that the company has embraced technological advancement, Big River Steel (BRS) Chief Commercial Officer Dan Brown told members of the Rotary Club of Little Rock.

Arkansas Business featured our longtime client Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and its GM Wayne Smith.

Training for some vocations has been a time and opportunity obstacle for many community colleges for years. But a new virtual reality program at Arkansas Northeastern College could render problems like this moot.

“The steel-fueled economic development party in Mississippi County" continued with the help of a $3-billion project from U.S. Steel and two new plants from Zekelman Industries, landing both our clients on Arkansas Business' list of top stories for 2022.

Ted Mullenix, president and CEO, is once again named to the Arkansas 250, a list of one of the state's most influential leaders.

Little Rock Soiree recognized Austin Grinder, Mullenix & Associates attorney and lobbyist, as one of Little Rock Soiree's Men on a Mission.

Canoo has received another big order for its electric vans, following the one from Walmart announced in July.

Entergy Arkansas has gained regulatory approval for the biggest solar energy complex in the state, a new 250-megawatt project near Osceola in Mississippi County.

The National Cold War Center has received $1.9 million in state funds to advance plans to build a museum at the decommissioned Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville.

United States Steel Corp., through the company’s Big River Works facilities, has presented $1 million in donations to organizations in the city of Osceola, Arkansas, and Mississippi County, Arkansas.

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort will be the presenting sponsor for the 31st annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, which will be held at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa.

Wilson & Associates, PLLC, and Attorney’s Title Group, LLC, affiliates of The Wilson Law Group, announced two new co-managing partners.

Not even two weeks after finalizing the deal with Walmart, Canoo’s LDVs are hitting the streets for testing. Canoo’s EV vans were sent out for their first deliveries in Dallas in a 7-days-a-week program.

Kambi began handling Oaklawn's on-site sportsbook last year through a partnership with Churchill Downs Incorporated. Under the new agreement, Oaklawn plans to expand its sports betting operations.

Representative Jeff Wardlaw and Senator Jonathan Dismang share how commonsense initiatives like Act 594 are helping timber industry leaders like Highland Pellets grow.

Mullenix & Associates was honored to be with Sarah Huckabee Sanders and U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in Little Rock.

Twin concerns over rising costs and climate change have prompted some county officials in Arkansas to begin moving power needs to renewable energy sources, with solar power one of the primary alternate sources to keep the lights on.

The South Port Commerce Center project, headed by the Kansas-based commercial real estate firm Bluestem Partners, includes a pair of industrial warehouses adjacent to the Port of Little Rock.

Walmart Inc. of Bentonville announced an agreement to purchase 4,500 electric vehicles from Canoo Inc. to be used for final mile deliveries.

Arkansas’s steel economy is booming. In this column, Austin Grinder, attorney and registered lobbyist, lays out what's behind the industry's surge.

Leaders debuted a new five-acre solar facility in Saline County with hopes of being able to save tax payers a bit of money.

Austin Grinder discusses the factors that make Northeast Arkansas an easy sell to businesses that are considering where to locate or expand.

The Arkansas REALTORS® Association shares tips to help owners list their homes with confidence and secure the best price.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a global impact on business, and changes in the fuels used to generate electricity in Europe brought on by the war might open up opportunities for a wood pellet producer in Pine Bluff.

RedMane Technology LLC is opening a southeast regional office at 400 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock.

The National Cold War Center received an Innovation Award from Delta Byways, the official tourism promotion association for 15 counties in eastern Arkansas.

Austin Grinder shares trends to watch on the path to the General Election on November 8.

Atlas Tube of Chicago announced the opening of its new electric resistance welding steel mill in Blytheville, a facility it says is the largest of its kind in the world.

Julie Mullenix shares her tips for being a strong and successful self-advocate, no matter the challenge.

When astronauts leave their crew quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for their lunar mission, NASA’s Artemis II crew will ride in a new set of wheels: A fleet of shiny crew transportation vehicles provided by Canoo Technologies Inc., will take them to Launch Pad 39B for their historic ride aboard the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

U.S. Steel Chief Executive Officer David Burritt told the state's economic development leaders Wednesday that he is "extraordinarily bullish" on Arkansas and the steelmaker's future in the state.

Electric vehicle maker Canoo Inc., which is moving its headquarters to and opening an advanced manufacturing facility in Bentonville, has won a NASA contract.

U.S. Steel announced that its Big River Steel mill in Osceola has become the first-ever ResponsibleSteel site certified in North America.

In addition to the 900 jobs paying upwards of $120,000 and the 3 million annual tons of advanced steel-making capability, the new Big River Steel Works brings a compelling, audacious view of the state’s industrial future.

McDonald's restaurants in Arkansas are looking to hire more than 500 employees next week. According to a news release, the fast-food chain plans to hire 564 workers as part of hiring activities across central and south Arkansas.

U.S. Steel execs and Arkansas officials broke ground on the largest economic development project in Arkansas history, a $3 billion steel mill at Osceola. U.S. Steel President and CEO Dave Burritt said it will be “the most technologically advanced mini-mill on the planet” when completed in 2024.

The Arkansas Department of Commerce today launched a new initiative to designate high-achieving state college workforce training programs that meet specific regional workforce needs in high-demand fields as “Centers of Excellence.”

United States Steel Corp. is on the verge of becoming the sole owner of Big River Steel, the first “superproject” in the history of the Natural State.

Big River Steel successfully started up the second phase of its Arkansas-based scrap metal recycling and flat-rolled steel production facility. The Phase Two expansion budgeted at $716 million will double Big River Steel's production capacity to 3.3 million tons annually.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Oct. 29, 2020) – Mullenix & Associates has welcomed Tucker Brackins, staff attorney, to its team. The firm’s members now include two former legislators and three lawyers.

For Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which has called Gaines Street its corporate home for more than 60 years, the pandemic has meant business as usual even if virtually all of the company’s employees are working from home these days.

Independent analyst firm Gartner Inc. has named SAP a leader in its Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools* report. This is the 13th consecutive year that SAP has been named a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools.

NASL members Mullenix & Associates reports with over 30,000 confirmed cases and over 300 deaths, Arkansas continues to be in a state of emergency and is currently considered a hot spot for COVID-19. We have adapted to working remotely to ensure the health and safety of both our team and clients.

In Arkansas, public entities have saved $550 million due to energy efficiency projects through the state Energy Performance Contracting program since it was established by law in 2013.

Alex Ray, current Executive MBA student and director of business development, for Johnson Controls in Arkansas, played an integral role in the development of an $8 million energy efficiency project in Washington County.

In a move believed to be unprecedented in American racing history, Oaklawn will split the 84th running of the Arkansas Derby Saturday, May 2. Thanks to the cooperation of Churchill Downs, both divisions will carry the full 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (G1).
 

The expansion of a steel mill in Osceola has prompted an ever-growing push to hire more qualified candidates. Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) partners with several corporations in the trade industry such as Big River Steel in hopes of graduating more students to enter the manufacturing field.
 

Privately held Big River Steel in Northeast Arkansas has closed on its deal to make United States Steel Corp. a minority stakeholder of the company’s scrap recycling and steel production facility in Mississippi County.

U.S. Steel Corp., based in Pittsburgh, will pay $700 million to take 49.9% ownership of Big River Steel, which was built near the Mississippi River, just south of Osceola, funded in part by Arkansas taxpayers. U.S. Steel has an option to buy the remaining 50.1% of the company within four years, the company said Tuesday in announcing the deal. Big River’s $1.3 billion mill opened in January 2017, after about two years of construction. The mill has about 550 employees, with average annual pay of $75,000, including bonuses. It remains the largest economic development project in state history.

Fast-food giant McDonald's Corp. buys tons of commodities from suppliers around the world, and yet the super-size orders are filled in Arkansas.
Just last year, the McDonald's system bought more than $676 million in agricultural products from the Natural State, ranging from chickens and canola to soybeans.

Inside cavernous blue hangars set on 1,100 acres of what was once soy fields abutting the Mississippi River, a succession of 300-ton scrap-filled buckets—the remains of old cars and refrigerators—await their turn at the furnace. Wailing sirens pierce the deafening rumble, and sparks fly as blindingly yellow flames rise up from the glowing ladle.

Zekelman Industries, the parent company of Atlas Tube, announced Tuesday (July 30) in Blytheville it will build the world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill on property adjacent to its existing Atlas Tube mill.

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital has been named a Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. This is the ninth consecutive year Le Bonheur has been included in the prestigious list with recognition in eight specialties.

Big River Steel on Monday (June 3) announced it had closed on a debt-and-equity financing arrangement to expand its scrap metal recycling and flat-rolled steel production facility in Osceola, doubling current capacity to 3.3 million tons annually.

When Arkansas Northeastern College opened its new Center for Allied Technologies, it consolidated three facilities, enhanced its role as a leader in custom training and education and brought the world to its doorstep.

A touch of a button is all it took for one Prairie Grove teacher to save her student’s life. Brandy Carte, a special education teacher at Prairie Grove Elementary, credits her live-saving technique to something she holds right in the palm of her hand–her phone.