ARKANSAS: Fort Smith remained at the top of the Arkansas Tech Business Index for April, and Conway made the biggest moved forward with a nearly 2 point jump. Released, the ATBI rating for Conway increased 1.73 points to 105.42, placing it just below front runner Fort Smith and its rating of 105.96. Fayetteville was not far behind with an ATBI rating of 105.25.
Fort Smith saw its highest ATBI rating, 111.25, in March, buoyed by above average retail sales and construction ratings of 123.08 and 115.2. This was coupled with a steady housing and real estate rating of 108.84 in April. The 5.29-point drop for Fort Smith from March to April can be attributed to slumps in the construction and labor markets, which were 115.2 and 100.35 in March, respectively, and 93.1 and 99.44 in April.
A $22 million building permit for the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith was the leading contributor to Fort Smith’s historically high March rating.
