Robert and Crystal Sikes started making nutritional keto bars for themselves at home in Washington state, now they sell them all over the world from an old Harps store in Northwest Arkansas. 

• Becoming more: Their company is called Keto Savage, and in addition to the keto bars, called Keto Bricks, it offers “training and nutrition education through videos and podcasts that reach millions of people each week.”
• The perfect space: The old Harps store is the space for the production of the Keto Bricks, a private gym for filming exercise videos, an office for recording podcasts and a conference room for meetings. Future plans involve a clothing line and boutique. 

Read the full story HERE. Watch a video HERE.

Washington Regional Medical Center is preparing to expand so as to meet the growing healthcare needs of Northwest Arkansas. 

• More space: The medical center acquired approximately 15 more acres of land adjacent to its campus in Fayetteville. The land is part of the Drake Farms development, a 175-acre mixed use project. There is opportunity for Washington Regional to purchase 25 more acres in the future. 
• Plans: Though not completely finalized, the plans include expanded facility space that is equipped for surgeries, overnight stays, ambulatory services and more. A “center for wellness focused on whole person care” is also in the plans. It will be at least a year before construction can begin.

Read more about the expansion HERE. 

Another banking option is coming to Northwest Arkansas, and you might find It convenient for you in the future. 

• Virtual goes real: Russellville-chartered First State Bank (FSB) is known for its Interactive Teller Machines (ITM), which basically provide opportunity to Face Time your teller every time you need cash. But growth in the company has merited plans to build its first full-service branch for operations and customer service. 
• Location: The new branch will be located on Van Asche Drive in Fayetteville, replacing FSB’s existing office space nearby. The company hopes to have the building completed by the second quarter of 2022. 

For the full Talk Business & Politics story, click HERE. 

We’re here again to brag about one of Northwest Arkansas’ incredible breweries. Natural State Beer Company won a gold medal at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival, the worlds largest commercial beer competition. 

• A big deal: In its 35 year history, the competition had never been so large. The judging alone took over 17 days in over 34 sessions. And for more of a scale, “170 judges evaluated 9,680 entries from 2,192 breweries.” 
• The one that got the judges: Natural State Beer Company’s Miabock, which is a “pale, strong, malty German lager,” was awarded the gold in the Bock beer style category. 

View all the winners HERE. 

For the month of September, Arkansas Money & Politics (AMP) is recognizing companies in Arkansas that have embraced diversity in their workplace based on suggestions made by AMP readers. 

• Retail and education: Two organizations based in Bentonville made the cut. Walmart shows up in the 1,000+ employee category and Thaden School in the category for organizations with 51-250 employees. 
• Applied practice: Walmart’s Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion report of 2020 shows progression in multiple areas. And since Thaden’s founding in 2017, its mission has been centered around “diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism via numerous and varied means.”

Learn more about Walmart and Thaden’s efforts HERE and HERE.