Walmart's FY23 Earnings Report revealed strong sales during the holiday season, with full-year sales up 6.7% compared to the prior year. 

• Substantial numbers: Full-year revenue came in at $611b, with adjusted earnings per share at $6.29, both exceeding expectations. December was the biggest sales month in Walmart's history, led by food sales. 
• Realistic forecast: With increasing interest rates and a shift in sales towards more budget-friendly options, the company expects a slowdown for the coming fiscal year. 

Read more from Talk Business & Politics HERE. 

Fayetteville is addressing the rising childcare costs by expanding its childhood assistance program with $1.5 million in ARPA funds dedicated to providing eligible recipients with up to 12 monthly payments for childcare.

• Investing in care: The city's support for the industry is crucial to alleviating the high demand for childcare and hard-to-come-by staffing, often resulting in families being waitlisted for months.
• Consider the cost: Childcare is often one of the most significant monthly expenses for families, impacting low-income families or those with multiple kids in childcare the most.

Read more on the story HERE.

Samaritan Community Center has served the hurting and hungry in NWA with dignity and compassion for over two decades. In 2022, SCC served over 55,000 meals, provided over $600,000 in free dental care, and distributed 207,490 snack packs to NWA schoolchildren. 

• New home base: The nonprofit plans to open a new 40,000 sqft facility at the corner of Pleasant Grove Rd and Hwy 71-B in Rogers, complete with a mental health counseling center, dental center, a teaching kitchen, 4-acre farm, and collaborative care center for free services and classes. 
• The gift of growth: With 96% of funds raised for the $16.8m facility, doors should open by Sept 2023, so be on the lookout for an even more significant impact from Samaritan Community Center.

Donations are currently worth double, thanks to a challenge grant! Join the mission HERE.

Canadaian-based Pacific Ridge is expanding operations to Northwest Arkansas, intending to bring regenerative soil-to-shelf farming practices to more farmers, retailers, and consumers with transparency and technology. 

• Sustainability mission: The farmer-owned company and partners with the True Crops farming community to lead transformative environmental & corporate sustainability efforts and supply quality, sustainable plant-based foods, beverages, and ingredients.
• Branching out: The headquarters of the company's US operations will soon open in Northwest Arkansas at a facility in North Rogers, and plans to hire a group of local talent in sales, marketing, EDI, and logistics to help grow PACRIDGE's influence in the States.

Read more on PACRIDGE's expansion HERE.

Northwest Arkansas-based Tyson Foods and America's Car-Mart each made Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces 2023 for Diversity, a list of 1,000 companies that received top scores from employees on respecting and celebrating diversity. 

• Employees speak up: The list was compiled after gathering data from public sources, HR professionals, and a survey of 350,000 employees from large companies. 
• Better business: Car-Mart CEO Jeffrey Williams shared that their commitment to inclusion "allows our associates to thrive, and also for us to deliver best-in-class products and services to our customers and communities."

See Newsweek's list HERE. 

Looking for a job? Check out these positions posted to our community board:

• Canopy is looking for a Development Manager or Director
• Ropeswing has an open position for a General Manager

Have a job you're looking to fill? Post it HERE!