Local Bentonville tech startup, Ox, won the Las Vegas GroceryShop 2021 early-stage retail tech pitch competition as a solution for e-commerce and in-store solutions.

• Tell me more: Ox is an order fulfillment platform that leverages machine learning to assist retailers in supply chain optimization. Or in other words, it works to make retail companies more efficient.
• The beginning: Earlier this year in March, Ox raised $3.5m in seed funding which helped catapult the company to its successes today. Last month the company had another milestone moment by winning the national pitch competition at GroceryShop.

Read the full Talk Business & Politics article HERE.

After a long 19 months, Broadway will be making its way back to Dickson Street as Come From Away takes the stage next week at the Walton Arts Center.

• The show: Come From Away tells the true story of 7,000 stranded airline passengers and the small Newfoundland town in Canada that welcomed them after events on September 11. 
• Only the beginning: This Tony Award-winning musical opened to critical acclaim on Broadway in March 2017. The production written by Tony and Grammy Award nominees will be in town Oct. 26-31.

Read more about the show and WAC HERE.

Adding to the preseason hype with a nod to history, the Arkansas Razorback's Mens Basketball team held their Red-White Scrimmage yesterday in the historic Barnhill Arena.

• Hog teaser: Coming off a 25 win campaign and a run at the Elite Eight last year, Coach Musselman and the Razorbacks have a lot to live up to. They are scheduled to open the season on Nov. 9 at home against Mercer.
• No. 2: If you needed more excitement, Arkansas's 2022 Basketball recruiting class could be the best in program history.

Read more about their scrimmage and season opener HERE.

Children's Safety Center of Washington County is $3m closer to reaching their fundraising goal thanks to the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family.

• The CSC mission is to empower children to overcome abuse and begin to trust, hope, and heal. They are in the middle of a $12m campaign to build a new location.
• This campaign includes the construction of a new building, expanded programs and staff, and even a therapeutic playground. The CSC expects to begin construction on the new Springdale facility in April.

Find more about the announcement HERE.

A new local compost company is ready to get their hands dirty. A popular concept in green cities across the US, Ozark Compost & Swap is the first program focused on residential pickup composting in NWA.

• Filler dirt: Ozark Compost & Swap is launching its door compost service starting Nov. 1. Every year around 240 lbs of food waste are thrown out per household. Ozark Compost looks to eat into that number with a local subscription service.
• Swap: You can also schedule local coffee drop off/delivery or have eco-friendly products like hand soap, laundry detergent, and other household items dropped off weekly with your bin.

Learn more and listen to their story HERE.