News in brief

200 LR jobs in plan

for consulting firm

Tata Consultancy Services, a global information technology services and consulting business based in Mumbai, India, will hire more than 200 people to work at its Little Rock office as part of an agreement with Transamerica Life Insurance Co., Tata said in a statement Tuesday.

The 200 hires will be former employees of Transamerica, Tata said.

Tata will occupy several floors at Transamerica's 1400 Centerview Drive building in west Little Rock.

Tata has a multiyear agreement with Transamerica to enhance its digital capabilities and simplify the service of more than 10 million insurance policies in a modern platform, Tata said.

The Little Rock office is Tata's second in Arkansas. It employs 150 people in Bentonville.

Tata also has invested in Arkansas' future workforce through its student technology awareness program, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.

"I appreciate TCS' commitment to our state and the economic opportunities it is providing for those already in high-tech jobs and those preparing for a high-tech career," Hutchinson said.

A spokesman for Tata Consultancy did not return a call seeking comment.

-- David Smith

Trade center moving

into agency's office

The World Trade Center Arkansas is expanding its partnership with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission by moving into a new work space at the agency's office in Little Rock.

The expansion "will ensure that our state's flagship trade promotion agency is further empowered to help our companies gain access to the global market," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.

Opened in 2007, the center, a part of the University of Arkansas, helps companies secure access to global markets through comprehensive trade promotion services.

Arkansas' largest exporting industries are agriculture, aerospace and transportation equipment. About $6.3 billion in Arkansas goods and services was exported last year. Since 2007, Arkansas has had about $84 billion in exports.

-- David Smith

Up 0.75, state index

posts 8th gain in row

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 0.75 to 418.04 Tuesday.

The index has risen in eight consecutive sessions.

Home BancShares rose 1.5 percent, and ArcBest fell 1.4 percent in heavy trading.

Total volume for the index was 20.7 million shares.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

Business on 05/16/2018

Upcoming Events