Cromwell Architects engineers open office in Charlotte, NC | Arkansas Democratic Newspaper

LR architectural firm

open an NC office

Cromwell Architects Engineers is opening a new office in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will be the firm’s first U.S. location outside of Arkansas.

The Little Rock company says the expansion will build its talent pipeline and grow its customer base. Cromwell plans to develop local architects, engineers and other design professionals over the next few years to support regional and global clients.

“After examining several major metropolitan areas, Charlotte consistently ranked at the top of our key categories. Proximity to great talent, access to our clients in the Mid-Atlantic region and a pro-business environment were key factors in our decision,” said Dan Fowler, president of Cromwell.

The 140-year-old employee-owned company operates internationally with offices in Springdale and Germany. Cromwell specializes in architecture, engineering and business facilities services.

—Andrew Moreau

Amazon Marketplace

sellers sue Walmart

Four Amazon sellers are suing Walmart for $5 million over claims it enabled organized retail crime and racketeering by third-party vendors.

Walmart is accused in the complaint of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by failing to properly vet sellers on the marketplace.

The complaint alleges that some of Walmart’s third-party sellers are making fraudulent purchases and resales from Amazon vendors in an elaborate scheme.

Amazon sellers filed the class action lawsuit on September 17 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, the state where Walmart Inc. is incorporated. They are asking for a jury trial.

Court documents show that dishonest sellers on the Walmart marketplace not only profit from their activities, but also make money from fees charged to sellers.

The Bentonville-based retailer has until Oct. 10 to respond to the notice issued on Sept. 19. Walmart said in a statement that it is reviewing the complaint and will respond accordingly. Case brought by Artistic Industries LLC et al. v. Walmart Inc. et al.

– Serenah McKay

Arkansas Index Down

At closing 10.39 points

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies headquartered in the state, closed at 902.41 on Monday, down 10.39 points.

“U.S. stock markets ended Monday and the third quarter in positive territory, breaking the September curse, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 8.2% in the quarter,” said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.

Shares of American Car-Mart fell 3.4%. Shares of Bank OZK rose 2.3%, and Simmons First National Corp. by 1.8%.

The index was compiled by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democratic-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of December 30, 1997.