In one of several efforts to use local materials and crafts-people, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art features flooring made by Maxwell Hardwood Flooring of Monticello and installed by Miller Commercial Flooring Inc. of Springdale.  Maxwell provided 52,650 SF of clear red oak flooring for the 200,000-SF Bentonville museum, said Tommy Maxwell, president and CEO of Maxwell Hardwood Flooring.  Dwayne Miller, owner of Miller Commercial Flooring, said the museum’s specifications called for an American red oak hardwood floor, and “we absolutely wanted to do everything we could to make sure that that hardwood came from the state of Arkansas.” One of the providers of stains and finishes to Miller recommended Maxwell Hardwood.

Miller said that with change orders, the flooring project cost a little more than $1 million.  Maxwell said his firm sells its products all over the United States, including New York and Chicago, but Crystal Bridges, which opened on Friday, is “probably our most prestigious job.”We’re very proud to have our flooring in this project,” Maxwell said.  Maxwell Hardwood and its two sister companies — Ouachita Hardwood Flooring and Townsend Hardwood Flooring, both of Warren — employ about 220 people.  Maxwell said that about 70 percent of the lumber his companies use is grown in Arkansas, particularly in south and south-central Arkansas.

The North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce’s 27th Annual Banquet will be held on Wednesday, February 15 at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. A cocktail reception begins at 5:15pm followed by dinner and program at 6:45pm. Doors open at 5:00pm. Sponsored tables of ten are available for $600.00 or individual tickets can be purchased for $60 per person.

The program will feature guest speaker Mike Huckabee, host of the number one rated weekend hit “HUCKABEE” on the Fox News Channel, heard three times daily across the nation on the “Huckabee Report” syndicated on almost 600 stations by the Cumulus Media Network, a New York Times best-selling author, 2008 presidential candidate and former Governor of Arkansas.

There was a popular business book several years ago titled “Who Moved My Cheese?” about the changing business environment and having to adapt to it. Right about now Mayor Hays may want to consider looking for that book. It seems with the challenging economic environment we all face the City sales tax revenue has been down, but compounding that problem is the change in the way sales taxes are reported. The State Legislature this year required sales tax to be reported on point of delivery of the sale, not point of sale. This means for those who buy a refrigerator at Best Buy and have it delivered in Maumelle, those sales tax revenues will go to Maumelle and not the City of North Little Rock (NLR). North Little Rock has to provide the infrastructure including traffic, police, safety and fire for these businesses; however, the City sales tax revenue for out of City delivery does not go anymore to the City of NLR.