Massimo Motor soon
to begin sales in state
Texas-based Massimo Motor said recently it's obtained licensing with partners to begin sales of its powersports vehicles in Arkansas.
The company's products include utility-task vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and minibikes, and will be available in 100 retail locations in Arkansas and Oregon as part of the company's most recent expansion. Massimo Motor products are expected to be in stock in the new markets by early September.
"In recent weeks, we've had productive discussions with top-tier retailers," David Shan, CEO of Massimo Motor, said in a release earlier this month. "Adding Oregon and Arkansas is a significant milestone."
Massimo Motor is a subsidiary of the Massimo Group. The new locations are the result of the company's improved global sourcing and expansion model, including factory partnerships in Vietnam, Massimo Motors said.
According to its amended annual report for 2024, Massimo Group sells its vehicles at a variety of retailers including Tractor Supply Co., Lowe's, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Fleet Farm and Rural King.
Shares of Massimo Group closed at $2.80, down 18 cents or about 6% in trading Thursday.
-- John Magsam
Meat plant to reopen
with federal scrutiny
Federal inspectors will assume direct oversight of a Boar's Head deli meat plant when it reopens after last year's deadly listeria outbreak, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said.
The Jarratt, Va., factory is set to resume operations soon. It will face at least 90 days of heightened monitoring and inspections by federal Food Safety and Inspection Service officials. Previously, inspections were conducted by state officials who operated on behalf of the agency.
The change aims to "ensure the establishment consistently and effectively implements its corrected food safety plans," USDA officials said in a statement. It calls for stricter enforcement if lapses occur.
The plant was closed nearly a year ago when listeria-tainted liverwurst caused an outbreak that killed 10 people, sickened dozens and forced a recall of more than 7 million pounds of deli products. USDA officials lifted the plant's suspension in July.
-- The Associated Press
State index dips 1.51
to end day at 875.92
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Thursday at 875.92, down 1.51 points.
"Equities closed lower for a fifth consecutive session ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech Friday at the annual Jackson Hole symposium as the consumer staples sector underperformed," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.