Hope for Venture Capital Springs Anew With SBIC.

NOT SINCE THE DAYS OF David Hale, Capital Management Inc. and Whitewater has the acronym SBIC played a noticeable role in Arkansas commerce.

But it's back, accompanied by a variety of recent plans designed to fill the small business void left by banks and venture capitalists in Arkansas.

Sam Walls, the architect of much of the dynamic change along Arkansas' venture capital landscape, hopes the unusual designation awarded to Diamond State Ventures by the U.S. Small Business Administration on Sept. 12 will open the flood gates for alternative financing.