Banking and Finance Newsmakers

Jeremy Loftin, portfolio manager with Springfield Trust Company, completed Level II of the Cannon Financial Institute's Trust Investments course. The training focused on investment strategies for individuals, businesses and charities.

Commerce Bank announced two staff changes.

Brad Collison was elected officer in Commerce Bank's retail lending and payment systems, in which he is a merchant services account representative. He is responsible for offering products and services to streamline payment processing systems for merchant customers. Collison was awarded Commerce Bancshares Inc.'s Merchant Services Account Representative of the Year Award for 2003, and he ranked No. 1 in merchant sales for the company's three-state area.

Ginny Robertson was promoted to retail group operations officer for Commerce Bank. She has 10 years of banking experience with Commerce, and prior to her promotion, she held several positions, including proof encoder, teller and financial credit analyst. Robertson graduated from Drury University in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in business. In her new position, she oversees deposit operations, supervises region-wide branch teller teams, and supports the bank's fraud prevention and security division.

Robert Berlin joined Mid-Missouri Bank as senior vice president. He serves as senior lending officer, responsible for all areas of commercial lending and business development. Berlin has 25 years of experience in banking, including 21 years in commercial lending. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and is a graduate of the National Commercial Lending School.

Kirkpatrick, Phillips & Miller, CPAs PC announced three staff additions.

Kauleen Pfarr joined the firm as a staff accountant. She is a 2002 magna cum laude graduate of Southwest Missouri State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in accounting. She also earned a master's of accountancy degree at SMSU in 2003. Pfarr also completed an internship with Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan., and served as a graduate assistant in the SMSU College of Business Administration. Her responsibilities with the firm include assisting with general tax, audit and accounting engagements.

Greg Brown joined Kirkpatrick, Phillips & Miller as an intern for the 2004 tax season. His responsibilities include assisting with general tax, audit and accounting engagements. He will graduate in May from SMSU with a bachelor's degree in accounting and a minor in economics.

Shirley Dickens joined KP&M's tax department. She has more than 16 years of tax preparation experience and assists clients with individual tax return preparation.

BKD LLP announced a new staff member and the addition of several interns to the firm's Springfield office.

John R. Cook, CPA, rejoined BKD LLP as a partner. He spent 12 years working in the Springfield and Joplin offices of BKD before accepting a CFO position with Jeffrey Smith Companies in September 2001. He rejoined the BKD partnership to provide tax advisory and accounting services for clients in the real estate, retail and health care industries. He also provides tax planning and preparation services for individuals, estates, trusts and not-for-profit organizations. Cook is a 1987 summa cum laude graduate of SMSU with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He also earned a master's degree in accounting in 1989 from SMSU.

Jennifer L. Dwyer, Ryan P. Noyes and Emily E. Watring joined BKD LLP as interns, assisting with general tax, audit, accounting and consulting engagements. Dwyer will graduate in December from SMSU with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Noyes will graduate in May 2005 from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, with a master's degree in accountancy. Watring will graduate from SMSU in May with a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Davis, Lynn & Moots PC, CPAs announced several staff promotions and accomplishments.

Andy Marmouget was promoted from manager to partner with the firm. Paula Melton was promoted from staff accountant to an in-charge accountant with the firm. Additionally, Melton, Laura Dowell and Jessica Stokes recently passed the exam to become certified public accountants.

Sterling Huff Jr. joined Empire Bank as senior vice president of commercial loans. He has nearly 20 years of lending experience. Huff earned his bachelor's degree in finance from SMSU and his master's degree of business administration from Drury University.

Earl A. Steinert Jr. was appointed to the board of directors of Great Southern Bank and its holding company, Great Southern Bancorp Inc. Steinert has more than 40 years of business experience, and he is a practicing CPA. He is co-owner of EAS Investment Enterprises Inc., which owns two Hampton Inns and a Hampton Inn and Suites.

Whitlock, Selim & Keehn LLP announced two staff accomplishments.

Partner Tom Beisner was selected to serve as a member of the Polaris North American Network Financial Institutions Committee for 2004. Members of the Financial Institutions Committee provide leadership and guidance, offering recommendations to Polaris staff and members of its board of directors, and helping with the development of programs and services for all the member firms that serve the financial institutions industry. Beisner has more than 17 years of experience in public accounting with emphasis in performing accounting and auditing services for financial institutions.

Whitlock, Selim & Keehn Managing Partner W. David Myers attended the 13th annual national conference on employee stock ownership plans, presented by ESOP Association. Sessions included estate and business succession planning using ESOPs, and executive compensation in ESOP companies. Myers has more than 17 years of experience in public accounting.

Assistant State Bank Examiner David Coombes of Springfield recently attended the Introduction to Examination School held Dec. 1-19 at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation training center in Arlington, Va. The school is designed to incorporate a significant number of opportunities to practice and develop basic bank analysis, examination and report preparation skills.

U.S. Bank recently honored several Springfield-area staff members.

Jim Johnson, personal trust managing director with U.S. Bank's Private Client Group, received a Pacesetter Award for third-quarter 2003. The award is given each quarter to the top 2 percent of Private Client Group employees in the United States. The 36 employees chosen as third quarter 2003 Pacesetter Award winners have proven to be outstanding performers in sales and service. Recipients received certificates and engraved desktop awards.

Debbie R. Branison, branch manager at U.S. Bank's 2825 N. Kansas Expressway location, and Jay P. Titus, senior vice president at U.S. Bank's 417 St. Louis St. location, each received a quarterly Pinnacle Award, one of U.S. Bank's highest retail employee achievements. The Pinnacle program recognizes outstanding achievement and rewards employees for their performance. This is the third consecutive Pinnacle Award for both Branison and Titus.

Metropolitan National Bank announced the promotions of three of its officers. Rick Windes, Patrick O'Connell and Larry Wilkerson were promoted from vice presidents of lending to senior vice presidents with the bank. Windes and O'Connell are with Metropolitan National Bank in Springfield; Wilkerson is at the Marshfield location.