Branson Newsmakers

Branson Daybreakers Rotary Club elected its board of directors. Officers are Ron Martin, president; Mark Parent, vice president; Tom Keohan, secretary; Gary Leach, treasurer; Tony Espey, sergeant at arms; Jeff Long, newsletter editor; Stan Barker, past president; Phyllis Rotrock, public relations; Megan Plate, club service and project funding; Shawn Keys, community service; Wally Booker, international service; and George Shivers, vocational service and foundation.

Design

Robert Dandurant joined Creative Printing & Design in Hollister as press operator. He runs and maintains both the Akiyama and Heidelberg SpeedMaster printing presses. Dandurant has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

Education

College of the Ozarks senior Svetlana Dovbniak finished third on the international business test and fourth on the marketing test at the national Phi Beta Lambda Leadership Conference in June in Chicago. Dovbniak is an international student from Russia. Phi Beta Lambda, known as the Business Undergraduate Society, is a national organization for college students interested in business.

Health Care

Skaggs Community Health Center recognized 63 team members for service anniversaries. Among those honored for 20 years or more were Duane Nay in radiology, 30 years; Judy Boucher in the step-down unit, Debora Harmon in surgery and Margaret Loftis in accounting, 25 years; and Deborah Dietz in the critical-care unit, Theresa Mathews in surgery and Sally Meadows in physical therapy, 20 years.

Skaggs Family Health Clinic added three doctors. Board-certified pediatrician Dr. Angela Richmond comes from CoxHealth, where she practiced in pediatric clinics for 10 years. She also served as a medical consultant for the State of Missouri Disability Determinations Department and as a member of the volunteer faculty for the CoxHealth Family Practice Residency Program. Drs. Maria Spurling and Holly Wherry specialize in family medicine and obstetrics. Both are recent graduates of the Cox Family Medicine Residency program in Springfield. Spurling earned her medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated summa cum laude from Missouri State University. Wherry earned her medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated cum laude from Truman State University.

Jeanne Grisham, patient access team leader at Skaggs Community Health Center, earned the Certified Healthcare Access Associate credential through the National Association of Healthcare Access Management. To be certified, health professionals must demonstrate knowledge of patient-access services, including admissions, billing, insurance, patient rights and related laws.

Insurance

Tim Connell, president of Hollister-based Connell Insurance, and Mike Nangle, agency partner/producer, attended a Missouri Association of Insurance Agents leadership conference held at Osage Beach. The conference, for which Oliver North was keynote speaker, was designed for owners, managers and producers of independent insurance agencies and brokerages.

James M. Kirk joined Connell Insurance as a full-time licensed agent selling insurance and securities through New York Life Insurance Co. A Hollister High School graduate, Kirk was most recently a financial adviser for First Command Financial Planning in Landstuhl, Germany.

Real Estate

Gerken & Associates Realtors of Branson added residential sales agents Sandra Johnson and Paul Buckles. Johnson is a vacation home specialist. Buckles has 30 years of sales and management experience.

Hollister-based retirement neighborhood The Communities at Branson Creek was listed as one of the top 100 places to retire in the United States in Where to Retire magazine. The magazine considers factors such as active retirement activities, location, amenities and friendliness of people in the area.

Theater

Branson League of Theatre Owners and Show Producers elected its officers and board directors: Jeannie Horton of Legends in Concert, president; Ann Stafford of Jim Stafford Theatre, vice president; Lena Hughes of The Hughes Brothers Celebrity Theater, treasurer; Katie Steele Danner of Athena Consulting, executive director/secretary; Scott Hall of The Grand Palace, past president; Dan Davis of New Shanghai Theater, business relations chair; Cindy Merry of Yakov Smirnoff Theatre, marketing chair; Mark Bryson of Branson Variety Theatre, membership chair; Renee Johnson of Branson’s White House Theatre, public relations chair; John Knox of Pierce Arrow Theatre, research chair; and board members Michelle Horn of Circle B Chuckwagon Theatre, John Presley of Presleys’ Country Jubilee and Tina Cooper of Clay Cooper Theater.[[In-content Ad]]