Newsmakers

Carpe Diem Management Inc., a professional service provider for Turbine Engine Consultants Inc., has named Doug Wright as chief financial officer and general manager. He will have overall financial and management responsibility for the two companies under the Carpe Diem Management umbrella: Turbine Engine Consultants Inc. and CD Aviation Services Inc. Wright has named Stephanie Bullis and Connie Rees as finance assistants for CD Management.

Banking

Earl Reynolds has been named manager of the Community Bank & Trust branch office on South Neosho Boulevard in Neosho. Reynolds attended Crowder College and earned a bachelor’s degree in business education at Missouri Southern State University. He has worked as an underwriter for CBT since 2005.

Community

Debra Schow-Smith, member services director for the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, recently submitted her resignation. A chamber staff member since 2002, Smith is credited with increasing the number of programs and services for the membership. Her last day will be Oct. 20.

A new staff member has joined the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. Chris Yaudas will serve as membership relations coordinator. The former owner of Gadabouts gift shop in Joplin, Yaudas spent 29 years at Ashland Inc., a Fortune 500 company based in Covington, Ky.

Suzanne Hubbard, the executive director of Miami (Okla.) Chamber of Commerce and Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, recently announced her resignation. Hubbard joined the chamber in December 2006. Her last day will be Oct. 16. Hubbard plans to work as an operations assistant for Sonic-Larco, a Miami-based operator of Sonic Drive-In’s.

Government

Greene County Circuit Judge J. Miles Sweeney, a Pittsburg, Kan., native, announced his retirement, effective Nov. 12. Sweeney was appointed to the position in 1990 by then-Gov. John Ashcroft. He organized the Community Alternative Service Program that works annually with 250 non-violent offenders on probation and supervises their community service. Sweeney earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Kansas.

Brandon R. Brown, a Missouri Southern State University graduate and Webb City native, has been named deputy chief financial officer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. He will assist in overseeing implementation and administration of all financial management systems tied to the NASA field center’s annual budget of approximately $2.6 billion. Brown has served as a financial manager at Butterball’s production facility in Carthage and worked as a branch manager and cost accountant for Drywood Financial Services in Nevada. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from MSSU in 1996 and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 2004.

Health Care

St. John’s Medical Group recently announced three staff changes.

Dr. Glen King, a family practice physician, will assume the position of medical director of St. John’s Express Care on Range Line Road.

He has been with St. John’s Medical Group since 2000.

The Medical Group has added a new physician, Dr. Deborah Schneider, who specializes in physical medicine and rehab. Schneider will serve as medical director of in-patient acute rehabilitation at Brady Rehabilitation Center.

Serving patients in Neosho, Dr. Steven K. Younger, is a family practice physician who returned to the area from The Family Health Center in Wasilla/Palmer, Alaska. He previously held several positions at Talequah Hospital in Talequah, Okla.

Insurance

Beimdiek Insurance Agency announced that Meredith Ball has obtained their Missouri Property and Casualty license.

Ball joined Beimdiek in 2005 and assists the commercial lines department as a processor in the Carthage office.

Manufacturing

Green Bay, Wisc.-based Schreiber Foods has named Dave Pozniak as their new president and chief executive officer. Pozniak joined Schreiber in 1974 as production supervisor at the Carthage plant. He earned a bachelor’s degree in dairy science from the University of Missouri–Columbia and a master’s of business administration from Drury University in Springfield.

Hospitality

John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts announced that the Residence Inn by Marriott-Joplin was awarded the Gold Award by Marriott International.

The award recognizes outstanding performance by the hotel in guest satisfaction and signifies that a particular hotel is ranked in the best of its brand.

Manufacturing

Pittsburg’s Vinylplex Inc. recently announced the completion of five consecutive years without a lost time accident. The company manufactures poly vinyl chloride sewer and water pipe that is distributed worldwide. They have been in business since 1971.

Signs

Dick Marlow will serve the southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri markets as sales person for SignDesigns. He will work out of the company’s new location at 1720 W. Seventh St. in Joplin. The company plans to move in late October.

Transportation

Two area truck drivers were named among three professional truck drivers at Contract Freighters Inc. who have achieved the distinction of traveling 3 million miles. They are Charlie Beaty, Seneca, who has been a CFI driver since 1981 and Jon Smith, Joplin, who began his career with CFI in 1984. CFI was acquired by Con-way Inc. in August.