Newsmakers

Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. added two staff members. Matthew Stielstra joined the structural engineering department as a structural engineer in training. He has a master’s degree in architectural engineering from Penn State University. Sammie Hernandez joined the administrative team as a file clerk. Hernandez has more than 10 years of experience in administrative support.

Education

Several Evangel University students received awards in the national Phi Beta Lambda Conference in Chicago. Phi Beta Lambda is the college division of Future Business Leaders of America. The team of Tausha Fletcher, Bryan Dockery and Michael Vandersteen won second place in the business ethics category; Gabriel VanHuss placed third in business law; Michael Kincheloe placed fifth in economic concepts; and Ariela Ruiz placed sixth in both financial analysis and decision making and financial concepts.

Finance

Trust Company of the Ozarks added Frank Burke to its board of directors. Burke has been chief financial officer of Greenlawn Funeral Homes for 27 years and has been principal owner of Central Tax Service for 35 years.

Gerontologist Diana K. Liermann received the reverse mortgage specialist designation from reverse mortgage lender Financial Freedom. Liermann, who has a degree in gerontology from Missouri State University, has a decade of experience, including two years with St. John’s Health System and five years with the Southwest Missouri Office on Aging.

Leslie A. Peck of Peck’s Insurance and Financial Services earned the chartered financial consultant designation from The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Candidates for the professional designation must complete a minimum of eight courses and 16 hours of supervised examinations, and fulfill experience and ethics requirements. More than 42,000 have received the designation since 1982.

Food Service

Debbie Smith joined Dagwood’s Sandwich Shoppes as manager of the Springfield location, owned by market partners Tom and JoAnn Dapp. Smith has more than 20 years of restaurant experience, including the last eight years as general manager for Applebee’s.

Government

Several local citizens were appointed to state boards and commissions. Jim D. Morris, owner of Morris Oil Co. Inc., joined the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Morris is owner of Morris Oil Co. Inc. Peggy S. Pearl, professor of early childhood and family studies at Missouri State University, joined the Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board. John F. Morrison, executive director of Ozark Empire Grocers Association, joined the Citizens’ Advisory Commission for Marketing Agricultural Products.

Health Care

St. John’s Health System added two physicians. Dr. James McCrory joined St. John’s Clinic-Pediatric Critical Care. McCrory received his medical education from Tulane University and completed a pediatric residency and pediatric critical care medicine fellowship at Jacksonville (Fla.) Hospitals Education Programs. He is board-certified in pediatrics, pediatric critical care medicine and PCCM renewals.

Dr. David Runyon joined St. John’s Clinic-Lebanon-Radiology. Runyon received his medical education and completed a residency at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology and is a member of the American Osteopathic Association and the American Osteopathic College of Radiology.

Insurance

Nixon & Lindstrom Insurance received the 2006 Chairman’s Award, which is presented to the highest-performing insurance agencies for Hawkeye-Security Insurance. Hawkeye-Security recognizes agencies that achieve size, growth and loss ratio goals. Nixon & Lindstrom accepted the award in June at company meetings in Hawaii.

Steve Beimdiek, JoAnn Evans and Lorie Downing of Beimdiek Insurance Agency in Carthage attended the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents Leadership Conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach. The conference is designed for owners, managers and producers of independent insurance agencies and brokerages.

Real Estate

Fitzgerald First Realty LLC hired Gary Lewis as sales manager and Lori Davenport as office manager. Lewis has more than 20 years of banking experience and is responsible for managing day-to-day operations.

He graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance.

Davenport graduated cum laude from MSU in May with a degree in marketing with emphasis in advertising and promotion. She is responsible for office management, graphic design and marketing of individual homes. [[In-content Ad]]