Newsmakers

Stephanie Ireland was named Humanitarian of the Year by The Kitchen. The award was presented for her work on The Kitchen’s $300,000 remodeling of its medical clinic, 1630 N. Jefferson Ave.

Banking

Guaranty Bank added two members to its mortgage lending team. Michael Hermes joined the bank as a mortgage lender. He has more than 35 years of lending experience, including owning a mortgage company in San Antonio. Natalie Crawford joined the bank as a mortgage specialist. She has seven years of local experience in the industry, including title and construction experience, loan origination, underwriting, processing and closings.

Community

Commercial Club of Springfield named its 2007 board of directors: Paul Parker, president; Bob Pilkington, vice president; Lenny Cope, secretary; and Russ Shaw, treasurer. Carolyn Elder also was re-elected to the board, joining board members Karen Decker, Erin Frerking, Justin Hough and Mary Collette.

Construction

Russel Caldwell of Caldwell Construction Inc. is Missouri’s state representative to the National Home Builders Association executive board of directors. He is a voting member of the board and the primary representative on matters of policy for all local associations in Missouri.

Cindy Peterson of Ozarks Technical Community College joined the Professional Landscape Network. The association provides ongoing educational and safety programs for provider companies and suppliers specializing in interior planting, landscape management, lawn care and design/build/installation work.

Entertainment

Ken Taylor, of Springfield, was installed as president of the International Shrine Clown Association for 2007. The ceremony took place during the association’s mid-winter convention at the Clarion Hotel in Springfield.

Finance

Chad Tillery earned Certified Financial Planner certification from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. CFP professionals must pass the certification exam covering principles of financial planning, insurance and risk management, investments, income tax, retirement, employee benefits and estate planning. CFPs also must meet ongoing continuing education requirements and uphold a code of ethics and standards.

Reed Hopper joined Commerce Bank as assistant vice president of Commerce’s Private Banking Group. He is responsible for providing customized banking and borrowing solutions to professionals, executives and high-net-worth individuals. Andrea McKinney was promoted to senior vice president and manager of Commerce’s Private Banking Group. She manages business development and customer service for the group’s Springfield region.

Health Care

Ten employees of Citizens Memorial Healthcare earned the Certified Healthcare Access Associate credential from the National Association of Healthcare Access Management. They are: Jean Morrow, Alice Pitts, Diana Klint, Debra Ross, Cheryl Rhodes, Jeannette Perreco, Kathy Beichler, Joyce Richardson, Wes Strader and Kelli Lynn.

CoxHealth received a $428,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to launch a diabetes education and case management program at CoxHealth Diabetes Center. The project makes diabetes self-management experts available to train those who cannot afford their services.

The Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation recognized Physical Therapy Care, Manual Physical Therapy and Industrial Rehab Center as a Certified Workers’ Compensation Physical Therapy Clinic. The clinic has been certified by the state each year since 1999.

Public Relations

The Public Relations Student Society of America approved the charter application of Missouri State University Public Relations Student Society of America. The PRSSA chapter is open to all communications and public relations majors at the university.

Services

AmeriPride Uniform Services announced two promotions. David Winters, a 15-year company veteran, was promoted to general manager from sales manager, and Jarrad Shields was promoted to service manager from area sales manager. AmeriPride provides uniform rentals and linen supplies for businesses.

The Springfield Police Sergeant’s League honored three Springfield Police officers at its Officer of the Year Award Banquet. Tonya Toner, forensic evidence technician in the Criminal Identification Unit, was named Civilian Police Employee of the Year 2006. Jonathan Spaeth, currently assigned to a task force with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, was named Officer of the Year. Darren Whisnant was named Corporal of the Year; he is a patrol officer who has made more than 3,500 arrests for driving while intoxicated.

Telecommunications

Dave Sharon was named major account manager for DaZZee Integrations, a telecommunications network design and installation firm. Sharon previously served as an account executive for NuVox Communications.

Transportation

Tom Carr of Roadway Express in Strafford is the 2006 Missouri Driver of the Year as chosen by the Missouri Motor Carriers Association. Carr has been a professional driver for more than 37 years and has driven more than 3.5 million miles without an accident. Several local drivers also were chosen as drivers of the month throughout 2006: Gary Schultz of D&D Sexton Inc. in Ozark (April); Robert Conger of Prime Inc. (June); William Girdler of Prime (August); Mark Hohensee of O&S Trucking in Monett (October); and Harvey Williams of Prime (December).

Utility

Cy Murray, director of community development for White River Valley Electric Cooperative in Branson, attended the Missouri Economic Development Council’s 2007 Winter Conference. Murray was one of 170 Missouri professional economic developers in attendance.