Newsmakers

Accounting

BKD LLP promoted five employees to supervisors. Kelly Buescher, part of the employee benefits team, graduated from Central Missouri State University with a Master of Business Administration in 2001. Jody Burdette audits nursing facilities and health care clients and has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southwest Baptist University. Adam Horton provides tax services for real-estate clients and graduated from Missouri State University with an accounting degree. Derek Smith provides tax services primarily for clients in real estate and graduated from Truman State University with a Master of Accountancy. David Taylor provides audit and advisory services for health care clients and is a Drury University graduate.

Architecture

Benjamin Van Eps of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners is now a registered architect. Van Eps has been with the firm for seven years and is part of its hospitality studio. He is currently working on the Renaissance Hotel, Conference Center and Media Center in Glendale, Ariz., and the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Banking

Empire Bank announced two hires and two promotions. Michaele Vetsch joined the Nixa banking center as manager and retail officer. She has more than nine years of banking experience including branch management. John Woosley was hired as the bank’s loan operations supervisor. He has eight years of experience with MetLife. Denise Bjorge was promoted to the position of banking center manager for the Hammons Tower location, and Tammy Gonzales was promoted to banking center manager for the Nixa-James River branch.. Bjorge has 11 years of retail and commercial banking experience, while Gonzalez has 13 years of experience, including eight with Empire.

Wood & Huston Bank CEO Barry Randolph was appointed to serve on the Government Relations Committee for the Missouri Bankers Association. The committee develops policy recommendations on state and federal legislation that could impact Missouri commercial banks.

Broadcasting

Bott Radio Network added Sean Freeman and Patti Wilhite to its staff. Freeman is an advertising account executive. He has 12 years of experience in sales, including two years as an account executive with Branson Daily News. Wilhite is executive assistant for KBCV-AM 1570 and 103.9 FM. She previously worked in the sales department of Mansion America Theatre.

Community

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield hired Chris Shelton as the unit director for the Clubs’ Stalnaker unit at 1410 N. Fremont Ave. in Springfield. Shelton joins the organization from the Ozarks Regional YMCA, where he had been employed since 2000.

Insurance

Ollis & Co. Insurors added Michael Greenlee to its staff as a producer in its employee benefits department. He has six years of experience in the life insurance and financial planning industry and is a graduate of Missouri State University.

Barker-Phillips-Jackson Insurance hired Shawn Nass as a life and health insurance producer in the Springfield office. Nass has been in the insurance industry since 1988 as a life and health producer.

BPJ Vice President Bill Southworth was appointed to serve on the Agents’ Advisory Council for Missouri Employers Mutual. Southworth, a certified insurance counselor, has been in the insurance industry for 33 years, 30 years with BPJ.

Law

Several area lawyers were listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2007, a book printed biennially that is based on 1.8 million confidential evaluations by the nation’s top attorneys. Virginia Fry, David Agee and Robert Penninger of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin were among the honorees, as were Michael Cordonnier, Gary Cunningham, Frank Evans III, Dan Nelson and Randell Wallace of Lathrop & Gage.