Newsmakers

Bates & Associates Inc. hired Jarod Michel and Eron Eighmy to join its architecture staff. Michel received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Drury University and has also studied in Japan. Eighmy received degrees in interior architecture and product design from Kansas State University and has five years of industry experience.

Banking

Ozark Mountain Bank appointed Julie Lindstrom as vice president of the bank’s Cedar Ridge facility. Lindstrom started at the bank in December 2005 as an assistant vice president. She has five years of experience in banking and also worked for several years as a product performance analyst.

Bank of America appointed Summer Massey as vice president and business banking client manager for the Springfield region. In her new job, Massey works with local businesses with annual revenues between $2.5 million and $20 million.

Debbie Abraham of Bank of America Private Bank was promoted to trust administrative officer. Abraham has been with the private bank and trust departments of Bank of America and Boatmen’s Bank for 22 years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University.

Communications

Cal LeMon, president of Executive Enrichment Inc. in Springfield, was a speaker at the annual conference of the American Academy of Family Physicians in Kansas City. LeMon was chosen as the highest-rated speaker at the conference as a result of audience evaluations.

Jann Holland and Sheri Hawkins, co-owners of business consulting firm 2 Balance, completed training for construction, employee and civil mediation through The Center for Dispute Resolution at MSU. The training allows them to add mediation to their list of services, which includes public relations, human resources and research.

Community

The Downtown Springfield Association announced its 2006–2007 board of directors. Andy Cobb of Traders Printing is the new board president; Nicole Chilton of Moxie Cinema is vice president; certified public accountant Michael Babcock is treasurer; and Mitzie Zerr of City Utilities is immediate past president. Other new board members are Chad Burk of A Perfect Studio and Andrew Wells of Dake Wells Architecture Inc.

Adolfo Castillo was selected as vice chairman of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Castillo, a consultant in the Joplin area and co-founder of the Tri-State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is the first Hispanic to hold this position.

The Family Violence Center received a $100,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. The two-year grant will fund operational costs for the center, which provides shelter, advocacy and education to victims of domestic violence. The center also received a grant of more than $17,000 from the Greene County Medical Alliance for medical and dental co-pays for shelter residents.

Education

Ozarks Technical Community College received a Local Records Preservation Grant worth $2,093 to hire personnel to store academic records on microfilm. The initiative, a project of the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, is funded through user fees collected by recorder of deeds’ offices.

Paul Durham, MSU associate professor of biology, received a $1.2 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the interactions between nerve cells that alert the brain to pain caused by temporomandibular joint disorders. Durham, who is also the director of the school’s Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences, estimates that more than 10 million American adults suffer from TMJ, which is often characterized by chronic and acute pain in the jaw joint and accompanying muscles.

Finance

Brown and Wagner Mortgage Co. added Mary Worm as a residential home loan officer. Worm has eight years of experience in the mortgage business.

Roger Hoenes, a financial representative with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Branson, qualified for the organization’s Sierra level for his achievements in 2005. To qualify, employees must demonstrate outstanding sales and service to members. About 500 of Thrivent Financial’s 2,500 financial representatives qualified for the honor.

Government

State Rep. Bob Dixon, R-Greene County, was appointed to the House Interim Committee on Ticket-to-Work Reform by House Speaker Rod Jetton. The committee will study the possibility of reviving a state-funded medical assistance program for the working disabled. Dixon was first elected to the House in November 2002 and also serves as majority caucus chairman.

Insurance

American Family Insurance agent Jeff Yoakam was recognized for customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Insurance Agency Program. Yoakam has been an American Family agent since February 1994.

Agents from several area insurance agencies attended the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents Leadership Conference at Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark. Local attendees included JoAnn Evans and Lorie Downing of Beimdiek Insurance Agency; Tom Croley of Croley Insurance & Financial; and Randy Holm and Tim Connell of Connell Insurance Inc. The conference was designed for owners and managers of independent insurance agencies and brokerages from Missouri.

Douglas Stone joined Ollis & Co. as a producer in the property and casualty department. His responsibilities include advising business owners in insurance program development and risk management needs. He has a degree in public administration from Evangel University.

Law

Husch & Eppenberger LLC was named as one of the Top 200 law firms that dedicates itself to providing pro bono legal services by The American Lawyer magazine in its July 2006 issue.

Husch ranked No. 158 on the list, which ranks law firms based on the average number of pro bono hours per attorney and the percentage of lawyers who annually perform more than 20 hours of pro bono work.

Technology

D3 Technologies was recognized by software company Autodesk Inc. as one of the Top 10 Loyalty Resellers in the country. Scores are based on a survey of D3 customers and clients, covering customer service and support.

D3 was in the Top 10 out of more than 100 U.S. resellers.

Utility

Empire District Electric Co. named Harold Colgin general manager of energy supply. Colgin is responsible for the company’s power plants, fuel supplies, energy procurement and trading. He joined Empire in 1972 and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University. [[In-content Ad]]