Newsmakers

Jeff Tullock was named Superintendent of the Year by the Springfield chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Tullock was nominated by Butler, Rosenbury & Partners and ESC Inc. Engineers and Architects. Both firms worked with Tullock, the construction superintendent for DeWitt and Associates, on the Precision Slicing Inc. production line project at Springfield Underground.

Automotive

Reliable Imports and RVs was named winner of the Fleetwood RV Circle of Excellence 2005 Customer Satisfaction Award. The award, given by Riverside, Calif.-based Fleetwood Enterprises, recognizes commitment to customer satisfaction by Reliable, whose performance also resulted in an outstanding customer satisfaction rating for the 2005 model year. Reliable has been a Fleetwood RV dealer since 1997.

Business

The Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri received a $175,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development as part of the Missouri Regional Skills Gap Initiative, a statewide effort. The money will be used to initiate the Work Readiness Credential program, which assesses whether job seekers have the foundational knowledge and skills needed for entry-level positions.

Community

Gordon Brown is the new executive director of the Monett Area YMCA branch of the Ozarks Regional YMCA. Brown, former senior director of youth and camping at the Sioux Falls Family YMCA in Sioux Falls, S.D., has a bachelor's degree in elementary education. As executive director of the Monett branch, he is responsible for branch operations and growth.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southwest Missouri announced the appointment of seven new members to its board of directors: Denise Lofton, human resources manager of Tuthill Corp.; Ashley Dewitt, an executive with Springfield Family YMCA; Jennifer McClean, an administrator with St. John's Clinic; Kathryn Mihalevich, an associate with Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin; Jean Moore, general pediatrician at Smith-Glynn-Callaway Clinic; Kathy Morelock of Morelock-Ross Builders; and Wendy Myers of Associated Electric.

CASA also received a $10,000 grant from the UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS. The grant will be used to support the annual Helping CASA Help Kids Holiday Project. CASA solicits drawings from school children throughout the area, and a community committee selects entries to be used for Christmas and other seasonal cards, which are printed and sold to the public.

Food

Dwight Teele III, a server and certified trainer for the Olive Garden restaurant on Country Music Boulevard in Branson, joined 23 other Olive Garden certified trainers who spent one week in Italy as part of Olive Garden's ongoing employee educational and training initiative. Certified trainers are responsible for training new team members in their restaurants and at newly opened locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Tourism

Eric Volmer, promotions director for Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, was appointed to the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. Volmer, whose term expires Jan. 1, 2008, replaces Jerry Van Huis, Bass Pro Shops general manager, who resigned due to a restrictive travel schedule. Sally Hargis of Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. was elected to assistant treasurer on the CVB board.

Patty Becraft, director of administration and operations for the Springfield CVB, was sworn in as a new board member for the CenStates Travel & Tourism Research Association during its annual convention in Overland Park, Kan., in November.

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