Newsmakers

Great Southern Bank announced a staff promotion and an addition. Kraig Houseman was promoted to commercial lending officer. He has been with Great Southern for eight years. Prior to his promotion, Houseman served as senior credit analyst. He also has held various positions in credit administration and deposit services. Houseman holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from SMSU. In his new position, he manages an existing loan portfolio and develops new customer relationships.

Jim Mallonee joined Great Southern Bank as a commercial lending officer. He has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry. Mallonee worked for Centerre Bank of Crane for 16 years, serving in several positions, including president and CEO. He also spent 12 years working for Citizens Bank of Missouri, which was purchased by Community Bank and Trust. In his new position, he is responsible for monitoring, inspecting and disbursement tracking for bank-financed commercial construction projects.

Broadcasting

Journal Broadcast Group announced two staff promotions and an addition in its Springfield operations. Don Louzader was promoted from assistant news director to news director for KTTS-FM 94.7, KSGF-AM 1260 and KSGF-FM 104.1. Louzader has been on-air with KTTS news and weather since 1995, and he served as acting news director for several months before the promotion. Nancy Simpson was promoted from reporter to assistant news director for Journal Broadcast’s Springfield stations. She attended Southwest Missouri State University and is a graduate of Southwest School of Broadcasting. She joined KTTS in 1998 as a part-time, weekend/overnight reporter.

Journal Broadcast Group hired Vince Jericho as program director/morning show host for its KSGF stations. Jericho began his broadcast career in 1984 and has worked in radio and television, most recently hosting an afternoon news talk show for WSPT Radio in Stevens Point, Wis.

Morris James was named news director of Hometown Radio in Branson, which has stations KOMC- AM 1220, KOMC-FM 100.1 and KRZK 106.3 FM. James began his broadcast career as a disc jockey in 1968. In 1972, he joined KTTS. He worked as news director of stations in Denver and Omaha, Neb. from 1983 to 1998, when he returned to KTTS. James was KTTS news director for the last seven years. His experience also includes owning a company that provided news and traffic information to nine radio stations and one TV station in Denver.

Restaurant

Michael K. Hamra was promoted to president and chief operating officer of Chicago Bread LLC and Boston Bread LLC, which operate a total of 36 Panera Bread Bakery Cafés in the Boston and Chicago areas. Hamra previously served as vice president and general counsel of Hamra Enterprises and operations partner of Boston Bread LLC, where he supervised and oversaw site selection and construction of Panera Bread Bakery Cafés in Boston. Hamra is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the University of Missouri Law School in Columbia. He served in the federal government for three years and was the chief of staff of the Wireless Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission. He also was an attorney with the Washington, D.C., firm Akin, Gump and Strauss for three years. In addition to Chicago Bread LLC and Boston Bread LLC, other Hamra Enterprises subsidiaries are Wendy’s of Missouri Inc. and Baymont Inn and Suites in Springfield and Lewisville, Texas.