Newsmakers

Community

Gene Barnes, president and CEO of the Arc of the Ozarks-Springfield, was appointed to the national board of directors for the National Conference of Executives of the Arc at its annual meeting in Mystic, Conn. He also received a certificate acknowledging his completion of training at the Academy of the National Conference of Executives of the Arc.

Four southwest Missourians received the 2003 Missourian Award from the American Heart Association during an awards dinner in Jefferson City. Recipients were John E. Moore Jr., EdD, president of Drury University; Sister Lorraine Biebel, founder of The Kitchen; and Peter Herschend, co-owner of Silver Dollar City and vice chairman of the board of Herschend Family Entertainment. Lester _Bud_ Cox, former chairman of Cox Medical Centers and a vice chairman of TWA, received the award posthumously. The Missourian Awards acknowledge the most accomplished citizens of Missouri.

John Barton Mahaffey was chosen for the Patriot Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. The award was presented to him at Chateau on the Lake in Branson. The Patriot Award is the highest award the Congressional Medal of Honor Society can bestow on an individual. It is reserved for those who, through their life_s work, exemplify the ideals _ including dedication to freedom, love of fellow man and allegiance to the American flag _ that make the United States strong.

Education

Drury University maintained its 12th-place ranking on the list of best master_s universities in the Midwest in the 2004 college rankings published by U.S. News & World Report. Drury also remains the best value among master_s universities in Missouri, with a No. 2 position on the _Great Schools at Great Prices_ list for Midwestern master_s universities.

Alyssa Myracle of Springfield received a $1,000 Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship. Employed by Steve Lowery at the Chick-fil-A restaurant at Battlefield Mall, Myracle is the unit_s 45th scholarship recipient since it opened in August 1982.

Financial services

Marc Mayer joined Fieldstone Mortgage Company as a loan officer, working with clients on purchases and refinancing for residential properties. Mayer earned his undergraduate degree from Drury University in 2002 and his master_s degree in business administration from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark., in May.

Village Bank announced two staff promotions and two staff additions.

Shawn A. Street was promoted to senior vice president at Village Bank. He will continue working in lending, and he will manage the bank_s newest location at 1776 E. Independence. Street earned his undergraduate degree from Drury and he has 10 years of banking experience.

Nick Burlison was promoted to assistant vice president at Village Bank, working from the South Kansas Expressway location. Burlison_s responsibilities include lending and business development, and he has more than five years of banking experience.

Robert D. Berlin joined Village Bank as senior vice president. His responsibilities include commercial lending and business development, and management of the bank_s East Sunshine and South Kansas Expressway locations. Berlin has 24 years of banking experience.

Larry A. Featherston joined Village Bank as executive vice president, serving as the senior lending officer at the East Independence location. He also manages the bank_s loan administration department. Featherston has a banking degree from the University of Colorado, and he has 30 years of banking experience.

State Bank Examiner Dwayne A. Falk of Pleasant Hope attended a capital markets conference at the FDIC Training Center in Arlington, Va. The conference, sponsored by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, was designed to assess the risk characteristics in capital market activities and to integrate this analysis into the assessment of total risk in the financial institution.

Documents

Andrea Hardiman joined EDCO-The Document People as information technology manager. Hardiman has worked in the Ozarks since 1984, developing software, conducting training, directing projects and managing information systems for Kraft Foods, Reckitt Benckiser and other area businesses.

Franchises

U.S. Sen. Kit Bond was named Legislator of the Year by the International Franchise Association. The honor is presented to a member of Congress who has worked diligently to promote franchise-friendly legislation and turned back efforts to impose increased regulatory burdens on businesses.

Human resources

Midwest Staff Solutions has signed Grand Crowne Resorts Inc. of Branson as a client. Midwest Staff Solutions partners with small businesses and manages their health benefits plans, workers_ compensation risk management, payroll and human resources needs.

Insurance

Nixon & Lindstrom Insurance announced two staff additions.

Lynn Rhodes joined the firm as a personal lines customer service representative. She is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, and she has worked in the insurance industry for four years. In her new position, Rhodes assists clients with their personal insurance needs.

Sophorn Yim joined Nixon & Lindstrom as a commercial lines customer service representative trainee. Yim, a graduate of Parkview High School and student at Ozarks Technical Community College, is part of the firm_s corporate initiative to hire and train new people in the insurance industry.

Law

Paul D. Link joined Lathrop & Gage as Of Counsel in the firm_s Springfield office. Link_s practice is concentrated in commercial litigation, banking litigation, bankruptcy and medical malpractice. Link earned his undergraduate degree in 1993 from Southwest Missouri State University and in 1996 earned his juris doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Prior to joining Lathrop & Gage, Link worked at Husch & Eppenberger.

Real estate

Ozark Country Realty, the Springfield/ Ozark affiliate for United Country Real Estate, earned the 1 award for outstanding sales production in the second quarter of 2003. Owned and operated by Paul and Patsy Sidio, Ozark Country Realty finished 2002 as the No. 13 United office nationwide, earning the company_s highest award, the Summit Club.

Peggy Mitchell, GRI and sales associate at Coldwell Banker Vanguard, Realtors, attended the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation_s Elite Retreat, a three-day conference in Washington, D.C. Only the company_s associates in the top 12 percent internationally qualify to attend the Elite Retreat. This is Mitchell_s 14th time to participate. The keynote speaker during the retreat was former First Lady Barbara Bush.