Newsmakers

Chris Tuckness, vice president of community development and special events at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, recently graduated from the Institute for Organization Management. Held in Colorado Springs, Colo., the institute is a four-year professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Queen City Sertoma Club named Christy Garcia the Sertoman of the Year and gave Katy Tynes the Service to Mankind Award. Garcia, who works for Love Insurance & Financial and is president-elect of the club, was honored for her roles in fund-raising and leadership since joining in 2002. Tynes was selected for her career and community work with and for children’s groups, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, the Family Violence Center, Court Appointed Special Advocates, the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

Education

Jacqueline Rogers, a teacher at Grace Classical Academy in Springfield, recently completed training in St. Louis with The Etiquette Institute, where she learned to teach business etiquette and customize programs to meet the needs of businesses, universities and professional organizations. As a member of The Etiquette Institute, Rogers joins more than 125 consultants who are teaching the program in the United States.

Jenna Chase, of Springfield, was chosen as one of 10 recipients of a Drive Your Future scholarship from Mercedes-Benz USA. The scholarships, a one-time, $2,000 award, are intended to help students offset tuition and school expenses. Recipients were chosen based on financial need and exceptional academic achievement. Chase will attend Missouri State University.

Employment

Willstaff Worldwide, a Louisiana-based company with 108 offices in 33 states, awarded its President’s Circle Peak Award to Rebecca Cantrell, personnel manager in the Springfield office. In all, more than 60 awards were presented to Willstaff employees during the company’s annual convention in New Orleans.

Engineering

Abby Thurman joined Smith-Goth Engineers Inc. as an engineer for mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems. Thurman is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.

Insurance

Michelle Conway joined Barker-Phillips-Jackson as a commercial lines customer service agent in the Springfield office. She has been in the insurance industry for eight years and has experience in property and casualty lines. She received her life and health insurance license in February.

Also at BPJ, Alicia Swofford has moved to a life and health customer service agent position. She was previously an insurance processor. Swofford has been with Barker-Phillips-Jackson since September 2003 and received her life and health license in December 2003.

Marketing

Springfield-based Wildflower Design & Graphics added Cody Meyer as public relations and marketing director. Meyer graduated from Drury University with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations.

Media

Journal Broadcast Group promoted Linda Merkling to local sales manager for country station KTTS-FM and simulcast news talk stations KSGF-AM and KSGF-FM. Merkling has been an account manager with Journal Broadcast Group’s Springfield operation since 1999. During her time there, she has won numerous accolades, including the Journal Excellence in Sales Leadership Award.

Sales

Scott Richardson and Travis Selsor of Springfield took first-place honors in the Russell Cellular and Satellite “Survivor” sales contest. Based loosely on the popular TV show, more than 40 sales teams from a four-state area competed for a total of $10,000 in prizes during the company’s summer training day June 14 at Chateau on the Lake in Branson. Richardson and Selsor, senior wireless specialists at Russell’s South Kimbrough store, received cruises to the Bahamas.

Travel

Branson was selected as one of the top destinations in the American Bus Association and Destination magazine’s 2005 Best and the Rest Survey. Branson was voted best value for the money and was the third-ranked U.S. destination with the most to offer groups. It also was voted No. 1 for having a Convention and Visitors Bureau that works hardest for groups.