Advertising The Springfield public information office and planning staff received nine awards from the 35th annual American Advertising Federation’s Ozarks Addy Awards. Mark Montgomery won three gold Addys and two silvers for his Birthplace of Route 66 billboard and logo designs, an illustration for the Springfield Jazz Festival poster, a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Scenic Route cartoon series for The Scene employee newsletter. Other team members were recognized for the Red’s Giant Hamburg/Route 66 campaign video and the “Will You Help?” domestic violence public service announcement.
Banking and Finance With nine years of banking experience, Brent Cochran was promoted to banking center manager and retail officer of Empire Bank’s Glen Isle branch.
Empire Bank and Central Trust and Investment Co. donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross to help replenish disaster relief funds in southern Missouri.
Dean Arens, the LPL Financial branch manager for StrongPath Financial, earned the Chartered Financial Consultant designation from The American College after completing a minimum of nine courses and 18 hours of supervised examinations.
Ariel Jantz joined Personal Finance Co. as a customer service representative. She previously worked at Pearle Vision Center.
Education Novus International provided a $17,000 STEM grant to the Missouri Colleges Fund to underwrite science, technology engineering and math-based scholarships at 17 member schools, including Drury, Evangel and Southwest Baptist universities.
For writing the article titled, “Rethinking Luke’s Purpose: The Effect of First Century Social Conflict,” Global University Vice Provost Randy Hedlun received a Declaration of Excellence Award from The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship.
Southwest Baptist University installed Rodney Reeves as Courts Redford College chairman of biblical studies. Reeves is the dean of The Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry and a professor of biblical studies.
Lindsey Taggart, a library assistant with Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, was chosen as one of the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders of 2014. Taggart has a bachelor’s in English literature from Grinnell College and a master’s of library and information science of University of Missouri-Columbia.
Government Jan Fischer was named director of human resources for the city of Branson, after working 10 years as vice president for financial and employee services at Independence Community College. He has a bachelor’s in journalism from Wichita State University and a master’s in human resources development from Pittsburg State University.
The Springfield Fire Department was granted five years of reaccreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, joining nearly 190 accredited fire and rescue agencies.
Health Care Carol Kaye joined the Southwest Center for Independent Living as a consumer directed services specialist. Kaye completed her practicum at SCIL in the fall and plans to graduate in May with a bachelor’s in human services from Evangel University.
Law John Carnahan III, a shareholder in Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown PC, was appointed regent of the American College of Tax Counsel for the Eighth Circuit. The ACTC comprises 700 fellows practicing tax law privately, in law school and in government, and regents are primarily responsible for assisting in the nomination process for ACTC fellows.
Scott McMurray joined Easter Law Firm as an associate attorney. With a law degree from Washington University, he practices in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation.
Manufacturing Creed Jones joined Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems as director of human resources. With 30 years of experience in talent acquisition, employee development and retention, and HR policy development, Jones holds an MBA from Purdue University and a bachelor’s in communications from Brigham Young University.
Mortgage Tuesday Blair was hired as a loan officer and branch manager for PrimeLending in Branson. Blair has 10 years of industry experience, most recently working as a mortgage loan originator for Arvest Bank.
The Springfield branch of Dallas-based PrimeLending was ranked No. 4 nationally for purchase units in 2013. PrimeLending has more than 300 branches in 44 states and is licensed to originate and close loans in all 50 states.
Nonprofit Sheila Thomas was named executive director for the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Dave Liebenow. She has worked as a real estate broker in the Tri-Lakes area for nearly two decades and previously served as executive director of the Ozarks Rivers Heritage Foundation.
The Southwest Missouri Score chapter added Jim Maynard as a mentor. Maynard has worked in human resources for Kroger, Custom Metalcraft Inc. and O’Reilly Automotive Inc.
Restaurant Culver’s of Springfield received the chain’s Commitment to Excellence Award. Presented at Culver’s annual convention in Milwaukee, the award recognizes restaurant operations, guest experiences, community relationships and team development.[[In-content Ad]]
