Newsmakers: Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2012

Banking & Finance
Paula Dougherty, a financial adviser with Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., has completed the requirements to earn the Chartered Advisor for Senior Living designation through The American College. Coursework prepares financial planning professionals to help clients with management, preservation and transfer of wealth.

Central Trust & Investment Co., the holding company for Empire Bank and Ozark Mountain Bank, hired Steven Kamienski as vice president and relationship manager. He earned undergraduate degrees in accounting and economics from the University of Northern Iowa, and a law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Metropolitan National Bank hired Pam Haerther as a mortgage loan originator. She has 18 years of experience as a banking and mortgage professional, including serving most recently as assistant vice president of land and home at FCS Financial.

Chamber of Commerce
The Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce named Connell Insurance Small Business of the Year and Boys and Girls Club of the Ozarks as Charity of the Year. SBOY nominees were Branson Tourism Center, Compton Ridge Campground, Hollywood Studio Store & More and Patient Pal LLC. Charity of the Year nominees were Christian Action Ministries, Church Army, The Caring People and Tri-Lakes United Way.

Construction
The Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield received five national awards from the National Association of Home Builders, tying the Home Builders Association of Metro Portland (Ore.) for the most awards. The Springfield HBA was honored for Best Public Relations Program for its Year of the Smoke Alarm campaign; Best Education Program for member scholarships for professional designations; Best Association Operations Program for its strategic plan; Best Community Service Project for building two homes for Habitat for Humanity to National Green Building Standards; and Best Source of Revenue Other Than Dues, Parades or Shows for hosting the Ozarks Regional Housing & Construction Conference.

Education
The UPS Foundation contributed $40,800 to the Missouri Colleges Fund to underwrite needs-based scholarships at its 17 member schools, including Drury, Evangel and Southwest Baptist universities.

Southwest Baptist University promoted Rob Harris to vice president for student development. The former dean of students received the change in title after successfully defending his dissertation for a Doctor of Education from Northcentral University.

Health Care
The American Hospital Association named Mercy a Most Wired health care organization, landing the health system among less than 10 percent of the 1,570 hospitals that completed an AHA survey. Mercy also was recognized among 7 percent of hospitals nationwide with an integrated electronic health record sophisticated enough to access and share medical records among its member facilities. Mercy began its transition to electronic health records in 2004, and 24 of its 32 hospitals are on its network.

Jeffrey Gower, president of Wil Fischer Distribution Co., was appointed to the CoxHealth Board of Directors, filling the vacancy created when his father, C. Jeffrey Gower, retired from the board. The younger Gower earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Vicki Good, CoxHealth’s administrative director of patient safety, was selected to serve a one-year term as president-elect of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Good previously served on the AACN board 2008–11, acting as 2009–10 treasurer.
 
Services
Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants presented Brad Allen, general manager of Springfield’s Red Lobster, with the Joe R. Lee Diamond Club Award. Named after Darden’s retired chairman and CEO, the company’s top honor is presented annually to Red Lobster GMs who demonstrate outstanding leadership and achieve top financial performance. Allen is a two-time award recipient.