Newsmakers: Dec. 27, 2021-Jan. 2, 2022

Accounting
Abacus CPAs LLC promoted several staff members: Sam Shafer to senior adviser, Shuhan Gu to adviser, John Taylor to senior consultant, Kasey Bippert and Amy Murphy to consultant, Dina Graves to senior coordinator, Brenda Do to senior analyst, Taylor Graves to coordinator and Stephanie Frazee to senior associate. Shafer and Gu have supervisory roles: Shafer over the tax department and Gu over the Branson office.

Banking & Finance
Old Missouri Bank promoted Shanda Trautman to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She’s worked for OMB since 2015, most recently as a senior VP and chief digital officer.

Edward Jones financial adviser Bill Scorse earned the certified financial planner designation through the CFP Board of Standards. Recipients complete financial planning coursework and an exam covering investments, risk management, tax and estate planning, and retirement and employee benefits.

Consulting
The Great Game of Business President Rich Armstrong was appointed as a business coach and lead of the company’s strategic financial planning methodology with its clients, effective Feb. 1. Darin Bridges, who has served as vice president of coaching since 2019, will take on the president’s role, and Brian Underhill, currently a client implementation manager, will be promoted to manage the coaching programs. Armstrong has served as president since 2005 and has experience coaching Great Game member companies.

Prior to joining Great Game, Bridges served 10 years as director of sales and marketing and vice president of business development at sister company Springfield Remanufacturing Corp., where the open-book management concept originated.

Government
Missouri Rep. Craig Fishel, R-Springfield, was named chair of the House Consent and House Procedure Committee for the 2022 legislative session. He’s responsible for all legislation referred to the committee, which is tasked with formulating the rules of the House of Representatives and reviewing the consent status of bills, along with placing them on the appropriate consent calendar. Fishel brings experience as a small-business owner and Springfield City Council member.

Health Care
Burrell Behavioral Health added Alexandra Sheppard and Stacye Smith to its board of directors. As an attorney, Sheppard has experience in estate planning and civil litigation, as well as serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Greene County. Smith works as vice president of human resources for Shelter Insurance Cos. in Columbia.