Newsmakers: June 10-16, 2024

Arts
The Springfield Art Museum promoted more than eight-year employee Joshua Best to museum educator. Previously museum affairs officer over audience development, Best has worked at the Springfield Art Museum since 2015.

Banking & Finance
Volt Credit Union promoted Teri Bee to vice president of lending. A company employee for more than 16 years, Bee earned her certification as a credit union business lending professional in 2019.

Volt Credit Union hired Stacy Schneider as marketing director. Previously marketing specialist at OneDigital in Springfield, Schneider has an associate degree in computer programming from Linn State Technical College and a bachelor’s in computer animation from Missouri State University.

Tiffany Montgomery was hired by Legacy Bank & Trust Co. as a private banking officer. She has a master’s in communication from Drury University.          

Education
Drury University presented eight Distinguished Alumni Award honors, recognizing individuals who have achieved professional and personal successes, and demonstrated exemplary service to their community. Cookie Rice, emeritus CEO of Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co., and Wes Pratt, former chief diversity officer for MSU, received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Lifetime Achievement. Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement were Trent Webb, chair of Shook’s intellectual property litigation practice group, and Jeff Bohannan, founder of JB Warranties Corp. Michael Affleck White, a philanthropist who is retired from Hutchens Industries, received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service. The Distinguished Alumni Award for Young Alumni was presented to Kelly Sitzman, director of communications and employee development for Pioneer Library System in Norman, Oklahoma. Lynn Chipperfield, retired from Furniture Brands International in St. Louis, received the Distinguished Alumni Award for University Engagement. Drury board member and architect Rita Baron was selected for the Distinguished Alumni Award for Special Merit.

Nixa Public Schools’ Eagle Express magazine won a Gold honor for outstanding work in the industry through Hermes Creative Awards.

Hospitality
Oasis Hotel & Convention Center received a Hometown Hero award at Choice Hotels’ annual convention in Las Vegas. The Springfield hotel was recognized for its employee-led community outreach taskforce that handles numerous service projects annually.

Manufacturing
Austin, Texas-based Vital Farms Inc.’s Egg Central Station facility in Springfield earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification.

The green building rating system recognizes the company’s goal of reducing operational greenhouse gas intensity by 25% by 2027, as well as projects designed around sustainability like daylighting and climate control initiatives.