Construction Mike Coan, outside salesman for Midwest Block and Brick, was named North Central Region president for the Construction Specifications Institute. He has held various positions with CSI since 2006 and last year served as vice president of the region’s 20 chapters.
Education The Missouri State University Enactus team placed second in a quarterfinal round and 32 among all competitors at the Enactus National Exposition.
The MSU Board of Governors selected its 2015 Wall of Fame: Ronald Bottin, Dominic Capeci Jr., Mona Casady-Niewald, Curtis Lawrence and Bill Rowe. Bottin previously led the MSU College of Business; Capeci is the university’s first distinguished professor for his recognized scholarship in the area of African American history; Casady-Niewald developed curriculum for the school’s Introduction to University Life course and was responsible for establishing the Missouri Association of Faculty Senates; Lawrence served as dean of the University College and director of the Honors College; and Rowe was a longtime athletic director and helped establish the Bears Fund.
Sheryl Haile, professor of psychology at College of the Ozarks, received the Mildred Letton Wittick Professional Achievement Award. Haile has become involved in the Christian Association for Psychological Studies and helped organize the school’s Midwest Christian Psychology Conference.
Kara Swofford, C of O associate professor of education, received the Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award. Swofford joined the college in 2007.
Government U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., received the American Conservative Union Award for Conservative Achievement in 2014. The ACU, which rates Congress members by their voting records, gave Long a 92 percent rating.
Springfield City Council appointed Anita Cotter as city clerk. Cotter, who had served as assistant city clerk since 1996 and most recently acting city clerk, holds a master’s in organizational leadership and a bachelor’s in business administration from Evangel University.
Health Care Cox Medical Center Branson was designated as a Level II Stroke Center by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Bureau of Hospital Standards. Cox Branson went through an application process that included an on-site review by the department’s time-critical diagnosis staff.
Mercy Hospital Springfield received an A grade in the Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score, which rates hospitals on protecting patients from preventable medical errors, injuries and infections.
Phoenix Home Care Inc. hired Megan Frisbee as a recruiting specialist and Whitney Hall as a health care consultant. Frisbee, who worked most recently as a brand ambassador for GigSalad, holds an associate degree from Ozarks Technical Community College and is studying marketing at MSU. Hall worked previously as an administrative assistant at Peak Performance Physical Therapy and has a bachelor’s in marketing from MSU.
Jessica Steenbergen, Integrity Home Care’s corporate director of home health, received the Administrative Staff and Support Staff Award from the Missouri Alliance for Home Care. Steenbergen has improved processes and procedures in quality assurance and audit practices at Integrity.
Hospitality Three Myer Hotels properties – the Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills, Comfort Inn & Suites Branson Meadows and the Comfort Inn West – each received 2015 Platinum Hospitality awards from Choice Hotels International Inc., the parent company for the Comfort Inn brand. Roughly 35 Comfort Inn hotels nationwide receive the honor. Also, the Best Western Music Capitol Inn was named the Best Western Chairman’s Award winner for customer care, and the Best Western Center Pointe Inn received the Best Western Director’s Award based on inspection scores.
Victory Trade School graduates Gary Hamilton, Brent Hilliard and Chad Seidberg were hired in culinary positions. Hamilton was named kitchen manager at SWI Industrial Solutions, Hilliard joined Cafe Cusco as a saute chef, and Seidberg was selected by Big Cedar Lodge for an externship.
Law Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP hired Nicholas Irmen as an associate attorney in the trust and estate planning practice group. With a law degree from the University of Arkansas, a master’s in taxation from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois, Irmen handles estate planning, business transactions, tax advice and charitable planning.
Manufacturing Adam Whitaker joined SWI Industrial Solutions Inc. as an on-site trainer for employees traveling to various job sites.
Marketing Jim Raposa, principal of Raposa Media in Branson, earned the Dan Kennedy Certified Copywriter for Info-Marketers designation through a course of study offered by the American Artists and Writers Inc.
Nonprofit Earls Family Broadcasting was named 2015 Small Business of the Year by the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Advisory Council. The Earls family, which has worked in broadcasting media for 50 years, operates The Vacation Channel and five radio stations.
The Branson chamber also named Free Medical Clinic of the Ozarks the Charity of the Year for treating those without medical insurance and gave Golden Corral the Ozark Mountain Hospitality Award for customer service.
Services The Concrete Lifter promoted Keith Rudner to estimator from estimator in training. Rudner, who has 20 years of experience in assisting homeowners on projects, recently completed required training that included writing over 100 estimates.
Technology Computer Recycling Center received R2, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications. The certifications represent top industry designations for electronics recycling, environmental responsibility and employee health and safety.[[In-content Ad]]
