Banking and Finance Former Arvest Bank commercial lender Eric Lankford moved to Regions Bank as vice president and community banking relationship manager for southwest Missouri. Lankford has 11 years of banking experience, including two years working with Regions in Tennessee.
Katie Carlisle was promoted to banking center manager at Empire Bank’s South Glenstone branch. Responsible for business development and managing retail operations, Carlisle has worked seven years for Empire Bank, previously as a customer service representative and assistant banking center manager.
Laurie Adams, U.S. Bank’s vice president and treasury management payments consultant, received the bank’s annual Pinnacle Award, which recognizes the top 10 percent of employees nationwide for job performance.
Metropolitan National Bank promoted Chan Crooker to community bank president in the Marshfield market. He has 15 years of industry experience, including a stint as vice president and commercial loan officer at the Square Banking Center in Marshfield.
Education Lara Wilbur joined Nixa Public Schools as its early childhood program principal. Wilbur, who worked previously for the Branson School District in early childhood special education and high school special education, holds a bachelor’s in elementary education from College of the Ozarks and a master’s in educational administration from Lindenwood University.
Two national organizations honored Drury University for its sustainability efforts. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the University Suites residences with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Platinum status, and The Princeton Review listed Drury in its annual guide to green colleges for environmental and sustainability-related policies, practices and academic offerings.
College of the Ozarks art professor Anne Allman received the Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award, and head athletic trainer Gary Turbak received The Mildred Letton Wittick Professional Achievement Award.
Five Missouri State University employees were named recipients of the 2014 Board of Governors’ Excellence in Public Affairs Award: Kathy Nordyke, director of citizenship and service learning; Herb Lunday, dean of student services-West Plains campus; James Baumlin, professor of English; Anson Elliott, head of the agriculture department; and Lora Hobbs, a senior instructor of religious studies.
Holly Stockard was named director of alumni engagement at Southwest Baptist University. She holds a bachelor’s in communications from SBU and previously worked in the school’s department of university relations.
Engineering Interpres Building Solutions hired professional engineer Austin Piester as a lead engineer. Piester has eight years of design experience.
Government Springfield-Greene County Library District promoted Jessie Alexander-East and Sarah Franka-Jones to branch managers. Alexander-East manages the Library Center, after working two years as the Brentwood branch youth services manager. Franka-Jones manages the Willard and Ash Grove libraries, after working two years as a Willard branch reference assistant.
Library Center Youth Services Manager Sarah Bean Thompson was one of 16 elected to serve on the 2016 Caldecott Committee for the Association for Library Service to Children. In 2015, she will read and evaluate picture books to help in the Caldecott selection process.
Health Care Amanda Hedgpeth was named vice president of clinical services at CoxHealth, where she has worked since 2005, most recently as an assistant vice president.
After six years of employment, CoxHealth promoted Mitchell Cox to director of planning and special projects in the hospital’s system administration department.
Dr. Julia Flax was named medical director and chairwoman of CoxHealth Network’s commercial contracting subcommittee. Flax has practiced family medicine at the CoxHealth Steeplechase Clinic for eight years.
Hospitality The Comfort Inn & Suites and the Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills in Branson were selected as two of the three finalists for Choice Hotels International’s 2014 Hotel of the Year award for the Comfort Inn brand. Finalists were named out of 1,400 Comfort Inn properties worldwide based on guest satisfaction and brand performance.
Insurance Hollie Estes joined Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance in Ozark as a career agent. She completed training in life, accident/health, and property and casualty insurance.
Law Emma Schuering joined Polsinelli PC as an associate in the commercial litigation practice. With a law degree from Saint Louis University, she has two years of experience as a clerk with the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District.
Manufacturing Hiland Dairy Foods Co. received a 2014 Production Excellence Award as the best single production plant within the Quality Chekd group of dairy processors. Finalists for the award were subject to a quality audit and evaluation of plant processes and systems. Hiland Dairy also earned two advertising awards from Quality Chekd Dairies for meeting sales and profit objectives: Best Single Product Campaign and Best Integrated Marketing Campaign.
Missouri Enterprise added Robert Donnelly as southwest Missouri area business manager and David Felin as a project manager. Donnelly worked previously as a project manager and business service representative for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Felin previously operated his own manufacturing consulting firm and has served as a lead instructor at Ozarks Technical Community College.
Real Estate Linda Brown, a Realtor with Carol Jones Realtors, was chosen to receive mentoring and a $1,000 grant for an organization she co-founded, called The Gathering Tree, as part of the National Association of Realtors Volunteer Works program. Brown was one of five Realtors recognized by the NAR for community service efforts.[[In-content Ad]]
Springfield event venue Belamour LLC gained new ownership; The Wok on West Bypass opened; and Hawk Barber & Shop closed on a business purchase that expanded its footprint to Ozark.
