Newsmakers: June 16-22, 2025

Agriculture
Former Gov. Mike Parson, of Bolivar, was inducted into the Missouri Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was recognized at a celebration hosted by the Missouri State Fair Foundation and the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Missouri’s 57th governor and a third-generation farmer, Parson was recognized for infrastructure investments and workforce development initiatives impacting the industry.

Automation
Control Service Co. Inc. hired Sam Holliday as business development manager. Holliday, who works from the building automation and energy management company’s Springfield office, has a bachelor’s in finance and MBA from Missouri State University.

Banking & Finance
Guaranty Bank promoted Tyler Stalker to executive vice president and chief lending officer. Stalker, who has more than 19 years of banking experience in the Springfield market, has worked at Guaranty Bank since 2014. He previously was senior vice president and residential lending manager, overseeing real estate and consumer lending teams.

Arvest Bank’s Springfield operation hired Shelly Miller and promoted Jared Howery and Mikala Thurston. Miller, a health care relationship banker, has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Howery, who was promoted to branch sales manager at the company’s Sunshine Street branch, has more than eight years of experience at Arvest and previously worked as a relationship banker. Appointed as private banking adviser and assistant vice president, Thurston has more than 12 years of experience in the banking industry.

Construction
Branco Enterprises Inc. Chief Financial Officer Bryce McDermott was elected as the 2025-26 treasurer of the Construction Financial Management Association, which has more than 90 North American chapters and roughly 11,000 members. McDermott, who has a bachelor’s in accounting from Missouri Southern State University, has worked at Branco for over 25 years.

Education
Drury University junior Zachary Stockton became the first student in the history of the Springfield higher education institution to be named a Truman Scholarship recipient. Stockton, who will receive a $30,000 postgraduate scholarship, is an English and writing major.

Government
The city of Nixa was recognized by the Missouri Department of Public Safety with the Missouri Blue Shield designation. Created by Gov. Mike Kehoe in January, the Missouri Blue Shield Program recognizes local governments for initiatives to address public safety and support law enforcement officers.

Health Care
The Taney County Health Department recognized Western Taney County Fire Assistant Chief Jim Furgerson as its 2025 Public Health Champion. Furgerson, who previously retired as chief of the Joplin Fire Department, was honored for advancements in public health through fire safety initiatives such as assisting the Taney County Health Department in joint inspections.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department maintained its national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. First accredited by the PHAB in 2018, the Health Department’s reaccreditation followed a review process in 2023 and 2024 that found its public health practices met or exceeded the highest standards.

Law
Emily Blinzig joined Ozarks Elder Law as an attorney. With a bachelor’s in international studies from the University of Oklahoma, Blinzig has her law degree from the University of Tulsa.