Newsmakers: June 20-26, 2016

Art
Springfield artist Blake Willis Tiggemann won the Kenneth M. Shuck Memorial $3,000 Cash Award and the Springfield Art Museum Purchase Award for his entry “Lost in the Fire,” in this year’s Watercolor U.S.A. annual juried exhibition. Lynne Warren, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, judged exhibition entries. Four other local artists were selected for the exhibition: Cindy Kopenhafer and Gordon Lindsey, of Pleasant Hope, and Robert Langford and Helen Long, of Branson.

Banking and Finance
Springfield First Community Bank promoted Wendy Dunlap to vice president and commercial lender; Kody Redwing to assistant vice president and commercial lender; and Lisa Schuder to assistant vice president and consumer lender.

SFC Bank hired Nathan Fritz as vice president and mortgage loan originator and Kristin Carlton as vice president of loan administration.

Culinary
Chinese Chef won top honors at the 2016 Sertoma Cashew Craze event, earning entry to the World Food Championships after being selected for the title of Best Cashew Chicken. Chinese Chef also was awarded the Best Soup designation.

The Specialty Food Association selected the Date Lady as one of 100 finalists among 3,200 entries in 28 categories for its 2016 Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation Award competition. The Date Lady’s Date Syrup was a finalist in the Outstanding Dessert Sauce, Topping or Syrup category.    

Education
Evangel University’s Enactus team placed in the top 20 at the Enactus National Exposition. The entrepreneurial education organization has nearly 450 active U.S. teams, and Evangel qualified for the national event by winning a regional competition in April.

The American Institute of Architects honored Drury University professor emeritus Michael Buono as a member of its College of Fellows. Buono, who served as director of Drury’s Hammons School of Architecture from 2000 to 2012, was inducted during the AIA national meeting in Philadelphia. The association has about 85,000 members, and roughly 150 are named to the College of Fellows each year based on contributions to architecture and society.

The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in England invited Drury University professor Patricia McEachern as a permanent fellow. McEachern, who is a Dorothy Jo Barker Endowed Professor for the Study of Animal Rights at Drury, is teaching at the Oxford University center this summer.

The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda named Meilani Conley, instructor of computer and information sciences at Southwest Baptist University, the 2016 Missouri Adviser of the Year during the Missouri State Leadership Conference. Conley has served as the SBU FBLA-PBL adviser for three years and is leading 15 SBU students to national competition this summer.

Christian Universities Online ranked College of the Ozarks No. 1 among the Top 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities for Veterans. The listing recognizes Christian liberal-arts schools for services offered to members of the U.S. military and their dependents.

Government
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International named Springfield-Greene County 911 Emergency Communications Director Zim Schwartze APCO International Director of the Year. She will be honored during the organization’s annual conference in August in Orlando, Fla.

The Springfield Police Department promoted six officers to the rank of corporal: Mike Evans, David Kenyon, Erich Rogge, Justin Thorn, Marcus Walker and Bryan Welch.

Health Care
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association honored Cox Medical Center South with a Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. It recognizes the most appropriate stroke care based on nationally recognized and research-based standards.

Hospitality
John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts promoted Becky Vealey and Jeff Spence to regional directors of sales. Vealey, who most recently served as general manager of JQH’s Sheraton Sioux Falls & Convention Center in South Dakota, has 18 years experience with the company. Spence, who has 25 years of industry experience and seven years with JQH, previously served as general manager of the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel in Iowa.

Insurance
Ollis/Akers/Arney hired Larry Bowen as an adviser specializing in self-funding. He has 30 years of related experience.

Law
The Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association was selected to receive the 2016 NABE/LexisNexis Community & Educational Outreach Award for the association’s project Happy Birthday Magna Carta. The award honors state and local bar associations for innovative projects and public outreach.

Manufacturing
Reyco Granning LLC in Mount Vernon hired Tracy Carll as vice president of finance. Carll, who previously worked for SRC Holdings Corp. and CNH Reman, holds an MBA from Drury and a bachelor’s in accounting and business management from the University of Maryland.

Marketing
The International Council of Shopping Centers selected Branson Landing as a Gold Award winner in the Traditional Marketing category for Cause-Related Marketing Programs as part of its 2016 U.S. Maxi Awards, recognizing innovative programs and technologies adding value to shopping centers. The Branson Landing was honored for its School Shoes for Kids campaign.