Newsmakers: Sept. 21-27, 2015

Accounting
BRS CPAs & Trusted Advisors named accountant Kassie Jarvis as partner. Specializing in tax and consulting services, she has worked in accounting for 24 years.

Banking and Finance
The American Banker and Best Companies Group named Metropolitan National Bank one of 50 banks in the 2015 Best Banks to Work For. The national recognition is based on workplace policies, practices, demographics and individual employees’ experiences and attitudes.

Modern Woodmen of America hired Mike Denbow as a financial representative in the Springfield regional office. Denbow has 32 years of insurance industry experience.

Construction
The National ESOP Association honored Emery Sapp & Sons Inc. as the ESOP Company of the Year in the Heart of America Chapter covering Missouri and Kansas. Emery Sapp, which has an office in Springfield, was recognized for its efforts to communicate with its employee owners.

Education
The Evangel University Business Department awarded $300 entrepreneurship awards to Patrick McGuire and Kaitlyn Palmquist. McGuire, a junior management major, developed a business plan that creates a faith-based nonprofit child care program for ages 4-14. Palmquist, a senior management major, developed a retail business plan to sell handcrafted art, clothing, home decor and gifts.

Carver Middle School science teacher Heather Sell spent five days in July training as an astronaut at the Space Academy, offered by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The training was geared for professional development and science, technology, engineering and math education.

Ozark School District’s Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center was named one of three finalists for the Missouri School Boards’ Association FutureBuilders Early Childhood Education Program of the Year. Ozark representatives will present during the MSBA Annual Conference on Oct. 3.

Drury University was listed in the Princeton Review’s online 2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region. Drury was among 159 Best in the Midwest colleges across 12 states.

Nixa Public Schools was named one of the Best Places to Teach in Missouri by online educational reviewer Niche. Nixa ranked 18th out of 100 schools.

Southwest Baptist University named Terri Rogers as controller. Previously the controller and director of human resources for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, Rogers holds a bachelor’s in business management and accounting from Drury and an MBA from Baker College.

Environment
The Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park was listed at No. 7 in OnlyInYourState.com’s Top Ten Most Beautiful Gardens You Will Ever See in Missouri.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Hospital retained Level III Trauma Center status after a review by the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services.

CMH hired five physicians: Drs. Dennis Daniels of CMH Pulmonology Clinic, Chad Potter of CMH Radiology Department and CMH Imaging Center, Ashley Lane of Bolivar OB/GYN, Bethany Dhondt of Humansville Family Medical Center and James Liesen of Butterfield Park Pediatrics.

Kaitlyn McConnell joined CoxHealth as media relations coordinator. Previously working in Norway at FMC Technologies as internal media editor and as a freelance writer, she has a bachelor’s in integrated media from Drury.

Law
Ozarks Elder Law hired Danielle Kincaid. She holds an MBA from Missouri State University and a law degree from Creighton University.