On The Record

Paula Goodin, commercial lines service agent at Barker Phillips Jackson Inc., has recently earned the designation of certified insurance service representative. To earn the CISR designation, Goodin attended five courses covering all phases of the insurance business and passed five comprehensive examinations. Goodin has been with BPJ for three years and in the insurance industry for 10 years.

The Springfield Area Human Resources Association has announced its officers for 1998. They are: Nora Duncan, director of human resources, city of Springfield, president; Gene Price, trainer, Dayco Products Inc., vice president; Debbie Payne, employee services coordinator, The News Leader, secretary; and Randal Hyde, human resources manager, Hiland Dairy Foods Company, treasurer.

Dennis L. Page, CLU, a principal of Financial Solutions, has been recognized as a national qualifier for the Professional Achievement in Continuing Education program, co-sponsored by the American Society of CLU and ChFC, and The American College, both located in Bryn Mawr, Pa. As a PACE qualifier, Page is committed to earning a total of 30 continuing education credits every two years in a variety of insurance and financial service areas.

David Yaktine, CLU, has received the National Quality Award of the National Association of Life Underwriters. The award, recognizing Yaktine's excellence in client representation, is awarded to less than 15 percent of the nation's 110,000 insurance agents. Yaktine has been an agent with Northwestern Mutual Life for 10 years, specializing in estate and business succession planning, and disability-protection products for professionals.

The Gallery Bistro has been named among The Best American Bistros of 1997 in the Dec. 25, 1997, issue of Trend/Wire, a national restaurant newsletter. Gallery Bistro, at 221 W. Walnut, was the only small-city restaurant to be listed in the top 10. Other bistros making the list are located in such metropolises as Boston, Houston, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C. Restaurants are chosen after an anonymous visit by newsletter staff.

Sabina Frank, managing broker of Carol Jones, Realtors, has been awarded the certified real estate brokerage manager designation by the Real Estate Brokerage Managers Council. The CRB designation is recognized as a symbol of excellence in brokerage management, and less than 1 percent of all Realtors receive the designation. Frank has been a real estate broker for more than 30 years.

Cox Health Systems has been named among the Top 100 Hospitals in the United States for the second year in a row. Cox is the only Missouri hospital to receive this recognition in the study "1997 100 Top Hospitals: Benchmarks for Success." The study indicates that if all hospitals operated in the same fashion as the top 100 there would be significant industry-wide performance improvement. For example, expenses would decline by an aggregate $24.5 billion a year; average lengths of stay would decrease by nearly half a day; and inpatient mortality and complications would each drop 22 percent.

Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Marine recently named its top associates for 1997: Melanie Childers, of Springfield, was named catalog services department Associate of the Year. Childers has been a Bass Pro associate since 1983. Diana Lindsey, of Nixa, was named Associate of the Year for Bass Pro general offices and special areas. Lindsey has been in the accounts payable department of Bass Pro for more than seven years. Kevin Kirksey, of Springfield, was named Associate of the Year for the distribution department. Kirksey has been a Bass Pro associate since 1988. James "Buck" Rogers, of Lebanon, was named Lebanon's Tracker Marine Associate of the Year. Rogers celebrates his 12th anniversary with Tracker this month. He was promoted to production expeditor in 1997. Pat Bristow, of Montrose, was named Associate of the Year for Clinton Tracker Marine. Bristow has been with Tracker since 1986 and is head of the boat carpeting department. Diane Jones, of Bolivar, was named Associate of the Year for Bolivar Tracker Marine. Jones has been an assembler since 1995 and serves on the hull finish line. Diane Belt, of Ozark, was named Associate of the Year for Tracker Marine Ozark. She began as an assembler at the Nixa Tracker plant in 1987. She has been a welder in Ozark's welding department since 1995. Cheryl Stevens, of Buffalo, was named Associate of the Year for Hemingway's restaurant. She has been an associate since 1989. She is responsible for all concession stands throughout the Bass Pro Showroom and at all Outdoor World special events. Sandra Moore, of Springfield, is Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Associate of the Year. Her primary function is operational issues, but she is also recognized for her attitude of providing outstanding customer service to customers and fellow associates. Mark Kueck, of Springfield, is Bass Pro Shops Manager of the Year. His job as maintenance manager requires 24-hour on-call dedication. Joe Evans, of Branson, is Big Cedar Lodge's Associate of the Year. Evans is guest services coordinator at Big Cedar. Brenda Solomon, of Springfield, was named Tracker Marine Corporate and Salaried Associate of the Year. She has been an associate since 1981 when she joined Bass Pro Shops. She joined the Tracker accounting department in 1986.

Follman Properties?Oncor International has been selected to provide full facilities management services for the newly constructed First Card Operations Center in Springfield. All facilities management services are provided by an on-site facility manager, as well as on-site maintenance engineers and administrative personnel. Services provided for the 150,000-square-foot facility include general and emergency maintenance, preventive maintenance for building systems, and management of service contracts, such as landscaping and snow removal.

Kent Graves, with Billy Long Keller Williams in Springfield, has been awarded the real estate innovator designation by Realty Electronics Publishing. The REI designation is given to a select group of real estate professionals who offer extraordinary service to home sellers. In addition to all the ordinary tools Realtors use to sell homes, Graves also provides home sellers with an extra service called Talking House¨. Talking House¨ allows buyers to get instant information about a home for sale over their car radios.

The Comfort Inn in Branson has received the Gold Hospitality Award for the fifth consecutive year from Choice Hotels International, parent company of the Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites chain. Less than 2 percent of more than 1,560 Comfort Inns across the nation have won the Gold Award in five consecutive years. To qualify, a hotel must undergo a series of rigorous inspections evaluating each operating department. The Comfort Inn in Branson is headed by General Manager John Secora.

Aimee Dixon, director of marketing, and Tony Dixon, director of inspections of the Springfield Branson area HouseMaster Home Inspection Professionals, recently attended the company's annual meeting in San Diego, Calif. Highlights of the four-day conference included new Internet marketing programs available to HouseMaster offices, and workshops on a number of issues.

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