On the Street

BKD lawsuit
A former partner of BKD’s Little Rock, Ark., office is suing the Springfield-based company for “unilaterally” terminating her partnership after 21 years, Arkansas Business has reported. According to the suit, BKD fired Barbara Yates Sept. 1 after a diagnosed case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever caused her to miss significant time for several months. Yates is seeking a preliminary injunction that would erase BKD’s noncompete and confidentiality provisions in her contract. William E. Fingland Jr., managing partner of BKD’s corporate office in Springfield, and Steven Warren, Little Rock’s managing partner, are named as defendants.

Top-notch golf
Southwest Missouri boasts four out of the top five public access golf courses in the state, according to Golfweek Magazine. The magazine rates Branson Creek No. 1, Old Kinderhook in Camdenton No. 2, Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark No. 3, Winghaven in O’Fallon No. 4, and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board’s Rivercut Golf Course No. 5. Rankings are based on ease and intimacy of routing; quality of feature shaping; natural setting and overall land plan; interest of greens and surrounding chipping contours; hole variety and memorability; basic conditioning; landscape and tree management; and a “walk in the park” test, which includes unimpeded feeling of play and open space. This is the fourth year that Rivercut, which averages more than 30,000 rounds per year and hosts several Midwestern amateur events, has cracked the top five.

SMSU fund-raising
Southwest Missouri State University is 7 percent away from its $50 million fund-raising campaign goal. At the end of February, gift commitments for The Campaign for SMS: Imagine the Possibilities exceeded $46.37 million, the university said. The funds will go to student scholarships, faculty advancement, academic programs and campus facilities. Academic programs ($21 million) and student scholarships ($15 million) have generated the most gifts while exceeding their respective campaign goals.

Slice of Nice
The Nixa Community Foundation has surpassed $1 million in assets. The foundation was recognized for this feat at the March 2 Community Foundation of the Ozarks Regional Conference held at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. As a member of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Nixa’s foundation received an award for accumulating $1.25 million in assets and a Chairman’s Recognition Grant to be given to a Nixa-area charity. The Nixa Community Foundation was established in 1993, and Sharon Whitehill Gray is president. Founded in 1973, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks works with 31 community foundations, partners with more than 200 nonprofit agencies, and has total assets in excess of $80 million. CFO is constructing a new headquarters at 425 E. Trafficway in Springfield.
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