Business personnel 11/26/01

Bess named chairman of state wholesaler group

William H. Bess, president of Bluff City Beer Co., with operations in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Herculaneum, Mo., has been elected chairman of the board of the Missouri Beer Wholesalers Association.

Bess was elected to his state post during the group's state convention, held recently at Branson, Mo.

A 1980 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Bess has been at the helm of Bluff City Beer Co. since September 1999. He has been a board member of the wholesaler group four years.

He served as warehouse manager in Kennett, Mo., six years, and warehouse manager at Herculaneum four years. He became sales manager for the Southern Region in 1992, and operations manager in 1996 when he became president of the company.

Bluff City Beer was founded in 1933 at Poplar Bluff. A Cape Girardeau branch was added in 1938. The company moved its headquarters to Cape Girardeau in 1992. The company is a distributor for products of the Miller Brewing Co., Fosters Brewing PLC of Australia and Molsons PLC of Canada and serves 21 counties in Southeast Missouri.

Accountant attends tax, estate workshop

Holly A. Thomas, CPA, with Schott & Van de Ven, Certified Public Accountants completed a workshop on tax and estate planning for individuals and businesses. The workshop covered innovative strategies to help clients save by using tax and estate planning.

Thomas has been a CPA since 1986 and has the designation of certified specialist in estate planning.

Schott & Van de Ven is a full-service public accounting firm located at 1020 N. Kingshighway, Suite D, Cape Girardeau. Founded in 1959, the firm has satellite offices in Marble Hill, Mo., and Marion, Ill.

Hitt named to First Commercial bank board

Sheila L. Hitt of Advance, Mo., has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of First Commercial Bank of Southeast Missouri.

Hitt, a vice president of First Commerce Bank, is also a member of the bank's Loan Advisory Committee, that serves seven bank locations in Southeast Missouri.

Hitt served as loan officer Union Planters Bank from 1994 until the Advance facility was acquired by First Commercial Bank earlier this year.

She is a graduate of Advance High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University.

-- From staff reports