Business personnel 12/24/01

Bureau honors farmer with plaque

William Nitsch of Sedgewickville, Mo., has been recognized for service on the Missouri Farm Bureau's Promotion and Education Committee.

Nitsch was honored during the annual Farm Bureau meeting, held earlier this month at Lake of the Ozarks.

Charles Kruse, a Dexter. Mo., farmer and Missouri Farm Bureau president, and Janet Mershon, chairperson of the P&E Committee, presented Nitsch with a plaque.

Nitsch, who operates a commercial cow and calf operation, is Bollinger County Farm Bureau vice president and legislative chairman. He has also served as county president.

Chaffee man attends agriculture conference

Ed Westrich of Chaffee, Mo., attended the 2001 Missouri Governor's Conference on Agriculture recently as a guest of Orscheln Farm and Home.

While at the conference, he visited with Missouri Director of Agriculture Lowell Mohler and Mark Cullifer and Lorna Reynolds, representatives of Orscheln.

Financial representative completes course

William Gerry Keene of Keene Financial Group, 106 Farrar Drive, Suite 102, has completed an eight-week, master's level course, "Tax Planning for the Highly Compensate."

The course, offered by the College for Financial Planning in Colorado, is designed to study in-depth tax issues as part of a program of study that will eventually result in Keene receiving a master's degree in financial planning.

This is the seventh course Keene has completed.

Keene is a registered representative, offering securities through FFP Securities Inc. and a registered investment advisory agent, offering services through FFP Advisory Services.

Elite Travel Inc. awarded silver status

Carolyn Kempf and the staff of Elite Travel Inc. were recently awarded silver status in the Funjet Vacations 500 Club.

The national award is for recognition of sales excellence and a customer service in addition to sending more than 1,000 customers worldwide on Funjet Vacations.

Elite Travel Inc. is the only agency in Southeast Missouri to receive membership in the Funjet Vacations 500 Club. Award winners also participate in the Funjet 500 Club advisory board meeting held annually in the Caribbean. Funjet Vacations specializes in all inclusive vacations to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and the Caribbean and Las Vegas.

Representative honored for fertilizer sales

Doug Johnson, fertilizer sales representative for Midwest Agri-Chemico Inc. in Southeast Missouri Port Auth-ority, has been honored for outstanding sales and service with the company. Presenting the award were Russ Mothershead, president of Midwest Agri-Chemico Inc., and Kim Mothershead, secretary of Midwest Agri-Chemico Inc. Johnson has been with the company 10 years.

-- From staff reports