Names in the news - April 2013

MONDI JACKSON HONORS EMPLOYEES

Tommy Stidham of Chaffee, Mo., was employee of the month for February at Mondi Jackson Inc. Stidham, a print operator, has been with the company since July 19, 2005. Mondi Jackson also recognized the following employees for completing five years of service: Richard Felty and Gregory Smith.

KENNETT ADMINISTRATOR RECOGNIZED BY MASA

KENNETT, Mo. -- Chris Wilson, superintendent of Kennett Public Schools, received the New Missouri Superintendent of Schools recognition for the southeast region by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA), the Daily Dunklin Democrat reported. Requirements for the award include being a practicing superintendent in their second or third year of employment as superintendent; having never served as a superintendent of schools in another state; must have made a measurable contribution to the school district that they serve as superintendent as verified by one or more practicing superintendents from their MASA district; and be a member of MASA at the time of the nomination. Wilson met all of the requirements. He will be honored at an awards banquet during the MASA conference in March. This is also where an overall MASA New Superintendent Award will be awarded, which will be chosen from all of the region's selected superintendents.

KING, KNODELL LEAD P.B. REALTY

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kim King was top lister for December at Poplar Bluff Realty Inc., and Kurt Knodell was top producer.

UNDERWOOD NAMED ASSOCIATE CIRCUIT JUDGE

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon named Joshua D. Underwood of New Madrid to serve as an associate circuit judge for New Madrid County. Underwood will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Charles Spitler. Underwood operates a private practice in New Madrid, where his practice includes family, criminal, real estate and probate law. He currently serves as municipal judge for New Madrid, and formerly was the city attorney for Marston, Mo.

SOTO EARNS CERTIFICATION

David E. Soto Sr. of SOTO Property Solutions earned the Certified Investor Agent Specialist designation. This allows Soto to serve clients' wealth building strategies by planning real estate investments.

WILLIS EARNS FINANCIAL PLANNER STATUS

David Willis

David Willis, financial adviser and vice president of Wells Fargo Investments, earned Certified Financial Planner status through Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. in Washington, D.C. Wills completed a planning curriculum for personal finance, insurance, investment, retirement and estate planning.

PETERSON JOINS CPA FIRM

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Alisha Peterson is a new CPA at the firm of Maloney, Wright & Robbins of Farmington, Fredericktown and Dexter, Mo. Peterson brings public accounting experience obtained while working for firms in St. Louis and Denver.

MURPHY NAMED HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Gerald Murphy will join the New Madrid County School District as principal of Central High School beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. He has served as assistant principal for Marion High School in Marion, Ill., for the past 19 years.

BLACK APPOINTED COUNTY AUDITOR

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Connie S. Black of Bonne Terre, Mo., as the new auditor for St. Francois County. The position became vacant upon the resignation of Judy Ellis. Black is currently interim auditor for the county and has been with the auditor's office since 1977. She has served as chief deputy auditor since 1979.

TURNAGE GETS TOP FARMER AWARD

HAYTI, Mo. -- Patrick Turnage, a fourth-generation farmer in Hayti, was named Cotton Farmer of the Year at the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Baton Rouge, La., the Democrat Argus reported. The national award has been presented to a Missouri farmer only once before: In 1998, to Danny Stevens. Turnage was congratulated on his farming practices, which take a conservative approach to growing cotton. Through the use of conservation techniques for soil, water, irrigation and better use for fertilizer, he says he was able to get the best cotton with the least amount of damage to the environment.

SPENCER, MILLER LEAD RE/MAX

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Julie Spencer was top lister for January at RE/MAX Real Estate Group, and JoNell Miller was top producer.

TYSON HONORS EMPLOYEES

DEXTER, Mo. -- Tyson's Dexter plant held an awards luncheon to honor employees for their years of service. Honored for five years were Robert Jennings, John Sutton, Mike Walley, Betty Nickell and Vanessia Kilgore. Honored for 10 years was David Sissum. Honored for 15 years were Robert Vaughn, Timothy Drewson, Fred Becker, Barbara Lutman and Bill Causey. Honored for 25 years were Pamela Sanders, Stanley McCollough, Barbara Robinson, Rick Cronan and David Gaines.

WELKER ATTENDS EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Beverly A. Welker, a Modern Woodmen of America representative in Marble Hill, completed a five-day training program at Modern Woodmen's home office in Rock Island, Ill. The program focused on helping families plan for life and reach their financial goals. Speakers also covered topics including technology, fraternalism, underwriting and more.

Janey Radford

RADFORD JOINS OLD TOWN CAPE

Janey Radford joined Old Town Cape as the development and resources coordinator. She is responsible for volunteer and committee support, development and fundraising coordination and office management. She has experience in community development, grant management, project management and small-business improvement.

John H. Wolpers

WOLPERS EARNS ACCREDITATION

John H. Wolpers of Ameriprise Financial in Cape Girardeau earned Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor accreditation from the College for Financial Planning in Denver. The accreditation gives Wolpers knowledge of portfolio creation management, investment policy statement analysis, portfolio construction, asset allocation and risk management.

CISSELL JOINS AGVENTURE

ESSEX, Mo. -- AgVenture Mayberry Seed Co. hired seed professional Phillip Cissell of Cape Girardeau to serve growers in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois as an AgVenture Yield Specialist. Cissell, a native of Charleston, Mo., has worked for the past eight years at a grain elevator company where he was among the youngest to achieve the role of supervisor.

BANK OF MISSOURI HONORS EMPLOYEES

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Velma Sutterer, deposit administrator with The Bank of Missouri, was recognized for 25 years of service with the company. Other employees honored for their service were Kirk Buxton, vice president of auditing and loan review, 15 years; and Jessica Schoen, administrative assistant, five years.

MOORE COMPLETES FINANCIAL TRAINING

Nicole Moore of Altenburg, Mo., a financial representative with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, completed Kaplan Financial's "Introduction to Advanced Markets" course. The course teaches agents how to market to successful small-business owners and professionals concerning succession planning, group insurance, executive bonus plans, split-dollar plans and qualified retirement plans. Moore started with Modern Woodmen in June 2012.

TAYLOR, WHITED LEAD MOSSY OAK

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Sandy Taylor was top lister for November at Mossy Oak Properties, and Darrin Whited was top producer.

LITTLES SWEEPS JANUARY HONORS

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Brock Littles was top lister and top producer for January at Coldwell Banker.

WOOLARD JOINS WOODMEN

BROSELEY, Mo. -- Brandon Woolard was named financial representative for Modern Woodmen of America in Broseley. He offers life insurance and annuity products for families and businesses, as well as fraternal member benefits and community service to meet the needs of local members.

CAMPBELL APPOINTED TO TAXPAYER ADVOCACY PANEL

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Stephanie Campbell, associate professor of economics at Mineral Area College, is one of 26 new members to serve on the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel of the Treasury Department and IRS, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. The Treasury Department and IRS selected 26 new TAP members to join 51 returning members, for a total of 77 volunteers serving on the 2013 panel. TAP members help the IRS identify ways to improve customer service and satisfaction. Members focus on specific taxpayer issues through project and joint committee work and provide direct input to the IRS on new and existing IRS programs and initiatives. Campbell lives in Farmington and will represent Missouri.

O'NEAL HONORED FOR SERVICE

DEXTER, Mo. -- Ruby O'Neal received a certificate of appreciation for her 20 years of service at U.S. Poly Enterprises Inc. O'Neal is a production worker at the plant in Dexter.

John Haggerty

CAPE CHAMBER HIRES HAGGERTY

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce hired John Haggerty as a business development specialist to assist area businesses with their growth and development needs. He formerly worked with PAJCO Inc., Pritzker Realty Group LLC and Drury Development Corp., and he co-owns LeBounce and LeBounce Too with his wife, Angie.

KOEPP WINS SECOND 'CALL MAKER OF THE YEAR'

BENTON, Mo. -- John Koepp of Benton won his second "Call Maker of the Year" award in February at the National Wild Turkey Federation's 37th annual Convention and Sport Show. Koepp is the owner of Addiction Calls.

LOCALS ELECTED TO COTTON COUNCIL POSTS

The National Cotton Council elected five farmers from Southeast Missouri to leadership posts at its annual meeting. Steve Droke of Hornersville, Mo., was elected Missouri/Illinois chairman; Charles H. Parker of Senath, Mo., was named adviser to the board; A.C. Riley James of New Madrid, Mo., was chosen chairman; Jeffrey J. Hux of Sikeston, Mo., was made vice chairman; and Stephen Harris of Senath was made secretary.

Austin Bollinger

BOLLINGER HIRED AS PROJECT MANAGER

Austin Bollinger joined Element 74 as a project manager. His primary responsibilities will be coordinating website design and construction and video projects for Element 74 and its clients. Bollinger graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in computer and multimedia graphics and previously worked at the university.

FSCB ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS, NEW OFFICERS

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- First State Community Bank announced a number of promotions and new officers approved at the company's January board meeting. Promotions and new bank officers in Southeast Missouri are as follows: In Farmington, Mo., Cynthia Moore, vice president, Derek Wright, assistant vice president, Scott Pitts, assistant vice president, Lacey Currington, general banking officer, Debbi Oberle, general banking officer, Amanda Wehner, general banking officer, and Donna Hughes, loan administration officer; in Park Hills, Mo., Ron Rouggly, executive vice president, Donna Bunch, vice president, Carolyn Tiefenauer, vice president, and Yvette Smith, general banking officer; in DeSoto, Mo., Kevin Boren, president, Traci McClinton, assistant vice president, and Doug Weber, assistant vice president; and in Bonne Terre/Desloge, Mo., Barbara Pruitt, assistant vice president, Carla Smith, general banking officer, and Patricia Bennett, general banking officer.

BARKE NAMED TO NEW POSITION AT SEMO

Brady L. Barke, interim associate director of athletics for compliance and student support services at Southeast Missouri State University, was selected as senior associate to the president and secretary to the board of regents. He will begin his new duties June 1. Barke replaces Deborah Simmons Fulton, executive associate to the president and secretary to the board of regents, who announced her retirement from the university effective July 1. Barke began at Southeast in 2008 as assistant director of athletics for compliance and eligibility and was promoted to his present position in 2011.

IRVIN HIRED AS CHAMBER DIRECTOR

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- Amanda Irvin was hired as director of the Caruthersville Chamber of Commerce. She previously was on the chamber board for about six years and served as chamber director on a volunteer basis.

BONNE TERRE HAS NEW FIRE CHIEF

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- Russ Million was appointed fire chief for the Bonne Terre Fire Department, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. He replaces Wesley Dotson, who stepped down from the position in January. Million has worked for the fire department since September 2011 and previously worked for the Big River Fire Department for about four years. He has a total of 45 years of firefighting experience, beginning when he was 14. Matt Barton, who had been captain, is now assistant fire chief, and Robbie Rakes is the new captain.

MCCOY TOPS CENTURY 21

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Melba Jean McCoy was top lister and top producer for January at Century 21 American Realty.

Kelly Darby

DARBY EARNS FEBRUARY HONOR

Kelly Darby of Jackson, a financial representative with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, was new member leader in the Missouri East Region for February. She has been with the company since November 2010.

OLD TOWN CAPE PRESENTS AWARDS

Old Town Cape honored Roger and Judith Anne Lang with the Charles L. Hutson Visionary Award for their commitment to Cape Girardeau's historic downtown during the organization's annual banquet and awards ceremony Feb. 28. Old Town Cape presented five other awards to recognize local people and businesses committed to the preservation, promotion and revitalization of Cape Girardeau's historic center. Awards went to Bill Dunn, Volunteer of the Year; Lee Schlitt and Kevin Wood, owners of Broadway Prescription, Business Excellence Award; the City of Cape Girardeau, Horner & Shifrin Inc. of St. Louis, SWT Design of St. Louis and Fronabarger Concreters Inc. of Oak Ridge, Excellence in Revitalization; Centurion Development LLC, Judith Ann Crow Residential Historic Rehabilitation Award; and Kenny Pincksten, owner of Prestige Development, John Boardman Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation Award. Outgoing Old Town Cape president Dr. Lisa Bertrand announced the organization's new officers: president Cory Daniel of Montgomery Bank, vice president Schlitt of Broadway Prescription, secretary Donna Denson of the Southeast Missourian and treasurer Kent Zickfield of Zickfield's Jewelry and Gifts. Dr. Steven Hoffman of Southeast Missouri State University will serve as adviser to the executive committee. New board members announced were Don Greenwood, Michael Hess, Tim Ingram and Joan Jones. Stan Penn of U.S. Bank, retiring board member, was recognized for his service.