People on the move 05/12/03

KFVS announces personnel changes

Mike Smythe, vice president and general manager of KFVS-12 and UPN The Beat, has announced two personnel changes at the stations:

Mike Wunderlich has been promoted to the head of director of operations. Wunderlich is a 20-year veteran of KFVS-12, most recently serving as production manager.

In his new role, he is in charge of all in-studio operations as well as supervising the production staff both in and out of the studio. In addition, Wunderlich will work closely with the engineering and traffic departments regarding issues related to master control.

Since 1982, Wunderlich has held numerous positions, including production technician and production director. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1976.

In another personnel move, Chuck Voss has been named the new creative services director for KFVS-12 and UPN The Beat. Voss makes this move from a similar position at WPSD-TV in Paducah, Ky.

In his new job, Voss will be responsible for all local commercial production working between station sales representatives and outside clients. He will supervise a staff of four full-time commercial producers for both stations.

This is his second tour with KFVS-12, having begun his television career at the station in 1976 as a production technician. Voss graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1980. Since then he worked in television in the Tulsa, Okla., market and as program/promotion director at KBSI-TV, the FOX affiliate in Cape Girardeau.

Both stations are owned by Raycom Media Inc.

Professor accepts appointment to chair

Dr. Phil Parette, a professor in the Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education at Southeast Missouri State University, has accepted an appointment as the Kara A. Peters Endowed Chair in Assistive Technology at Illinois State University beginning Aug. 15.

The chair, established through a $2 million gift from alumnus Tom Heimsoth and wife Sandra "Pete" Heimsoth of Chicago, is named for their 3-year-old great niece who has Down syndrome.

Parette will have responsibilities for teaching, research and service. He will also serve as director of Illinois State's Special Education Assistive Technology Center that was established in 2001 with a $921,000 federal grant. It has a training, research and service mission and involves faculty and students from multiple academic departments and disciplines.

New manager named at Cape's Vector office

Julie Williams has been promoted to branch manager of Vector Marketing's Cape Girardeau office.

Williams joined Vector in May 2000 as a sales representative. Soon after, she was promoted to field sales manager and later assistant manager of the St. Louis-Gateway office. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she earned a degree in technical systems management engineering. She is a resident of Trenton, Ill.

Vector is based in Philadelphia and is the exclusive marketer of Cutco cutlery directly to consumers via sales representatives, many of them college students.

Curtis receives national sales manager award

Trey Curtis of Cape Girardeau has received the 2003 Golden Harvest National District Sales Manager of the Year Award. He received the award at the national sales conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Some of the areas considered for accomplishment were sales increases, new dealer/retailer recruitment, effectiveness in using Golden Harvest programs and leadership ability.

Curtis also received a Champion Roper Award for recruitment of new members, Builders Award and a Soybean Increase Award for sales.

Curtis is the Golden Harvest district sales manager in Southeast Missouri.

Century 21 associate named to 'Top 21'

Dana Leming, a sales associate with Century 21 Ashland Realty Co. was named in the Top 21 producing associate's among the company's sales associates in Missouri/ Kansas and Southern Illinois.

Leming was named to that group out of 3,200 sales associates. The award is based on adjusted gross commissions. Leming attended the Top 21 agent retreat held in St. Louis.

Leming has nine years in the real estate industry.

-- From staff reports