People on the move 08/19/02

Kinder joins Red Letter Communications

Frank M. Kinder has joined Red Letter Communications, Inc., as a partner of James W. Riley Jr., founder of the 22-year-old marketing communications firm.

Riley remains creative director and chief executive officer, and Kinder is now president and chief operating partner. He will also be involved in account service and new business acquisition.

Until now the sole owner, Riley built Red Letter from a storefront agency serving local retail advertisers to its present standing as a marketing consultant and media production facility for clients in 20 states and Canada.

"I wanted to grow Red Letter further, but I was kind of stuck," he said. "As I began to think a partner might help, I had the good fortune to meet Frank Kinder. Frank brings experience and expertise which will enable us to continue our growth at the regional and national levels."

Kinder, a Cape Girardeau native, relocated his family from the Dallas area, where he's been associated with GTE and Verizon since 1997, serving in several marketing and general management executive positions. He recently resigned as vice president of consumer marketing at Verizon, where he led marketing for the largest residential phone business in the United States.

Accountant attends training course

Rebecca J. Lohmann has completed a three-day training class sponsored by the Missouri Society of CPAs. Lohmann is a certified public accountant with Schott & Van de Ven Certified Public Accountants.

The class was the second in a series of staff training and focused on auditing. Lohmann graduated with a master's degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Schott & Van de Ven is a full-service public accounting firm located at 1020 N. Kingshighway, Suite D, Cape Girardeau.

Two audiologists complete new doctorate

Steve Brown and Cathy Willen, of the Audiology Center in Cape Girardeau, have recently completed the AuD doctorate degree in audiology. The AuD degree is a new doctoral program offering advanced training in clinical audiology. The degree is relatively new to the United States. They received the degrees from the Arizona School of Health Sciences, a branch of the Kirksville School of Medicine.

Brown and Willen are partners in the Audiology Center, located in Lorimont Place, across from Doctor's Park. They provide hearing healthcare to adults and children of our region for several years.

Cape Girardeau clerks attend 'say no' training

Retail clerks from 13 Missouri communities including Cape Girardeau recently attended "We Card" training sessions, learning how to spot fake IDs and say no to minors trying to purchase tobacco.

Cape Girardeau residents that participated in the sessions were Debbie Ruth of Schnucks and Leah Shrum and Cassie Worley of Southeast Regional Support Center.

In addition to spotting fake IDs, retailers also learned they should require every employee to ask for proper identification in the form of a valid photo, government-issue ID from anyone who looks under the age of 27. They also participated in role-playing to train employees how to handle difficult situations that could arise.

-- From staff reports