PERSONNEL

Wes Kinsey of Cape Girardeau, who has more than 20 years experience in baking, has joined My Daddy's Cheesecake, 111 N. Main.

Kinsey will bake and decorate cakes, cookies and other products produced at the bakery.

Kinsey, a graduate of the Wilton School of Confectionery, previously worked with the Wilton School of Decorating, where he helped in publishing of five books on cake decorating for the Wilton School.

He was later a partner in Crown Cake & Party Co. in Cape Girardeau.

He still operates his own business, Wedding Cakes by Wes, which are sold at The Sweet Stop Bakery, 2000 William.

J. Derieck Hodges of the Albrecht/Hodges Insurance Inc. has completed the Certified Insurance Counselors Personal Lines Institute, held at the Radisson Hotel in Springfield.

The three-day institute was one of five parts of the CIC program required for CIC designation. The programs are offered by the Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Missouri.

Hodges of Jackson is also enrolled in the Chartered Life Underwriter program offered by the American Society of CLU & ChFC.

Rick Sparks, business and industry specialist with the University of Missouri Extension at Jackson, recently received a "Meritorious Service Award" from the University of Missouri Extension Association.

Sparks' educational programs have included management training for day-care facilities, supervision training for new managers and how to start a new business.

During the 1993 flood, he hosted satellite video conferences on flood recovery for businesses and others. He has also worked with dislocated workers in Southeast Missouri to improve their resume writing and job interview skills to help them regain employment.

Sparks, who has been an extension specialist five years, is past president of the University Extension Community Resource Development Association.

Kevin J. Essner, vice president at Tamms State Bank, recently attended the Illinois Bankers Association's Agricultural Credit Conference in Bloomington.

Government guarantee programs, environmental liability, providing credit to grain elevators and other farm suppliers were among topics discussed at the two-day conference.

Also included at the conference were exhibits on products and services for agricultural lending.

Steve Cantrell has been named branch manager of the Norwest Financial office at Bartlett, Tenn.

Cantrell, a native of Cape Girardeau and graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, joined Norwest in 1991 as a credit manager in Sikeston. He previously served as manager at Kennett and Tupelo, Miss., before relocating to Bartlett.

Norwest provides a range of consumer and commercial financial services, including installment loans and retail finance contracts. The company, with $5.3 billion in assets, has more than 1,000 branches in 46 states and 10 Canadian provinces.

Delbert Lee Cobb and Kenneth E. Fulton, of Cape Prosthetics-Orthotics Inc., 44 Doctors' Park, recently attended a lower extremity amputee seminar at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The seminar was designed as an update for orthopedic surgeons, vascular surgeons, prosthetists and physical therapists with an interest in the treatment and rehabilitation of amputees.

Among items discussed were evaluation, diagnosis and management of disorders that often lead to amputation.

Betty Harper of Jackson was winner of a gift certificate from Living Water Books and Gifts, 1416 N. Kingshighway, at the company's booth during the Southeast Missouri District Fair.

Betty Sargent, Southeast Missouri State University, and Kathy Raines, Mercantile Bank, representatives of the Girardot Chapter of Professional Secretaries International, recently attended an officer's retreat at Osage Beach.

While at seminar, sponsored by the Missouri Division Officers of PSI, Sargent and Raines attended seminars on parliamentary procedure, membership and other topics.

Susan Fenner, manager of educational and professional development, National PSI Headquarter, Kansas City, was keynote speaker.