Recognition

Radio stations KFMO and B104 in Park Hills were honored at the annual Missouri Broadcasters Association convention June 6-9 in Kansas City. The stations received a first-place award for best spot news coverage of the deadly April 2001 plane crash in Farmington. KFMO/B104 also won a first-place award for best station-sponsored community event for fundraising efforts for the Backstoppers following the 9/11 tragedy. The program director is Greg Camp. Also, general manager of KFMO/B104, Larry Joseph, was sworn in as the new statewide chairman of the Missouri Broadcasters Association.

Patricia Ray has been named to Saint Francis Medical Center's Board of Directors. She is an attorney with Limbaugh, Russell, Payne & Howard in Cape Girardeau specializing in health law. John J. Leibrecht, Bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese, has approved her appointment. She has experience in providing legal advice to non-profit boards as well as sitting on such boards. Ray is a member of the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County Bar Association, Missouri Bar, National Health Lawyers Association and the State Bar of California. She is also on the Board of Directors for Project Hope and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Scott and Regina Hastings of Hastings' Creative Images in Farmington recently attended the Professional Photographers of America Seminar entitled "The Art and Business of Family and Children's Portrait Conference" in Biloxi, Miss. The conference was held at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Resort.

Three veteran Southeast Missouri lawmakers have been honored by the St. Louis Business Journal for their efforts on behalf of the St. Louis area during the recent legislative session. Republican Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder of Cape Girardeau and state Sen. Danny Staples of Eminence and state Rep. Don Koller of Summersville, both Democrats, are among the 18 members of the Missouri General Assembly to receive the publication's Legislative Award. The Business Journal established the award this year to recognize lawmakers who pushed for legislation that would benefit the St. Louis metropolitan region. Freshman state Sen. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, is also receiving the award. Coleman is a native of Sikeston.

Jerry Casper of Jackson has graduated from the Southern Missouri Truck Driving School, which is a

four-week tractor-trailer driving course. Casper graduated on May 31.

Withers Broadcasting of Southeast Missouri brought home two awards and a certificate of merit at the

recent Missouri Broadcaster's Association Awards Banquet. Jeff Brightwell won the first of Withers' awards in sports for the Southeast Missouri State Otahkian pre-game show, the night of Ed Arnzen's last home game on KAPE. John Steele won the play-by-play award for his broadcast of the Cape Central/North County playoff game on KAPE. Jason Parker was awarded a certificate of merit for KGMO in the commercial announcement category for his ad for last year's Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival. The air show ad also won a national award in January from the International Council of Air Shows.

Thomas M. Meyer of Thomas L. Meyer Realty Co. in Cape Girardeau recently attended the annual Missouri Governor's Conference, held at the Lodge of the Four Seasons, Lake of the Ozarks. Active economic development in the rural area and international marketing issues facing the business climate in Missouri were a few of the items under discussion, as well as sharing networking strategies among the economic developers and the private sector. Meyer also was recognized with the Missouri Association of Realtors with a special award for international assistance within the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

The Jana Jateff unit with Mary Kay Cosmetics recently honored its top performers for the quarter. Leslie Thresher of East Prairie received the top honor selling more than $4,724 in retail products for the quarter. Also recognized were Gina Solak and Amy Cairns of Cape Girardeau. Mary Kay Cosmetics is the number one skin care and color cosmetics company in the United States.

Beth Meyer McFerron has been awarded the Graduate Realtors Institute designation by the Missouri Association of Realtors. She received this honor after completing 90 hours of education outlined by the National Association of Realtors. The Missouri Realtors Institute, which is offered through the Missouri Association of Realtors, provides training in real estate practice, that it hopes results in increased professionalism and enhanced business success.

During a recent ceremony at the TG Missouri plant in Perryville, the automobile supplier and Toyota announced a $20,000 education grant to the Perry County School District No. 32. The funding will assist the school district in purchasing textbooks for local schools to support updated curriculum in math and science. Toyota's Community Connection program is a philanthropy program aimed at supporting non-profit organizations in the cities where the automotive manufacturer and its suppliers do business. The program, which is in its fourth year, has donated over $400,000 to non-profit organizations in Toyota supplier cities.

Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau will serve on NFIB/Missouri's Leadership Council, which is made up of 30 small-business owners throughout the state. The members meet four times a year to discuss important issues facing small-business owners and recommend alternatives to solving those issues to the Legislature. Swan owns JCS/TEL-LINK in Cape Girardeau and employs 30 people. Swan's father began the wireless communication business in 1959. Brad Jones is NFIB/Missouri's state director. After receiving a nomination from U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, Swan attended the 2002 NFIB National Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C., in June.

Kathy McLain, the human resources manager at BioKyowa in Cape Girardeau, recently earned her certification as a senior professional in human resources. The certification, awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute, signifies that McLain possesses the theoretical knowledge and practical experience in human resource management necessary to pass a rigorous examination demonstrating a mastery of the body of knowledge in the field. McLain has been employed with BioKyowa Inc., since May 1998 as human resources manager.

Jayne Ervin, Kendra Kelley and Regan Kelley of Jayson Jewelers in Cape Girardeau attended the JCK Show - Las Vegas 2002 on May 31-June 4 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. While at the show, they previewed the newest jewelry designs and services and attended important business conferences and educational sessions. The event is the leading event in the United States for the fine jewelry market, brought together by the buying power of 19,753 qualified retail and wholesale jewelry buyers.

Diane Thomason, vice president and branch manager of the Mid-County Branch of Senath State Bank in Kennett, recently completed the three-year curriculum of the Paul W. Barret Jr. School of Banking in Memphis, Tenn. The school was held on the campus of Christian Brothers University in Memphis.