Recognitions

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

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.

Dana Leming, a sales associate with Century 21 Ashland Realty in Cape Girardeau, has been named in the Top 21 producing associates 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.

Southeast Missouri Hospital's College of Nursing and Health Sciences has received the National Merit Award from the Liaison Council on Certification for Surgical Technology for achieving a pass rate in the top 10 percent of the country for surgical technology programs. The award is presented to schools at which more than 90 percent of program graduates who take the National Certification Exam in surgical technology were successful, passed the exam and achieved the status of certified surgical technologist. Of the graduates at Southeast's College of Nursing and Health Sciences who took the exam last year, 100 percent passed. Certified surgical technologists demonstrate a broad range of knowledge of surgical procedures, aseptic technique and patient care. In addition to receiving the award, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences recently was awarded continued accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Julie Lynn, chief financial officer of Kennett National Bank, attended the 2003 Women Bankers Conference held at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach. The meeting is held annually by the Missouri Bankers Association. Conference participants attended sessions on various banking issues, government regulations, personal development and new technology. The Missouri Bankers Association is a statewide trade and professional organization that represents 389 banks and savings and loans in Missouri.

Owners and associates at Century 21 SEMO Realtors in Kennett were among those honored for their dedication to the real estate business by Century 21 Real Estate Corp. at a recent awards banquet at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. Nelda McClain-Morgan earned her eighth Centurion award and is a member a of Century 21's Hall of Fame. Her husband, Randy, earned his third Centurion award. The Centurion Award is Century 21's "Oscar" for agents who have closed at least 60 transactions in a year. It is Century 21's highest individual award. Nelda Morgan had 81, while Randy Morgan had 73 closed transactions. Century 21 SEMO Realtors finished 20th among the 147 offices in the five-state region St. Louis region.

Ken Inman, a sales associate with Century 21 Ashland in Cape Girardeau, was named in the Top 21 producing associates among Century 21 sales associates in Missouri/Kansas and Southern Illinois. Inman was rated in the Top 21 out of 3,200 Century 21 sales associates. The award is based on the adjusted gross commissions. Inman attended the Top 21 agent retreat held in St. Louis on May 15 and 16. Inman has over 30 years of business experience and has been with the Century 21 system for 5 1/2 years. Each year, he has been a top agent and Century 21 Centurion producer, which is the top Century 21 award.

For her outstanding leadership abilities, Barbara Mueller, intensive care unit manager at St. Francis Medical Center, was given the hospital's annual leadership award on May 16. The hospital said in a news release that Mueller has had a tremendous impact on the organization and benefits patients, physicians and employees. As manager, Mueller made quality care a major priority and created an environment of support to ensure improvement would happen in a short period of time, the release said. In less than a year, the ICU saw improvements in patient outcomes, a reduction in staff turnover and the hiring of several new nurses. Mueller also worked with physicians and nurses to improve processes in the ICU, such as clearly defined patient protocols for open heart surgery patients. The hospital presents its annual St. Francis Leadership Award annually to an employee who demonstrates outstanding leadership abilities that have an impact on the organization.

Jane Clark, a sales associate with Century 21 Key Realty in Cape Girardeau was named in the Top 21 production associates among Century 21 sales associates in Missouri/Kansas and Southern Illinois. Clark was rated in the Top 21 associates out of 3,200 Century 21 sales associates. The award is based on adjusted gross commissions through December 2002. Clark attended the Top 21 agent retreat in St. Louis on May 15 and 16. Clark has 18 years in the real estate industry and has been with the Century 21 system for her real estate career. She has been a top producer with Key Realty and has received the Centurion award several times.

Kelly Garza, marketing manager at Robinson Construction Co. in Perryville, recently received the Expert Level Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in both the Microsoft XP Word and Excel programs. Microsoft Office Specialist Certification is acquired through examination over a variety of topics within each program. The certifications are a globally recognized standard for validating expertise within the Microsoft Office suite of business productivity programs. Garza is currently studying to receive the Master Level Microsoft Office Specialist Certification.

Cape Girardeau business owner Kathy Swan of JCS Tel-Link joined other small-business owners from across the country on May 28 to witness President Bush, in Washington, D.C., as he signed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Small-business owners have pushed for tax relief to help them expand their businesses and lead the way to stronger economic growth. Swan participated in

a roundtable meeting with the president on tax reform earlier this year in St. Louis. Over the past few months President Bush has rallied support for his tax-relief plan from the small-business community.

Professional organizer Ann Swanson of Clean Up Your Act recently attended the 2003 annual conference and organizing expo of the National Association of Professional Organizers in Denver, Colo. Swanson's new organizing service operates in conjunction with Maid Solutions of Jackson. Swanson was one of more than 400 delegates to the conference, which enhances the continuing education and professional standing of organizers from around the world. Clean Up Your Act is a residential organizing service.

Catherine Dunlap, executive director of Old Town Cape, has been recognized along with 22 other revitalization professionals around to country for completing the Main Street Certification In Professional Downtown Management. Sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center, the institute aims to elevate the problem-solving skill of professionals working in the field of revitalization in historic and older commercial districts.