Recognitions

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Margret Dickerson of Jackson, a member of the Cape Girardeau Post M of Travelers Protective Association, has been elected president of the Missouri Division at a convention held in Springfield recently. Dickerson was one of the first women accepted as a member to the organization and is the first woman to be elected as Missouri Division president. Post M has about 840 members who are active in community service, traffic safety and in the program that assists people with hearing impairment.

Melvin J. Van de Ven, CPA, CVA, a partner with Schott & Van de Ven Certified Public Accountants in Cape Girardeau, was recently recognized by the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants for 35 years of membership and service to the accounting profession. Van de Ven was one of two CPAs recognized during the 2003 annual convention held at Lake of the Ozarks. He is a past board member of the organization.

Jackie Majoros, a financial consultant with the Cape Girardeau office of A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc., has completed training for the title of retirement planning consultant. Majoros earned the title of retirement planning consultant after completing an extensive training course offered through the College for Financial Planning and other institutions that provide classes in this discipline. To become a retirement planning consultant, Majoros completed approximately 100 hours of study on subjects such as retirement-saving needs analysis, qualified retirement plan design, Social Security, Medicare and more. Ten hours of supplementary courses on the latest A.G. Edwards tools and techniques offered through A.G. Edwards University were also required.

Jim Harlan, RPh, owner of Super D Express Pharmacy in Poplar Bluff, has been installed as the House of Delegates chairman for the Missouri Pharmacy Association. He has served on the association's executive board for four years, this last year as president. He was installed at the association's recent annual meeting at Tan-Tar-A Resort at Lake of the Ozarks. Harlan also is a member of the Southeast Missouri Pharmacy Association, the National Community Pharmacists Association, and the American Pharmaceutical Association. He has taken special training in pharmaceutical care for asthma and diabetes. Harlan is a 1977 graduate of Northeast Louisiana College of Pharmacy. Based in Jefferson City, the Missouri Pharmacy Association serves as a professional organization for pharmacists. It was founded in 1879.

Coldwell Banker International has awarded local Realtors Liz Abernathy and Linda Brown the International President's Circle Award. The award is given to the top 12 percent of the sales associates in the Coldwell Banker organization. It takes a minimum of $180,000 in closed adjusted gross commission income or 40 total units to obtain this award. Both are Realtors with Coldwell Banker Abernathy Realty. Also, Patty Main has achieved the International Diamond Award, which is given to the top 21 percent of sales associates.

Karen Rigdon, vice president and account executive with Bank of America, has been awarded the Platinum Club award for production in real estate loans for 2002. Rigdon attended the awards trip in Banff, Canada, in March. Platinum Club status is awarded to the top 5 percent of producers of mortgage loans for Bank of America in the nation. Rigdon qualified with 235 units totaling $24.9 million in first mortgage real estate loans last year. Rigdon has been with Bank of America since 1997 and has more than 25 years of banking experience. She has been recognized as the account executive in Midwest with the highest customer satisfaction rating.

John Mayfield, package car driver for United Parcel Service, was recently honored for completing 25 years of service with the company. Mayfield works out of the UPS facility in Cape Girardeau. UPS is the world's largest package distribution company.

Southeast Missourian Jr. took first place for Best Kids' publication in the Suburban Newspapers of America 2003 Advertising & Promotion Contest. The newspaper, published by the Southeast Missourian, also won first place in its division for Best Classified Ad Series. Winners can be viewed at the SNA's Web site at www.suburban-news.org. Click on contest, and it will take you to the page to click on "winners list." These awards recognize outstanding contributions to the quality of advertising within suburban and community newspapers, as well as the papers' promotional and marketing programs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development office has presented Best Mortgage with a certificate of appreciation for 502 Guaranteed Housing loans for the past year. The 502 Guaranteed Housing loan helps moderate-income individuals buy a home with 100 percent financing.

Schott and Van de Ven Certified Public Accountants in Cape Girardeau received the highest evaluation in a peer review conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The on-site evaluation reviewed the firm's system of quality control against professional standards and guidelines established by the AICPA. The firm's policies and procedures for all five elements of quality control were examin@Subhead - briefs:ed during the comprehensive evaluation.

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities has announced that the Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau has been accredited for three years for several of its services, including case management, community housing and crises intervention. The accreditation is the highest level that can be awarded to an organization showing conformance to the commission's standards.

Southeast Missouri Hospital emergency services physicians Richard E. Draper, D.O., and C. Adam Swafford, M.D., have been certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Draper holds a D.O. degree from the University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, Mo. He completed a rotating internship and a residency in Internal Medicine at Lakeside Hospital of the University of Health Sciences. Swafford earned his M.D. degree at the University of Oklahoma. He completed an internship in emergency medicine at the University of Oklahoma and a residency in the same specialty at Pennsylvania State University. The American Board of Emergency Medicine is one of 24 boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Founded in 1976, ABEM develops and administers the written and oral emergency medicine certification examination for physicians who have met the credentialing requirements of ABEM.

David Ross, director of the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, has been approved by a nominating committee to stand for election as second vice president of the International Association of Assembly Managers. Ross will be voted on by the membership at the organization's annual conference and trade show this summer in New Orleans. If elected, Ross will assume the association's presidency in 2005-2006. Ross has directed the Show Me Center for the past 16 years. As second vice president, Ross would be responsible for planning the 79th annual conference to be held in Reno, Nev., next year.

Gary Johnson, professor of accounting, finance and business law at Southeast Missouri State University, has been named chair of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. Johnson, also a CPA, will serve a one-year term, which begins July 1. Johnson joined MSCPA in 1984 and has served on the society's board of directors. During his tenure at the society, he has served in many committee and chapter leadership positions. MSCPA is the largest professional association dedicated to advancing CPAs in Missouri.

Jana Jateff, the senior sales director with Mary Kay Cosmetics, recently announced top quarterly saleswomen. Included among the top producers were Amy Cairns of Cape Girardeau and Tina Tidwell of Scott City.

Dianne Jackson, who works at MedStop One in Cape Girardeau, has received the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence. This award recognizes nurse practitioners demonstrating excellence in their area of practice. The recipients recently received their awards at the annual conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Bill Schott, a certified public accountant and managing partner of Schott & Van de Ven CPAs in Cape Girardeau, recently attended the Chief Executive Network's national conference. Schott received a certificate for completing "Management Development and Management by Strengths." CEN is an organization of senior-level executives where national speakers present ideas to improve their companies and themselves. Study sessions included an update on tax rules for individuals and corporations.

Melvin Schmidt, a certified public accountant from Cape Girardeau, was recently named an honorary member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a retired partner in Schmidt and Frey CPAs in Cape Girardeau. The honorary member certificate is given to CPAs who have been members of the AICPA for 40 years. The AICPA is the national professional association of CPAs with more than 330,000 members in public practice, business and industry, government and education. At the 2003 annual meeting, Schmidt was also granted life membership in that society. He has held a Missouri CPA certificate since January 1962.

Dr. Michael Wulfers of Cape Girardeau attended the 55th annual Scientific Assembly of the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo., June 19 to 22. The family physicians in rural and urban areas of Missouri come together at this meeting to improve skills for helping patients receive better help. Wulfers attended the four-day meeting along with 150 family physicians, family practice residents and medical students.

Keith Mitchell, a registered pharmacist and owner of Mitchell Pharmacy and Teko Pharmacy in Kennett, is the recipient of the 2003 Missouri Pharmacy Association President's Award. The award was presented at the group's recent annual meeting at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach.

Richard and Sandy Hastings recently returned from the National Convention of SERVPRO in Anaheim, Calif. They are owners of SERVPRO, a professional cleaning and restoration business serving Cape Girardeau and Scott counties. The Hastings, who are state directors for SERVPRO, were recognized for excellence in developing the highest average volume per associate franchise in a directorship for 2002. Nationwide, SERVPRO has 17 directorships and 1,050 franchises. Fourteen of the franchises are in Missouri and are under the directorship of the Hastings.

William Schott, Melvin Van de Ven and Scott Van de Ven, all Cape Girardeau certified public accounts, have attended the Missouri Society of CPAs annual convention. The convention was held at Lake of the Ozarks. The CPAs attended continuing education sessions, committee meetings and the annual membership meeting. Schott serves on the management of an accounting practice committee, Melvin Van de Ven on the legislative committee, and Scott Van de Ven on the taxation committee.

Scott Berry of Ames True Temper in Bernie was recently elected vice chairman of the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri (WIB) at the June meeting held in Cape Girardeau. Berry and Jeff Holloway of Puxico are the only two Stoddard County private sector representatives currently serving on the board.

Patriot Homes of Sikeston has received the Manufactured Housing Institute's annual National Industry Award for "Production Manufactured Home Under 1,400 Square Feet." The award was presented during the 2003 National Congress and Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing in Las Vegas. The award-winning home, the Gettysburg, is a manufactured home designed to fit the needs of three distinct markets: the restoration of existing housing stock in land-lease communities, the urban environment where the lots are often too small for larger, more traditional homes, and recreational housing. MHI is the national trade organization representing all segments of the manufactured and modular housing industries including manufacturers, retailers, community owners, suppliers, financial institutions, state associations and developers. All homes were judged by an independent panel of architects and building professionals.