Recognitions

Southeast Missouri

Miracle-Ear Centers in Cape Girardeau, Perryville and Farmington, were honored as the No. 1 small franchise in the Miracle-Ear franchise system, the company announced recently. The designation of membership in the Miracle-Ear Platinum Club is recognition of a local franchise as the best of the best in market penetration, customer satisfaction and franchise administration, the company said. The offices in Cape Girardeau, Perryville and Farmington have been in operation more than 14 years with new satellite offices in the Jackson Medical Center and Ste. Genevieve Memorial Hospital. Rural communities are served by monthly service centers located in Arcadia, Fredericktown, Marble Hill and Chaffee.

Manpower and Northwestern Mutual, two local companies, have again been included among "Fortune Magazine's" list of America's most admired companies, according to the March 4 edition of the magazine. Manpower was the highest-ranked full-service firm in three key areas including social responsibility, innovation and management quality. Northwestern Mutual has been ranked first in its category since 1983. Kimberly Clark and Northwestern Mutual are the only two companies that have led their categories throughout the history of the survey. The winners were chosen from the 1,000 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue. More than 10,000 executives, directors and securities analysts rated companies in 58 industries.

Dr. Greg Leet, a contact lens specialist, recently participated in a Professional Advisory Panel by Vistakon, a division of Johnson and Johnson and Vision Care Inc. The panel served as consultants to Vistakon, the maker of bifocal contact lenses. Leet shared his techniques for successfully fitting a broad range of presbyopic patients with lenses from that company. Leet has offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. He has been in practice 18 years.

Donna Sharley of Rhodes Travel Plaza in Scott City has been appointed to the Allied Advisory Committee for National Association of Truck Stop Operators. The committee is a select group of nine truck-stop professional operators to represent the truck stop industry in the United States before Congress. Sharley will be the spokesperson for independent operators. She will meet in May with Governmnent Affairs to lobby for the truck stop industry on Capitol Hill. Sharley is also on the education committee for NATSO. She serves as the only woman on the Allied Advisory Committee.

The Perryville KOA was recently honored by the national Kampgrounds of America Inc. with the Gold Award during the annual KOA International Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Mary Ann Abernathy is the owner of the Perrville KOA, which is located off Interstate-55 near Exit 129. The Gold Award is based on annual quality assurance scores that rate the campground according to its cleanliness, added services, improvements and amenities. According to Jim Rogers, president and CEO of KOA, KOA Kampgrounds are known for their cleanliness and added services, but for those who go above and beyond the high standards, they are awarded a Gold rating.

Six associates of Magnus & Associates Inc. in Dexter were among more than 300 insurance professionals who attended a recent five-day meeting in Bermuda that focused on programs for retirees, including long-term care, supplements to Medicare and annuities. Virginia Mangus is president of the company.

Kathy Locklear, RN, ICU staff nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, has been named as the Southeast Missouri unit chair for the Missouri League for Nursing at the MLN Annual Convention. The meeting was held at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach. Locklear will serve a two-year term of office on the board of directors.

William Kiel, the executive director of the St. Francis Medical Center Foundation, served as vice chairman of the 39th International Conference on Fundraising held in St. Louis on April 14 to 17. The conference attracted 4,000 delegates and was sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), based in Alexandria, Va. Kiel also serves as treasurer of the St. Louis Regional chapter of AFP, which was the host chapter for the conference. Keynote speakers included James A. Baker III, senior statesman and former U.S. secretary of state. AFP represents 25,000 members in 163 chapters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education and certification programs.

U.S. Bank recently recognized the top performing employees in Missouri for winning the Pinnacle Award. U.S. Bank's quarterly Pinnacle Award program recognizes outstanding achievement and rewards employees for their tremendous performance. In Cape Girardeau, Linda Harris, the branch manager at the Cape Girardeau office on Kingshighway, received the award. In Jackson, Jackson's branch manager, Cindy Propst, won the award. The winners are in the running for the bank's annual Pinnace Award, which is in the top 1 percent of branch managers will receive a trip for two to anywhere in the world.

Sherri Williamson has been named the 2001 Employee of the Year for Commerce Bank in Cape Girardeau. Williamson began her banking career in 1985 at First Exchange Bank in Cape Girardeau. She worked as a teller for five years before transferring to the financial services department of the bank. She joined Commerce Bank in May 1992 as a financial services representative in the Cape Girardeau on South Broadview and transferred to the Jackson branch in October 1996. Williamson was promoted to a senior financial services repr@Subhead - briefs:esentative position in January 1997.

Steven Bjelich, president and CEO of St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, has been named to Commerce Bank's advisory board of directors. Bjelich graduated from Indiana University with a business administration degree in 1976 and received his master's in health administration in 1978 at Mercy Hospital in Miami, Fla.

Lutesville Motor Co. of Marble Hill has achieved the President's Award, Ford Motor Co.'s highest dealer honor. Every year, Ford Motors honors dealerships that have gone above and beyond their customers' expectations. The customers are the judges, which is measured by a comprehensive survey in which the customers rate dealers on the basis of their sales, service and overall ownership experience. This year 340 dealerships out of 5,000 were awarded the honor. Dave Thomas is the general manager. Lutesville Mot@Subhead - briefs:ors has served the area since 1935.

Noranda Aluminum Inc. in New Madrid was recently honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the 2002 Climate Awards Ceremony held in Washington, D.C., in March. Noranda was recognized for voluntary reduction of CFCs, which are potentially potent global warming gasses. Noranda has reduced the emissions by more than 80 percent since 1990. Noranda annually produces more than 500 million pounds of primary aluminum products at its St. Jude Industrial Park near New Madrid. Those products are distributed throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

Jeff Breedon and Ted Ross, employees at Southeast Mo. Builders Supply in Cape Girardeau, recently returned from an Andersen Window training workshop in Bay Port, Minn., where they qualified as certified service technicians for all Andersen window and door products.

Five employees at Brennecke Chevrolet in Jackson recently achieved the highest national level possible in a program sponsored by General Motors. Lee Ruebel and David Richardson, sales consultants, along with Karl Adams and Paul Westrich, service technicians, and Theresa Horst, service adviser, all achieved the platinum level, the highest award given in the 2001 Mark of Excellence program. Sales awards were based on sales of cars and trucks, customer satisfaction surveys, and completion of training courses. Service awards were based on two written tests, customer satisfaction surveys and completion of training courses.

Billie Skelton, tractor trailer driver for United Parcel Service, was recently honored for completing 35 years of service with the company. Skelton works out the UPS facility in Cape Girardeau. He lives in Scott City, Mo. UPS, the world's largest package distribution company, serves more than 200 countries and territories with a range of integrated ground and air express delivery options and customized logistics services. UPS employs more than 339,000 people worldwide. The Missouri district employs 5,000 and has more than 30 operating centers throughout the state.

The Southeast Missouri Workforce Investment Board has two new members. Jennifer Grissom is the new Mississippi County representative, and Scott Berry of Bernie is the new Stoddard County representative. Grissom is the owner and operator of the Depot BBQ in East Prairie. Berry is operations manager for the Ames Tru-Temper plants in Bernie and Dexter, which manufactures hickory striking tool handles and fiberglass handles. WIB has a mission of promoting a state of economic well-being by helping create a skilled, diverse, motivated and adaptable workforce.