Newsmakers 2015

Being an editor is something Rachel Crader never thought she wanted to do. From grade school on, she says she was determined: She was going to be a reporter. A Leopold, Missouri, native, Crader graduated from the University of Missouri and wound up as content adviser for students at the Arrow, the student-run newspaper at Southeast Missouri State University, in tandem with her job as as editor of semoball.com and a sports reporter at the Southeast Missourian...

Brandy McIntire, an account executive at FOX 23 KSBI, says the best part of her job is hearing clients say their business is seeing positive results. And while McIntire loves her job in advertising, she also has a passion for helping others in the Cape Girardeau area. She volunteers with the United Way of Southeast Missouri, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and Business Network International...

Because of his avid community outreach, people know Lyle Randolph most everywhere he goes. Randolph, 42, is general manager and vice president of Isle Casino Cape Girardeau, husband to Yvonne and father to daughters Reagan and Reese. A lifelong Southeast Missouri resident, Randolph marked 20 years working for the casino's parent company, Isle of Capri Inc., earlier this year, but has lived and worked in Cape Girardeau for less than two years...

Debbie Leoni's job title is director of cardiovascular outreach services at SoutheastHEALTH, but reaching out is something she does on and off the job. At Southeast, Leoni directs the telemedicine program, coordinates health screenings and leads community education courses, such as in smoking cessation and hands-only CPR...

"Work hard and be nice to people." It's the phrase on a sign in Emily Blattel's office, and a mantra she tries to live by each day. It must be working, because she just marked her eighth anniversary in what she calls her dream job at Saint Francis Medical Center...

Jimmy Wilferth's most recent career venture started with an ATV accident and a 300-foot fall in Swaziland, Africa. "I thought I was going to die on that mountain," says Wilferth, who was president of U.S. operations for Heart for Africa at the time...

As a nurse, Rhonda Robert is a big proponent of organ donation, so it seemed natural to have a conversation with her son about organ donation. She didn't know at the time, though, that her 15-year-old son would lose his own life just a few months later. Kaden Robert, a student-athlete at Kelly High School in Benton, Missouri, died June 24, 2014, when a handgun accidentally discharged in the school parking lot after a basketball game with friends...

When Ed DeGaris was about 8 years old, he went Christmas shopping with his father at a department store, where they saw a young girl crying as she stared through the window. Her mother had knelt down, trying to explain why they couldn't buy the doll...

Carisa Stark's passion for hometown living, a great burger and a crafted brew has landed her in what she calls "the exact perfect place." Stark, 39, says she constantly meets people who come from an 80-mile radius to eat at her restaurant and bar, Mary Jane Burgers & Brew, in rehabilitated historic buildings on North Jackson Street in downtown Perryville, Missouri...

Jim Bailey's accomplishments turning Poplar Bluff, Missouri, into a retail shopping destination happened, he says, by accident. Bailey, a longtime resident of Poplar Bluff who owns and runs CARSTAR Poplar Bluff Auto Body & Glass, has been primarily in the auto repair industry for more than 30 years, but says he saw potential opportunity in buying available real estate near his business to use or rent. ...

Darren Burgfeld has many talents -- some known well, some maybe not as much. As a project manager at Element 74, a Cape Girardeau website design firm, Burgfeld manages digital projects and acts as a "social media guru." In the community and civic arena, he is a highly active and honored member of the Cape West Rotary Club and volunteers his time and effort for causes such as Levi's Children's Charity, Read to Succeed and the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization...

In less than two years, Molly Hood has become known for her ability to get things done. From jump-starting the Neighborhood Development Initiative in Cape Girardeau to working with the Transportation Trust Fund, Hood is very involved in what she does...

Jay Knudtson has always taught his son about volunteering, and says he's proud that his son knows the importance of community service. A Cape Girardeau resident for 25 years, the former mayor and local executive vice president and chief lending officer at First Missouri State Bank of Cape Girardeau County has done his share of volunteering -- and then some...

As much as Stacy Busch-Heisserer tried, she never could escape the dog life. Born and raised in Cape Girardeau, Busch-Heisserer's parents have owned a boarding kennel and raised beagles for as long as she can remember. "It's always been in my blood to be in the pet industry," she says, laughing. "No matter how hard I fought it in my college years."...

While many small towns seem to be fading off the map, Denny Ward saw potential in Marquand, Missouri. Over the years, he has written more than $3 million in successful grants, helping preserve and improve the historic town with a population of 201. "There's so much here -- the natural beauty, the historic aspect of the community," Ward says. "It has a lot to offer, but it was missing culture. I was determined that was going to happen."...

Jeanette Klobe has been with the Perry County Community Task Force since it began as a grassroots effort in 1995. After 20 years of service, she retired as the organization's director in July, but continues to work as a consultant. Before helping launch the organization, Klobe was a math teacher in Perry County. She saw how many students were falling through the cracks and wanted to do more to help...