BUSINESS PERSONNEL

Paul Sander has joined the staff of Mercantile Bank of Southeast Missouri, as branch manager of the new Jackson facility, scheduled to open early next year.

Sander, mayor of Jackson since 1992, was a real-estate agent with Heartland Realty, prior to joining Mercantile.

He is a member of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Southeast Missouri Regional Commerce and Growth Association (RCGA) Board and the Southeast Hospital Board of Trustees.

Sander received the 1998 R.A. Fulenwider Award for meritorious community service at Jackson. He also received the 1998 Regional Spirit Award from the RCGA.

Dennis Robison of Poplar Bluff is one of six U.S. rice producers who have been honored for outstanding achievements in rice farming.

"Rice Farmer of the Year" awards were presented during the USA Rice Outlook Conference at New Orleans to producers in each of the six major rice-producing states.

Others receiving the awards were Gary Sebree of Stuttgart, Ark.; Linda Zaunbrecher of Gueydon, La.; Don Bransford of Colusa, Calif.; Tommy Andrus of Moorehead, Miss.; and Larry Devillier Jr. of Winnie, Texas.

John Sarff of Cape Girardeau has joined the staff of Mercantile Bank of Southeast Missouri, as vice president and real-estate loan department manager, at the 3060 William St. office.

Sarff, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, and retired from Procter & Gamble Paper Products, has worked as a real-estate agent in St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, most recently with Century 21 Key Realty.

Fourteen drivers for Genesis Transportation Co. Inc. of Cape Girardeau recently received awards for more than 3 million miles of accident-free driving.

Awards were presented by the American Trucking Association and Great West Casualty Co. during Genesis' annual safety awards banquet the Holiday Inn.

Harold Lindsay of Dexter received an award for 21 years of accident-free driving; Vernon Davis of Anna, Ill., received a 20-year award and Cliff Flath of Glen Allen received a 15-year award.

Other accident-free driving awards and years of driving: Otis Johnson of Parma and Henry Winters of Cape Girardeau, 13-year awards; John Crockett of Chaffee, 11; Robert Mathis of McClure, 10; Virgil Null of Cape Girardeau, 9; Steve Hettenhouser of Benton and Robert Tilson of Parma, 8; Kenny Foltz, Burfordville, 6; Terry Campbell of Anna and Jim Pate of Scott City, 5, and Gene Maevers of Cape Girardeau, 1.

Three people received seven-year safe-worker awards for shop personnel. They were George Green of Advance, Tom Wright and Martin Van Gennip, both of Cape Girardeau.

Dr. Jagannathan Srinivivasaraghavan a staff psychiatrist at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center at Poplar Bluff and the VA Community Clinic in Cape Girardeau, recently participated in a panel presentation at the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law in New Orleans.

The panel discussed "Geriatric Psychiatry and Law: Perspectives on End of Life."