Names in the news

ROBINSON RECOGNIZED FOR CLIENT SERVICE

H & R Block Inc., the nation's largest tax preparation services company, honored 25 tax professionals and their client service leaders with the company's top national client service award. Teresa Robinson of Cape Girardeau was among 25 professionals out of approximately 90,000 tax associates to receive the Henry W. Bloch Award for Excellence in Client Service. She was invited to the company's world headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., to receive the award.

DILL JOINS COLLEGE AS GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Julia Dill of Terre Du Lac, Mo., joined Mineral Area College as its graphic designer. She previously worked as director of development and alumni relations at the community college.

KENNEDY APPOINTED TO HIGHER EDUCATION BOARD

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Douglas R. Kennedy of Poplar Bluff to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. The board coordinates the state system of higher education, which includes 13 public four-year colleges and universities, 17 public two-year community colleges, one public two-year technical college, 25 independent colleges and universities, 120 proprietary schools and 39 specialized independent schools and colleges and theological institutions. Kennedy has practiced law in Poplar Bluff for 30 years and is a partner with the firm of Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro. He is also a cattle farmer. The governor appointed him for a term ending June 27, 2015.

ROBINSON CONSTRUCTION ADDS TWO EMPLOYEES

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Robinson Construction Co. added two employees at its main office in Perryville. Brian Bruns joined the company as a project engineer. He previously worked as a senior engineer for a construction firm in Illinois. He has nearly 15 years of experience in the construction industry and is a licensed professional engineer in several states. Jennifer Fritsche joined Robinson as a payroll/accounting assistant. She previously worked as a payroll/human resources administrator for Cape Girardeau Honda.

MONDI JACKSON HONORS EMPLOYEES

Patti Petzoldt of Jackson was employee of the month for September at Mondi Jackson Inc. Petzoldt, a slitter operator, has been with the company since June 30, 2003. Mondi Jackson also recognizes the following employment anniversaries: Jack Lemonds, Dan Wolfe, Travis Hoehne and Greg Stafford, 15 years of service; and Chris Davis, Scott Fluegel, Julie Greaser, David Henry and Karen Wood, 10 years.

HALE NAMED EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Rosetta Hale of Perryville was employee of the month for September at TG Missouri. She has been with the company since Sept. 29, 2003, and currently works in E-Section.

TAG TRUCK ADDS TWO

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- TAG Truck Center added Brenda Dortch and Doug Jordan to its parts department staff.

MARY KAY HONORS TOP PERFORMERS

The Jana Jateff unit with Mary Kay Cosmetics recently honored top performers for the year. Husband of the Year was Freddie Wilferth of Advance, Mo.; Miss Go Give, Joyce Griffith of Cape Girardeau; Miss Enthusiasm, Shelly Wilferth of Advance; Miss Mary Kay Image, LaDonna Hengst of Cape Girardeau; Most Consistent Performers, LaDonia Beggs of Jackson and Kay Waller of Cape Girardeau; Rookie of the Year, Rhonda Painton of Bell City, Mo.; Queen of Sharing, Gail Sanchez of Cape Girardeau; Adoptee of the Year, Donna Shelton of Piedmont, Mo.; Court of Sales 6, Rhonda Painton; Court of Sales 5, Chanel Tucker of Cape Girardeau; Court of Sales 4, Sherry McCall of Van Buren, Mo.; Court of Sales 3, La Donia Beggs; Court of Sales 2, Gail Sanchez; and Queen of Sales, Kay Waller. Consistent consultants earning a beach trip were Kay Waller, LaDonia Beggs, Gail Sanchez, Donna Shelton and Chanel Tucker. Jateff placed 17th in the National Court of Sales in the Diamond division.

RENAUD JOINS NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL

Mary Kate Renaud joined Northwestern Mutual, Hahs Agency, of Cape Girardeau, as director of campus selection, effective Aug. 15. A native of Charleston, Mo., Renaud received a bachelor's degree in mass media with an emphasis in public relations from Southeast Missouri State University.

STUART NAMED ASSOCIATE DEAN AT MINERAL AREA

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Diana Stuart of Farmington, Mo., was named associate dean of instruction at Mineral Area College. She has worked at the college for more than 25 years as an English and education instructor. She is also the accreditation liaison officer, the teacher education program coordinator and works with distance education and assessment initiatives for the Park Hills-based community college. She recently received a doctorate in educational leadership from Missouri Baptist University.

BOYLIN JOINS ELITE TRAVEL

Jeannette Boylin joined Elite Travel Inc. of Cape Girardeau as a travel sales consultant. Her focus will be on guided European and Asia itineraries. She will also provide additional assistance for group travelers wanting a more personalized itinerary.

POTEET JOINS FIRST MIDWEST

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Corey Poteet was hired as vice president/loan officer at First Midwest Bank's location on North Westwood Boulevard in Poplar Bluff. His duties include lending, business development and loan administration.

1ST CLASS TRAVEL CONSULTANTS TOUR ALASKA, YUKON

Shari Elfrink and Stacy Elfrink, travel consultants at 1st Class Travel in Cape Girardeau, took an 11-day familiarization trip that cruised and toured Alaska and the Yukon in Canada. The tour, sponsored by the Holland America Line, included a tundra wilderness tour of Denali National Park, scenic cruising on the Klondike Spirit and white water rafting, to name a few.

BRADDY HIRED AS DATABASE ANALYST

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Tim Braddy of Farmington, Mo., joined Mineral Area College as a database analyst. He previously worked as a computer information technologist for the State of Missouri in Jefferson City and a data analyst at UNAVCO in Boulder, Colo. He is also a group manager and moderator for a Microsoft Access developer's group on LinkedIn. He earned an associate degree in computer information systems from Columbia College and is working toward a bachelor's degree from Central Methodist University.

CRITES JOINS HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Debbie Crites of Farmington, Mo., joined Mineral Area College as an administrative assistant to human resources director Kathryn Neff. She previously worked at St. Francois County Health Center as a WIC coordinator.

SHECKLES HIRED AS INSTRUCTOR, READING COORDINATOR

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Jessica Sheckles of Farmington, Mo., joined Mineral Area College as an instructor and reading coordinator. She previously taught in the Farmington R-7 School District.

GLOVER JOINS ERA CAPE REALTY

Melissa Glover joined ERA Cape Realty as office coordinator. She will be able to assist sales agents and brokers with ERA-specialized programs, and she will also oversee the office's online marketing programs, listings distribution and social media.

LIMBAUGH EARNS WELLS FARGO SPIRIT AWARD

Marsha M. Limbaugh, financial adviser and manager of the Wells Fargo Advisors office in Cape Girardeau, was recognized by the firm with the Wells Fargo Advisors Spirit Award in tribute to her achievements and years of service to others. She was one of only eight advisers to receive the award this year at a ceremony in San Francisco. Limbaugh, who has served as branch manager of the Cape Girardeau office since 1986, has more than 35 years of experience as a financial adviser.

MONTGOMERY BANK APPOINTS NEW BOARD DIRECTOR

Julie W. Killion was appointed to the board of directors at Montgomery Bank, effective Sept. 19. She has experience in business management, promotion and ownership and is currently a partner with Pennway Associates. She is very active in the Sikeston, Mo., community.

STEPHENSON, COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT RECEIVE AWARDS

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers College President Dr. Devin Stephenson received the Pacesetter of the Year Award from District 5 of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. NCMPR is an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges and represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. District 5 includes seven Midwestern states and one Canadian province. The Pacesetter of the Year Award recognizes a president or CEO at a two-year college or district office who has demonstrated leadership and support for college communications and marketing. As a district winner, Stephenson will now be considered for the national Pacesetter award, which will be announced in March.

The award was presented to Stephenson at the District 5 annual conference in Minneapolis. Also at the conference, the Three Rivers Communications Department won two awards for the college annual report and for a Jazz Festival poster. Working on these projects were Matthew Thomas, graphic designer, and Teresa Johnson, director of communications.

KNODELL LEADS P.B. REALTY

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kurt Knodell was top lister and top producer for June at Poplar Bluff Realty Inc.

HENSON EARNS MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Robert Henson of Ozark Border Electric completed the Management Essentials Certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The program develops the people skills that cooperative managers and supervisors need to improve employee performance. By developing their one-on-one interpersonal skills, graduates of the program can build an effective team environment, boost job satisfaction, foster better working relationships and achieve more productive results through their employees.

DRAKE PROMOTED AT SIKESTON BANK

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Matt Drake was promoted to community bank president at First State Bank and Trust Co. Inc. in Sikeston. He first joined the bank as a credit analyst in 2007 and has been serving as senior lender for both the Sikeston and Dexter, Mo., branches.

CENTURY FARM FAMILIES HONORED IN SCOTT COUNTY

BENTON, Mo. -- Seven farms and families in Scott County were honored recently as Century Farms and Families. The Century Farms program recognizes farms in Missouri that have had continuous ownership by the same family for more than 100 years. The 2013 honorees were the John and Claret Eftink Farm (since 1898), Emerson Farm (1900), Caney Creek Farm (1864), Larry J. and Paulette Hamm Farm (1895), Ledure Family Farm (1913), Ben F. Marshall Farm (1898) and Edward and Kathleen Westrich Farm (1848). Each family received a framed certificate, a sign recognizing their farm and a Missouri Century Farms booklet of the families of 2013.

THOMPSON CERTIFIED AS JAMAICA TRAVEL SPECIALIST

Shannon Thompson of Elite Travel in Cape Girardeau has been certified as a Jamaica Travel Specialist. She completed multiple training programs, on top of her professional visit to the island, to become an expert on the destination of Jamaica.

THOMPSON GRADUATES FROM BANKING PROGRAM

Kyle M. Thompson graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin -- Madison. He has worked with The Bank of Missouri for nearly seven years and currently serves as community bank president for the Jackson market. Through the 25-month advanced bank management program, Thompson devoted many hours in study and research, both on campus during the three, two-week resident sessions, and completing nine extensive projects designed to bring the educational experience back to the organization.

LUNGWITZ EARNS FINANCIAL DESIGNATION

Ronald Lungwitz of Lungwitz Financial Services in Cape Girardeau earned the chartered financial consultant professional designation from The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Candidates for the designation must complete a minimum of eight courses and 16 hours of supervised examinations, and stringent experience and ethics requirements. Lungwitz has worked with individuals, families and businesses in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois since 1997.

FRAZIER-MOORE HIRED AS LOAN OFFICER

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Christy Frazier-Moore accepted the position of loan officer at Southern Bank's branch on Highway PP, effective Oct. 28. She has worked with Southern Bank for four years, first as marketing director and most recently as training director.

DEGONIA EARNS FLORAL RATING

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Justin DeGonia of New Leaf Flower & Plant Shop Inc. was recognized by the American Institute of Floral Designers as a recipient of its Certified Floral Designer designation. He was granted the designation after completing the Professional Floral Design Evaluation. In addition, DeGonia was invited to become an accredited member of the AIFD. He will be inducted during a ceremony as part of AIFD's 2014 National Symposium July 3 to 7 in Chicago.

FARTAJ, THOMA TAKE NEW ROLES AT CAPE ELECTRICAL

Cape Electrical Supply announced that effective Oct. 1, Ali Fartaj will assume the responsibility of vice chairman, reporting to the board of directors. In his new responsibility, Fartaj will transfer his current responsibility as chief executive officer to Kyle Thoma, who currently serves as president of Cape Electric. Thoma has been with Cape Electric for more than 16 years and will now report to Fartaj and the board. Both Fartaj and Thoma will continue to serve on the company's board of directors.