Newsmakers: April 17-23, 2023

Accounting
KPM CPAs & Advisors was named to Accounting Today’s listing of the top firms operating in the Midwest for the ninth consecutive year. The list identifies 25 firms from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, among the 10 regions ranked in the U.S.

Banking & Finance
Great Southern Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: GSBC) hired Rob Fulp as regional managing director of commercial lending for the Springfield, southwest Missouri and Arkansas markets. Two years ago, Fulp retired from the industry after a 40-year career. He previously served as an executive in residence at Missouri State University.

Heritage Bank of the Ozarks added four employees: Haddi Dampier as an information technology specialist; Gabe Skoufos as an assistant vice president and mortgage banker; and Jamie Johansen and Joanna Wilkinson as marketing officers. Dampier previously worked as a field examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Skoufos has experience as a residential lender specializing in Veterans Affairs loans. Johansen and Wilkinson previously operated Honey Creek Media and handled the marketing contract for the bank.

Education
Missouri State University received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education in nonmedical fields of science and engineering. The grant funds MSU’s launch of the Computer Science Research Opportunity for Smart Environments program, dubbed ROSE. In the three-year program, computer science faculty will offer a summer research experience for 10 middle and high school educators each year.

Energy
Scrivener Oil Co. Inc. promoted Jami Jordan to president from the vice president position. She holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from MSU and has management experience at Parkway Properties in South Carolina and at Ticketmaster in Dallas.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Hospital added Julia Magdici, a certified family nurse practitioner, to its endocrinology center medical staff. A registered nurse since 2014, she has four years of experience as a nurse practitioner in endocrinology. With a bachelor’s in nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit and a master’s in nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Magdici is certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation received a $3,875 donation from the Humansville High School Student Council for patients at CMH’s Carrie J. Babb Cancer Center. The funds, raised at a school basketball game, cover barriers for treatment, including dental care, fuel, groceries, nutritional supplements and meals.

Innovation
Fortune magazine named Mercy, O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) and Bass Pro Shops to its 2023 list of America’s Most Innovative Companies. Compiled with Statista Inc., the ranking is based on innovations in three categories: products, processes and culture. Out of 300 companies listed, Mercy ranked No. 189, O’Reilly Automotive was No. 229 and Bass Pro Shops was No. 277.

Sports
Drury University hired Kaci Bailey as head women’s basketball coach, succeeding three-year leader Amy Eagan, who took the head coaching job at Lindenwood University. Bailey since 2021 has served as head women’s basketball coach of Quincy University in Illinois. She’s reuniting with Drury Athletics Director Nyla Milleson after their careers crossed paths at George Mason University in Virginia.