Newsmakers: April 27-May 3, 2020

Banking and Finance
Guaranty Bank added Craig Dunn as executive vice president and chief commercial banking officer. He has 23 years of banking experience, most recently as local president of Oklahoma-based Regent Bank, for which he opened the Springfield office.

Hospitality
Hotel Vandivort received the AAA Best of Housekeeping Award for 2020. The award recognizes the highest possible cleanliness and condition of hotels inspected and approved by AAA.

Law
Missouri Lawyers Media LLC selected seven local professionals to receive honors during the 22nd annual Women’s Justice Awards in June.

Litigation Practitioner Award winners are Jessica Hill of Ellis, Ellis, Hammons & Johnson PC; Megan Creson of Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law LLC; and Laura Robinson of Husch Blackwell LLP. The Public Service Award is going to Sarah Kerner, economic development director for the city of Springfield; Kara Johnson, 30th Judicial Circuit juvenile division counsel; and Stephanie Wan, chief assistant prosecuting attorney for Greene County.

The awards honor women in various sectors of the legal community, including the bar, the bench, public office, business, academia, nonprofits and the state at large.

Nonprofit
Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. awarded $250,000 through the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation in partnership with Commerce Trust Co.

The 16 grant recipients were Bakersfield School District, $20,000 for pandemic remote learning and future needs; Bright Futures Carthage, $10,000 for a vision needs project and emergency COVID-19 support funding for students; Calvary Chapel/Neighbors in Need-Buffalo, $10,000 for food distribution in partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest Inc.; Carter County Senior Board, $18,000 for a vehicle to deliver meals to seniors; Children’s Center of Southwest Missouri, $14,880 for pandemic services for children in crisis; Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri-Joplin, $10,200 for a women’s health initiative; Golden Echoes of Steelville Inc., $18,000 for a vehicle to deliver meals to seniors; Good Samaritan Care Clinic-Mountain View, $11,000 for diabetic patient support; Heart of the Ozarks United Way-West Plains, $16,200 for COVID-19 support; Helping Hands-Abuse and Crisis Center of Hickory County, $19,095 for emergency shelter expenses; Niangua Fire Protection District, $18,950 for personal protection equipment and other gear; Pleasant Hope Fire Protection District, $19,800 for equipment; Polk County House of Hope, $20,000 for a tech-resource room; Preferred Family Healthcare Inc., $18,000 for a postpartum mothers program; Ripley County Senior Center, $11,235 for kitchen appliances; and Webb City Farmers Market, $15,000 for SNAP Program increased access.

CFO also awarded nine COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grants to Ministerial Alliance of the Hermann Area, $5,000 for low-income family assistance; Isabel’s House, $7,000 for food programs, cleaning supplies and program materials for children; Mountain Grove Love Center Food Pantry, $5,000 for food distribution; National Alliance on Mental Illness, $15,000 for virtual support group expenses and mental-health responders; O-STEAM, $19,500 for 3D-printed face shield support; People Helping People, $3,000 for food pantry expenses; and Shepherd’s Nook Food Pantry, $5,000 for food pantry expenses. CFO has issued $1.23 million in pandemic-related grants to date.