Newsmakers: July 15-21, 2024

Architecture
The Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Ozarks Technical Community College won an Education Facility Design Award from the American Institute of Architects. Dake Wells Architecture Inc. and Chicago-based Perkins & Will Inc. designed the 120,000-square-foot project, with Crossland Construction Co. Inc. serving as general contractor, according to past reporting.

Banking & Finance
Mid-Missouri Bank hired Sarah Cook as a residential lender. Cook, who attended Missouri University of Science and Technology for undergraduate school and Missouri State University for graduate school, previously taught high school special education with Springfield Public Schools for 10 years.

Ty Freeman joined The Bank of Missouri as a commercial loan officer in Branson. Freeman has nine years of banking experience in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

Jacob Fox was named branch manager at OMB Bank’s 1535 W. Sunshine St. location in Springfield. Fox began his banking career as a teller for Simmons Bank in 2017.

Freedom Bank of Southern Missouri hired Aaron Allen as vice president and loan officer. A Republic High School and MSU graduate, he has more than a decade of community banking experience.

Government
Eric Johnson was appointed city administrator for the city of Ozark. Johnson has more than 35 years of local government experience, most recently as city administrator of Blue Springs in the Kansas City area, a position he served in for the past 16 years. He previously was assistant city administrator for six years.

Longtime KY3 Inc. anchor Maria Neider was hired by the city of Ozark as the municipality’s communications director. Neider had a nearly 20-year career at KY3 as an anchor and reporter.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Hospital honored Olivia Cox with its TULIP Award, recognizing her thoughtful, unforgettable, lasting impact on patient care. A certified nursing assistant, Cox works at CMH’s Parkview Health Care Facility in Bolivar.

Amanda Foster, a registered nurse with Citizens Memorial Hospital’s emergency department, received the health system’s Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Foster was nominated by a patient, who said the nurse went above and beyond in the call of duty.

Law
The Springfield Southeast Rotary Club honored three law enforcement officers with the group’s annual Vocational Excellence Awards. The honorees, recognized for exemplification of the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self,” are Cpl. Travis Sanders of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, Master Sgt. Chase Stallcup of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Detective Lee Walker of the Springfield Police Department.

Media
The Missouri Broadcasters Association inducted Steve Grant and Bob Moore into its Hall of Fame. Grant this year celebrates 50 years at KY3, where he’s the station’s noon and 6 p.m. anchor. Moore, of Lebanon, owns Broadcast Communications Engineering.

Three Springfield organizations were named by Newsweek to its 2024 list of the most trustworthy companies, based on a survey in partnership with Statista. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. was No. 2 in its category of energy and utilities, Bass Pro Shops ranked second in the retail industry and O’Reilly Automotive Inc. was No. 18 in its category of automotive and components.