Newsmakers: July 22-28, 2019

Architecture
Paragon Architecture LLC hired Kari Smith as interior designer and Bekah Olson as marketing coordinator. Smith has 13 years of experience on corporate, health care, retail, church and museum projects, after earning her bachelor’s in housing and interior design from Missouri State University. With a bachelor’s in professional writing from MSU, Olson has seven years’ experience in technical communication with an emphasis in content development and digital marketing.

Banking & Finance
Forbes magazine named Arvest Bank among its 149 Best-In-State Banks for the second consecutive year. Selections were based on an independent survey of more than 25,000 U.S. citizens who were asked to name and rate all banks where they’ve had a checking account. The criteria was trust, terms and conditions, branch services, digital services and financial advice.

Bank of Bolivar/BOB Community Financial named Russell Batten as bank president and Sheldon Toler as senior vice president. Batten, who has worked with the bank since 1999, previously held the position of senior executive vice president. Toler previously held titles of loan officer and vice president and has been with the bank since 2008. Brad Gregory retains his title of CEO.

Edward Jones financial adviser Bill Scorse received the “TNT” Client Development Award from the firm for outstanding service efforts in the past year. Only 1,010 financial advisers out of more than 18,000 at the firm received the award. The award is named after advisers, who in the 1950s traveled the Midwest from Tuesday through Thursday each week.

Hospitality
Twin Oaks Country Club hired John Welter as general manager. He most recently served as GM for ClubCorp’s Commerce Club in Greenville, South Carolina, and has 25 years of private club experience.

Insurance
Croley Insurance and Financial Inc. hired Ed Goeke as a licensed property and casualty agent. He has four years’ experience in insurance and focuses primarily on personal and commercial products.

Media
Radio Training Network Inc. named Dave Taylor as general manager for stations KWND-FM and KWFC-FM, Kyle Dowden as station manager for KWND and expanded the duties for Stephanie Jenkins as brand manager for both stations. Taylor has been involved with KWND since 1984; Dowden has been the program director for both stations since 2015; and Jenkins joined KWND’s morning show in 2015.

Nonprofit
The Springfield Metro Rotary group named its 2019-20 board members: Sarah Watson, president; Cyndi Crews, president elect; Andrea Brady, secretary; Ray Ross, treasurer; Simone Hite, public relations director; Steve Counts, membership director; Michael McManis, foundation director; Padgett Smith, service director; and Ingrid Bohnenkamp, new generation director.

Isabel’s House Crisis Nursery was selected for a $4,000 donation from the American Contract Bridge League’s Springfield Duplicate Bridge Club. The donation is made possible through an ACBL Charity Foundation grant, with the money primarily raised from charity games.

Retail
Beverage Dynamics named Macadoodles among its inaugural Top 100 Retailers. The awards recognize off-premise retailers that demonstrate excellence in innovation, customer service and beverage alcohol industry knowledge.