Faces and places

Jason Harmon, Lawrence, has been named editor of Farm Collector magazine, published by Ogden Publications in Topeka. Farm Collector is a monthly magazine focusing on antique farm equipment.

Harmon previously was managing editor of the Lake County Examiner in Lakeview, Ore. He earlier worked as a reporter at two daily newspapers in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

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Charisse Bench and Gail Ellena Vick have joined the development program of Health Care Access Inc., Douglas County’s medical clinic for the uninsured.

Bench has more than 10 years of health-care experience, has a master’s degree in health care administration and a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She will serve as development coordinator seeking corporate and individual gifts.

Vick has many years of experience in fund-raising for nonprofit agencies. He has a pharmacy degree and will serve as events coordinator.

Bench and Vick are Lawrence natives and alumnae of Kansas University.

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Scott Smith has been named president of the 11-state Central Division of HNTB Corp. He previously served as HNTB’s chief marketing officer, principal-in-charge of the firm’s Kansas City and St. Louis offices and chief operations officer for the 550-person Central Division. As president, he will oversee HNTB’s engineering urban design and planning and public involvement practices.

Smith serves at consulting engineer to the Kansas Turnpike Authority. He is chairman of the Kansas University School of Engineering Advisory Board. Smith received his master’s degree at KU.

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HNTB has named Terry Miller president of the firm’s newly created Buildings Division. Miller previously served as chairman of HNTB’s architecture and buildings design practice. In his new role, he will continue to head HNTB’s architecture practice, which will be organized as a national HNTB operating division. The division also will expand into other markets such as health care and corporate design. The Buildings Division is an outgrowth of the architecture market’s evolving needs for diverse services. Miller is a Kansas University graduate.

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HNTB has announced Becky Cotton Zahner has been named to lead the company’s Indianapolis architecture office. Zahner is a graduate of Kansas University.

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Employees of Hair Experts Design Team, Lawrence, attended the Redken International Symposium, conducted Jan. 19-21 at the Mandalay Bay Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Attending the conference were Hair Experts owner Brenda Peterson-Smith and employees Kaci Canada, Joanie Gardner, Aly Old, Nicole Ortega, Terry Patchen, Courtney Quirarte and Keri Truscello.

At the conference they learned about hair and color design; business management and marketing; and a trend release for 2003, “Architecture + Discord.”

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Lawrence-based PilgrimPage Inc. has won a bid to design a new Web portal for the city of Lawrence. The new Web site will provide a single online point of access to 13 city departments and hundreds of services provided to the Lawrence community. PilgrimPage designed the award-winning Web site for the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2002.

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Robert Johnson has been promoted to market manager at Dillons, 1015 W. 23rd St. He has been working for the company since 2001.

Honors and awards

Peoples Bank had its first annual Peoples Promise Awards Feb. 1 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence. The awards recognized and celebrated 2002 performance and service excellence within Peoples Bank.

Angela Cheslic, personal banker from Lawrence, was the recipient of the Personal Banker of the Year-Kansas.

The bank also handed out the following awards: Adam Weigland, Ottawa, Lender of the Year Ottawa; John McKean, Lawrence, Personal Banker of the Year-Douglas County; Giles Thompson, Lawrence, Sales and Service Banker of the Year; and Roberta Compton, Ottawa, Support Banker of the Year.

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Ron King, local American Family Insurance agent, was the No. 1 agent in the company in health insurance sales for 2002. He was the top agent in the state for 2002 in total production. King’s office is at 3502 Westridge Drive.

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John Kirby’s American National Insurance Co. was awarded Agency of the Year. He was awarded a trip to Maui. His office is in Lawrence.

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Reece & Nichols Acres Realtors, Lawrence, and Jo Barnes, broker, were recently honored with the 2002 Rising Star Award by Reece & Nichols Alliance Inc. The award is given each year to Reece & Nichols Alliance member officers who exceed the average member office performance for the previous year in any of seven categories. Reece & Nichols Acres Realtors surpassed the requirement in all seven of these categories.

Coming events

The Twilight Chapter of the American Business Women’s Assn. will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the American Legion, 3408 W. Sixth St. Networking will be from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The cost of the dinner is $10.

This month’s program will feature foreign exchange students living with Donna Mathena-Menke and Val Kampfer, Twilight Chapter members. The students will discuss women’s role in the German work force.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Val Kampfer, chapter president, at 842-0301 or Paula Commons, membership chairwoman, at 749-8102.

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The Kansas University Small Business Development Center will present a new start-up seminar “The Right Start: A Group Counseling Session For Start-ups,” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the center, 734 Vt., Suite 104.

The seminar will feature a discussion on various issues to consider when starting a business. It will cover resources, business planning, financing, marketing, recordkeeping, insurance and taxes.

There is no charge for the seminar; however, an optional resource manual is available for $25. To register for the class, call 843-8844 or stop by the center. Seating is limited.

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A State and Federal Tax Credit seminar is scheduled for March 13 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Wichita.

The seminar will include three sessions, case studies and a tour of Wichita tax credit projects. The cost is $35 per person. The deadline to register is Feb. 28. For more information or to receive a registration form, call Kathy Morgan at (316) 268-4421 or (316) 668-4390. Send e-mail to kmorgan@wichita.gov.

The seminar is sponsored by the city of Wichita, Historic Preservation Office, Kansas State Historical Society and Kansas Preservation Alliance.

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The Natural Resources Conservation Service is sponsoring an informational meeting on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the 2002 Farm Bill. The meeting will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Holidome Conference Center, 1616 W. Crawford, in Salina.

For more information about 2002 Farm Bill programs, visit www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov and click on Farm Bill logo. For more information about the meeting, call Mary Shaffer at (785) 823-4571.

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Coldwell Banker/McGrew Real Estate will sponsor a homebuyers seminar at 7 p.m. Thursday at Alvamar Country Club. The seminar is free but reservations are required. Reservations can be made by calling Coldwell Banker/ McGrew at 843-2055.