The Circle S Ranch & Country Inn, of Lawrence, has selected Yulan Studio Inc. to provide it with a variety of marketing services. Yulan Studio, based in Leavenworth County, was hired to redevelop the Web site and redesign brochures and the catering menu.

¢

US Bank increased its Small Business Administration loan production by 47 percent based on actual loans and by 11 percent based on dollar volume in 2003. Through its SBA Division, US Bank provided record overall SBA loans of $535,863,809 to 1,793 businesses nationwide.

According to the SBA, US Bank ranked second among bank lenders making SBA guaranteed loans for the year and fourth among bank and nonbank lenders based on dollar volume. The company operates several branches in Lawrence.

¢

The United Way of Douglas County board of directors is seeking nominations for the 2003 Wallace Galluzzi Volunteer awards. The award recognize outstanding volunteers serving not-for-profit organizations in Douglas County. The award is given to a youth and adult volunteer. Winners will be announced at the annual meeting of the United Way of Douglas County on Feb. 26.

Nominations are due Dec. 15 at the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, 2518 Ridge Court. Forms are available online at www.rhvc.org. For more information, call 865-5030.

¢

Small businesses with essential employees called to active duty may still apply for Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The administration has provided loans to eligible small businesses to cover operating costs that cannot be met due to the loss of a key employee called to active duty in the reserves or National Guard.

Applications are available online at www.sba.gov/disaster. For more information call (800) 366-6303.

¢

Dr. Robert Dinsdale, Lawrence otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon, recently completed training in Rochester, N.Y., with Dr. Vito Quatela, a nationally recognized facial plastic surgeon. Dr. Dinsdale now offers the endoscopic browlift and midface lift procedures at the Lawrence Surgery Center and Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

¢

Jane Tuttle, Lawrence La Leche League leader, attended the Kansas La Leche League Leader training seminar on Nov. 1 in Salina. The training covered the latest research in lactation, writing for publication, and communication skills for working with nursing mothers. Kansas La Leche League provides semi-annual training for accredited leaders.

¢

Pat Flavin, Sandy Garber, Kris Mosiman and Ken Ollila, agents with Lawrence Realty Associates, have earned the Senior Real Estate Specialist professional designation by the Senior Real Estate Council in Murphys, Calif.

SRES designees must display expertise in advising on capital gains and estate tax implications, reverse mortgages, 1031 exchanges, retirement community options, trusts and other issues facing those older than 50.

¢

Jane Rank has been promoted from office manager to director at Comfort Keepers in Lawrence. She is responsible for all aspects of the business. She is in charge of customer accounts, staffing caregivers, customer satisfaction and public awareness of elder-care issues.

¢

Sherri Meatte, Jane Faubion and Linda Rogers have joined the board of directors of Health Care Access Inc., Douglas County’s medical clinic for the uninsured.

Meatte is the director of organizational development at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and also has served as the patient financial services manager.

Faubion is the student services manager for the Department of Health Policy and Management for Kansas University Medical Center.

Rogers is a learning specialist for the Lawrence school district and former Baldwin school board member.

The 2003-2004 officers of the board are Paul Davis, president; Donna Osness, vice president; Galen VanBlaricum, secretary; Cathy Miller, treasurer; and Jeff Sigler, member at large.

¢

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has announced the reappointment of Sharon Green to the Kansas Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Green, Lawrence, practices optometry with Dennis Hoss and Arliss Stebbins. Green served a pediatric fellowship through Houston Eye Associates and was a Kansas Optometric Foundation scholarship recipient. She is an active member of the See To Learn program and Vision USA which provides care to the needy. She has served on the Education Committee of the Kansas Optometric Assn. She is secretary-treasurer of the Board of Examiners in Optometry.

The Board of Examiners in Optometry administers and enforces provisions of optometry law and grants licenses. Green will serve a three-year term.

¢

The Cup of Lawrence has received The Golden Cup from The Specialty Coffee Association of America for coffee brewing excellence. Applicants worked with a SCAA certified brewing technician who evaluates brewing procedures, equipment and the quality of the coffee. Samples of the applicant’s coffee are tested at the Specialty Coffee Institute.

The award is intended to motivate cafes and restaurants to learn how to improve the quality of their coffee.

Coming events

Kansas wheat producers will be gathering Dec. 8-9 at the Kansas State University Alumni Center in Manhattan for the annual wheat industry dinner and the annual meeting of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

The KAWG will join the Kansas Wheat Commission for the annual dinner at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 8 with registration beginning at 6 p.m. Barry Flinchbaugh, K-State agricultural economist, will offer an overview of his recent trip to Cuba.

Among the speakers on Dec. 9 will be Carol Pratt, associate director of nutrition and regulatory affairs of the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Mich., and Congressman Jerry Moran.

For more information, call the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers at (785) 587-0007.

¢

The 2003 Value Added Conference and Kansas Commodity Classic will feature an internationally-known consumer trends expert and former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole.

The Value Added Conference, sponsored by the Agriculture Marketing Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce, will be Dec. 9 at the Holiday Inn in Manhattan. The keynote speaker will be David Hughes of London’s Imperial College. Hughes is an expert on the global food industry and consumer issues.

The Kansas Commodity Classic will be Dec. 10 at the Holiday Inn. The Kansas Commodity Classic is the annual convention of the Kansas Corn Growers Assn., Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Assn. Dole will give an overview of the political process in Washington.

There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. To register or for more information, contact Ruth Smerchek in the Agriculture Marketing Division of Commerce at (785) 296-7006 or e-mail rsmerchek@kansascommerce.com.

¢

The Kansas Women’s Business Center will have a holiday networking event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Kauffman Foundation, 4801 Rockhill Road in Kansas City, Mo. The cost is $15. To make reservations, call (913) 492-5922, ext. 125.

¢

The Kansas University Small Business Development Center in conjunction with the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce is offering “The Complete Quickbooks,” and “The Right Start.”

“The Complete Quickbooks” is a hands-on seminar about how to use Quickbooks, the small-business accounting software. The class will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the computer lab in Summerfield Hall. The cost is $140.

“The Right Start” is an introductory seminar on starting a new business that covers such topics as taxes, insurance, accounting and marketing. The class will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 25 in the center’s conference room, 734 Vt.

For more information or to register, call the center at 843-8844 or e-mail maggie@kusbdc.net.

¢

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Ace Sports and Tickets will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at 647 Mass.