Faces and places

Fran Hopkins, account executive with CEK Insurance, has completed a five-part insurance education program and attained the Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) designation. The program is sponsored by the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors and administered by the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents. Hopkins, a Kansas University graduate, has been a licensed agent since 1986. She has been associated with CEK Insurance since 1993. She also is designated as a Certified Senior Advisor.

• The Midland Group, a Lawrence-based hospital financial services company, announces the promotion of Ryan O’Hara to director of operations of the Greater Kansas City region. O’Hara, who has been with The Midland Group since February 2003, previously was an account executive.

Edward MacMillan has been appointed vice president of business development. MacMillan brings more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience to The Midland Group.

Monty Nelson has been appointed account executive responsible for new business development. Nelson was assistance director of planned giving for The Menninger Foundation.

The Midland Group serves more than 120 hospitals throughout the Midwest.

• Bob Buchanan, Lawrence, has joined Mortgage Sources Corp., Lawrence, as a loan officer. His responsibilities will include residential mortgages, commercial property, construction loans and bridge loans. Buchanan has been a member of the Lawrence business community for the past 23 years.
• Clinton S. Robertson has joined Criticare Home Health Services, Lawrence, as respiratory therapist. Robertson has more than five years of experience in area hospitals as a staff respiratory therapist.
• Dr. Richard Wendt recently attended a medical education conference about arthroscopic and open surgical techniques for the shoulder in Chicago. The conference was sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Wendt is in practice with Lawrence Orthopaedic Surgery at the Kansas Center for Athletic Medicine. Wendt, who specializes in total joint replacement surgery, has privileges at Lawrence Surgery Center and Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
• Dillons announces the retirement of William Durrant after 15 years of service. Durrant was hired in 1989 as a courtesy clerk at the store on Massachusetts Street and has had various positions at the store.
• Glenda Hewlett, a local educator with USD 497 and DCCCA Center, recently attended SRA/McGraw Hill consultant training in Seattle. The three-day session prepared SRA’s Western Region consultants to train elementary teachers in Direct Instruction techniques necessary to effectively implement the latest edition of Reading Mastery, grades K-6. Direct Instruction is a highly-structured teaching method, designed to accelerate the learning of at-risk students.

Honors and awards

Ron King, a Lawrence-based American Family agent, won District of the Month honors for February. The honor is based on all-lines of production.

• Harold Pearce, a registered representative with Raymond James Financial Services in Lawrence, has earned membership in the 2003 Leadership Council for Planco, a wholesaler of investment and insurance products for The Hartford. Memberships are reserved for those representatives who produce more than $1 million in annual sales.
• Manpower Inc. was named one of America’s most admired companies by Fortune magazine in its annual report card on corporate reputation. For the second-consecutive year, Manpower, which has an office in Lawrence, ranked No. 1 in the temporary help industry.

Each company was evaluated in the following categories: quality of products and services, innovation, employee talent, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment and use of corporate assets. Manpower had improved its score in each category.

• FryeAllen Inc., Topeka, received 10 Gold Addys, 10 Silver Addys and a best of show award during the 2004 Addy Awards.

FryeAllen won the Best of Show Electronic Award for its radio campaign for Community National Bank.

The Gold Addy awards were given for television, radio, mixed media campaigns, illustration, direct marketing and interactive media.

The Silver Addy awards were presented for direct marketing, television, radio, newspaper and sales promotion.

The Addy Awards are judged by advertising professionals from outside the market and are open to any advertising produced within the Topeka area.

• The Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce had its annual awards dinner on Feb. 27 at The Lodge in Baldwin. The Business Person(s) of the Year award was given to Sara and Riley Winkler, owners of Tires & More. Dan and Becky McMillen were given the Community Service Award for 2003.

Mid-America Bank, Jerry Donnelly, Baker University, Baldwin State Bank, the City of Baldwin, Baldwin Realty Associates, and Sprint were given awards for their participation in the Chamber of Commerce Promotion Committee.

Coming events

A seminar for human resource professionals, business owners and managers will be from 8 a.m. to noon April 1 at the Community Health Center, 200 Maine.

The seminar will cover policies, practices, communications and record keeping. It will feature human resources audits.

The seminar is sponsored by the Jayhawk Chapter affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management and Constangy, Brooks, & Smith.

For more information click on www.jayhawkshrm.org. The cost is $40. The registration deadline is March 20.

• A free computer security seminar will be at 2 p.m. today at the Borders Books Music & Cafe, 700 N.H.

The seminar is sponsored by Dave Greenbaum, of DoctorDave, a local onsite computer consulting service, and Borders.

Greenbaum will explain the three major threats to computers security: viruses, spyware and hackers as well as how to protect against them.

No registration is required. For more information, call 218-9676 or click on www.calldrdave.com.

• The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce announces the following ribbon-cutting ceremonies:
• Channel 6News, 11:30 a.m., Friday, 644 N.H.
• Maceli’s, 4:30 p.m., March 19, 1031 N.H.
• Lawrence Office Furniture Warehouse, 11:30 a.m., March 26, 1025 N. Third St..
• Douglas County Bank, 11:30 a.m., March 31, 4340 W. Sixth St.
• The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and Kansas University Athletic Corp. March luncheon will be at noon March 19 at the Lawrence Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive.

The speaker will be KU baseball coach Ritch Price. The event is sponsored by Crown Chevrolet & Toyota.

The cost is $15 in advance and $17 at the door. To register, click on www.lawrencechamber.com or call 865-4420.

• The 16th annual Community Economic Development Conference will be April 14-15 at the Highland Hotel and Convention Center in Great Bend. The event is sponsored by the Kansas Center for Community Economic Development. This year’s theme is “Selling Kansas Here, There and Everywhere.”

The keynote speakers will be Bill Cordes, a consultant and author; Marci Penner, co-founder of the Kansas Sampler Foundation; and Bob Gress, co-founder of the Great Plans Nature Center in Wichita.

For more information, click on www.ksu.edu/kcri/kcced. For more information or to register call (800) 432-8222 or (785) 532-5569. The cost is $95 for the full conference and $60 for a day.