Penny Strasser-Tuckel, of Color Studio in Lawrence, has earned national recognition as an American Board Certified hair colorist. To earn the recognition, she was evaluated on 26 components of hair color, professionalism and organization. Strasser-Tuckel, a manager and spa and master designer, has been with Color Studio for four years. She graduated from the American Academy of Hair Design in Topeka.

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Lyle Turner, Ottawa, has joined the staff of Lawrence Landscape. He oversees work at the company’s tree farm operation. Turner earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in horticulture at Kansas State University. He spent nine years supervising the grounds at Baker University. He operated Turner Greenhouse in Ottawa for 20 years and spent six years as an agricultural agent with the Kansas State University Extension Service.

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Steve Shanks, a career agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services in Lawrence, attended the Life Sales Seminar in Des Moines, Iowa. The seminar focused on helping agents gain a better understanding of customers’ needs.

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Hilary Kass, Linwood, is the featured Cook of the Month in the September issue of Grit, a nationally distributed magazine. She is a nutrition educator for the Community Mercantile Co-op in Lawrence.

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Gerry Tigue has joined Bed Mart in Lawrence as store manager. He previously managed a large mattress chain in Phoenix. Tigue is a graduate of Bradley University and the Keller Graduate School of Management.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development is accepting applications for its Single Family Housing Direct Loan program and Single Family Housing Direct Repair Loan Program.

The housing direct loan program is for qualified applicants to purchase new or existing housing in rural areas. No down payment is required and closing costs are about $2,500.

The direct repair loan program is to help low-income applicants remove health and safety hazards or repair their homes.

For more information, contact the agency’s Lawrence office at 841-2542, extension 3 or click on www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks.

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Christine North, formerly of Lawrence, joined Sera Architects as marketing manager. Sera Architects, Portland, Ore., offers integrated architecture, urban design and planning, and interior design services to clients throughout the Northwest. North is responsible for managing day-to-day marketing operations, strategic planning and public relations. Before joining Sera, North owned and operated a design firm in Lawrence that specialized in corporate positioning and brand development.

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Drs. Michael Malis and Jennifer Mellick, both graduates of Kansas University’s School of Medicine, have joined St. Luke’s South in Kansas City, Mo. Malis specializes in diagnostic radiology. He completed his residency at Indiana University School of Medicine. Mellick specializes in pediatrics and is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. She completed her residency at KU’s Medical Center.

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Beauty Brands, 3514 Clinton Parkway, is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of its specially priced Redken Guts volume-boosting spray foam to Women’s Transitional Care Services, of Lawrence. The company’s fourth annual Reduce Abuse program will run through Sept. 26.

Coming events

The Topeka Chapter of the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers will meet from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Shawnee Country Club, 913 SE 29th St. in Topeka. The speakers will be Neal Dobler, director of public works in Topeka; Keith Beatty, city engineer in Emporia, and Chuck Soules, director of public works in Lawrence. For more information, call Brian Armstrong at (785) 272-2252.

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Greg Scandlen, director of Galen’s Center for Consumer Driven Health Care, will give a presentation at noon Sept. 30 at the Kauffman Foundation headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. Scandlen is one of the nation’s leading experts on employer benefits, insurance regulation, small group reform, medical savings accounts and defined contributions. Scandlen will talk about Health Savings Accounts.

The cost is $15. For more information or to make reservations, call Tammy Ensey at (316) 634-0218 or click on www.flinthills.org.

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The Downtown Express Network of the American Business Women’s Assn. will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lidia’s Restaurant, 101 W. 22nd St. in Kansas City, Mo. The cost is $20. To make reservations, call Teresina Bradley at (816) 505-2045 or e-mail tjbtrans@aol.com.

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Susan Meyer-Miller, of Speakers USA, will be the guest speaker at the American Business Women’s Day Expo. The event will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Phillips Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. The expo is sponsored by the Downtown Express Network of the American Business Women’s Assn. To make reservations, call Rose Ann Minnis at (816) 275-1314 or e-mail rx3095@sbcglobal.net. The cost varies.

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Consumer Credit Counseling Services will present “Discover More Dollars” from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at the United Way building, 2518 Ridge Court. The free seminar will cover financial goal setting, developing a budget, cutting costs and evaluating spending habits. To make reservations, call 749-4224, extension 369 or (800) 383-0217, extension 369.

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The Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College introduces a new workshop designed to help entrepreneurs maximize their business profits by creating a strategic three-year plan for their operations. The classes will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 22, Oct. 19 and Nov. 19 at the Carlsen Center in Overland Park.

The four-hour workshop “Listening to Your Business” was developed by the FastTrac program and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

To register, call (913) 469-2323. For more information, call (913) 469-3878.