Joshua Heath, of Kief’s Audio/Video in Lawrence, attended Crestron training Feb. 21-25 in Chicago. Crestron is a leading manufacturer in custom home installation equipment for home theater and home automation.

Heath spent the week learning about Crestron programming for home automation and Crestron’s lines of home theater amplifiers.

Heath has been an installer in the Kief’s custom installation department since 2002.

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Factory Direct Appliance announced that Robert Keearns, Olathe, has joined the company as general sales manager.

Factory Direct Appliance operates showrooms in Lawrence, Lenexa, Topeka, Kansas City, Mo., and Lee’s Summit, Mo. The company plans to open a showroom in May in Omaha, Neb.

Keearns received a finance degree in 1988 from Creighton University. He was district sales manager for the builder/contract division of Maytag Corp. in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. He is a member of the Kansas City Home Builders Assn.

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The American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services of the American Hospital Assn. announces that Allyson Leland, director of volunteer services at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, has become a certified administrator of volunteer services.

To become a certified administrator, Leland passed an examination that covered planning and program development, management of human resources, finance, organization and management of services, outreach, advocacy and public relations, and professional development.

The association is focused on professional development, supporting health care volunteerism and forging alliances to build healthier communities.

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Gregory Hill, Lawrence, has been named a Protected Tomorrows advocate. Advocates are part of an international group of independent advisers who help special-needs families plan for the future.

Mary Anne Ehlert, founder of the group, and her fellow advocates work with families to make decisions such as who will serve as a future caregiver for a child with disabilities, where that child will live as an adult, how to preserve eligibility for government benefits, and how to build a financial safety net for the family member.

Hill has a brother-in-law with special needs, and Hill’s wife is a registered occupational therapist who works with children with special needs. Hill is an investment adviser representative with Keating & Associates and has more than 17 years of experience in the financial industry. For more information, contact Hill at 841-0154 or click on www.protectedtomorrows.com.

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Steve Wilgers is the new director of clinical services at Lawrence Rehabilitation Clinic and Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital in Topeka.

Steve has previous experience as the hospital administrator and director of rehabilitation at Lincoln County Hospital. He has 20 years of experience in various rehabilitation settings including hospitals, private practice, home health and long-term care.

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Rebecca Moore and Rachel Wright, veterinary nurse technicians at Lawrence Veterinary Hospital, recently completed continuing education credits March 5 during a Veterinary Technicians Conference sponsored by the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University.

Moore and Wright attended sessions for cementless joint replacement, introduction to radiation therapy, and involving a tonometry opthamology lab.

Attending a Pain Management and Anti-Steroidal Drugs seminar in February were James Kraft, veterinarian; Moore; Carla Ballenger, veterinary nurse technician; and Brook Binns, kennel attendant/veterinary assistant. The seminars were sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Assn.

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Bill Fair, Lecompton, an auctioneer with Bill Fair and Company Auctioneers, was the featured speaker at the annual National Realtors Association Minnesota/Dakota Chapter of Certified Commercial Investment Managers in Minneapolis.

Fair spoke about the fundamentals of selling real estate at auction and how brokers can use real estate auctions to their seller’s advantage.

Fair also recently served the National Auctioneers Assn. by assisting in the design of a course in fundamentals business practice for beginning auctioneers. The course will be offered to auctioneers nationwide.

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Douglas County Bank announces the re-election of its local board of directors at the annual stockholders meeting.

The board has responsibility for oversight of the bank’s operations and regulatory compliance because it is an independent bank, said Ted Haggart, bank president.

Lawrence directors who were re-elected: David Ambler, Ross Beach, Frank Becker, Jim Egan, Joe Flannery, Bob Georgeson, Steve Glass, Haggart, Nancy Hiebert, Bob Johnson, Joe Kelly, Jim Martin, John McGrew, Dorothy Rooney and Pat Slabaugh. Also re-elected was R.A. Edwards, of Hutchinson.

The bank’s achievements during 2004 recognized by the Board included: significant growth of customer deposits and loans, the opening of a new bank branch in northwest Lawrence, and receiving the Spirit of Caring Award from the United Way of Douglas County and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

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Lawrence resident Dan Cary, a certified financial planner with American Express, is opening a branch office at 1321 Wakarusa Drive, Suite 2000. Cary has worked in the company’s Topeka office for the past 11 years.

Cary also has earned his first membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, an independent association of 29,000 financial and life-insurance professionals worldwide. To attain entry, members must have demonstrated professional knowledge, expertise and client service.

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Stacie Hawkins and Janice Stumpff, data quality coordinators in the Oncology Center at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, recently earned national certifications.

Hawkins received the certified professional coder credential, and Stumpff received the certified professional coder-apprentice credential. The certifications were sponsored by the American Academy of Professional Coders.

Coming events

The Kansas Non Profit Assn. will present “Corporate Funding: Opportunities for Nonprofits” from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Topeka.

The workshop will assist nonprofit managers and development directors to identify and access corporate funding.

The association also will present “ABCs of a Successful Development Plan” from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 118, Henderson Hall, Washburn University in Topeka.

The workshop will identify the documents necessary for the fund-raising process; will discuss corporate and foundation giving; will consider the value of special events; and will recognize the importance and methods of individual solicitation, donor management and stewardship.

To register or for more information on the workshops, call (800) 582-1428.

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The Twilight Chapter of American Business Women’s Assn. will meet Monday at the American Legion. Networking starts at 6 p.m. and the dinner meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.

For more information or to make reservations, call Julie Kingsbury at 832-8693 or e-mail her at jewelrybyjulie@netzero.net.