• Local piano technician Harry Miller recently completed requirements to earn the Registered Piano Technician designation of the Piano Technicians Guild. Miller left the practice of law in 2007 to become a piano technician and now operates a full-service piano business, serving clients in Lawrence and surrounding communities.

• Two area accounting firms have announced their merger, effective Jan. 1. Lowenthal, Webb & Odermann P.A. and Mize Houser & Company P.A. have merged and will operate as Mize Houser & Company P.A. The expanded firm will include 190 associates. Lowenthal, Webb & Odermann P.A. was founded in 1982 and has one office in Lawrence. Mize Houser & Company P.A. was founded in 1956 in Topeka and currently has offices in Topeka, Lawrence and Overland Park.

• Kansas farmers can sign up to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organizations through America’s Farmer’s Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. One farmer in each of the state’s 88 participating counties will win. Eligible area counties include: Douglas, Franklin, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Osage, Shawnee and Miami. In 2010 and 2011, Douglas County farmer Robert Schehrer was chosen and he donated a total of $5,000 to Just Food, the county’s food bank. Farmers can apply through Nov. 30 by visiting growcommunities.com or by calling 877-267-3332. A $1 donation will be made to local United Way chapters for each farmer who signs up. One winner will be selected at random and the Monsanto Fund will announce winning farmers and recipient nonprofits in January.

• The Lawrence Technology Association November LTA Mixer will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Wayne and Larry’s Sports Bar and Grill, 933 Iowa. Reservations are not required. For more information or if you know that you will be attending, contact Kerri Johnson at 832-2824 or events@lawrencetech.org.

• Barbara Columbus of Lawrence Memorial Hospital recently received her certification as a chest pain coordinator from the Society of Chest Pain Centers in Dublin, Ohio. Columbus is a registered nurse in the hospital’s invasive cardiology department. She has worked at LMH since 2004.

• Andrea Groenhagen of Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s case management department recently earned her credential as a certified clinical documentation specialist from the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists. Groenhagen is one of only 11 in Kansas to obtain this certificate. She has been employed at LMH since 1992.

• Bonnie Jackson of Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s Family Birthing Center recently earned a certificate of added qualification in electronic fetal monitoring. Jackson also received a certification for inpatient obstetric nursing in 2001, making this her second national certification credential. She has worked at LMH since 2006.

• Lawrence Memorial Hospital has selected Carolyn Bowmer as the new vice president of human resources. Bowmer previously served as the vice president of human resources for Providence Medical Center, St. John Hospital and four physician clinics – all subsidiaries of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, previously located in Lenexa.

• Barber Emerson L.C., Lawrence, has received first tier rankings for 2011-12 in the U.S. News ratings of Best Law Firms. Barber Emerson L.C. was recognized for: appellate practice; land use and zoning; real estate law; mergers and acquisitions; and trusts and estates.

• BarristerBooks Inc. announces the recent acquisition of assets owned by LawBooksForLess LLC, including the popular discount law student textbook and law study aid website LawBooksForLess.com.

Founded in 1999, BarristerBooks Inc. is a privately held corporation with corporate headquarters in Lawrence, which operates the Internet’s largest independent legal bookstore network of websites, including BarristerBooks.com, LawBooks.com and LawBooksForLess.com.

• Title Boxing Club opened Thursday in Lawrence. The 5,136-square-foot club is at located at Bob Billings Parkway and Wakarusa Drive. The franchise is owned by Jim and Angie Thomas. For more information, call 856-2696.

• Miles Schnaer, owner of Crown Toyota/Scion/Volkswagen in Lawrence, was named Volunteer of the Year at the InterHab Annual Conference on Oct. 20 in Topeka. Schnaer was nominated by Cottonwood Inc. for the work he has done for the Cottonwood Foundation. InterHab is the oldest and largest statewide association of developmental disability service providers in Kansas.

• Dr. Scott Thellman, board certified plastic surgeon at Lawrence Plastic Surgery, recently attended the American Society of Plastic Surgeons convention in Denver. Karen Harman-McGowan RN, CPSN, and Cheryl Alley MA, attended the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses meeting. Sharon White and Leslie Koerner attended the Plastic Surgeons Administrative Association meeting. The four-day convention addressed current and future issues regarding the specialty of plastic surgery. All are employees of Lawrence Plastic Surgery.

• Patty Rymer, aesthetician, and Cheri Thompson, RN, employees of Lawrence Plastic Surgery, will present an informal skin care seminar from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at the Terra Firma salon in De Soto.