KY3’s Maria Neider joins City of Ozark, Mercy promotes presidents
Former KY3 anchor Maria Neider joins City of Ozark communications team
The city of Ozark announced in a Monday press release that Maria Neider has joined its communications team as director. Neider joins the city after a nearly 20year career as an anchor and reporter at KY3. In the role, Neider will oversee all aspects of communication for the city of Ozark. This will include media relations, public affairs, and internal communications.
“I am excited to contribute to this community's continued growth and success,” Neider said in the release.
Also joining the communications team at Ozark is Benjamin Ward. Ward will serve as the city's communications manager. Prior to joining the communications team in Ozark, Ward worked for Adult & Teen Challenge USA overseeing both internal and external communications.
“My family and I have been a part of the Ozark community for years,” Ward said. “I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in this role and help keep the people of Ozark informed and engaged.”
Mercy announces two leadership promotions in the Ozarks
Mercy announced in a Wednesday press release that David Argueta, president of Mercy Springfield Communities, has been promoted to regional president of Mercy Southwest Missouri Communities. John Myers, chief operating officer for Mercy Springfield Communities, has stepped into Argueta's previous role of community president.
Mercy said the promotions are part of its strategic growth plan as it addresses a growing patient population, which could soon include Pittsburg, Kansas. Mercy plans to finalize the transaction with Ascension's Via Christi Hospital this summer. To meet the needs of a diverse patient population, Mercy selected Argueta to provide strategic guidance for a regional approach.
“Southwest Missouri is a large and important region for Mercy,” Argueta said in the release. “It includes patients across 27,000 square miles and more than 200 sites of care. Creating a regional approach allows us to lead all facilities in the region in a coordinated manner and deepen existing services while we also grow into communities such as Pittsburg, Kansas.”
With a mix of rural and urban settings in Mercy's Southwest Missouri Communities, Myers said the area has unique needs when it comes to health care. Myers joined Mercy in 2022 as chief operating officer in Springfield. He brings more than 20 years of experience in health care and clinical leadership, and before joining Mercy, he served as chief operating officer at Research Medical Center in Kansas City.
Ozark Chamber of Commerce appoints Russell as new president and CEO
The Ozark Chamber of Commerce has announced the appointment of Chris Russell as its new president and CEO.
“The Ozark Chamber is gearing up for a revitalized presence in the community,” said Guy Callaway, chair of the Ozark Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “We've already made significant strides in supporting and promoting our local business partners and Chris is the leader we need to continue our forward momentum.”
Russell joins the Ozark Chamber after serving as president and CEO of the Nixa Chamber of Commerce for five years. According to a press release, Russell's leadership was instrumental in the purchase and renovation of the Nixa Chamber's welcome center.
“Throughout my entire professional career, I've been dedicated to helping businesses and organizations thrive,” Russell said. Having the opportunity to bring my passion for success to Ozark and collaborate with the board,
volunteers, and the entire community is an immense honor for me.”
Arvest Bank announces three new branch sales managers
Arvest bank has announced three new branch sales managers in the Springfield area.
Jen Elridge is joining Arvest as branch sales manager at Springfield's National Avenue location. She brings eight years of banking experience to the role. Elridge will be responsible for the overall sales, production, and profitability of the branch. She will also provide consumer lending services to customers as needed. Elridge holds an associate degree from Ozarks Technical Community and a certificate in business and commercial lending from the American Bankers Association.
Shelby Monnig joins Arvest as the branch sales manager at the Sunshine Street branch. With a decade of industry experience, she will be responsible for delivering sales leadership and overseeing the branch's sales, production, and profitability. Monnig holds an associate degree in general education from Ozarks Technical Community College.
Parker Davis has been promoted to branch sales manager at Springfield's Republic Road branch. Davis has three years of experience with Arvest and was previously a relationship banker. In the new role, he will manage sales, production, and profitability for the branch. He will also lead the sales team and provide consumer lending services. Davis holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Drury University.
Maberry joins OMB residential lending team
Nathan Maberry has joined the residential lending team at OMB Bank as a mortgage loan officer, serving Joplin and its surrounding communities.
Maberry has more than 15 years of mortgage lending experience. He began his career as a loan officer for Missouri Capital Finance in 2009 and was most recently a mortgage loan originator for USA Mortgage.
“Nathan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and his proven track record of confidently serving clients throughout the home loan process aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing exceptional customer service,” said Michael Frerking, director of residential lending. “We look forward to the contributions Nathan will make in helping individuals and families achieve their dream of homeownership in Barton, Jasper, Newton and Vernon counties and beyond.”
Hunt elevated to HR vice president at Branson Bank
Branson Bank has announced the promotion of Jamie Hunt to Vice President-Human Resource Officer. In addition to her current duties of supporting more than 75 bank associates, hunt will lead strategic initiatives supporting recruitment and retention of associates, succession planning, and the strengthening of Branson Bank.
Hunt joined Branson Bank in July 2008 and has held several positions across the organization since then. She holds a bachelor's degree in in business administration with a minor in psychology from the College of the
None of the seven Greene County school cafeterias inspected this past week had any priority violations, according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department's food inspection reports.
Republic's early childhood center, middle school and high school all passed March 27 and 28 inspections without any violations, according to the reports. Additionally, Springfield Public Schools' Cherokee and Jarrett middle schools, as well as its Weaver Elementary School, had no violations during their inspections. The only local school that had a non-priority violation and requires a re-inspection is Eugene Field Elementary School, 2120 E. Barataria St., where a cooler was a little too warm, according to the March 28 routine. Inspectors will return once the cooler is fixed.
Food inspections take place one to three times a year, depending on the type of food served, the population served, difficulty of food preparation and past history. Restaurants preparing food from raw ingredients are inspected more often "than convenience stores that serve only non-potentially hazardous foods, such as popcorn and soda," according to the SpringfieldGreene County Health Department.
Each report identifies what was happening at the establishment at that time. Consumers who want to know whether a violation is a onetime thing or a pattern are encouraged to refer to previous reports.
Issues found during inspection fall into either priority or non-priority violations. Priority violations impact the safety of the food, such as cross contamination between raw and ready-toeat food, improper food temperature and poor personal hygiene and employee health. Multiple priority violations can lead to an establishment being shut down. Non-priority violations alone do not directly affect food safety, such as dirty floors, sticky tabletops or outside trash cans not being covered.
Here are food inspections from the past week:
425 Downtown, 425 W. Walnut St., Springfield. March 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed.
Aldi No. 101, 2847 E. Sunshine St., Springfield. March 27 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed open chemical sanitizer wipes stored directly above meads inside meat locker cooler, which was corrected and education provided. No non-priority violations.
Angler's Lodge, 621 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. March 27 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of inspection.
Avanzare Italian Dining, 1908 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 27 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed hand sink had items stored in it by dish area, which was corrected by removing items.
Black Sheep @ Chesterfield Village, 2160 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Springfield. March 28 routine inspec