Hamra Enterprises opens new Wendy’s by MSU campus
Springfield-based Hamra Enterprises has opened a new Wendy’s store in Springfield near the Missouri State University campus.
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The new restaurant, located at 525 S. National Ave. and equipped with the latest digital features, will be Hamra’s Wendy’s eighth in Springfield and 40th in Missouri. The company currently operates 97 Wendy’s restaurants in five states.
The “Global Next Generation” restaurant design includes a kitchen designed for speed and efficiency, and a building optimized to reflect digital ordering preferences. It also includes dedicated mobile and delivery pickup points and an enhanced drive-thru design.
Springfield Chamber of Commerce Announces 2025 Board of Directors
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce will appoint new members and the 2025 roster of officers at its January board meeting.
The following directors will serve on the Chamber Executive Committee in 2025:
Chairman: Bob Helm, Elliott, Robinson & Company, LLP CPA Chairman-Elect: Jessica Harmison-Olson, Maxon Fine Jewelry Treasurer: Sean Balisle, KPM CPA and Advisor Assistant Treasurer: Linda Daugherty, Academy of Hair Design and BeVelle Barber Vice-President; Economic Development: Jason England, Vice Chairman, Arvest Bank, Workforce Development: Max Buetow, Vice Chairman, Communications Committee, CoxHealth: Elizabeth Wente, SRC Holdings Corporation Vice Chairman: Dr. Spencer Harris, Mainly Serious, Habitat Communication and Culture
The new directors, who will serve three-year terms, are:
John Myers, Mercy Hospital Springfield CommunitiesAaron Burden, The French’s Food Company Dwayne Fulk, City Utilities Laura Gates, TransLand Stephanie Ireland, Irish Architect Nicole Jarratt, Revel Advertising Marshall Kinne, Med-Pay, Inc.
OMB Bank Promotes Beasley and Daniel
OMB Bank announced the recent promotions of Travis Beasley to Senior Vice President and Director of SBA Loans and Sarah Daniel to Senior Vice President and Government Guarantee Specialist.
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Mr. Beasley joined OMB in 2023 as Senior Vice President and Director of Loans and has spent most of his 15-year banking career specializing in Small Business Administration loans. In his new role, Mr. Beasley will spearhead the strategic development of the bank’s SBA lending initiatives. He currently oversees the SBA loan application process and serves as the bank’s primary guide to lenders, ensuring seamless collaboration with the bank’s government-backed lending department to support loan application, processing, and funding. playing a role.
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Daniel joined OMB in 2020 as a Government Guarantee Specialist and has been instrumental in helping the bank achieve SBA Preferred Lender status. In his role, Daniel leads the bank’s support efforts for loan officers and local business owners navigating complex government-backed loan programs, ensuring a smooth process for securing loans through the SBA and other guarantee options. I will.
Smart Chicken donates 5,200 pounds of chicken Ozark Food Harvest
Ozarks Food Harvest received 5,200 pounds of chicken this holiday season thanks to Smart Chicken’s 22nd Annual Smart Giving Holiday Challenge Campaign. The food bank will distribute the chicken to a network of 270 faith-based and community charities to help meet the growing need for food in Southwest Missouri.
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Through the Smart Giving Holiday Challenge, Smart Chicken will donate 10% of every chicken purchased at participating retailers in November to Ozarks Food Harvest. Participating retailers include Apple Market, Country Mart, Food 4 Less, G&W Foods, Harter House, Price Cutter, Town & Country, and Woods Supermarket. Since 2004, Ozarks Food Harvest has received more than 161,000 pounds of poultry from Smart Chicken.
Ozarks Food Harvest reports that more families continue to seek food assistance from its network of 270 partners than at the height of the pandemic. The food bank network now serves an average of 70,000 people each month, nearly 20,000 more than at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis.
Five Springfield Mediacom employees receive top company awards
The five Springfield-based employees were among 196 Mediacom Communications employees recognized in the company’s top performance rankings over the past year.
Heather Engelhardt earned the highest score for service performance over the past year and received the National Gold Level OnMedia Operations Employee of the Year award. She has been with Mediacom for six years and was one of 40 employees to receive the National Gold level award.
Thomas St. John has been with Mediacom for 27 years and was named Mediacom Business Sales Support Employee of the Year.
Thomas Lint worked at Mediacom for seven years and was named “Lead of the Year.” They were two of 35 employees across the company to receive a national silver level award in 2024 for exemplary service to business customers.
Melissa Henderson received the highest score for service performance over the past year and was recognized as Area Operations Employee of the Year. She has been with Mediacom for 10 years.
Nicole Fienhold has been with Mediacom for nine years and received an Employees Choice Award. She was one of 39 employees nationwide to receive a call center-level award for exemplary customer service in 2024.
23 people graduate from SRC Leadership Academy
The SRC family of companies announced that 23 employee-owners graduated from the Leadership Development Academy in December. The graduates represented nine different SRC facilities from three states: Missouri, Kentucky, and Illinois.
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The program includes more than 100 hours of “learn and do” training that equips aspiring leaders with new leadership skills and a more comprehensive understanding of the great game of business and SRC’s transparent, owner-driven culture. Designed to impart knowledge.
Graduates include Tim Anderson, Kristin Arbor, Caitlin Ashcraft, Trevor Baumgartner, Jimmy Cooper, Tim Cyplett, Alicia Del Toro, Michael Eimer, Drew Englert, Blake Ewing, and Easton. – Includes Frow, Luis Gonzalez, Randy Hershberger, Tyler Hoskins, Adam Kuiken and Conner. Lee, John Nickle, Tyler Rasmussen, Tina Storey, Daniella Thornton, Heather Watson, Charles Wilhere, and Christian Winfield.
Patrol D Troop announces promotion
The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced several promotions for Troop D in Springfield starting Jan. 1.
Corporal James “Ricky” Rowley has been promoted to Zone 6 Designated Zone Supervisor and Sergeant, serving Dade and Lawrence Counties. Ricky was commissioned to patrol on July 1, 2008 as a member of the 88th Recruit Class. Laurie is from the Republic. He graduated from Republic High School in 2004. Officer Joshua S. Baird was promoted to corporal and appointed assistant zone supervisor for Zone 13, serving Newton and McDonald counties. Josh was commissioned into patrol on January 2, 2017 as a member of the 104th Recruit Class. Baird is a Lamar native and graduated from Lamar High School in 2013. Officer Jason W. Philpott was promoted to corporal and appointed assistant zone supervisor for Zone 10 serving Webster County. Jason was commissioned into the Patrol on July 1, 2009 as a member of the 90th recruiting class. Philpott is a native of Eva and graduated from Eva High School in 2005. He received his bachelor’s degree from Drury University in Springfield in 2009.
Central bank adds training and development team
The central bank has announced the hiring of a new professional development manager and the promotion of another staff member to training coordinator.
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Elaina O’Neill has joined the Central Bank team as the new Professional Development Manager. With experience as a trainer for companies such as Paddio and Veterans United Home Loans, she plans, develops and implements banking training and development programs that benefit the Ozarks team. This training will cover a wide range of topics, from new employee training to leadership skills training. Mr. O’Neill will lead the training team and provide ongoing training in sales and service focused techniques for all staff.
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Meanwhile, Terra Lennox has been promoted to training coordinator. A graduate of Southwest Baptist University, Lennox earned a bachelor’s degree in education and taught for four years before transitioning to a floating teller position at the central bank in 2020. Over the past few years, she has continued to grow from full-time to new roles. From teller to customer service representative. In his new role, Lennox will facilitate technical training for customer service representatives and tellers, as well as professional development training for staff in the future.