Posted 11:12 am Monday, July 30, 2012
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Willard Helps Ring Stock Exchange Bell
Ken Willard, of Palestine, was one of 11 Union Pacific employees who helped CEO Jack Koraleski ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange earlier this month.
Willard is a car foreman in the mechanical department in Palestine and has been with Union Pacific for 33 years. Spokesman Raquel Espinoza said Willard was nominated to help ring the bell by his peers for his incredible work ethic and for his long time with the company.
Union Pacific has nearly 45,000 employees, 10,000 customers and plays a key role in the nearly 7,300 communities of which it is part of, representatives said. Founded July 1, 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, Union Pacific today celebrates 150 years of building America. The railroad invested more than $31 billion in the last 10 years and plans a record $3.6 billion capital spend in 2012.
AWARD
Philip Davin, Linda Tileston and Pamela McWilliams, all of the financial services firm Edward Jones in Tyler, received the firm’s Client Service Excellence Award for being the No. 1 client service provider in their region and in the top 1 percent of client service providers in the country, the firm announced.
“We are honored to receive this award,” Davin said in a prepared statement. “The Client Service Excellence award is special because it is a direct reflection of the relationships we have with our clients.”
The team received the honor based on the results of a survey in which random clients were asked to rank the service they received from the teams of their local Edward Jones branch offices. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. The firm’s 12,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy. Edward Jones is based in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.edwardjones.com.
NEW VP
Christy Gibson joined Southside Bank in June as vice president and as a member of the Financial Reporting Team.
Mrs. Gibson is a graduate of The University of Texas at Tyler and is a certified public accountant. She is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and is member of the board and past-president of its East Texas Chapter. She also currently serves as chair of the Long Range Planning and Nominating Committee and the Publicity and Image Enhancement Committee.
Southside Bank also announced that Andrew Adams and Cindy Walker have been promoted.
Adams joined Southside Bank in 1999 and worked in many departments while attending college. He joined the Lending Department in 2008 and currently works at the South Broadway Avenue office as a commercial lender. He was promoted to vice president. He is a graduate of Robert E. Lee High School and UT Tyler.
Mrs. Walker joined Southside Bank in 2009 as an assistant vice president and was promoted to vice president and is a member of the Financial Reporting and Regulatory Team. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and is a CPA. She is an adjunct professor at Tyler Junior College and serves as bookkeeper for Centrepoint Ministries.
STATE BAR
Potter Minton shareholder, Doug McSwane, was appointed to the State Bar of Texas Committee on Administration of Rules of Evidence. McSwane will serve on the committee for three years. He and fellow members are charged with monitoring the Rules of Evidence and related statutes of Texas as well as revisions to the Rules of Evidence and related statutes of Texas.
APPOINTMENT
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler President, Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun, was named to the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) of the Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Calhoun, who has been president of UTHSCT since 2002, is one of 17 members of COGME, which was established by Congress in 1986 to evaluate the supply and distribution of physicians in the United States. His term expires March 31, 2016. He is a former chair of the executive committee of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. Calhoun also has served on the State Health Services Council and the Teaching Hospitals of Texas’ executive committee.
The center also announced that Dr. Anna Kurdowska was appointed director of research at UTHSCT, and Dr. Robert Tompkins was named program director of the Family Medicine Residency.
As director of research, Dr. Kurdowska will oversee the Biomedical Research Center, its 28 faculty and associated lab and clerical staff. She joined UTHSCT in 1991 and currently is a professor of biochemistry. She has a master’s in molecular biology and a doctorate in biochemistry from Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. Dr. Kurdowska has served on review panels for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health. She studies inflammation and lung disease. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
Tompkins will supervise the family medicine residency program, which began in 1985. The program gives new physicians the training and experience needed to treat people in all stages of life, from infancy to old age. He is an associate professor of medicine and has been an instructor in the Family Medicine Residency Program since 1997. Board certified in family medicine, Tompkins served his residency at UTHSCT and received his medical degree at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
MANAGER
Altra Federal Credit Union announced the promotion of Kenny Vent from business development officer to office manager of its Tyler location.
Vent, of Lindale, was hired in July 2010 as a financial services representative and quickly became one of the top producing representatives. His experience includes director of finance, insurance, marketing for Broadway Power Sports and sales experience with Peltier Motors and Pepsi. Vent is president of the Tyler Area Chapter of The Texas Credit Union League. He is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Lindale Fire Department. Vent attended Tyler Junior College.
Altra Federal Credit Union is a nationwide, full-service, cooperative financial institution with more than 70,000 members and $880 million in assets. It has 17 locations in nine states. Altra was founded in 1931 and is based in Onalaska, Wis. Visit www.altra.org.
EXPANDED SERVICES
KSA Engineers, Inc., an engineering, architecture and planning firm based in Longview, announced the addition of environmental planning to its expanding list of services. Environmental planning is designed to ensure its clients’ projects are completed in compliance with environmental regulations.
The new service will be provided under the direction of Molly Waller, who recently joined the KSA staff. She has worked as an environmental planner for more than 13 years, with more than 11 years of experience planning development and operation of commercial service and general aviation projects across the country. She is also experienced with site selection of a variety of project types, ranging from airports to pipelines and power plants. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and works remotely through KSA’s McKinney office. For more information, contact Ms. Waller at mwaller@ksaeng.com or 972-542-2995.
CONTEST
Hilton Garden Inn in Tyler invites residents to enter their second “Life’s Ultimate To-Do List” contest. According to the general manager of the hotel, at 220 E. Grande Blvd., seven out of 10 Americans have created some type of ultimate to-do list with travel and volunteering topping the list. Hilton Garden Inn, along with National Geographic Traveler, launched the contest on July 10 to encourage consumers to enter for an opportunity to make their bucket list dreams a reality.
The contest runs through Aug. 5 on the hotel’s Facebook page. To enter, consumers are asked to list their top item and why they should win the prize. The 10 best entries will be chosen as the grand prize winners and they can fulfill their to-do list item. Each winner will receive a three-day, two-night trip totaling up to $5,000 and will include roundtrip airfare for the winner and a guest to a destination of their choice near an eligible Hilton Garden Inn around the globe, spending money for the activity, a flip camera to document the adventure and a year-long subscription to National Geographic Traveler.
NEW PRODUCTS
Diamond Buck Camo announced that their products will be available at Klumb Lumber in Tyler.
Representatives said the company offers cutting edge building products, such as its ready-to-build sheets built in America. The products feature all weather camouflage, a unique material that is weather resistant, waterproof and virtually maintenance free. Diamond Buck Camo is a family run business that prides itself on its quality products, from its building materials to its handicapped accessible hunting blinds. It also uses building material that is mold and mildew resistant, wind and weather repellant, strong and durable, fade and tear resistant, protects from UV fading, is scent containing and sound dampening, according to a prepared statement. Diamond Buck Camo is based in Pinconning, Mich.
GRAND OPENING
Sharon Dorsey announced she will be holding a grand opening celebration Aug. 5 for Lily Pad Aquatics.
She is inviting local businesses, musicians, artists and gardens to set up tents and tables at no cost to take part in celebrating her 19th year in the water garden industry and the opening of Lily Pad Aquatics’ third location – its first in Tyler — at 5100 Texas Highway 31 West. The free event is scheduled to start at noon. She said artists will offer 20 percent off sales that day, along with face painting for a $2 donation giving to children’s organizations through Sharon Shrine and Tyler’s Masonic Association. She also plans to have a plant stand that will donate 75 percent of its proceeds, as well as a picnic that will lend 100 percent of its proceeds to the organizations. There will be door prizes and games for children and a signup sheet for a complimentary Water Garden Seminar on how to calculate and design a personalized backyard or patio aquatic garden. Ms. Dorsey creates personal water gardens, rain water harvesting and habitat creation. For more information, call 903-787-8031.
Willard is a car foreman in the mechanical department in Palestine and has been with Union Pacific for 33 years. Spokesman Raquel Espinoza said Willard was nominated to help ring the bell by his peers for his incredible work ethic and for his long time with the company.
Union Pacific has nearly 45,000 employees, 10,000 customers and plays a key role in the nearly 7,300 communities of which it is part of, representatives said. Founded July 1, 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, Union Pacific today celebrates 150 years of building America. The railroad invested more than $31 billion in the last 10 years and plans a record $3.6 billion capital spend in 2012.
AWARD
Philip Davin, Linda Tileston and Pamela McWilliams, all of the financial services firm Edward Jones in Tyler, received the firm’s Client Service Excellence Award for being the No. 1 client service provider in their region and in the top 1 percent of client service providers in the country, the firm announced.
“We are honored to receive this award,” Davin said in a prepared statement. “The Client Service Excellence award is special because it is a direct reflection of the relationships we have with our clients.”
The team received the honor based on the results of a survey in which random clients were asked to rank the service they received from the teams of their local Edward Jones branch offices. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. The firm’s 12,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy. Edward Jones is based in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.edwardjones.com.
NEW VP
Christy Gibson joined Southside Bank in June as vice president and as a member of the Financial Reporting Team.
Mrs. Gibson is a graduate of The University of Texas at Tyler and is a certified public accountant. She is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and is member of the board and past-president of its East Texas Chapter. She also currently serves as chair of the Long Range Planning and Nominating Committee and the Publicity and Image Enhancement Committee.
Southside Bank also announced that Andrew Adams and Cindy Walker have been promoted.
Adams joined Southside Bank in 1999 and worked in many departments while attending college. He joined the Lending Department in 2008 and currently works at the South Broadway Avenue office as a commercial lender. He was promoted to vice president. He is a graduate of Robert E. Lee High School and UT Tyler.
Mrs. Walker joined Southside Bank in 2009 as an assistant vice president and was promoted to vice president and is a member of the Financial Reporting and Regulatory Team. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and is a CPA. She is an adjunct professor at Tyler Junior College and serves as bookkeeper for Centrepoint Ministries.
STATE BAR
Potter Minton shareholder, Doug McSwane, was appointed to the State Bar of Texas Committee on Administration of Rules of Evidence. McSwane will serve on the committee for three years. He and fellow members are charged with monitoring the Rules of Evidence and related statutes of Texas as well as revisions to the Rules of Evidence and related statutes of Texas.
APPOINTMENT
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler President, Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun, was named to the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) of the Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Calhoun, who has been president of UTHSCT since 2002, is one of 17 members of COGME, which was established by Congress in 1986 to evaluate the supply and distribution of physicians in the United States. His term expires March 31, 2016. He is a former chair of the executive committee of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. Calhoun also has served on the State Health Services Council and the Teaching Hospitals of Texas’ executive committee.
The center also announced that Dr. Anna Kurdowska was appointed director of research at UTHSCT, and Dr. Robert Tompkins was named program director of the Family Medicine Residency.
As director of research, Dr. Kurdowska will oversee the Biomedical Research Center, its 28 faculty and associated lab and clerical staff. She joined UTHSCT in 1991 and currently is a professor of biochemistry. She has a master’s in molecular biology and a doctorate in biochemistry from Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. Dr. Kurdowska has served on review panels for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health. She studies inflammation and lung disease. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
Tompkins will supervise the family medicine residency program, which began in 1985. The program gives new physicians the training and experience needed to treat people in all stages of life, from infancy to old age. He is an associate professor of medicine and has been an instructor in the Family Medicine Residency Program since 1997. Board certified in family medicine, Tompkins served his residency at UTHSCT and received his medical degree at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
MANAGER
Altra Federal Credit Union announced the promotion of Kenny Vent from business development officer to office manager of its Tyler location.
Vent, of Lindale, was hired in July 2010 as a financial services representative and quickly became one of the top producing representatives. His experience includes director of finance, insurance, marketing for Broadway Power Sports and sales experience with Peltier Motors and Pepsi. Vent is president of the Tyler Area Chapter of The Texas Credit Union League. He is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Lindale Fire Department. Vent attended Tyler Junior College.
Altra Federal Credit Union is a nationwide, full-service, cooperative financial institution with more than 70,000 members and $880 million in assets. It has 17 locations in nine states. Altra was founded in 1931 and is based in Onalaska, Wis. Visit www.altra.org.
EXPANDED SERVICES
KSA Engineers, Inc., an engineering, architecture and planning firm based in Longview, announced the addition of environmental planning to its expanding list of services. Environmental planning is designed to ensure its clients’ projects are completed in compliance with environmental regulations.
The new service will be provided under the direction of Molly Waller, who recently joined the KSA staff. She has worked as an environmental planner for more than 13 years, with more than 11 years of experience planning development and operation of commercial service and general aviation projects across the country. She is also experienced with site selection of a variety of project types, ranging from airports to pipelines and power plants. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and works remotely through KSA’s McKinney office. For more information, contact Ms. Waller at mwaller@ksaeng.com or 972-542-2995.
CONTEST
Hilton Garden Inn in Tyler invites residents to enter their second “Life’s Ultimate To-Do List” contest. According to the general manager of the hotel, at 220 E. Grande Blvd., seven out of 10 Americans have created some type of ultimate to-do list with travel and volunteering topping the list. Hilton Garden Inn, along with National Geographic Traveler, launched the contest on July 10 to encourage consumers to enter for an opportunity to make their bucket list dreams a reality.
The contest runs through Aug. 5 on the hotel’s Facebook page. To enter, consumers are asked to list their top item and why they should win the prize. The 10 best entries will be chosen as the grand prize winners and they can fulfill their to-do list item. Each winner will receive a three-day, two-night trip totaling up to $5,000 and will include roundtrip airfare for the winner and a guest to a destination of their choice near an eligible Hilton Garden Inn around the globe, spending money for the activity, a flip camera to document the adventure and a year-long subscription to National Geographic Traveler.
NEW PRODUCTS
Diamond Buck Camo announced that their products will be available at Klumb Lumber in Tyler.
Representatives said the company offers cutting edge building products, such as its ready-to-build sheets built in America. The products feature all weather camouflage, a unique material that is weather resistant, waterproof and virtually maintenance free. Diamond Buck Camo is a family run business that prides itself on its quality products, from its building materials to its handicapped accessible hunting blinds. It also uses building material that is mold and mildew resistant, wind and weather repellant, strong and durable, fade and tear resistant, protects from UV fading, is scent containing and sound dampening, according to a prepared statement. Diamond Buck Camo is based in Pinconning, Mich.
GRAND OPENING
Sharon Dorsey announced she will be holding a grand opening celebration Aug. 5 for Lily Pad Aquatics.
She is inviting local businesses, musicians, artists and gardens to set up tents and tables at no cost to take part in celebrating her 19th year in the water garden industry and the opening of Lily Pad Aquatics’ third location – its first in Tyler — at 5100 Texas Highway 31 West. The free event is scheduled to start at noon. She said artists will offer 20 percent off sales that day, along with face painting for a $2 donation giving to children’s organizations through Sharon Shrine and Tyler’s Masonic Association. She also plans to have a plant stand that will donate 75 percent of its proceeds, as well as a picnic that will lend 100 percent of its proceeds to the organizations. There will be door prizes and games for children and a signup sheet for a complimentary Water Garden Seminar on how to calculate and design a personalized backyard or patio aquatic garden. Ms. Dorsey creates personal water gardens, rain water harvesting and habitat creation. For more information, call 903-787-8031.
