Business & professional briefs
New jobs
Two fill new roles at YMCA. Kim Webb has been hired as interim chief executive officer of the Champaign County YMCA.
She has 28 years of health, wellness, membership, organizational and promotional experience.
A native of Ridge Farm, she began her YMCA career in 1991 at the Mattoon Area Family YMCA and most recently served as executive director at the East Belleville Center branch of the YMCA of Southwest Illinois.
Audrey LeGrande has been hired as development coordinator for the Champaign County YMCA.
She has been a development professional and volunteer in Champaign-Urbana for several years. She was most recently director of development for Countryside School and has also served as branch director for the Arthritis Foundation.
Crisis Nursery hires Record. Stephanie Record has been named executive director of the Crisis Nursery, Urbana.
A certified school social worker, she has experience writing grants, managing programs and working with children and families.
Record previously worked as an attendance specialist/social worker for the Champaign school district's truancy program.
Before that, she worked 10 years at the Champaign-Ford Regional Office of Education, managing and coordinating both the truancy and homeless grant-fund programs.
Mast promoted to senior manager. Certified public accountant Ben MastClifton Gunderson has been promoted to senior manager at , Champaign.
Mast joined the firm in 2004 as a senior associate. He specializes in assurance and accounting services including audits, reviews, compilations and consulting services for manufacturing and construction clients, nonprofit organizations and local government agencies.
Human Kinetics hires Thomas. Jeffrey Thomas has joined Human Kinetics, Champaign, as higher education sales manager.
He will be responsible for generating direct sales of company textbooks and classroom resources in the university market.
In the past year, Thomas was a sales representative for Dell Computers and a regional director for the Southwest Division of Variable Back Resistance Inc. He has previous experience as a professional baseball player, physical education teacher and athletic director.
Thies wins two awards. Mark A. Thies recently won two awards from the Edward Jones financial services firm.
Thies, a financial adviser in Champaign, won the Century Award for outstanding performance during 2008. He also won the Jack Phelan Award.
Hertz Farm Management hires Wilkinson. Eric Wilkinson has joined the staff of Hertz Farm Management, Monticello.
He will primarily focus on farm management and real estate sales but will also work with real estate appraisals.
A native of Mazon, Wilkinson received a bachelor's degree in agricultural business from Iowa State University in May.
Freeland joins Alpha-Care. Rue Freeland has joined Alpha-Care Health Professionals in the newly created position of operations manager.
She will focus on improving daily operations to increase client and staff satisfaction and will develop a plan for upgrading the Alpha-Care Web site.
Freeland has worked more than 20 years in sales and marketing and has an extensive background in account management, scheduling and production management.
Alpha-Care, a regional home-care and relief-staffing company with offices in Champaign, Charleston and Danville, employs 250 aides and nurses.
Dees joins Mettler Center. Jonas Dees has been named Fit Force coordinator at the Mettler Center, Champaign.
He is responsible for scheduling and managing the Fit Force staff and developing the center's online presence as a Web developer.
Dees is certified in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator. He also holds a basic Web design and management certificate. He previously worked at the Wisconsin Athletic Club, Milwaukee.
Flight named audit manager. Ardith Flight has joined CHAN Healthcare Auditors as audit manager at Provena Health in Danville.
Achievements
Prof interviewed for 'History Detectives.' Eastern Illinois University Professor Ed Wehrle was recently interviewed in California for an episode of the PBS series "History Detectives."
The episode focuses on Navy Capt. John H. Kevers' connection to presidential retreat Camp David. Wehrle researched the history of Camp David for the National Park Service.
Schmidt qualifies for Million Dollar Round Table. Karen Schmidt of Champaign has qualified for membership in the Million Dollar Round Table.
Membership, which is available to life insurance and financial services professionals, is based on excellence in customer sales and service.
Schmidt is a sales professional with Prudential Insurance Co. of America's Greater Illinois Agency, Champaign.
Two in Danville win Beltone award. Bekki Kist and Jennifer Thompson of Danville have been named winners of Beltone Electronics' Midwest Region Excellence Award.
The two sisters are part of a third-generation family business and have been part of the Beltone network for 25 years and 18 years, respectively.
They have 13 service centers throughout the area, including full-time offices in Danville, Champaign, Rantoul and Watseka. Bekki Kist is president of the Illinois Hearing Society.
Kessel receives award. Mike Kessel of Champaign has received the A.F. McKenzie Achievement Award for outstanding sales and service as a financial adviser for Edward Jones. The award is named for the developer of the firm's training program.
Of 10,000 Edward Jones financial advisers, 1,516 received the award.
Shuff earns Cadillac from Mary Kay. Carol Shuff of Champaign and formerly of Shelbyville has earned the use of a pink Cadillac from Mary Kay Inc. It is the sixth Mary Kay career car she has won.
Shuff began as an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay in 1997 and became an independent sales director in 2001.
Recognition
Area organizations recently recognizing employees with monthly or quarterly honors include:
Danville Correctional Center, Danville: Jill Deck and Vanessa Shaw, office associates in the records office, Co-Employees of the Month for July.
Other business news
Birkey's acquires dealership in Annawan. Rantoul-based Birkey's Farm Store, a Case IH dealer, has agreed to acquire Hatzer & Nordstrom Equipment in the Henry County community of Annawan. The acquisition is expected to close Aug. 4, subject to manufacturer contract approvals.
Birkey's already serves the Illinois communities of Urbana, Hoopeston, Gibson City, Oakland, Galesburg, Macomb, Hudson, Polo and Prophetstown, as well as Williamsport, Ind.
"The Annawan location will be a great fit with our organization," Birkey's president and CEO, Ron Birkey, said. He said John Hatzer and Mike Nordstrom, who have been in business since 1979, will continue with the organization in key leadership roles.
Building trades raise $10,000 for United Way. The East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council recently gave the United Way of Champaign County $10,000 in proceeds from a charity golf outing held May 16 at the Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana.
Area Wide Reporting adds to services. Area Wide Reporting Service, Champaign, has added public video conferencing to the services it provides.
The reporting service is a member of the Remote Counsel Network, which makes it easier and more economical for clients to access public video conferencing sites worldwide.
Developmental Services Center receives grant. The Developmental Services Center, Champaign, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. That organization made grants or donations to 185 organizations this year, primarily for education, human services and health services for the uninsured and underserved.
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Also on this date
- Feeling the pinch: Getting by an even greater challenge for poor
- Man sought in shooting death of 23-year-old in Danville
- Champaign officer a friendly face in improving Garden Hills
- Death of person in custody under investigation
- Officials confident -- but cautious -- about Lincoln Hall renovation
- Emerald ash borer making its way south
- A peach of a cobbler: Champaign woman's 50 years in shoe business
- Firefighters' streak snuffed out in fundraiser for Crisis Nursery
- Obituaries