It’s Your Business, Oct. 14, 2017

Promotions

& Hirings

Navy Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Timothy Drexler, Topeka, was recently promoted to chief petty officer, an accomplishment that only one in five eligible sailors achieve each year.

Chief Drexler, a 2000 Washburn Rural High School graduate, is currently serving with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 46.

Achieving the title of Navy chief is a major honor and milestone. According to Navy Personnel Command, there are only 8.5 percent of sailors currently serving at the chief petty officer rank.

To be selected for this promotion, sailors must be a petty officer 1st class and successfully navigate through two qualifying factors: a job-based exam and a selection review board. A sailor's record can only proceed to the review board after they score high enough on the exam. Once the exam is passed, their records are reviewed by a panel of senior Navy leaders who meet for six weeks to determine if the individuals meet the standards for selection as a chief petty officer. A sailor's performance is evaluated for at least five years and each sailor attributes different experiences for their selection.

Names

Hy-Vee honored five Topeka employees in October for their years of service milestones. The following employees were honored at an eight-state gathering where they received gifts and personal congratulations from company executives:

Mary Howell, 15 years

Mary Prager, 10 years

Trevor Bailey, 5 years

Darrell Jolley, 5 years

Steve Norgaard-Pedersen, 5 years

Topekan Jim Fox was recently honored at the State Capitol Building for 40 years of service with the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

Fox currently works in DCF's East Region, in the Topeka office. He began his career with the state, serving with Disability Determination Services, as a disability examiner when the agency was known as Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS).

"When I started working as a programmer for DCF, we wrote computer programs on paper," Fox said. "During my career, computer technology has progressed quickly, and I have enjoyed learning new technology and seeing how these advances allow DCF workers to better serve Kansans. It's been very rewarding."

Recently, Fox has been instrumental in developing and implementing an interactive database called the Kansas Eligibility and Enforcement System (KEES).

Topekan Reynaldo Correa-Garcia of Black Gold Inc. will compete this month in the 15^th annual America's Best Installer competition at the EXDO Event Center in Denver. From Oct. 12-14, he will challenge 35 insulation installers from across the country in a skill-based competition for the $10,000 grand prize.

The three-day competition requires competitors to install JM formaldehyde-free insulation batts into a mock home structure. Expert judges evaluate each competitor's performance based on real job site criteria, including workmanship and install quality, speed, material use, and reaction to different obstacles, such as pipes, vaulted ceilings and electrical outlets.

The Kansas Hospital Association Leadership Institute graduated its sixteenth class of 32 students on Sept. 7 at the KHA Annual Convention and Trade Show in Wichita. Students were nominated by their hospital's CEO.

The KHA Leadership Institute was established to help hospitals provide professional development opportunities that accentuate the personal skills and abilities needed to facilitate positive change and innovation in Kansas hospitals.

The 2017 Leadership Institute class was diverse. They represented a wide geographic distribution of hospitals from Norton to Leavenworth and Parsons to Liberal. Students had been working in health care for as little as one year to more than 20 years. Several students have been in management positions for more than 10 years while others were brand new to management positions. Some students also are supervisors, supervising a range of employees, from a few to more than 50 employees.

Students from the Topeka area are:

Ryan Jackson, RN, BSN, ADN, MHL, Wamego Health Center, Wamego

Jennifer Ploeger, Hiawatha Community Hospital, Hiawatha

Michael C. Stallbaumer, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca

Elizabeth Yunghans, RN, Via Christi Hospital, Manhattan

Brooke Fischer, MSM, operator at Prairie Wind Senior Living, Berryton, received the Assisted Living Operator of the Year from Kansas Health Care Association & Kansas Center for Assisted Living.

Fischer has worked in long-term care for more than 20 years. She has been operator at Prairie Wind since it opened in 2014. She is very active in the day-to-day operations at PWSL, delivering personal care to the elders, along with her duties as operator.

Training

Mize Houser & Company P.A. will hold its 2017 Employment Practices Summit, featuring area human resources, legal and accounting experts speaking on HR, payroll and compliance topics for area employers. Registration is at https://www.mizehouser.com/eps/.

Formerly known as the Employer Compliance Workshop, the 2017 event will feature speakers addressing current developments in payroll, employment law, preparing for year-end tax and business challenges, and the latest on employer immigration compliance issues including I-9, anti-discrimination rules and an update on pending immigration law changes under the Trump administration.

Two sessions of the workshop will be held in separate locations for the convenience of attendees:

November 28 -- Johnson County Community College, Overland Park

November 29 -- Capitol Plaza Hotel, Topeka

This year's event will also include roundtable discussions, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss hot topics with their peers and Mize Houser professionals.

Miscellaneous

Bryan University, 1527 S.W. Fairlawn Road, will host a job fair from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. Oct. 24. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Angela Tyroler at (785) 272-0889.

Washburn University's Theta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, an international music fraternity, earned the 2016-2017 Katherine Becker National Collegiate Chapter Achievement Award. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world," Sigma Alpha Iota provides musical and educational resources to its members and the general public.

In order to win this national award, a chapter's officers and members must achieve distinction in fulfilling national objectives, and completing local and national obligations. Washburn's chapter was selected out of 227 chapters across the country to receive this award. It's the first time in the Washburn University chapter's history.

In the 2016-2017 school year, Washburn's chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota presented an instrument petting zoo and a Girl Scout music workshop in the community.

They host an annual middle school solo and ensemble festival in March. As part of their philanthropy, Sigma Alpha Iota presented performer Judy Coder and spotlighted American women composers, with proceeds to promote the creation and performance of music.

Credit: By Morgan Chilson morgan.chilson@cjonline.com