On state board
Two men from the greater Emporia community are members of the executive committee of the Kansas Electric Power Cooperative.
At the organization’s Nov. 20 meeting in Mayetta, members elected Robert Reece, manager of Flint Hills Electric Cooperative Association of Council Grove, and Scott Whittington, manager of Lyon-Coffey Electric Cooperative of Burlington to serve on the executive panel.
The statewide group also chose Kenneth Maginley of Wamego to continue for a fifth term as its president.
APAC-Kansas ranks high
APAC-Kansas has earned honors from its professional organization.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association named APAC-Kansas to receive its Diamond Achievement commendation for Excellence in Hot-Mix Asphalt Plant-Site Operations. The national organization developed the self-assessment program in 1999, to cover six facets of a hot-mix asphalt plant or site. The factors evaluated are appearance, operations, environmental practices, safety, permitting and regulatory compliance, and community relations.
In a news release, Mac Badgett, chairman of the national association, called the commendation “an honor in which a company and a community can take great pride.”
Badgett said, “It clearly demonstrates a corporate commitment to excellence with a community focus.”
Capitol Federal charity
Capitol Federal employees helped put food on Thanksgiving tables for 250 Kansas families in the communities where the bank has offices. Hy-Vee delicatessen employees prepared dinners that included potatoes and other vegetables, stuffing and dessert.
In Emporia, Capitol Federal partnered with the Salvation Army to provide dinners. Dinners were also distributed in Topeka, Lawrence, Manhattan, Salina, Wichita and the Greater Kansas City area, which includes Johnson County and Olathe.
After Hours set
Reservations are due by Tuesday for a Business After Hours event at Pool & Wright Chartered, Certified Public Accountants. The after-hours gathering is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Pool & Wright office, 505 Commercial St.
The event is sponsored by the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau. Reservations may be phoned to 342-1600 or made online at www.emporiakschamber.org. The cost is $5 for chamber members and their guests, $8 for non-members.
The Chamber and the Convention and Visitors Bureau sponsor the monthly gatherings, intended to help Chamber members net work by meeting each other and discussing their respective businesses, according to a Chamber news release.
Ribbon cuttings
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the old and the new are planned this month by the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and the convention and Visitors Bureau.
The first event will be for the recently moved Diamonds By Design store at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Beverages and other refreshments will be provided.
The store, owned by “Diamond Dan” Brenner, moved this year from Commercial Street to its new location at 802 W. Sixth Ave.
The second ribbon-cutting will welcome Journey’s Salon to Emporia’s business community.
The salon, owned by Brian and Frannie Walburn, is located inside Walburn’s Athletic Club, 1107 Commercial St., with entrance on the south side of the building.
Employees include stylists Brittany Partridge and Amy Delgado, who also is a nail technician. Frannie Walburn does makeup by Motives, according to a Chamber news release.
The salon will be open Mondays through Saturdays by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling 343-1348.
Seamless featured
ABC Seamless of Albert Lea, Minn., will supplied seamless steel siding, soffit and fascia for the DeVries family’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” that will be broadcast Sunday.
The company also volunteered around-the-clock beginning at 10 p.m. on a Friday night and ending at 1 a.m. Sunday to get the home completed.
The DeVries home smelled of mildew and had leaky ceilings, rotting wood siding and missing tiles, according to information from local ABC Seamless dealer Scott Strahm. The show hired contractors to demolish the house and build a new home for the family.
Dirk DeVries had lost his arm in a farm accident years earlier, and his wife, Susan, is recovering from a heart condition.
The project was completed by hundreds of volunteers about 10 hours ahead of schedule, accordikng to a news release.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has won two consecutive Emmy Awards for best noncompetitive reality program.