Business briefcase
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 01:15 p.m., February 15, 2008
Updated 01:15 p.m., February 15, 2008
Retires from
Navy service
Mark Alan Chambers, son of Lowell and Wanda Chambers and the late Lela Chambers, is at home in Evans, Ga., after retiring from the U.S. Navy on Jan. 31 with 28 years’ service.
The retirement ceremony took place at Fort Gordon, Ga., where Chambers is stationed.
Chambers, who retired at the rank of master chief, graduated from Emporia High School in May 1979 and joined the Navy that August. He earned many decorations during his military career, including four Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, two Meritorious Unit Commendations, seven Good Conduct Medals and two Southeast Asia Service Medals.
Brings past to present
Steve Brosemer of Emporia showed up in the person of John Calhoun for the Kansas State Historical Society’s 12th annual “Bleeding Kansas” series.
The approximately 100 history buffs attending the gathering, held Feb. 3 at Lecompton Constitutional Hall, heard Calhoun, speaking in Brosemer’s voice, represent the first surveyor general of Kansas and the president of the controversial Lecompton Constitutional Convention of 1857. Calhoun, who became known as the “Villain of Kansas,” hailed from Springfield, Ill., where he hired and trained Abraham Lincoln as a surveyor in 1834.
Brosemer, of GeoTech, 1512 W. Sixth Ave., portrayed Calhoun in the opening speech of the convention and then continued the re-enactment for an hourlong question-and-answer session about Calhoun’s life and times.
What happens in Vegas …
Everyone’s familiar with the Las Vegas advertising slogan, but the Emporians who will represent Guion’s Furniture Showcase at the World Furniture Market are promising that what they learn in Las Vegas will be shared with their customers in Kansas.
John and Jane Guion, Mike Guion and the Guion’s staff say that they will be eager to bring home the latest styles and colors in contemporary home décor when they attend the market in March.
Joins KU Public Safety
John Marmon, who retired in December from the Kansas Highway Patrol, is now working to help keep the University of Kansas prepared for disaster, natural or manmade. Marmon is the university’s new emergency management coordinator.
In his new post with the KU Public Safety Office, Marmon will help the university meet National Incident Management System standards, a uniform set of procedures for emergency responders at all levels to meet in conducting response operations. Marmon led classes about the standards during his time with the patrol.
Marmon, who spent time stationed in Emporia, was known as the human companion of trained canine officer Murphy Brown.
Online training
February brings a new benefit to small-business owners who are members of Emporia Main Street: an online training library that can help them increase their sales, profits and customer traffic.
The online trainings, known as a “Destination University,” consist of eight one-hour workshops over eight months, on topics including “Creating an Annual Marketing Plan” and “Building Word-of-Mouth Marketing.”
The sessions are online at www.DestinationUniversity.com, and are available to Emporia Main Street businesses at any hour of the day or night.
Information is available from Jeanne Stinson at (785) 206-3485 or jstinson@kansascommerce.com.
Anniversary brings growth
At-Home Health Care of Emporia is marking its first anniversary with the announcement that another registered nurse is joining the staff.
Teresa Hurlocker, registered nurse, says that the new arrival, Sheryl Blome, has 14 years’ experience, including five years of case management in home health and seven years emergency-room experience. Blome is also a paramedic who has worked for EMS for 15 years.
“We are pleased,” Hurlocker said in a news release, “to add such a qualified and dedicated health professional to our team of caregivers.”
Teachers go to class
The Emporia school district was among 15 Kansas districts represented at a workshop designed to show educators how to integrate discipline strategies while meeting learning objectives.
Larry Dixon presented the “Logical Approach to Developing Discipline Strategies” workshop on Feb. 5 at Emporia State University’s Jones Institute for Educational Excellence. The workshop focused on helping teachers handle student behaviors consistently, working with disruptive students without taking away from teaching and learning, and avoiding seeing small conflicts grow into big problems.
Nancy Meinholdt of Emporia was on hand for the workshop. Those attending also included Amanda Newman of Americus and Stacy Haney of Hamilton.
ESB Financial rates high
For the 63rd consecutive quarter, ESB Financial has achieved a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial of Coral Gables, Fla. The independent bank-rating and research firm has named ESB Financial an Exceptional Performance Bank.
This status is conferred on banks that achieve the rating for 10 years or longer; the firm says that fewer than 16 percent of banks in the United States are so rated.
Established in 1901, ESB operates through four offices in Emporia and Manhattan and on the Internet at www.esbfinancial.com.