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West Plains, Mo. - The Board of Directors, for Community First Banking Company, has announced that after 25 years, Newt Brill has retired as an active Board Director and been named Director Emeritus. Brill began his service as a Bank Director in 1966 with First National Bank. In the summer of 1997, he and several other influential business people saw the need for a locally owned community bank that cared about their employees, customers, and communities. He was instrumental in the organization of Community First. His leadership and guidance have been invaluable to the board and the bank. Traci Wiley has joined the board as a Full Director. Wiley has served as an Advisory Director since 2020. She is the owner of Wiley Insurance Agency LLC and is a lifelong resident of West Plains. Wiley has served the insurance needs of the community and all of Missouri and Arkansas for over 29 years. Besides currently serving as a Community First Bank Director, she was appointed in 2019, by Governor Parsons to the Missouri Fire Education and Advisory Commission, which oversees and provides training to all fire departments across the state. She also serves in the SCOCOG/SCOCIC- well water loan board, and The West Plains Lions Club, past president and current member, The Amelia Network Advisory board for promoting women in business in our local area, and she sits on several Advisory panels for the Insurance Industry. Wiley has also served 2- 3 year terms on the Richards School board, and community coalitions/advisory panel for WPHS, all while being an passionate advocate for quality education in our area and was a previous West Plains Community Foundation /Board member and Treasurer- which fundraised and provided local grants for non for profit entities. Traci has been married to Todd Wiley, owner of Wiley Fence for 30 years. They have two grown children, John and Jayden, and daughter in law Abbigail. They love to vacation together and spend time at Norfork Lake. Chrys Fisher and Erik Montgomery have joined the board as Advisory Directors. Chrys Fisher was born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas, and spent most of his adult life in rural Missouri. He attended Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri and later graduated from Vermont Law School with a dual degree JD/MSL magna cum laude. He was licensed to practice law in Missouri in 1995. Since 1997, Fisher has tried many cases before both judge and jury in south central Missouri. He has argued numerous appeals before the Southern District Court of Appeals and the Missouri Supreme Court. He contributes his time on a pro bono basis to several local organizations seeking to make a positive difference in the greater Ozarks area. Fisher is married to his wife Heather and they have two sons - Owen (19) a pre law major attending Elon University in North Carolina, and George (16) a sophomore at West Plains High School. Erik Montgomery is a native of and business leader in Willow Springs with a history of service to the local community. He attended Missouri State University in West Plains and then Springfield, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship in 2000. Montgomery is president of Fuel Marketing Corporation and vice president of Coastal Energy and FMC Transport Inc. As part of the family business, Montgomery recently launched commercial developments including Bear Crossing Shopping Center and Bear Crossing Truck Wash & Tire Center. He is a former member of the Missouri State University-West Plains development board, along with Willow Springs Rotary Club. He is a past board member and current member of the Willow Springs Chamber of Commerce; he is vice chair for the City of Willow Springs Tax Increment Finance Commission. Current service efforts also include service on the State of Missouri's Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Committee, along with the CTE Oversight Committee in Willow Springs. This local committee is a partnership between the Willow Springs Community Foundation, the Willow Springs R-IV School District, and the City of Willow Springs, designed to bring vocational opportunities to the community. Montgomery, his wife, and two daughters make their home on the family farm outside Willow Springs. When he isn't at work, he enjoys spending time outside working around the house and farm. He also collects classic cars and baseball memorabilia. attends Pomona Christian Church with his family, and works consistently with many local charities in the area.
West Plains, MO. - The West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) and Ozarks Small Business Incubator (OzSBI) have partnered to bring quarterly art displays to the incubator. Local artist Karen Pitts' works will be featured inside OzSBI's first floor April 1 through the end of June 2022. Visitors may view the display at the incubator during OzSBI's business hours, anytime between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. "Karen's ability to use the principles of design to create vibrant abstract paintings will assure the viewer of an exciting experience," WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale said. "Though her works are abstractions they create a visual emotion that any art lover will appreciate." Pitts was born and raised in Oklahoma City. At a very young age, she knew she wanted to teach art. She attended Southwest Oklahoma Junior College, working towards an art degree. She, along with her family, moved to Willow Springs in 1989. Pitts returned to college to complete her schooling to teach in 2001 after raising her three girls. She graduated with a B.S. degree in History from Drury University in 2006. Karen started teaching art in 2007 for the Willow Springs School District and taught middle school art for thirteen years. Karen moved to West Plains in 2019 and is currently working at the West Plains High School teaching Studio One Art. Pitts is the founder, owner, and operator of "Treat Your Palette" a business that opened in 2014, hosting painting parties in southern Missouri and Edmond, Oklahoma. "I love teaching, especially painting and painting techniques to adults and kids," Pitts explained. "I love it that someone that had attended a painting party was able to go home and use those techniques to create their own painting... it is so rewarding." Pitts enjoys working with different art media: pencil, chalk pastels, charcoal, oil paint, oil and cold wax, and clay, but her favorite is using acrylics in the abstract style. "Abstracts for me is a way to express my mood onto canvas. Sometimes, I'll have an image in my head and I can't sleep until I put that image onto the canvas. I also love applying texture to my paintings, using hand-printed paper, model paste, and applying the paint heavy onto the canvas," she explained. Today, you can find Karen in her home studio creating. A Meet-the-Artist event will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2-4 p.m. in OzSBI's lobby at 408 Washington Ave. in West Plains. The public is invited to attend, meet Pitts, view, and discuss the pieces on display. For more information about the exhibit, contact Madison Hizer madisonhizer@ozsbi.com at OzSBI or WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale at jhale2129@gmail.com.
West Plains, MO. - To help raise awareness of suicide prevention and destigmatize mental health, the Ozarks Healthcare Behavioral Health Center (BHC) is bringing award-winning mental health and suicide prevention activist and speaker Kevin Hines to the West Plains Civic Center on Tuesday, March 22. The Noon Rotary Club in West Plains donated $500 to help cover operation expenses of the upcoming event that will offer free admission. Mental Health Therapist Tianna Niesen spoke about the event: In 2000, 19-year-old Hines attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Many factors contributed to his incredibly survival and story of hope, including a sea lion which kept him afloat until help arrived. Now a best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker, Hines travels the world sharing his story with people of all ages, along with the art of wellness and the ability to survive pain with true resilience. The Ozarks Healthcare BHC will provide two opportunities for its community to hear Hines speak on March 22 for free. The first session will be held in the morning and is reserved for area schools and college students. The second session is free and open to the public to attend at 6 p.m. in the theatre room of the West Plains Civic Center located at 110 Saint Louis St. in West Plains. Spacing is limited due to COVID-19. Preregistration is strongly encouraged to guarantee your seat. Register in advance online at https://ozarks-healthcare-bhc-beheretomorrow.eventbrite.com. Event sponsors are the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation, West Plains R-7 School District, Willow Springs School District, Missouri State University – West Plains, Air Evac Lifeteam, Crossway Fellowship Church, Pomona Christian Church, local State Farm agent, Ramona Heiney, and West Plains Councilwoman Jessica Nease and Dr. Jesse Rhoads. South Howell County Ambulance District and Air Evac Lifeteam are also generously providing onsite medical services as needed. Local health experts from Ozarks Healthcare's BHC will be present at the event. Ozarks Healthcare has been and will continue to closely monitor the on-going COVID-19 situation and follow the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), medical staff, and other community partners. If you are showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay home. Masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged. For more information, call 417-257-6762. For mental health issues, community members are always encouraged to call a 24-hour hotline that is available at 1-800-356-5395 in Missouri and 1-888-274-7472 in Arkansas.
WEST PLAINS, MO – To help raise awareness of suicide prevention and destigmatize mental health, the Ozarks Healthcare Behavioral Health Center (BHC) is bringing award-winning mental health and suicide prevention activist and speaker Kevin Hines to the West Plains Civic Center on Tuesday, March 22. In 2000, 19-year-old Hines attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Many factors contributed to his incredibly survival and story of hope, including a sea lion which kept him afloat until help arrived. Now a best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker, Hines travels the world sharing his story with people of all ages, along with the art of wellness and the ability to survive pain with true resilience. "Mental health is a topic that is always important, and we are excited for Kevin to share his message of hope, healing, and recovery with our community and local students," Tianna Niesen, mental health therapist at Ozarks Healthcare's BHC, said. "We hope that Kevin's message will inspire us all to be more mindful of our mental health, and as Kevin says, recognize that 'it's okay not to be okay, but it's not okay not to ask for help.'" The Ozarks Healthcare BHC will provide two opportunities for its community to hear Hines speak on March 22 for free. The first session will be held in the morning and is reserved for area schools and college students. The second session is free and open to the public to attend at 6 p.m. in the theatre room of the West Plains Civic Center located at 110 Saint Louis St. in West Plains. Spacing is limited due to COVID-19. Preregistration is strongly encouraged to guarantee your seat. Register in advance online at https://ozarks-healthcare-bhc-beheretomorrow.eventbrite.com. Event sponsors are the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation, West Plains R-7 School District, Willow Springs School District, Missouri State University – West Plains, Air Evac Lifeteam, Crossway Fellowship Church, Pomona Christian Church, local State Farm agent, Ramona Heiney, and West Plains Councilwoman Jessica Nease and Dr. Jesse Rhoads. South Howell County Ambulance District and Air Evac Lifeteam are also generously providing onsite medical services as needed. Local health experts from Ozarks Healthcare's BHC will be present at the event. Ozarks Healthcare has been and will continue to closely monitor the on-going COVID-19 situation and follow the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), medical staff, and other community partners. If you are showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay home. Masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged. For more information, call 417-257-6762. For mental health issues, community members are always encouraged to call a 24-hour hotline that is available at 1-800-356-5395 in Missouri and 1-888-274-7472 in Arkansas.
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