Newsmakers: July 15, 2008

Special to the Tribune-Star

July 14, 2008 04:26 pm

— • Landen Crews of Marshall, Ill., and Jacob Richardson of Kansas, Ill., represented EnerStar Electric Cooperative in Washington, D.C., during the annual “Youth to Washington” Tour, June 13-20. This event, sponsored by the electric and telephone cooperatives of Illinois, began in the late 1950s to introduce rural youths to our democratic form of government and cooperatives.
The students met with Congressman Tim Johnson and legislative aide Bobby Frederick and were among 66 rural Illinois youth leaders selected for the trip. In addition to the Capitol, they also visited the White House, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Cathedral, the Smithsonian Museums, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the World War II Memorial, the new Newseum and a number of other historical sites.
EnerStar Electric Cooperative is a member of Touchstone Energy — an alliance of more than 660 local, consumer-owned electric utilities around the country. EnerStar Power is committed to providing superior service based on four core principles: integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. The co-op serves more than 5,331 members over 1,520 miles of line in parts of Clark, Coles, Douglas, Edgar and Vermilion counties. For more information, visit www.enerstar.com.

• Edward Jones financial adviser David J. Dittmann of Terre Haute recently received the Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award for his outstanding sales and service efforts over the past year. The award is named for Al McKenzie, who developed the firm’s training program during his nearly 60 years of service with Edward Jones.
James D. Weddle, Edward Jones’ managing partner, added, “David is an outstanding member of the Edward Jones team who personifies the ideal financial adviser, someone who is 100 percent dedicated to serving the financial needs of his clients. I am very pleased to present this well-deserved award.”
Only 375 of the firm’s more than 10,000 financial advisers have received the Phelan award.
Edward Jones’ headquarters is in St. Louis. Visit www.edwardjones.com. Its recruiting Web site is careers.edwardjones.com.

• Laurie Loveall of Mace Lincoln Mercury was recently one of only 740 Ford employees nationwide to receive Ford Motor Co.’s highest award for customer service.
As part of this award, Loveall was invited to a three-day celebration at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. At this “World of Ford Leadership Summit,” employees were awarded with a host of VIP activities including a private live concert by Toby Keith.
“We have thousands of exceptional dealership employees across the country who make exceeding customer expectations their number one priority every day and our new employee recognition program is a sign of our appreciation for their great efforts,” said Randy Ortiz, general manager, Ford and Lincoln Mercury sales.
“As a Mace Lincoln Mercury employee, it’s my job to deliver quality services and performance that match the level of quality Ford builds into the vehicles,” says Loveall. “To be awarded in front of my colleagues, family and Ford Motor Company management was a tremendous honor, and I’m proud I can represent a company who truly values the hard work each of us performs at our dealerships.”
Employees were chosen for the award based on yearly performance metrics.

• Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman has announced more than $13 million in Rental Housing Tax Credit allocations.
The credits include $800,000 for Parke Place Apartments.