Springfield Business Journal_2019-07-29

Travis Beazley SVP/Managing Director of SBA Lending Travis leads Regent Bank’s SBA lending efforts in Springfield and also manages SBA lending in all Regent Bank markets. We can help facilitate your dealings with the SBA, simplify the application process, and streamline the approval process Give us a call at: (417) 886-1330 3271 E. Battlefield Rd. Suite 100 www.regent. bank Education project developing skills for our workforce! Call Rich or Lowell. OTC Continues to grow! Ozarks Technical Community College Republic Center 46 · SBJ.NET JULY 29-AUG. 4, 2019 NEWS BRIEFS Ex-mayor of Branson to run for state House by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Former Branson Mayor Karen Best on July 23 announced her bid for the Missouri House of Representatives. Best, who lost to Edd Akers in the city’s mayoral election ear- lier this year, is seeking the seat currently held by Jeffery Justus, R-Branson, ac- cording to a news release. First elected in 2012, Justus is scheduled to term out in 2020. “For more than a decade I’ve been working to promote business and indus- try in Taney County,” said Best, a self-de- scribed fiscal conservative, in the release. “As mayor, I always looked for ways we could provide better services for our citi- zens without raising taxes. “Finding waste and inefficiency in gov- ernment is something I have firsthand ex- perience in, and I look forward to using that experience when I get to Jefferson City.” Prior to her narrow defeat to Akers in April, Best had served as Branson’s mayor for four years. A real estate agent, she also runs the Best Team at Keller Williams.  As of press time, Missouri Ethics Commission records did not yet show a formal committee for Best’s state House plans. She’s scheduled to run in the Aug. 4, 2020, primary election and Nov. 3, 2020, general election. Karen Best is seeking the seat currently held by Rep. Jeffery Justus. Longtime Leggett & Platt exec to retire by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net A nearly 40-year executive at Leggett & Platt Inc. (NYSE: LEG) is planning to retire. Perry Davis, the man- ufacturer’s executive vice president and president of its residential and industrial products segments, is slated to exit the company early next year. The search process for his successor is scheduled to start immediately, accord- ing to a news release. “I would like to thank Perry for his tremendous con- tributions over nearly four decades of dedicated service to the company,” Leggett & Platt President and CEO Karl Glassman said in the release. “A recognized leader in the global bedding industry, Perry helped us navigate a very dynamic market in recent years.” Glassman credited Da- vis for leading the company’s $1.3 billion acquisition of Newnan, Georgia-based Elite Comfort Solutions Inc., which he said “brought Leggett capabilities necessary for continued long-term success in this market” at the time the deal closed in January. Davis last year earned total compensation of $3.04 mil- lion, a 57% increase from 2017, according to past Spring- field Business Journal reporting. His base salary, stock awards, incentive plan compensation and all other com- pensation were up compared with the prior year. In the first quarter, the company’s sales of residential products grew 34% and revenue for industrial products was up 10%, according to a separate news release. The Carthage-based manufacturer of engineered compo- nents and products for homes, offices and vehicles was scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings report on July 29. TransLand CEO joins Central Bank board by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net The Central Bank of the Ozarks Board of Directors elected TransLand Inc.’s CEO to join its ranks. Mark Walker was appointed to the board on June 20, ac- cording to a news release. “We are proud to have someone with Mark’s back- ground and experience on our board,” Central Bank President and CEO Russ Marquart said in the release. “Our customers, businesses and community as a whole will ultimately benefit from Mark’s service to the bank.” Walker in 2013 became chairman and CEO of Straf- ford-based trucking com- pany TransLand, and four years later was named Top Local Executive for Springfield Business Journal’s annual Dynamic Dozen Awards. At Central Bank, Walker joins board members Marquart, Michael Williamson, Mark Cook, Judi Samuel, John Twitty, Chris Nattinger, Tom Rankin and Mark McNay, according to the release. As of March 31, Central Bank of the Ozarks held $1.4 billion in assets and $1.2 billion in deposits, ac- cording to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data. Mark Walker is now on the nine-member bank board.