WDT Foundation elects officers

The Western Dakota Tech Foundation elected new officers during its annual meeting: Elected were chairman, Jeff Partridge, president, Partridge Financial; vice chair, John Carlson, president/chief executive officer, Highmark Federal Credit Union; secretary, Robin Miller, forms analyst/designer, Rapid City Regional Hospital; treasurer, Scott Schaible, fixed operations manager, Eddie's Truck Sales.

"Again, the WDT Foundation has a board of qualified, experienced professionals who will help us meet our goal of changing lives and building futures," foundation Director Mary Williams said. "WDT looks forward to working with the board to allow WDT to help students create better lives for themselves and their families."

Pervious concrete project recognized

The Portland Cement Association honored South Dakota Department of Military and Veterans Affairs engineering supervisor Dale L. Ludens with a Sustainable Leadership Award in the category of leadership in sustainability policy. Ludens spearheaded the first full-scale pervious concrete pavement project in South Dakota at Camp Rapid.

Pervious concrete was used to construct the 5,000-square-foot parking lot and driveway at the Distinguished Visitors Headquarters by a team of architects, engineers, ready mixed concrete suppliers, contractors, users and researchers from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Pervious concrete allows water to pass through, recharging groundwater supplies and reducing stormwater runoff.

"Camp Rapid's close proximity to Rapid Creek and other natural landmarks became a large factor when we were planning this project," Ludens said. "By constructing the lot and driveway with pervious concrete, balance was maintained and there was less disruption to the delicate surrounding environment."

Tattoo artist honored at show

James Ann Barlean, Rapid City tattoo artist and owner of Gypsy Rose Studio, received a "best tattoo of the day" award at the Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth tattoo industry convention in Las Vegas.

More than 700 tattoo artists and more than 50,000 people attended the show. Barlean won for a black and gray goddess mask she created as a forearm piece for a woman.

"I was so honored to win, especially considering the talent at the convention," she said.

Financial consultant attends conference

Kurt Whitesell of Whitesell Financial Group attended an educational conference for independent financial consultants. More than 1,000 attended the event, held in Orlando in October, and hosted by Commonwealth Financial Network, the nation's second-largest privately held independent broker/dealer.

The conference explored "Timeless Wisdom/Fresh Perspectives," focusing on how the teachings of age-old philosophy can be applied in today's economic environment.

Travel agent takes honors

Clare Seyer was named one of the top 129 travel agents in the industry for the eighth consecutive year in the October issue of Travel + Leisure. Seyer focuses on Western Europe and she recently co-hosted a small group to France, where they attended a party with one of the country's past presidents. She will be co-hosting a small group to Italy this spring.

Staff honors

Jamie Pokorney, registered nurse, was the employee of the month for October at Regional Medical Clinic-Aspen Centre. ... Pharmacy secretary Carol Tobin was employee of the month for November at Rapid City Regional Hospital. ... Mark Miller was top sales producer for Exit Realty the Benchmark Co. for October. ... At Credit Collections Bureau, Missy Lynn and Miley Green were promoted to collection representative, Phylis May was promoted to collection coordinator, Linda Lee was promoted to collection director, Pam Kay, Russ Parker and Kathy Mitchell were promoted to the quarter-million dollar club, Troy Michael was collector of the month for October, and Jared Olson and Kristie Bauer were client service representatives of the month for October.

New hires

Attorney David Barari has joined Goodsell Quinn law firm with a focus on personal injury and business and commercial litigation cases. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of South Dakota. ... Krysia Spader joined the account management team at Robert Sharp & Associates as project manager.