On the Street - February 1, 2013

--Craig Mische, an Alexandria realtor with Counselor Realty, was awarded the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation by the Council of Residential Specialists.

Realtors who receive CRS Designation have demonstrated professional expertise in the field of residential real estate and have completed advanced courses. Fewer than 3 percent of realtors worldwide have earned the credential.

Mische is a member of the Greater Alexandria Area Association of Realtors and the Nationall Association of Realtors.

--According to Nate Larson, Scott Larson and Kevin Klepper, financial advisors for Edward Jones in Alexandria, Edward Jones ranked number eight on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 2013 list in its 14th appearance on the list.

Edward Jones’ financial advisors work directly with clients to understand their personal goals, from college savings to retirement, and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy.

--Frederick Townsend, MD, FACP, of Sanford Health Broadway Clinic in Alexandria, was elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the nation’s society of internal medicine doctors.

Townsend recently celebrated his 35th year at Sanford Health Broadway Clinic. He is certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Minnesota Medical Association, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography.

Townsend is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield and earned a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. He then completed his residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester. He and his wife have four grown children and eight grandchildren.

--Melissa Dehne, CPA, recently joined Johnson and Larter, Ltd., a certified public accounting firm in Alexandria. Dehne will focus on individual and business taxation and work with CPAs Les Larter, Tracy Snyder, Kaley Birkholz, Brian Bruss and Garrett Henrich.

Dehne graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo with a degree in accounting and has been practicing in the Alexandria area for the past five years.

--Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union (MMFCU) branches accepted cash donations in October on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network. All proceeds directly benefit Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, an organization serving children with disabilities and chronic conditions, based in St. Paul with a clinic in Baxter.

MMFCU president and CEO, Chuck Albrecht, said $2,612 was raised by MMFCU members and staff. In addition, MMFCU made a donation match for a total contribution of $5,224. CO-OP Financial Services Miracle Match Program doubled MMFCU’s full donation, altogether raising $10,448 for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.

MMFCU is a member-owned financial cooperative serving central Minnesota, with a full-service office in Alexandria.

--Douglas Scientific, a provider of Array Tape for high throughput appliances in bioscience laboratories, announced the appointment of Abdellah Menikh to senior principal engineer.

Menikh is responsible for new engineering processes while leading new product development, innovation and intellectual property. Prior to joining Douglas Scientific, Menikh served as senior staff scientist/system engineer with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics and principal scientist and team leader with Panasonic.

Menikh received an electronic engineering degree from National Polytechnic Institute in Algiers, Algeria; a master’s in material science from the National Polytechnic Institute in Paris, France; and a Ph.D. in research from the Energy and Biomolecular Information University of Quebec, Canada.

--The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., which operates Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, Parisian and Younkers stores, announced its Community Days fundraising event. It will be held on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2.

Donors can purchase a savings booklet at bonton.com or communitydayevent.com. The booklets contain more than $400 in savings on in-store and online merchandise.

Groups may sign up at www.communitydayevent.com. Eligible Community Day organizations include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and schools. Nonprofit groups can sell savings booklets for a $5 donation to support their group. The organization keeps 100 percent of the $5 donations.

For more information, visit the investor relations section at investors.bonton.com, Facebook.com/bonton, Twitter @bonton.

--Carlos Creek Winery announced the promotion of Brett Murphy to the newly created position of assistant winemaker. Murphy, a native of Minneapolis, will apprentice under senior winemaker, Russ Funk, who has been with Carlos Creek since 1999.

Murphy previously served as a viticultural technician at Carlos Creek. He currently lives in Osakis and enjoys hunting, fishing, dog sledding and enjoying a glass of Marquette, his favorite Carlos Creek wine.

--Alex Carpet One Floor and Home in Alexandria is offering a new digital magazine, Beautiful Design. Made Simple. to provide its customers with design tips and trends before, during and after they purchase flooring.

The magazine will feature ideas, tips and advice to make creating a beautiful home a little easier. The magazine is free and can be downloaded from www.beautifuldesignmadesimple.com or the Apple App Store.

The premier issue of Beautiful Design. Made Simple. features color trends, tips on updating a room, advice from professionals, carpet care tips, flooring trends and home images.

Alex Carpet One Floor and Home is a locally owned flooring retailer serving the Alexandria area.

For more information, visit alexcarpetonealexandria.com.

--Fitch Ratings has affirmed Thrivent Financial for Lutherans AA (very strong) rating, the third-highest of Fitch’s 19 categories, and given the organization a stable outlook.

Fitch cited Thrivent’s strong capitalization, high quality investment portfolio, consistent profitability and favorable market position within the Lutheran market as part of the basis for the affirmation. These ratings reflect Thrivent’s overall financial strength and claims-paying ability but do not apply to the investment performance of investment products.

Tags: business