On the Street

• Andrea Nelson, athletic trainer and clinical services director with Heartland Orthopedic Specialists, presented an abstract titled “Office Efficiencies as Measured by Full Time Employee Equivalent is unaffected by EMR” at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Additional authors are Dr. Jeff Brand and Mike Doyle. Also at the conference was a scientific poster titled “Financial Impact of EMR on a Single Specialty Orthopedic Group.”

The academy’s annual meeting was held in San Diego, California, and provided education and practice management courses. Members of the Heartland Orthopedic Specialists team who were in attendance at the meeting included Brand, Dr. Dennis Weigel, Dr. Thomas Dudley and Nelson.

• Steve Mulder has joined Aagard Group, LLC as vice president of operations.

The Aagard Group, LLC designs, engineers and manufactures automated packaging machinery in Alexandria. Its work force of creative, highly skilled and experienced employees establishes a workplace that allows them to bring imaginative, intuitive and efficient machinery of the highest quality to the community. Aagard designs meet and adapt to evolving equipment requirements.

Aagard is redefining the standard in case packers, cartoners, sleevers, retort loading/unloading, combination equipment, knock down, wrap around, trays and shelf-ready retail.

• Bill Iverson, board member of Prairie Pine Mutual Insurance Company in Alexandria, was the recipient of a prestigious Volunteer of the Year award at the 116th annual convention of the Minnesota Association of Farm Mutual Insurance Companies.

Iverson received this award in appreciation of his commitment and service to the Minnesota Association of Farm Mutual Insurance Companies. The state association’s annual convention was attended by 473 people, representing 83 member and associate member companies.

• Dr. Dean Anderson, “Dean the Dentist,” has been named a 2011 Preferred Provider by Invisalign, the teeth straightening system that uses removable aligners that move teeth in precise increments according to the doctor's personalized treatment plan.

Anderson, a general dentist in Alexandria, has been providing patients with traditional braces for 25 years, and has done smile enhancing, confidence building teeth-straightening with Invisalign for his and others' patients for nine years. To learn more about this and other dental questions, you may visit the website, www.DeanTheDentist.com or call (320) 762-2122.

• The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) has certified Alexandria attorney Tom Jacobson as a Labor and Employment Law Specialist. The certified specialist designation is earned by leading attorneys who have completed a rigorous approval process, including an examination in the specialty area, peer review and documented experience. Certified attorneys have demonstrated superior knowledge, skill and integrity in their specific field and can use the designation of specialist in their credentials.

This certification program is administered by the MSBA and has been approved by the State Board of Legal Certification. The MSBA has been accredited as an independent professional organization for certifying attorneys as Criminal Law Specialists, Real Property Law Specialists, Civil Trial Law Specialists and Labor and Employment Law Specialists. This achievement has been earned by fewer than 3 percent of all licensed Minnesota attorneys.

Jacobson is currently the only MSBA Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist with an office in West Central Minnesota.

• Owen Miller, an agent with New York Life Insurance Company for 48 years, has again been recognized for membership in the 2011 Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the premier association of financial professionals. Miller is a life member with 33 years of membership in the MDRT. Members share ideas to improve sales and management technique consisting of ethical standards for the benefit of clients in a professional and trustworthy manner.

• The Minnesota Professional Photographer Association (MNPPA), in conjunction with the Northern Light Professional Photographers Association, recently hosted a three-state regional convention and print competition at Breezy Point. Lisa Hurlen of Alexandria entered the photograph titled “Orange Umbrella” and it was awarded one MNPPA state credit and a print ribbon.

Lisa Hurlen Photography specializes in seniors, weddings, engagements, children and family photography.

• Jaci Stepan has been named a personal banking officer at State Bank and Trust. Stepan assists customers with account opening, consumer lending and customer service at the bank’s location at 1001 Broadway in Alexandria.

Stepan is a native of Cannon Falls, and graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business. She has spent eight years in banking and joined State Bank and Trust in 2008, most recently serving as a customer service representative.

Stepan lives in Brandon with her husband, Jon, and twin daughters.

State Bank & Trust is the largest locally owned, independent bank in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, with assets totaling more than $2 billion. The company has 14 full-service bank locations in Alexandria, Audubon, Detroit Lakes, Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls and Moorhead, Minnesota; and in Fargo, West Fargo and Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Tags: on the street, business