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• Jewett Benson of Alexandria will chair the Garden’s Sculpture Review Committee for the garden’s project at the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum.

Benson, a retired District 206 arts instructor, sees the gardens as an asset to the community and a perfect place to display a variety of sculptural pieces.

Under Benson’s direction, the committee will solicit and review sculptures that will be placed in the gardens either permanently or on temporary loan.

The goal of this new committee is to add tasteful points of interest to the garden’s tranquil setting.

• Becky Wilken Nelson, independent sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, recently returned from Dallas, Texas, where she was honored on stage and received a diamond ring for being on the National Queens Court of personal sales.

• Brian Hinton, PE, has earned his professional engineering license in the state of North Dakota. Also a registered professional engineer in Minnesota, Hinton joined Widseth Smith Nolting earlier this year as director of electrical engineering. He is responsible for the design of various building projects in the industrial, educational, medical, and commercial markets, as well as the public sector, including all facets of electrical engineering. Hinton’s responsibilities also include scheduling, budgeting, and managing projects and personnel through final construction completion.

Widseth Smith Nolting is a multi-disciplined firm of more than 150 employees providing engineering, architectural, land surveying, and environmental services. Its offices are located in Alexandria, Bemidji, Brainerd/Baxter, Crookston, Red Wing, and Rochester, MN; and Grand Forks, ND.

• Cyndi Magnuson has been hired as a regional account representative of Rice Home Medical in Alexandria.

Rice Home Medical is a medical equipment company that sells and rents medical equipment and supplies to be used in the home.

Magnuson lives in Garfield with her husband and two children. She has a nursing and BBA degree with a concentration in marketing. She served in the Air Force, worked as a nurse and did home daycare prior to joining Rice Home Medical.

•As they head off to college this fall, local students will take with them scholarships from the Burger King Scholars program.

More than $1.4 million was awarded nationwide and throughout parts of Canada in the company’s 11th year of the program. Locally, two students received $1,000 scholarships – Katelyn Steffel, Jefferson High School, Alexandria and Chelsey Pizel, Brandon High School.

• Dennis Martinson, chairman of Glenwood State Bank, was elected second vice chair of the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota (ICBM) during the association’s annual convention in August.

Martinson has more than 50 years of banking experience. He started in December 1959 in bookkeeping and worked his way up doing various jobs. In 1971 he and two associates purchased the bank, and Martinson later purchased the associates’ stock. In 1983 he was named president, and he held that position until 2006. Martinson remains the chairman of the board.

He is a charter member, former president, and current member of the Glenwood Rotary Club, a member and former president of the Jaycees and a former state treasurer for the group, former county chair of the Republican Party, various Waterama committees, and served on the Glenwood Development Board for 20 years. He has served on the Glacial Ridge Hospital Board for the past 15 years.

Martinson has been a long-time member of ICBM, noting, “The value of an ICBM membership is far greater than the annual dues that we pay. The association has provided leadership in lobbying for our interests; education opportunities for directors, officers and staff; and convention and social activities providing great networking with fellow bankers in Minnesota. ICBM has been a very supportive organization for our bank’s success.”

ICBM, headquartered in Eagan, represents more than 520 independent community bank locations with assets exceeding $24 billion and is dedicated to keeping community banks competitive for the benefit of their customers and the communities they serve.

• Zion Lutheran School in Alexandria recently received $1,712.74 from Target through its 2011 Take Charge of Education Program.

Target has donated more than $300 million to help K-12 schools across the country.

Tags: on the street, business