On the Street - October 7, 2011

• Eric Ristvedt has been named office administrator at the Alexandria Eye Clinic, P.A. in Alexandria. The ophthalmology clinic is located at 1501 Hawthorne Street.

As office administrator, Ristvedt will be responsible for the planning, coordinating, and administration of the business side of the practice.

He graduated from Jefferson High School in Alexandria in 2000 and from St. Cloud State University in 2004, with a bachelor of arts degree in history and a minor in general business.

Ristvedt joins the Alexandria Eye Clinic, P.A., after spending more than eight years in the pharmaceutical sales industry with Upsher-Smith Laboratories. He started his career in the pharmaceutical industry in 2003 as a pharmaceutical sales intern. In 2007, his sales numbers ranked first in the nation. In 2008, he was promoted to senior regional field trainer of the Western U.S. Region. In his leadership role, he established himself as a strategic planning expert. Ristvedt developed and implemented multiple training programs that helped company employees spend their time and resources more efficiently. He received seven promotions and won several awards during his tenure with Upsher-Smith. He was a repeat President’s Club Award winner and a repeat MVP Award winner.

• Jill Stroup, YOGAjoy LLC yoga instructor, joined the ranks of the country’s most experienced yoga professionals by earning the credentials of RYT 200 (registered yoga teacher 200 hours) with Yoga Alliance. Yoga Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides global recognition of a yoga instructor’s knowledge, training and experience. Stroup has been teaching yoga in the Alexandria area for more than 10 years and co-founded Alexandria-based YOGAjoy LLC in 2007. She provides on-site community classes at the Nelson Wellness Center in Alexandria, presents at various events and businesses and also specializes in small classes for special populations and one-to-one coaching.

• Bremer Bank loan officers Douglas Jossart and Cindy Maanum were recently named as top producing loan officers by Minnesota Housing. Jossart and Maanum were recognized for their work on first-time homebuyer loans completed in the first half of 2011.

Jossart is a mortgage loan officer with 31 years of banking experience, including 25 years working in the mortgage industry. Maanum is a mortgage loan officer with 34 years of banking experience at Bremer, including 23 years in the mortgage industry. Jossart and Maanum currently serve the Western Minnesota communities in the Alexandria area.

“Doug and Cindy are both experienced and accomplished loan officers who are completely dedicated to helping individuals and clients in many Western Minnesota communities,” said Karen Gajeski, senior vice president of residential real estate operations at Bremer Financial. “We have been fortunate to have them on the Bremer team for many years and appreciate all their efforts in helping people get into homes they can afford and stay in for a long time.”

Minnesota Housing started tracking all first-mortgage loans originated by individual loan officers January 1, 2010. The program is designed to recognize individual loan officer production for first-time mortgage loan programs.

• LaTresse Snead Consulting is a corporate philanthropy consulting firm specializing in helping companies create strategic corporate giving programs that align with corporate goals. Led by LaTresse Snead, the firm specializes in the areas of corporate giving, workplace giving campaigns, employee volunteerism, philanthropic partnerships, sponsorship programs, community engagement and executive nonprofit board leadership development.

With more than 10 years of nonprofit and corporate experience, Snead has the unique ability to create philanthropic programs that maximize business and community success. In addition to consulting, she leads both national and local corporate philanthropy efforts as the community relations team lead for Tastefully Simple, a $100 million-plus direct sales company based in Alexandria.

To learn more about LaTresse Snead Consulting, visit www.latressesnead.com.

• As an experienced financial professional affiliated with Woodbury Financial Services, Michael Wochnick is proud that the broker-dealer that executes his clients’ transactions has won the Broker-Dealer of the Year award for the third time since 2006.

This industry distinction is based on Investment Advisor magazine’s survey in which registered representatives like Wochnick shared their feedback on issues that are important to their clients.

Wochnick has nine years of experience in the financial services industry, and holds the Series 7, Series 6, Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He offers securities through Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., which has an office in Alexandria.

• Nathan Hillmer was recently hired by First Community Credit Union as the ag/commercial loan officer for their Valley City Branch, located at 149 4th St NE. As an ag/commercial loan officer, he will assist members with agricultural and commercial loans.

Hillmer is originally from Alexandria. He attended North Dakota State University where he received a degree in business administration with a concentration in professional money management.

“I look forward to joining the Valley City community, meeting new people and I am looking forward to serving the members of FCCU as their ag/commercial loan officer,” said Hillmer of First Community Credit Union.

During its 70 year history, First Community Credit Union has grown to be North Dakota’s largest credit union with 125 employees and 14 branches whose field of membership covers approximately one third of the state. As a credit union, FCCU is owned by its members. This is different than other financial institutions, which are owned by a select group of stockholders. The credit union's profits are returned to the members in the form of better services, accounts and favorable rates on savings and loans.

• Bill Januszewski of Alexandria was recently selected to receive the Honorary American FFA Degree – Other. The award is given to those who advance agricultural education and FFA through outstanding personal commitment.

The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, works to enhance the lives of youth through agricultural education. Without the efforts of highly dedicated individuals, thousands of young people would not be able to achieve success that, in turn, contributes directly to the overall well-being of the nation. The Honorary American FFA Degree is an opportunity to recognize those who have gone beyond the valuable daily contributions to make an extraordinary long-term difference in the lives of students, inspiring confidence in a new generation of agriculturists.

Members of the National FFA Board of Directors approved the nomination. Januszewski will travel to Indianapolis to receive the honor during an onstage presentation at the 84th National FFA Convention on October 19-22. All recipients will receive a certificate and medal and their names will be permanently recorded.

• Patti Eckhoff has recently been elected to Birthright of Alexandria’s board of directors. Birthright is a nonprofit pregnancy resource organization dedicated to supporting women during and after an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. Information regarding Birthright can be found at www.birthright.org.

• Sarah Bernardy, LPN is a recipient of the Knute Nelson’s (KN) “Tree of Excellence” award. This award is the highest level of recognition through the KN Employee Recognition Program. Bernardy has been employed at KN for more than nine years as an LPN charge nurse. She was nominated by her peers who had this to say about her, “Always puts the resident first… Always has a smile on her face with a go-getter attitude… Works as a team player and gets the most out of her team by providing clear expectations… Goes the extra mile to provide excellent care to our residents and their families… Ready to take on new challenges within her nursing career.”

• Noonan Sport Specialists (NSS) announces the addition of a new trainer at their Alexandria strength and conditioning facility. Certified Personal Trainer Sarah Roers has joined co-owners Mike Hawes and Dustin Schlichting and their staff.

Roers, originally from Alexandria, graduated in 1998 from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with a bachelor’s degree in business. She will be assuming the position of personal trainer for Noonan Sport Specialists at their main facility on Hawthorne Street in downtown Alexandria. Along with being a certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Roers is also a National Exercise Trainers Association certified group exercise instructor. Her responsibilities will include program design, implementation and administration of personal training as well as teaching yoga classes.

Roers has been a group fitness instructor for the past four years, teaching a variety of classes including yoga, cycling, boot camp, Pilates and kick boxing.

Located at 503 Hawthorne Street, Suite 145 in downtown Alexandria, Noonan Sport Specialists is a 4,000 square-foot, year-round training facility that provides professional training in athleticism and fitness to individuals at any age and skill level to improve strength and movement.

Tags: on the street, business