Citizens National Bank acquires White Oak State Bank
Dec 03, 2012 (Menafn - Tyler Morning Telegraph - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Brad Tidwell, president and chief executive officer of Citizens National Bank, announced the purchase of White Oak State Bank from First White Oak Banc Shares, Inc. has been finalized.
White Oak State Bank's main location is in White Oak, with a full service branch in Longview. The transaction was approved by the boards of both banks and has received regulatory approval. White Oak State Bank will continue to operate under its present name until the official conversion in February, when the Citizens National Bank signs will be replaced. Citizens National Bank is a locally-owned, independent community bank based in Henderson, and has been serving East Texas since 1930.
"This is an exciting time for Citizens National Bank and we are proud to have acquired such an outstanding bank," Tidwell said in a statement. "Our plan is to continue with the excellent service the officers and employees of White Oak State Bank have offered for the last 40 years.
"This acquisition gives CNB a tremendous opportunity to continue to expand our presence in Gregg County. With the recent opening of our new convenience center and drive-thru in downtown Longview, CNB will now have six full- service Gregg County locations to better serve this dynamic community."
Citizens National Bank is a 940 million independent community bank with 19 locations across East and Central Texas. It provides commercial, consumer, investment, insurance and mortgage products.
ARCHITECTS
The Northeast Texas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects announced this year's recipients of the chapter's bi- annual design award program, which recognized projects designed with clarity of purpose in solving the needs of a client.
Honor Awards were given to Liberty Hall in downtown Tyler and Cardiovascular Associates of East Texas. FRESH by Brookshire's was recognized as a Merit Award project; and Spring Hill High School and North Elementary in Hallsville were selected to receive a Citation Award.
Butler Architectural Group of Tyler was the architect for the renovation of Liberty Hall. The project was developed as a public/private partnership between the city of Tyler and the East Texas Symphony Organization. Fitzpatrick Architects of Tyler designed Cardiovascular Associates of East Texas and FRESH by Brookshire's. Thacker Davis Architects of Longview designed North Elementary for Hallsville ISD and Spring Hill High School for Spring Hill ISD. The Northeast Texas American Institute of Architects chapter awards program also recognized projects that have not been constructed, including the Boy's and Girl's Club of Walker County designed by Fitzpatrick Architects.
FRANCHISE
J.D. Byrider franchisees Mark Bedgood, Bill Evans and Fred Nichols were named Franchise of the Year for their Tyler and Longview locations at the company's annual awards program in November in Hollywood, Fla. They were chosen because of their customer service, sales excellence and sharing best practices with other J.D. Byrider franchisees.
"We're excited to take home our fourth Franchise of the Year award and proud of our hard-working staff who made this possible," Bedgood said.
Bedgood and Evans also own locations in Waco and Sherwood, Ark., but those were not included in the Franchise of the Year rankings because they had been open for less than 30 months. Founded in 1989, J.D. Byrider is the nation's leading used car sales and finance enterprise. Based in Carmel, Ind., J.D. Byrider consists of 123 franchised- and 20 company-owned dealerships in 31 states.
DOCTOR
Trinity Clinic Radiology welcomed Dr. Jyotsna Donepudi, a neuroradiologist, as a member of the diagnostic and treatment team that cares for patients with neurological conditions. She is a radiologist with specialized training in diagnostic imaging of the brain, spine and spinal cord, face and neck and peripheral nerves.
Dr. Donepudi earned her medical degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India. She completed her internship and residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, Little Rock. She received fellowship training in neuroradiology at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. She is board certified in diagnostic radiology by the American Board of Radiology.
LINDALE BANK
The Texas Access to Justice Foundation recognized Lindale State Bank and other financial institutions that help invest in justice through the Texas IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts) program during Prime Partner Bank month in November.
More than 70 banks and credit unions are Prime Partners and directly benefit the funding of civil legal services in Texas communities. Prime Partner banks voluntarily pay higher interest rates on IOLTA accounts, helping close the gap in legal services funding. The foundation recognized 13 banks, including Lindale State Bank, that have participated in this program since its inception more than five years ago with the Prime Partners in Justice Award. For more, visit www.teajf.org.
TOYS FOR TOTS
Fresh Dental is hosting a Toys for Tots event from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at 3873 Texas Highway 64 West in Tyler. The public is invited to donate to Toys for Tots, as well as take a tour of the facility, meet the doctors and staff and enjoy refreshments. Fresh Dental is holding a similar event at its Longview location, from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. For people who are unable to attend, Fresh Dental will be a drop-off location for new, unwrapped toys. For more, call 903-593-4867.
GREEN
Because of its commitment to protecting the environment, Averitt Express, a transportation provider that operates in Tyler, was chosen as a "Green 75 Supply Chain Partner" by Inbound Logistics magazine. The magazine's editors solicited more than 200 transportation and logistics companies to complete a questionnaire specifying their investments in sustainability -- ranging from fuel-efficient equipment to corporate-sponsored recycling programs. Averitt has developed programs to educate and reward associates for improving their fuel efficiency. A charter member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay program, Averitt has taken numerous steps to reduce its environmental impact.
GRANTS
In an effort to reduce wildfire hazards on private lands, Texas A&M Forest Service is administering U.S. Forest Service Community Fire Protection Grant funding for prescribed burning within three miles of a national forest boundary.
In 2011, East Texas experienced the largest-scale timber losses in its history. Prescribed burning is a tool used by natural resource managers to help maintain healthy ecosystems, improve wildlife habitat and mitigate hazardous vegetation, Wildland Urban Interface Specialist Jared Karns said in a prepared statement. To apply for a grant, landowners must submit a prescribed burn plan, a map of the area to be burned showing its proximity to national forest land and the physical address of the burn unit. Those approved can be reimbursed up to 30 per acre. Visit the "Protect Your Community" tab at texasfirewise.org. The deadline is Dec. 14.
LOANS
Smith County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Senior Farm Loan Officer Michelle King announced that funds are available for Guaranteed Conservation Loans, which allow farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices on their land that will help protect natural resources. They include waste management systems, conservation structures and water conservation measures. Conservation Loans are not limited to family size farms. The loan limit is 1,302,000 and interest rates and terms vary. The maximum guarantee FSA can issue is 75 percent. Interested applicants who do not already have a conservation plan approved by NRCS should work with their local NRCS staff to develop a conservation plan. For more, call the Smith County FSA Office at 903-561-6042.
SCIENTIFIC TESTS
Scientific testing by an independent laboratory proved that a specialized laundering process, offered by UniFirst Corp. and used to disinfect and protect food industry garments, destroys pathogens known to cause nearly 90 million cases of food-borne illnesses in the U.S. and Canada each year, according to a prepared statement. UniFirst, which has facilities in Longview, provides uniform rental and laundering services to many area businesses.
The UniFirst UniSafesm Service and Product Protection Process (PPP), offered through the company's managed uniform rental programs, is a specialized hygienic laundering and handling service designed to eliminate contamination threats on garments worn by employees within food-related businesses. UniSafesm/PPP was tested by scientists at Environmental Monitoring Associates, Inc. of Nashua, N.H., an independent laboratory services company. The test results are documented in a recently published white paper titled "UniFirstniSafesm Service and Product Protection Process (PPP) ... Workwear Solutions for Food Product Safety." The UniSafesm Service has more than 200 centers. Visit www.unifirst .com/UniSafe.
RECYCLING
As a partner in the Kilgore community-wide recycling project, "Celebrate What's Right," Kilgore Economic Development Corp. invited fifth grade students to participate in the America Recycles 2012 event. Students from Kilgore Intermediate School this week toured Kilgore-based plastic bag manufacturer, Pak-Sher, to watch the recycling process. Students collected Bags of Bags, or BoBs, to recycle and saw what happens from a BoB to a recycled bag. To complete the recycling process, the bags are used by some local retailers.
SPONSOR
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Texas franchisees have come together to support the 2013 Texas ProStart Invitational as the title sponsor. The event is an annual high school culinary arts and restaurant management competition presented by the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation. Each year high schools participating in the Texas ProStart program send restaurant management and culinary arts teams to compete to represent Texas at the National ProStart Invitational. Texas will host two regional competitions and a state final competition beginning in January. Teams demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry.
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