Michelle S. Hickox has been elected executive vice president and main economical officer of First Fiscal Bankshares Inc., the bank introduced.
She replaces James R. Gordon, who resigned that position Jan. 9 to go after other alternatives.
“We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the company’s govt management workforce and to Abilene,” said Scott Dueser, chairman, president and CEO. “Michelle’s extensive banking, accounting and community business expertise, experience, and know-how, primarily in a larger sized lender, will be instrumental in helping us carry on to improve.” Hickox most lately served as main money officer of Unbiased Financial Group Inc. (IBTX) and its subsidiary, Independent Lender, an $18 billion publicly-traded bank keeping corporation based in McKinney. There, she led IBTX via its preliminary public supplying in 2013 and performed a crucial function in 10 acquisitions during her tenure.
Prior to becoming a member of IBTX, she was an audit associate at RSM US LLP in Dallas, serving financial institutions in the course of Texas. She is a certified general public accountant and a graduate of Texas A&M University, the place she at present serves as a trustee of the 12th Guy Foundation. Gordon has agreed to serve as a marketing consultant to guide in the transition procedure. “On behalf of our board of administrators, I thank James for his contributions and wish him a great deal achievements in his upcoming endeavors,” Dueser claimed.
Lancium challenge work nets DCOA, town and county a nationwide award
The Growth Corporation of Abilene announced that its collaboration with the metropolis of Abilene and Taylor County to land Lancium in this article has been honored by Organization Services Magazine with a 2022 Offer of the Year Affect award.
Lancium is a Houston-based mostly strength know-how and infrastructure firm. The company broke floor for its flagship 1-gigawatt environmentally friendly electricity campus northwest of Abilene in November.
The organization projects $2.4 billion in investment and 57 complete-time careers around a 20-12 months time period.
“Lancium’s advancement is a large possibility to guarantee the viability of the community by way of the diversification of our financial system,” DCOA president and CEO Misty Mayo explained. “This project exemplifies the mission of the DCOA to lead financial growth in Abilene by attracting industries and tasks that aid job generation, foster sturdy small business, and assure a affluent neighborhood for years to arrive.”
The magazine’s annual award regarded 18 progress tasks in a number of types, which includes renewable energy and workforce growth.
Conference and Site visitors Bureau names conference sales manager
Courtney Eden has been hired by the Abilene Conference and Visitors Bureau as conference product sales manager.
Most not too long ago, Eden was events manager for ASM World-wide, which has taken more than management of the Abilene Convention Center. She has additional than 10 years of practical experience in profits and hospitality, owning also labored for Hyatt Hotels.
She is a graduate of Abilene Christian College, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration management. She is a member of Junior League of Abilene.
“Courtney’s expertise and market know-how add fast benefit to the ACVB, and we are delighted to have her on the workforce,” mentioned Robert Lopez, vice president of the ACVB. “With the progress happening downtown and the quickly-to-open up convention resort, we preferred to insert to the strength of our product sales staff, and Courtney aids us do that.”
The DoubleTree by Hilton is scheduled to open in June.
“I am thrilled to have the chance to leverage my comprehensive resort and celebration arranging experience by joining the completed product sales crew at the ACVB,” Eden stated. “With so much going on in Abilene, I am fired up to showcase our amazing metropolis to conference planners and help generate tourism to the space.”
Lights to go on in pedestrian tunnel this week
Two pedestrian tunnels that will improved backlink the central downtown place with the emerging South of Downtown Abilene (SoDA) location will be lighted at a ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Lighting will illuminate the 3D storybook picture of a dragon by artist Kurt Wenner. It is positioned guiding the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council workplaces shared with the Abilene Convention and Readers Bureau at the T&P Depot.
The tunnels are the residence of Union Pacific Railroad. Nonetheless, safety cameras mounted in them will be monitored by the town of Abilene.
Funding for the undertaking was by non-public donation and a cultural district grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.
The Thursday function culminates a three-calendar year project that incorporated the city, Abilene Chamber of Commerce and SoDA district developer Tim Smith.
Former Abilenian leads prize-winning analysis group
A scholar engineering group at the University of St. Thomas led by former Abilenian Matthew Zelisko lately received the best prize in the NASA MUREP Innovation and Technology Transfer Notion Competitiveness.
St. Thomas, which has an enrollment of just in excess of 3,000 students, conquer the likes of Boston Faculty and Tufts for the major honor.
Held each and every semester, the competitors problems pupils to produce a marketable concept or product or service employing mental assets or patents created by NASA for its space missions.
St. Thomas’ nine-pupil workforce entered “Piezo Speed,” a prepare to use NASA’s piezoelectric generator to superior maintain the life of a pacemaker battery. A typical pacemaker lasts about 10 yrs, requiring added surgical treatment on the man or woman to swap it. The St. Thomas battery would use excess mechanical human body power to hold the battery operating a great deal extended.
Zelisko was the faculty chief on the job. He is a 2006 Abilene Superior graduate and 2010 graduate of Texas A&M, obtaining his doctorate from the University of Houston in 2016. He has taught at St. Thomas for the earlier two decades.
