BUSINESS PEOPLE

Brent Medders, owner of 10 Domino’s Pizza stores in Northwest Arkansas and Tahlequah, Okla., was selected as a Franchise Association Gold Franny Award winner for operational excellence. The Domino’s Pizza awards ceremony will be held in London. Medders began as a delivery driver in 1981 and purchased his first Domino’s Pizza store in 1991. He has served as the regional training director for Domino’s out of Nashville, Tenn., and is one the board of directors of the Domino’s Franchisee Association.

E. Kent Hirsch of Springdale has been appointed to the Judiciary Committee of the Arkansas Bar Association for 2013-2014. The voluntary association has more than 5,000 attorney members. He founded Hirsch Law Firm of Springdale in 1984, practicing in class action, mass tort, complex civil litigation and adversarial bankruptcy, according to the firm’swebsite. He received his juris doctor degree from the University of Arkansas in 1981. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Hendrix College in Conway in 1977.

Susan Chase started June 1 as the new publisher of Cogwheel Press in Rogers, which specializes in speculative fiction, science fiction and fantasy. The small press was started in 2012 by artist and author Desiree Finkbeiner, who will continue to serve as the company’sgraphic designer and illustrator. The company has five titles in print with five more planned for 2013, including two sequels from current press authors.

Ascendant Diagnostics of Fayetteville has added three members to its board of directors: Dr. Steven Harms, Dr. Amit Mehta and Cindy Webb.

Harms is a radiologist and breast cancer specialist formerly on the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Baylor University Medical Center and M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute. He was named Komen Foundation Scientist of the Year in 1998. He practices at The Breast Center in Fayetteville and continues as a clinical professor at UAMS. He has served on the board of directors for the American Society of Breast Disease since 2003 and is its current program chairman.

Mehta is the vice president and co-founder of Intrinsic Imaging LLC, an imaging contract research organization that specializes in using biomarkers for clinical trials. He also serves as vice president of the SouthTexas Radiology Group/Imaging Centers with a full clinical practice in minimally invasive image-guided surgery.

Webb, vice president of philanthropy at Mercy Health Systems of Arkansas, has 30 years of experience in corporate development. She was president of Promethean Partners and director of the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Ascendant Diagnostic’s first product, MelodyDX, is a noninvasive test to detect breast cancer by using human tears. The test is intended to increase breast cancer detection at earlier stages while reducing unnecessary exposure to radiation and painful biopsy procedures.

Cynthia Burns was promoted to manager at the Rogers office of BKD, a certified public accounting and advisory firm serving clients in all 50 states and around the world. She has more than eight years of experience in auditing governmental and nonprofit entities. She assists municipalities and nonprofit organizations that must comply with Office of Management and Budget Circular A-133 level audit standards.

John Pennington has been appointed executive director for the Beaver Watershed Alliance, a nonprofit organization formed in 2010 to establish programming to maintain highquality water in Beaver Lake and improve water quality onthe Beaver Lake Watershed. The Johnson County native worked as a county extension agent, conducting watershed outreach and education in Washington County for seven years. He also chairs the Lake Fayetteville Watershed Partnership, is the vice president of the Ozark Highlands Trail Association and is secretary for the Arkansas Earth Day Foundation.

Kristina Lambert has been named vice president and general manager of the bacon business division at Tyson Foods Inc., with world headquarters in Springdale.She will oversee the management of production facilities in Omaha, Neb., and Vernon, Texas, and the division’s marketing strategy for retail, food service, industrial and international channels. The Bentonville native began at Tyson in 1996 as a food service marketing intern. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, she accepted a full-time position in 1998. She was instrumental in expanding Wright Brand Bacon from regional to national distribution, launching Tyson 100% All Natural Fresh Chicken, introducing Tyson Chicken Bites and creating Tyson Skillet Ready Bacon.

Email: [email protected] or send your item to: Sue Morris, P.O. Box 7, Springdale Ark. 72765. Information must be received by noon Wednesday prior to the Sunday the item is to be published.