Two recognized

Jason Fetch, geographic information system manager with Bartlett & West Inc., recently received his bachelor's degree in information technology from the University of Mary in Bismarck. Fetch has been with Bartlett & West since May 1999. He is a GIS project manager in the rural-regional water division.

Brian Kovaloff, a geographic information system professional in Bartlett & West's Bismarck office, has earned the certified GIS professional designation from the GIS Certification Institute. To obtain his certification, Kovaloff met the standards for ethical conduct and professional practice as established by the GIS Certification Institute.

Morton joins

Randy Morton recently joined the survey staff at the Mandan office of Interstate Engineering.

Morton holds an A.S.S. in civil technology and land surveying from Dunwoody Industrial Institute in Minneapolis. He has more than 30 years experience in the field of land surveying and is a licensed Registered Land Surveyor in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In addition, Morton served as an instructor of land surveying classes at Dunwoody for five years.

Davis promoted

Capital Credit Union has promoted Steven A. Davis to chief operations officer. Davis has been with Capital Credit Union for more than four years and has more than 11 years of experience in the financial industry.

Forum attended

North Dakota Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman was among 600 travel and industry leaders attending the Travel Industry Association's annual Marketing Outlook Forum recently held in Portland, Ore.

Marketing Outlook Forum had presentations on dozens of research and marketing experts addressing all sectors of the travel industry, as well as relevant economic, consumer and online trends. The hot topic for this year's conference was how the world economy will impact tourism in 2009.

Geiger joins

Bonni Geiger has joined the Human Resources Department at MDU Resources Group Inc. She works on the benefits team, assisting employees and retirees with questions and providing administrative benefits support.

Prior to transferring to MDU Resources, Geiger was a scheduler in the Call Center at Montana-Dakota Utilities. She also was a human resources intern for Knife River Corp. in St. Cloud, Minn.

Hoffman hired

Brandon Hoffman has been hired as mortgage banking officer by Starion Financial. Hoffman assists Bismarck and Mandan customers with financing for home purchases, home construction and refinancing. He has eight years of experience in mortgage lending. Originally from Bismarck, Hoffman recently relocated from Delano, Minn.

Two attend

Scott Wegner and Jaclin Wike, partners with Cook Wegner & Wike PLLP, Bismarck, recently attended the National Association of Bond Lawyers annual workshop in Chicago.

Six added

KAT Communications recently made additions to its staff.

Theresa Grant Snyder joined as a project director. She was previously employed with the North Dakota Department of Human Services and is also part owner of Okiciya Consulting, KAT's sister company.

Blake Vetter joined the KAT design team as a graphic artist, bringing 16 years of design experience to KAT's client base.

Robert Burke works as a production assistant at KAT. He attended film school in Minneapolis and is pursuing a degree in graphic design at Bismarck State College.

Laura White was hired as a project coordinator; she graduated from Jamestown College with a bachelor of arts in communications.

Programmer Nick Mertz joined KAT Communications after graduating from the University of Mary with degrees in computer information systems and accounting.

Molly Kolbo will provide administrative support to both KAT Communications and Okiciya Consulting. Kolbo graduated from Century High School and also is a missionary to Central America and the Caribbean.

Bruner attends

Mike Bruner, corporate creative director at Odney Advertising, and Trish Helgeson, director of account services at Odney, recently attended the Travel Industry Association's Travel Outlook Forum in Portland, Ore. TIA Marketing Outlook Forum features up-to-date industry forecasts, new market research, outlooks for all industry segments and leading marketing practices, along with practical insight from more than 70 industry thought leaders. Nearly 600 people attended this year's conference.

Frank hired

The Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce added Dot Frank to its staff. Brought onboard as a communications specialist, Frank will manage print and electronic communications responsibilities, namely the Chamber Connection, ChamberLink and the Chamber Web site.

Frank's experience from prior endeavors includes business development, management, advertising sales and public relations.

One hired

Lori Taix-Crawford joined AAA North Dakota as a member sales representative in the club's branch office in Bismarck. Taix-Crawford has more than 10 years of customer service and insurance industry experience.

Watkins certified

Lisa Watkins, a registered nurse with Horizon Medical Services in Bismarck, recently received a masters of science in nursing and board certification as a mental health nurse practitioner. Watkins continues her employment with Dr. Elsa Remer at Horizon Medical Services in Bismarck, also serving the residents of the Napoleon and Wishek Nursing Homes.

Tietz awarded

Dewey Tietz received the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Spirit Award during the University of Mary iDEA Fair at the University of Mary.

The award is one of the state chamber's statewide awards and was presented in recognition of Tietz's leadership and efforts in creating local ventures to foster and enhance entrepreneurial activity in the state of North Dakota. Chamber president, Dave MacIver, presented the award.

Tietz is the founder and owner of Cross Country Courier of Bismarck, a long distance delivery business operating in five states. In addition, Tietz co-founded the IDEA Center in Bismarck, a non-profit center designed to develop entrepreneurial activity.

Five attend

Dakota Eye Institute's George Hilts III M.D., and Kristina Trautman, surgical technician, together with certified ophthalmology assistants Colette Sabot, Deb Hennagir and Brandy Chap, attended the American Academy of Ophthalmology continuing education program in Atlanta.

A corneal symposium and update on the latest techniques, as well as intraocular lenses for cataract surgery, was attended by Hilts, while other Dakota Eye team members attended courses in macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, neuro-ophthalmology, and dry eyes.

Johnson joins

Connie Johnson joined Job Service North Dakota as a program administrator in the Workforce Programs Area in the Bismarck administrative office. Johnson has almost 19 years experience working for the state of North Dakota, most recently with the Department of Human Services. Prior to that, Johnson worked 16½ years at Workforce Safety and Insurance. She has experience in licensing and program operations, office management, human resources, communications and more and she has a bachelor of science in management.