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Tag: Gov. Mike Parson

Dr. Eric Park Appointed to State School Retirement Board

July 7, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College Board of Trustees Treasurer Dr. Eric Park was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to serve on the Public School Retirement System of Missouri Board of Trustees.

Dr. Park, Washington, is co-founder of the LPL Financial office in Washington and he also co-founded The Steamboat Financial Group.

Park attended East Central College (ECJC at the time) after he received his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army. He earned an associate degree in May 1982. He then continued his education, earning an undergraduate degree in business, two master’s degrees, one in finance and one in personal financial planning, and his PhD in Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2014.  Dr. Eric Park

In addition to being a student at ECC, Park once served as an instructor. He also is a founding board member of the ECC endowment program. Currently, Park serves on the ECC Board of Trustees and Foundation Board.

A successful investment advisor for more than 35 years, Park is co-founder of LPL Financial, Eric Park & George Meyer, investment firm in Washington. He has received several national industry awards for his dedication to quality investment management. He was named the Registered Rep’s Outstanding Broker of the Year in 2005 and was admitted to Research magazine’s Advisor Hall of Fame in 2007.

Dr. Park was a member of the Missouri Credit Union Commission from 2005-2011. He is licensed in Life Insurance, Variable Life and Variable Annuity, and has Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Series 6, 7 and 8. He is also a Certified Financial Planner, a Certified Fund Specialist and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

Outside of work, Park is past president of the Franklin County Humane Society and the Washington Rotary Club. He also is past district governor of Rotary International and helped with international poverty relief efforts in developing nations.

Additionally, he has served on the Missouri State Commission charged with regulatory oversight of credit unions and is a member of the St. Francis Borgia parish finance committee.

Precision Machining Coordinator Recipient of Award

December 8, 2020 | Campus News

Curtis Elliott, Precision Machining program coordinator at East Central College, recently received the “Governor’s Award” from the Center for Workforce Development (CWD) for his work at a local manufacturer.

The award was presented to Elliott for “Outstanding Performance” after he completed a successful project with Klauber Machine and Gear (KMG), Pacific, to streamline efficiency and production.

Dr. Richard Hudanick, Dean of Career and Technical Education, said the efforts of Elliott and Dr. Edward Shelton, director for CWD at ECC, helped reduce waste and saved the manufacturer time and money.

“It is certainly an honor to work with Curtis and all the faculty in our advanced manufacturing center,” he said.  “I knew great efforts were coming to fruition at Klauber I just didn’t realize how big the impact would be.”

According to Elliott, the applied American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is the standard needed at Klauber.

“This immediately improved efficiency and production.,” he said. “Due to the nature of the manufacturing processes Mastercam training was a big part of the plan as well.”

“Overall, I am really happy with the project outcome,” Elliott added. “The reduction in waste and improved production process reduced the lead-time from 12 weeks to two — the company has had its best production report due to this project in its history.”

Elliott’s award was presented following a visit to Klauber by Gov. Mike Parson in October.

CWD Faculty/Staff

Hudanick added that Elliott and other manufacturing faculty members are successful, in part, because of their experience in the manufacturing field.

“They all started in the industry before giving back to the community through ECC,” he said. “They are a great group of very knowledgeable experts in their field and it is exciting to watch them craft their trade.”

KMG utilized Missouri One Start program customized training assistance which has helped to develop its workforce.

ECC has taken a unique approach to this training partnership by developing a mentor/instruction method. Under this method, Elliott worked with Klauber employees on the production line twice a week and gave an assessment of the operator’s skills.

Learn more about the Precision Machining program at www.eastcentral.edu/business/precision-machining-technology/, or visit https://www.eastcentral.edu/cwd/ to learn about industry training offered by ECC.