Blough Neff; Vega; Gerney Peth; Hy-Vee; more

Blough Neff ?outstanding? assessor

Sheri Blough Neff, Jefferson County assessor, was nominated and selected to receive the ?Outstanding Member? Award at the Iowa State Association of Assessor?s Annual Conference and School of Instruction Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 in Des Moines.

The recipient of the award is selected based on leadership qualities, professionalism and contributions to the association.

Blough Neff attended Indian Hills Community College and started her assessment career in 1973, and was appointed deputy assessor in 1977. In 1986, she was appointed Jefferson County assessor.

She is a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers, Iowa State Association of Assessors and has earned the designation of Master Senior Appraiser from the National Association of Master Appraisers.

Blough Neff makes sure to keep all of her taxpayers informed of revaluations, policy changes and constantly strives to have an educated staff. She is always willing to share her experience and knowledge with newer members of the ISAA.

She has served the ISAA in several capacities throughout the years, currently serving on the IPERS and Ag Land Use Adjustment committees. In 2007, she served as ISAA president.

Blough Neff and her husband David reside in Fairfield.

Vega earns IICRC certification

Julio Vega of Service Master Restore, by education and examination, has been certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification as a water-damage restoration technician.

IICRC is a nonprofit certifying and standard-setting organization raising industry standards through technical proficiency.

Hy-Vee honors employees for service

Employees from the Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store are among more than 2,400 Hy-Vee employees honored for achieving new service milestones in 2013.

Hy-Vee?s Service Awards program, now in its 49th year, recognizes employees for continuous service to the company. At a series of eight banquets held in October throughout Hy-Vee?s eight-state operating territory this year, the company will pay tribute to employees reaching service milestones ranging from five to 45 years.

In addition, this year Hy-Vee honors more than 2,000 employees with 20 years or more of continuous service to the company, as well as 10 employees who recently were inducted into the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame as recipients of the 2013 Legendary Customer Service Award.

Employees celebrating service anniversaries receive customized gifts that increase in value as the years of service increase. In addition, their photos are published in a special souvenir book distributed throughout the company.

Recipients also receive personal congratulations from Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Randy Edeker, who poses for a commemorative photo with each Service Award recipient.

?Honoring our employee-owners for their service to the company is one of the most important things we do at Hy-Vee,? Edeker said. ?These men and women are the ones who bring the ?helpful smile in every aisle? to life in our stores. Without them, there would be no Hy-Vee, so we make sure to let them know how much we value and appreciate their commitment to their customers, their co-workers and their communities.?

The nine Service Award recipients from Fairfield were honored at a banquet Tuesday in Coralville. Those reaching service mile-stones this year were:

Five years ? Mark Miller, Deanne Bowers, Cody Stanley, William Franklin, Lora Kessler and Sue Rude;

10 years ? Laura Curran; and

35 years ? Alvin Stone and Virgil Symmonds.

Wagner to speak on branding

The Fairfield Entrepreneurs Association will host a free networking and mentoring event at noon Thursday upstairs at Revelations.

Mike Wagner will present a presentation on ?Branding as a Team Sport.?

Wagner says great brands do not happen by default; they are intentionally designed and executed by everyone from the CEO to front-line employees. In the presentation, Wagner will empower attendees to: elevate branding to organizational strategy; connect organizational decision making to a brand; and engage everyone in delivering remarkable brand experiences.

To make a reservation, contact Mario Van Dijk at Mario@FairfieldEntrepreneur.com.

Gurney Peth to attend book signing

Maria Gurney Peth, a 1978 graduate of Fairfield High School, will present a book talk and signing at 1 p.m. Oct. 26 at Revelations on her new book ?Angel Decoding ? Secret Keys to Communicating with Your Angels.?

Peth is a spiritual teacher, angel therapist, intuitive life coach and angel decoding specialist with an ability to connect with the angelic realm.

Born in Brazil, Peth was separated from her mother at a young age. In the early 1960s, telephones were not a standard feature in every South American home. Through the grace and teaching of her Brazilian grandmother, she awakened to her spiritual gifts, embracing intuitive methods for connecting with her mother, who was living more than 5,000 miles away.

Peth believes in living authentically, soulfully, and with purpose. She is a life-empowering spiritual teacher and coach, on a mission to demystify the idea of communicating with angels, and champions the ease with which the skill of intuition can be learned. The passion she brings to working with her angels has been a mainstay of her personal spiritual journey. She believes miracles happen every day.

Peth earned degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Denver, with a focus on education and social psychology. She earned her doctorate from the American Institute of Holistic Theology in metaphysics. She is a published writer, motivational speaker and teacher.

Fairfield gains 4G LTE service

U.S. Cellular, in conjunction with its partner King Street Wireless, announced that additional Iowa residents have access to high-speed 4G LTE services.

Fairfield, Washington, Algona, Atlantic, Charles City, Clinton, Creston, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Newton, Spencer, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake customers can use 4G LTE speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G and similar to a cable Internet connection.

4G LTE speeds provide an enhanced wireless experience with fast web browsing, smooth video streaming, video chatting and speedy application downloads.

By the end of 2013, U.S. Cellular customers in more than 3,800 additional cities and towns will have access to 4G LTE speeds. Currently, 61 percent of U.S. Cellular customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and nearly 90 percent are expected to be covered by the end of this year.