Business Briefs: Highland native joins local firm, Highland contractor named to association board

Stephanie Black, a Highland native, recently joined the firm of Beatty Motil, located in Glen Carbon.

Black will focus her practice on representing clients injured in accidents and work-related incidents, and victims of sexual violence and discrimination.

Black joins Beatty Motil with several years of experience working at a firm where she represented local businesses, school districts, and Fortune 100 companies in complex litigation.

She previously served as an assistant state’s attorney in Madison County. As a former criminal prosecutor, she is in a unique position to fight for clients who are victims of sexual assault, discrimination, and harassment. She frequently writes articles and updates on litigation trends for sex-based crimes, particularly as they relate to Title IX and workplace harassment.

Recently, Black presented “Sex-Based Discrimination in U.S. Education Systems” to law students at Udmurt State University Law School in Izhevsk, Russia, through the Lecture Collaboration with Southern Illinois University School of Law.

In 2016, Black was selected to participate in a Foreign Lawyer Exchange Program, co-sponsored by the Scognamiglio International Law Firm in Naples, Italy. In September 2016, she spent six weeks in Naples at the Scognamiglio firm, visiting and observing its practice in the fields of international business and commercial transactions and university contracts. In addition, she attended a Human Rights Symposium in Torun, Poland.

Black obtained her J.D. degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2012. While there, she participated in the Moot Court Program and was voted chief judge of the Trial Advocacy Team. She participated in several national trial advocacy competitions, earning “Best Advocate” at the 2012 Texas Young Lawyer’s Association Competition in Chicago. She was also inducted into The Order of Barristers for excelling in advocacy and service.

She attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in political science. Her commitment to academia and community service culminated in her nomination for Southeast Missouri State University Woman of the Year in 2008.

Highland contractor named to association board

Scott Plocher of Plocher Construction Company Inc. in Highland has been elected as a three-year director for the Southern Illinois Builders Association.

Kent Kampwerth of River City Construction in Benton has been elected resident of the organization, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Other officers for 2018 are Hank Rohwedder of Hank’s Excavating & Landscaping in Belleville, first vice president; Jeff Limbaugh of Limbaugh Construction Co. in Granite City, second vice president; and Kent Richardson of Subsurface Constructors in St. Louis, secretary/treasurer.

The three-year director elected was Harvey Wolf of L. Wolf Construction in Granite City.

Three-year associate directors elected were Matt Fricke of Warning Lites of Southern Illinois in East St. Louis, and Brian Hayden of Hayden Wrecking Corporation in Washington Park.

SIBA staff members Donna Richter, chief executive officer; Josh Schaufelberger, director of industry relations; Kristin McCaw, executive assistant; Shari Schutzenhofer, administrative assistant; John Holt, director of safety and education; Galen Parks, director of safety and education; Sarah Kaczmarowski, administrative assistant; Logan Ankeny, administrative assistant; and Cassidy Dowling, scan technician.

The Southern Illinois Builders Association is a trade association of contractors based in O’Fallon representing 500-plus commercial and industrial building, highway and utility construction contractors throughout Southern Illinois.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Business Briefs: Highland native joins local firm, Highland contractor named to association board."