Steamboat Pilot & Today

Photographer Lamansky earns recertification

Shauna Steele Lamansky of Steele Images Studio has qualified for recertification of her Certified Professional Photographer designation from the Professional Photographic Certification Commission, which recognizes artistic and technical competence.

Lamansky earned her certification credentials in 2002 and joined the ranks of less than 2,000 Certified Professional Photographers nationwide. Certification must be renewed every five years to ensure the Professional Photographic Certification Commission's continuing confidence in professionalism.

Steamboat Realtors gain resort certification

Annamarie Shunny and Lori Thompson of Colorado Group Realty earned their Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist certification from the National Association of Realtors.

The National Association of Realtors launched the new certification program in January 2006 in recognition of industry growth in the resort and second-home sectors. More than 140,000 real estate professionals work in resort area and second-home markets such as Steamboat Springs, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors. Investment property and vacation homes account for more than one-third of residential real estate transactions, according to the study.

Mountain Valley Bank gains control of stock

Mountain Valley Bank has recently purchased the controlling interest of its stock shares from Scottsbluff, Neb.-based Platte Valley Financial Services.

Besides its Steamboat Springs location, Mountain Valley Bank has three other branches in Northwest Colorado - in Hayden, Walden and Meeker.

Mountain Valley Bank was chartered in May 2004, when North Park State Bank in Walden was purchased from Platte Valley by Terry Jost, Mountain Valley Bank's chairman of the board and CEO, and Bruce Clatterbaugh, president and chief operating officer of the bank's Meeker branch.