It’s Your Business has NOTO, FHLBank and Sunflower Foundation

The NOTO Board of Directors has selected Pedro Concepcion to serve as the organization’s CEO. Concepcion is a longtime fixture in NOTO and the Topeka community, co-owning several small businesses and helping to establish many popular Topeka restaurants. He has also served on the NOTO board since 2020. Concepcion succeeds Thomas Underwood, who is retiring later this year. Concepcion will assume leadership of the organization on August 1. Underwood will continue to support the organization during a transition period. “NOTO’s growth and development over the past several years has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Marty Schlossman, chair-elect of the NOTO board. “After an extensive search process, the NOTO Board selected Pedro as the best candidate to lead the organization and the NOTO Arts & Entertainment District to the next level of development.” Concepcion was born in Mexico City and raised in Chicago. He put his roots in Topeka when he was recruited by Simon Bates to open The Burger Stand. He founded KIT Solutions and has been instrumental in the development of several popular eateries including Brew Bank, The Pennant, Norsemen Brewery, The Tee Box and many more. In 2022, Concepcion became a co-owner of The Wheel Barrel. “We all have our own journey in our city,” Concepcion said. “Mine has been full of ups and downs, but I have always seen Topeka as a city full of opportunity. When I discovered NOTO, I fell in love with its diversity, inclusivity and uniqueness. To grow our city, we must embrace every corner of it. As the new CEO of the NOTO Arts and Entertainment District, I want to continue to expand our partnerships, build bridges and grow our beautiful district.”

FHLBank Topeka announced Philip Bacchus is the new chief financial officer, beginning August 26. Bacchus was selected as part of a nationwide search for the role. “Phil has worked for a variety of community financial institutions throughout his career,” said President and CEO Jeff Kuzbel. “He understands how important the Federal Home Loan Banks are to institutions of all sizes. I know his financial experience will serve our cooperative and its members well.” Bacchus most recently worked for American Savings Bank in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he served as senior vice president and treasurer since 2019, overseeing the bank’s corporate funding, investment portfolio, mortgage sales, asset/liability management and planning functions. Prior to joining ASB, Bacchus held various treasury and balance sheet management roles during his 10-year career at Capital One in McLean, Virginia, where he left as president and line of business CFO. He is a graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he specialized in finance and international trade. He also holds an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a Global Executive Masters from ESADE Business School in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Sunflower Foundation has welcomed two new members to its philanthropic health programming team, with the recent additions of Kellie Mark And Carlie Houchen as the new directors of Healthy Communities and Health Systems, respectively. Mark, who has served the foundation since October 2022 as grants and finance manager, began her new role on July 1. Houchen, who comes to Sunflower after most recently serving in a leadership role with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas’ Pathways to a Healthy Kansas community grant initiative, began her new role on July 8. Both directors will report to Elizabeth Burger, a longtime program officer for the foundation who was recently named senior vice president of programs and strategy. As director of Healthy Communities, Mark will lead the foundation’s work on food and nutrition security, as well as the Sunflower Trails program, which supports organizations and communities working to provide safe, accessible public trails and outdoor spaces where Kansas residents can reap the many health benefits of being more active and connecting with nature. Prior to joining the foundation, Mark spent five years with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Family Health, where he worked to improve maternal and child health across the state. During her time at the agency, she served as section chief, unit director, and grants manager before rising to bureau chief and director of administration and policy. She also worked for St. Francis Health Center for 10 years, including five years as a document control manager and quality analyst. A native of Topeka, Mark holds an associate of liberal studies from Barton Community College, a bachelor of science in human nutrition/public health from Kansas State University, and a master of public administration from Wichita State University. As director of Health Systems, Houchen will oversee the foundation’s work across the state, focused on strengthening organizational capacity and investing in innovative strategies in behavioral health, population health, and the primary care safety net. Originally from Miami County, Houchen earned a bachelor of science in human nutrition from Kansas State University and a master of public health from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She and her family reside in Roeland Park.

National Bank of the Monument announces the addition of Austin Crow as a commercial banker. Crow is the newest member of Landmark’s commercial banking team in Topeka. Prior to joining Landmark, Crow worked in Annuity Operations at Advisors Excel in Topeka. Austin is a native of Topeka and graduated from Washburn University in 2022. “I chose Landmark because of the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with clients and see how they achieve their goals,” said Crow. In his spare time, Austin is an assistant basketball coach at Hayden High School. He also enjoys volunteering with organizations like Let’s Help and Harvester’s.