Stonewall Group welcomes senior VP

Stonewall Group, a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency, recently welcomed Buddy Butler to its team as senior vice president.

“Buddy’s knowledge of the tourism industry, coupled with his ability to bring a fresh perspective to our business and our clients, perfectly aligns with our business model and growth strategy for this year,” Leslie Crooks, Stonewall president, said.

Butler is a 25-year veteran of the travel industry. His career began with Fenton Art Glass before joining Stonewall Retail Marketing in 2004. Butler was vice president of client development for Paramore Digital in Nashville, Tenn. from 2012 through 2015.

Throughout his career, Butler has worked in the development of brand strategies, market integration, media planning, and account management for the West Virginia Division of Tourism, Travel South USA, Adventures on the Gorge, Lexington Rockbridge (Va.) CVB, Visit Southern West Virginia, Winterplace Ski Resort, the Wilds and more than a dozen CVB’s in West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey and Georgia.

He served on the West Virginia Tourism Commission from 1999 to 2002 and served as chairman of the Grants Committee and is a long-standing member of the Board of Directors for the West Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association. In 2002, Butler was named “Distinguished West Virginian” by Governor Bob Wise for his work in tourism.

Financial workshop at Edward Jones

Edward Jones Financial Advisor Kimberly Wells of Marietta will host a financial workshop, “Your Source for Financial Education.” The four-week workshop will assist individuals in setting financial and investment goals.

The classes will provide an indepth look at the many different types of investments available to and suitable for investors who are working or retired.

The workshops will begin March 8 and continue through March 29. Classes will meet once a week from 5:30 p.m. and will be held at 115 South Third St., Marietta.

For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Courteney McCloskey at 740-374-2196.

Peoples declares quarterly dividend

The board of directors of Peoples Bancorp Inc. (Peoples) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per common share on Jan. 28, 2016, payable on Feb. 24, 2016 to shareholders of record on Feb. 9, 2016.

This dividend represents a payout of approximately $2.7 million, or 106 percent of Peoples’ reported fourth quarter 2015 earnings. Based on the closing stock price of Peoples’ common shares of $17.36 on Jan. 28, 2016, the quarterly dividend produces an annualized yield of 3.46 percent.

Peoples’ 4Q, full year earnings for 2015

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (Peoples) recently announced results for the quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2015. Net income totaled $2.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, representing earnings per diluted common share of $0.14. In comparison, earnings per diluted common share were $0.22 and $0.28 for the third quarter of 2015 and fourth quarter of 2014, respectively. For the year, net income was $10.9 million in 2015 versus $16.7 million in 2014, representing earnings per diluted common share of $0.61 and $1.35, respectively.

From local reports