Heartwell elected to Cities Initiative post
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell was elected chairman of the board to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative for 2009-2010. The Cities Initiative is a membership organization of 64 U.S. and Canadian cities with interest in the Great Lakes. The election was held at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative in Trois Rivieres, Quebec. “This is an engaged group of mayors from the eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec,” Heartwell said. “Together, working with our governors and provincial leaders, we are making a difference in the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence basin.” The Cities Initiative addresses issues such as invasive species, water quality, beach and shoreline contamination and watershed sustainability. Heartwell represented the Cities Initiative in 2008 at the senate hearings on the Great Lakes Compact prior to that legislation being enacted into law.
ACCOUNTING
Rehmann Financial is pleased to welcome Michael A. Poland to its Muskegon office. Poland joins the firm as a chartered financial analyst practitioner and is a portfolio manager and financial adviser.
ARCHITECTURE
DTS + Winklemann Architects announced that Tad Bultema, project manager, and Lauren Bradley, interior designer, have been certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professionals through the U.S. Green Building Council. Bradley also recently passed the National Council for Interior Design qualification examination and has earned the NCIDQ certificate.
ASSOCIATIONS
Lisa Ann Prasher of Triangle Associates Inc. was appointed to the YWCA of Kalamazoo board of directors for a three-year term. As part of her new board commitment, she will also serve on the organization’s investment committee.
AWARDS
Amway President Doug DeVos has been given the Circle of Honor award from the Direct Selling Education Foundation. DeVos received the award at a banquet in Washington, D.C.
Holland Home received the highest honor for two categories in the 18th annual National Mature Media Awards Program: a Silver Award under the TV Advertisement division for “A Different Place – Breton Woods,” and a Merit Award for the integrated counterpart under the Radio Advertisement division. WestEdge Media was involved in production and editing for both ads.
Dr. William F. Polik, the Edward and Elizabeth Hofma professor of chemistry at Hope College, has received the 2009 James Flack Norris Award for outstanding achievement in the teaching of chemistry from the northeastern section of the American Chemical Society.
Calvin College director of foundation relations Lois Konyndyk was awarded the 2009 William Spoelhof Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes a staff member who best exemplifies the qualities of dedication, service and performance.
John J. Bursch and Gaetan E. Gerville-Reache, attorneys with Warner Norcross & Judd, received the 2009 Distinguished Brief Award from the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review. Bursch is a partner at the firm and chair of its Appellate Practice Group; Gerville-Reache is an associate in that group.
Paneral | BANKING AND FINANCE
Barbara B. Paneral has joined Legacy Trust as director of marketing and sales. Paneral brings 25 years of sales, marketing and management experience in banking and brokerage services to her new role, and will coordinate all sales and marketing activities in the Grand Rapids and Holland offices.
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
Barnes-Wolgast Construction Services announced the launch of its new Web site, www.barneswolgast.com. Barnes-Wolgast is a provider of professional construction services.
Allendorf |
Amy Allendorf is the newest addition to Skanska’s Kalamazoo office. Allendorf, marketing coordinator, is a graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee.
B&B Mechanical Services LLC announced it has hired Scott M. Bultman as its new director of business development. He brings more than two decades of commercial and industrial mechanical contracting experience.
BUSINESS SERVICES
EmploymentGroup announced it has named Ti Elzinga as sales account manager for the greater Kalamazoo area. Elzinga will develop and maintain long-term business relationships with EmploymentGroup’s current and prospective clients.
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the appointment of several people to the leadership and management team of Administrator Karen G. Mills, including Nicholas Coutsos, deputy associate administrator for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. Previously, Coutsos worked as an attorney in the practice group of Miller Johnson in Grand Rapids.
Krommendyk |
EDUCATION
Grand Rapids Christian Schools has announced the appointment of Mark Krommendyk as principal of the new Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School.
Davenport University has appointed a new dean of its school of technology. Michael Clancy has been a leading strategist in the technology sector for many years, with wide experience setting technology direction for companies such as Hewlett Packard, AT&T and Bell Laboratories.
ENGINEERING
Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber Inc. announced Mark Zoeteman has earned a high-performance building design professional certification from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Williams & Works announced that Project Manager James Rozema has earned LEED Accredited Professional certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Achtyes |
HEALTH
Eric Achtyes, staff psychiatrist at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, is leading research on schizophrenia patients in several studies being conducted at Touchstone Innovare in collaboration with Pine Rest, Massachusetts General Hospital, network 180, Michigan State University and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Achtyes is a clinical assistant professor at the MSU College of Human Medicine.
Metro Health announced the opening of its 12th neighborhood outpatient center. The new facility is located at 11160 W.J. Presley Parkway in Allendale. Also, Metro Health Hospital has named Janice DeVries its 2009 Nurse Exemplar.
Brintnall |
Feenstra |
Hoffman |
Maurer |
Oostebdorp |
Mann | Six physicians have been honored for their contributions to Spectrum Health: Bruce B. Brintnall, M.D., internal medicine; Laurence H. Feenstra, M.D., internal medicine; Gwendolyn L. Hoffman, M.D., emergency medicine; John R. Maurer, M.D., internal medicine; and Anne F. Oostendorp, M.D., radiology. Pathologist Joseph D. Mann, M.D., was presented with the Emeritus Lifetime Achievement Award.
HOSPITALITY
The owners of Butternut Event Centre in Holland announced the expansion of the facility to double its size. Norton Shores-based Above & Beyond Banquets, Catering and Events has been hired to market and operate the facility.
LANDSCAPING
Kelly Gaines of the TruGreen Grand Rapids branch was among outstanding TruGreen managers from across the country honored with the company’s Eagle Award of Excellence.
Nathan Arnold has opened West Michigan Clean Air Lawn Care, a carbon-neutral business that uses electric equipment powered through renewable energy and offers an organic fertilization program. The business can be reached at (616) 328-5716. Clean Air Lawn Care is a franchise based in Fort Collins, Colo.
LEGAL
Mary W. Manguse, a paralegal at Varnum, has been certified by the Internal Revenue Service as an Enrolled Retirement Plan Agent. She is the first professional in Michigan to become certified.
Dawn G. Ward, senior counsel with Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, has been named to the board of directors for Holland Hospital. Ward, who practices in the firm’s Holland office, will serve a three-year term on the board.
Sammons |
Warner | MARKETING
Hanon McKendry has filled two new positions. The firm has appointed Suzy Sammons to the position of director of account services and has hired Rebecca Warner as account coordinator.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Ward Walters, P.E., has been selected for the position of civil engineering manager for the Kent Country Department of Aeronautics. Walters has over 35 years of design and construction management experience on projects in the U.S. and abroad.
J. Wagner Wheeler has been selected by the Kent County Board of Commissioners to be honored for his achievements and advocacy for the Native American community in West Michigan with a self-portrait that is displayed at the new Human Services Building.
REAL ESTATE
CB Richard Ellis has been named the world’s fastest-growing retail property manager by Chain Store Age. The publication reported that CBRE added 18.7 million square feet of new global retail property management assignments in 2008. CBRE|Grand Rapids is an affiliate office serving West Michigan.
Eastbrook Homes has announced the acquisition of Cobblestone Corners and its merger with the adjacent Cooks Crossing community in Gaines Township.
Michigan Association of Real Estate Appraisers, in conjunction with Northern Michigan University, announced that Holland appraiser Thomas Richmond has achieved Business Valuation Expert designation.
Grubb & Ellis|Paramount Commerce announced that Nicholas Hamadanchi joined the firm’s property management group as assistant property manager.
TECHNOLOGY
New Horizons Computer Learning Centers announced it is the recipient of a Cisco Partner Summit theater award for Learning Partner of the Year.
Casey DeSmet joins Fusionary Media, a local Web design and development company, as a communications and user experience specialist. DeSmet will work to enhance Fusionary’s client communications and user experience program. |