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Business Milestones
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Published: November 22, 2009
Updated: 11/21/2009 07:50 pm
■ Samet Corp., based in Greensboro, has made several changes in its executive leadership team. Rick Davenport has been promoted to president of Samet's Construction Division, replacing Ron Rothrock, as part of the company's succession plan. Davenport will be responsible for all facets of Samet's core construction business. He was the vice president of client services.
Samet officials said that Rothrock, who has been with the company 27 years, plans to retire in two years. Rothrock moves to the new position of executive vice president of business development. His responsibilities include identifying new opportunities and fostering Samet's relationships with clients and business partners.
■ The Medical Warehouse & Service Center recently hired Eddie Nelson as a business territory manager, based in its corporate office in Kernersville. Nelson will establish and manage customer and commercial sales, service and rental accounts throughout the Triad. He previously spent 15 years in the tire and rubber industry in Winston-Salem.
■ VanWal Pest Elimination Services based in Kernersville said that April Pope has joined the company as a commercial sales representative for the Forsyth County area.
Andrew Martin has joined VanWal Pest Elimination Services' service team. Also, the company has hired Theresa Taylor as a commercial sales rep for the Guilford County region and Ruth and Frank Ianessi as sales representatives for the Raleigh/Durham regions.
■ Sofitalia, the new leather upholstery division of Samson/Lacquercraft, said that Peter Halunen has been appointed to the position of vice president of sales and operations for the United States and Canada. Halunen will be responsible for all sales and marketing of Sofitalia. He most recently held the position of vice president sales and marketing for the eastern United States for Natuzzi.
■ Dr. Jens Eichhorn, a cardiologist, recently joined the staff of The Southeastern Heart And Vascular Center. He completed clinical and research fellowships in cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University Medical Center and his residency in internal medicine at Tulane University Health Science Center. The Southeastern Heart And Vascular Center has offices in Greensboro, Reidsville and Burlington.
■ The N.C. chapter of the American Institute of Architects recently gave a Merit Award to the Historic 1900 Hamlet Passenger Depot in Hamlet. The award was presented to David E. Gall, an architect P.A. of Winston-Salem, the city of Hamlet and Sedberry Construction Inc.
■ Mary Martin Niepold has been named a 2009 Purpose Prize Fellow, an honor for social entrepreneurs more than 60 years old who are using their experience and passion to take on society's biggest challenges. Niepold, the founder of the Nyanya Project based in Winston-Salem, was named a fellow for her work training skills to African grandmothers caring for their grandchildren orphaned by AIDS. The Nyanya Project, started in 2007, has programs in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to assist nyanyas (Swahili for grandmother), who live on less than $1 a day with no government assistance. Niepold also is a freelance writer whose work appears occasionally in the Winston-Salem Journal.
■ John Pinnix has been awarded his certified public accountant accreditation by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a staff accountant at the public-accounting firm of Breslow Starling in Greensboro.
■ Leonard R. Robinett Jr. of Lewisville was recently honored at the Great Clips Inc. National Convention in Minneapolis as Franchisee of the Year for the entire organization. Robinett has 15 franchises in North Carolina and Virginia, four of which are in Forsyth County and three in Guilford County. He is also a minority partner in three other Great Clips in the Roanoke, Va., area. He bought his first Great Clips Franchise in 1996.
■ Donald C. McMillan of Lewisville, a member of the American Academy of Chefs, has earned the certified executive chef designation from the American Culinary Federation Inc. McMillan is the chef instructor at The Stocked Pot Cooking School in Winston Salem. Candidates for ACF certification must have a high level of work and educational experience, and pass both a written and practical examination. Also, they must complete coursework in food safety, nutrition and supervisory management.
■ Fitch Ratings recently affirmed the 'A-' rating on the $18 million N.C. Medical Care Commission's (Arbor Acres United Methodist Retirement Community) series 2007 bonds. The rating outlook is stable.
Fitch Ratings said that the rating is supported by Arbor Acres' excellent debt service coverage over the past four years, consistently high occupancy, sound liquidity relative to expenses, and solid service-area characteristics. Arbor Acres is a type C continuing-care retirement community in Winston-Salem.
■ CFRE International has named Suzanne Rodgers as a certified fundraising executive. Rodgers works for the Northwest North Carolina chapter of the American Red Cross.
■ Stearns Financial Services Group has been chosen by Goldline Research as one of the leading wealth managers of the Southeast United States for 2009. This is the second consecutive year that Stearns Financial was chosen for the honor.
■ Three MBA students from Winston-Salem State University recently took third place in the 2009 National Student Case Competition held as part of the National Black MBA Association's annual convention in New Orleans. The WSSU team won $8,000 in scholarship money. Students on the team were Nathan Thompson, an assistant controller at WSSU; Willie Hunt, a portfolio review manager at BB&T Corp.; and Miranda Dalton, a manager of enrollment and family services for Rockingham County Head Start.
■ The American Heart Association said that eight companies in the Triad recently achieved national Start! Fit-Friendly recognition for promoting physical activity and health in the workplace. Gold level Start! Fit-Friendly Company recognitions went to Cook Medical, Princess House, Salemtowne Retirement Community, Forsyth Medical Center, United Healthcare, VF Corp. and Elon University. Start! Fit-Friendly Companies reach gold-level status by having activities and programs to encourage physical activity, nutrition and culture enhancements, such as on-site walking routes, healthful food choices in cafeterias and vending machines, and annual employee health-risk assessments.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center received platinum-level recognition, the highest tier. Companies that achieve platinum recognition take the program further by measuring the outcomes of their wellness efforts.
■ The 39th Annual Creativity Awards named Thompson Creative in Greensboro as the platinum winner for a poster created for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's 2009 Corporate Walk. The platinum award is given to the best of each category. In addition, Thompson took home a gold award for a poster created for Big Wheel Productions, and a silver award for collateral material produced for Häfele America.
■ David C. Lehman has been named the Triad APICSA Chapter Member of the Year for 2008-09. He has been a volunteer and a longtime member of The Association for Operations Management. He has held various positions on the local chapter's board of directors'
If you have an announcement for this column, send it to the Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102, or e-mail to business@wsjournal.com. Please include a spokesman's name and contact number. Announcements must be received by noon the Wednesday before publication.
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