kudos

Michele Harrison, vice president of sales for Gates McVey Capital Group, has been appointed president of the Collier Building Industry Association for 2007.

The Golf Club at Fiddler's Creek has been recognized by Golfweek magazine as one of America's 100 best residential golf courses in the annual special issue America's Best Residential Golf Courses-The Definitive Guide to Luxury Golf Course Living 2007.

The Chamber of Southwest Florida has named Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson and Partners, the eighth recipient of the Business Building Leadership Award.

Dr. Hussein Wafapoor of Retina

Health Center has received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, recognizing ophthalmologists who have contributed to their profession by educating others and serving in leadership roles.

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples has been ranked 15th in Golf Digest's list of the "75 Best Golf Resorts in North America."

The Society of Environmental Journalists has recognized WGCU Public Media's radio and television reporters for coverage of local environmental issues. TV producer Alexa Elliott earned third place for Outstanding Television Reporting in a Small Market for Delicate Blooms: South Florida's Native Orchids; Dale Willman, narrator of Delicate Blooms: South Florida's Native Orchids, received the Stolberg Meritorious Service Award for his volunteer services; FM station and news manager Amy Tardif earned an honorable mention for Outstanding Radio Reporting in a Small Market for her radio interview with Dr. Eugenie Clark. And two local arts documentaries produced by WGCU-TV have been nominated for the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences regional Emmy Award nominations. Those are: the Arts Edition Primetime episode Jonathan Green: Off the Wall and Onto the Stage and flautist Kat Epple's score for King Tut.

The Immokalee Friendship House's officers and board members for 2007 are Chuck Schroeder, president; Andy Bravo, vice president; Bill Fennessy, treasurer; and Cheryl Agin, James Howard, Mac McCormack, Dr. Daysi Mejia, Daphne Pfaff and Jackie Stephens. Immediate past president is Chris Facka.

David Michie of Hatteras Yachts was presented an award for outstanding sales of three new 2006 Hatteras models. Hatteras produces only 60 yachts annually for sale worldwide.

The Physician Led Access Network (PLAN) of Collier County honored its Shining Star Award recipients for 2006. Recipients are Anchor Health Centers, the Magellan Award, for healthcare provider serving as a community role model; Dr. Michael McPhee of Medical Surgical Specialists, the Polaris Award, for a physician who has been a community role model; Dr. William Lascheid of Neighborhood Health Clinic, the Cosmos Award, for a physician who has delivered quality healthcare to the underserved through private practice as well as community healthcare; and Richard Akin of Collier Health Services, the Galaxy Award, for a leader demonstrating creativity in effectively meeting needs of underserved communities.

The United Arts Council of Collier County has elected Tom Ray as its president for the new year. Other new council officers are Merlin Lickhalter, president-elect; Matthew Kragh, vice president; Tom Bringardner, treasurer; and Jody Rosenbaum, secretary.

The Children's Hospital has been named as one of 11 new partners in the Kohl's Cares for Kids Program.

Lee A. Spielman has joined the David Lawrence Center board of directors and the Clinical and Administrative Practices Committee.

For the third year, Sanibel Island has been named among "the best in the world" in Condé Nast Traveler magazine's 2006 Readers' Choice Awards.

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company has made it possible for a Florida Gulf Coast University student to receive a First Generation Scholarship to cover a full year's tuition.

Daniel F. Luft, executive vice president of Compass Construction Inc. in Cape Coral has been appointed

to the Horizon Council as a representative of the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association.

Lauren E. Smith of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples has been elected president of the Public Relations Society of America Gulf Coast Chapter.

Beasley Broadcast Group of Naples is celebrating its 45th anniversary in business.

The Real Estate Investment Society Scholarship Foundation has awarded its first two scholarships to Jason Fredette and Adam Zak of Florida Gulf Coast University.

Quarles & Brady's Fred Garner, Kimberly Leach Johnson and Brad Rigor has each been awarded the Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager Award 2007.

The Christian Chamber of Southwest Florida presented its first Golden Halo Award to Debra R. Cully, a fourth-grade teacher at Naples Christian Academy.

Louis Mancini, a general superintendent with Sunshine Structures Inc., has received a certificate of appreciation from the School Board of Charlotte County for assisting in the Hurricane Charley clean-up efforts.

Jeanne L. Seewald has been honored as the 2006 Woman Lawyer of the Year and Gerri Moll has been honored as the 2006 Distinguished Executive by the Collier County Women's Bar Association.

Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.'s project manager Tom Misotti has been designated a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-accredited professional by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Mercedes Homes Charity Golf Tournament to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida raised $8,500 to build more rooms for the local House.

The Bonita Bay Group has donated $400,000 through the Community Contribution Tax Credit Program to Habitat for Humanity.

The Consumer Research Council of America has announced that Brant Keller, president of Wealth Management, Tax & Insurance Services of Financial Advisory Consultants of Naples, has been honored by the council as one of America's Best Financial Planners for 2006.

Tim Moore Painting Co. of Naples has donated $12,000 worth of paint to the Vince Smith Center of Southwest Florida Addiction Services.

The Uncommon Friends Foundation has given an Honorary Lifetime Member Award to John Biffar, president of Dreamtime Entertainment.

The Young Professionals of Naples has donated $5,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Florida.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Florida also has received a $25,000 grant to identify, recruit and engage baby boomers in service to children and their families impacted by the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Lee County commissioner Bob Janes has been named chairman of the Tourist Development Council.

Florida Gulf Coast University professor of environmental education and director for the Center of Environmental and Sustainability Education Peter Blaze Corcoran has been appointed to advisory positions with the Earth Charter International Council and the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development initiative.

Gary Atkinson, an associate of

Re/Max Realty Group in Fort Myers, has received the Realtor of the Year award from the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach Inc.

NOISE Inc. branding communications agency in Sanibel has been awarded three awards from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International's 50th annual Adrian Awards competition, including a gold award in restaurant advertising for Old Captiva House at 'Tween Waters Inn, a silver award for leisure advertising campaign for 'Tween Waters Inn and a merit award for Web advertising for 'Tween Waters Inn.

Relay For Life of Naples raised $676,522 in 2006-making it the 11th-largest Relay event in the country out of over 4,600 last year-to go toward cancer research, education, advocacy and service.

The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends Magazine have named Bill Earls of John R. Wood Realtors among the nation's top real estate agents.

Employees at Charlotte Regional Medical Center raised $14,190 in a month-long fundraising campaign benefiting the United Way.

Dr. David C. Brown, medical director and founder of Eye Centers of Florida, has been awarded a Life Fellow distinction by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The honor is in recognition of his 35 consecutive years of active membership and devoted service.

U.S. Trust of Naples will be providing The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition to five classrooms in Collier County.

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida has announced Dilman Thomas of Oswald Trippe & Co. will chair the advisory board for the 2007 Lee County Business Leadership Hall of Fame, and Marcia Hobe of Bank of America will co-chair.

career moves

Paula McMichael, of Fort Myers development firm WilsonMiller, has earned certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida has added Nancy Finch and Gerry G. Harris as mortgage banking officers in Lee County.

Shara Nielsen has joined Community Engineering Services as a civil engineering intern in the Fort Myers office.

Attorney Laurence J. Smith has joined Thompson Family Law in Fort Myers.

Mercedes Homes has appointed Lisa Zielinski to the position of realtor liaison for the homebuilder's Southwest Florida division.

Lee Rose, communications manager for the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, has been elected to a three-year term on the Public Relations Society of America Travel and Tourism section board of directors.

Peter Pizzarello Jr. has joined Community Bank of Naples as a credit analyst, Joe Sakmar has joined as senior residential lender and Lee Ann Kirwin has been promoted to vice president, commercial loan sales manager of the commercial lending department.

Mary Ann Shea has been named banquet and events manager for The Club at Mediterra.

Gates D'Alessandro & Woodyard has added Alex Wright as a transaction specialist and Amber Strack has joined the company as a group administrative assistant.

Glory Homes has added Tom Dorman as construction manager for the Fort Myers-based construction firm.

Investors' Security Trust Company has established the Investors' Security Trust Executive Professorship at the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University, where Dr. David Jones will serve as executive professor.

Frank D. Harrison has joined the firm of Rust Christopher & Co. PA as a CPA and financial planner.

Thomas P. Clark, a Henderson Franklin law firm stockholder, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Florida Bar Health Law Certification Committee.

Bill Davis has retired as president of Northern Trust, Bonita Springs. His successor is Scott Alexander, managing executive of the company's Naples Fifth Avenue office. West McCann, vice president and portfolio manager, will be promoted to Alexander's former position.

John W. Steakley Jr. of Fort Myers has been designated an investment management specialist by Consulting Group, the managed money unit of Citigroup's Smith Barney division.

Life Works of Naples, a private behavioral healthcare practice affiliated with the David Lawrence Center, has added Alexis Hayden Spano as a licensed school psychologist and Heather Daley as a registered clinical social work intern providing individual and group therapy to adult women.

Christina S. Woods has joined the Naples law office of Roetzel & Andress as an associate in the business services group.

Sandra Arnold, public information coordinator for the communication and customer relations department of the Collier County government, has earned accreditation in public relations from the Universal Accreditation Board.

NOISE Branding Communications in Sanibel has named Milissa Sprecher to the role of CEO.

The Bonita Bay Group has appointed Paul Pass as village manager for the company's 5,200-acre community planned for development in Hendry County.

Jason Hunt, an ecologist with Passarella & Associates in Fort Myers, has been promoted to team leader.

Orion Bank in Naples has appointed Teresa Weyer as vice president, manager of treasury management. The bank has also appointed Indira Maharaj as vice president, branch manager for its office at 1905 Pine Ridge Road in Naples.

Michael R. McMahon has been promoted to general manager at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples.

Ian Butler of Stock Realty, Naples, has obtained the Accredited Buyers Representative official designation.

The Naples Art Association at the von Liebig Art Center has hired Bianca A. Wojcik as development director and Robert B. Martinkus as comptroller.

Lenor Mason, vice president of deposit operations at Edison National Bank, has successfully completed the Florida School of Banking's rigorous three-year program.

George W. Powell Jr., principal of Powell Law in Naples, has been accepted for membership in the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.

Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida has appointed Angela L. Corcoran as senior vice president, treasury management officer.

Hillcrest Bank Florida in Naples has appointed Diane C. Schramm as assistant vice president and commercial lender and Darby A. Moore as assistant vice president and loan operations manager.

Adam Rasiwala has been promoted to chief financial officer at DSD Homes Inc. in Lehigh Acres.

J. Bradley Guarino-Sanders has joined Re/Max Realty Group's Commercial Division in Fort Myers as a commercial specialist, and Emanuele DiMare has joined the Boback Commercial Group Team division of Re/Max.

VIP Commercial-TCN Worldwide in Fort Myers has added Robert Reynolds as the newest commercial real estate advisor. Jenn Resnick has been named as a marketing coordinator for the firm.

Daniel J. Ciesielski has joined The Bonita Bay Group as director of land development for the eastern region.

James L. Nulman of Fort Myers has been certified by the Florida State Supreme Court as a family mediator.

Wright Construction has named George "Andy" Powell vice president of the civil division, Keith Moyer as vice president of the building division, and Mitch Bueltel as chief financial officer.

Lee Memorial Hospital has appointed Nelayda Fonte as an assistant director of trauma and surgical critical care.

Kim Gilman, Gail I. Lopez, Dayara Perez, Norio Sevilla, Ruth Westcott and Amber White have joined Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast in Cape Coral.

John R. Wood Inc. Realtors has added Casey Hilton as the newest sales associate at its Old Naples office and Brenda Butterworth as the newest sales associate at its Bonita office.

Charlotte Regional Medical Center has added Dee McCarthy as chief nursing officer of the hospital.

McGarvey Custom Homes of Fort Myers has added Kathleen Varian to its staff as an estimating and purchasing manager.

Dr. Roland Werres has joined the division of cardiology at Medical Surgical Specialists, the multi-specialty group practice affiliated with Physicians Regional Medical Center in Naples.

business moves

Southwest Florida Addiction Services has opened the new Zonta Learning Center at 2516 Grand Ave., Fort Myers, to help women in recovery learn job skills to succeed in the workplace.

The Ratliff Group, an executive search firm, has opened offices at 5100 Tamiami Trail N. in Naples.

BrightStar Healthcare, a full-service home healthcare and staffing agency, has opened its newest location at the Bonita Executive Center at 8891 Brighton Lane in Bonita Springs.

Designer Accessories and Southern Showcase have merged to form one company under the Southern Showcase name. It will be located at 18070 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 12, in south Fort Myers.

Orion Bank has opened a full-service banking center at 2150 Goodlette Road N. in Naples and another at 2225 First St. in downtown Fort Myers.

As a result of a November fire, Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida has moved its billing and administrative offices to 13740 Cypress Terrace Circle, Fort Myers.

The Bonita Bay Group has launched Bonita Bay Group Realty, a full-service brokerage handling residential resales, rentals and new home sales in Bonita Bay Group communities as well as commercial property listings and sales throughout Southwest Florida.

Realty Partners Network, a full-service real estate company, has formed in Southwest Florida with offices at 17693 Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, 630 Tarpon Bay Road in Sanibel, and a main office at 219 Periwinkle Way in Sanibel.

The Naples Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that the Visitor and Information Center has been added to the list of stops along the Naples Trolley route.

The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau has been awarded accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, an international accreditation program developed by the Washington, D.C.-based Destination Marketing Association International.

Golf Mania Pro Shop is now open at the Miromar Outlets in Estero.

Mary Ann Ramsey has been selected by Virgin Galactic to become an accredited space agent in North America.

Florida Gulf Coast University's telephone system is now accessible, through the Florida Relay, for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind or speech impaired.

Europe-American Aviation has added a second Diamond DA42 Twin Star to its fleet.

Brian Dickerson has opened Dickerson Law Group, a litigation law firm with offices in Florida and Ohio, at 1415 Panther Lane, Naples.

Lee County Parks and Recreation has awarded J.L. Wallace Inc. a contract to build the maintenance building at the new Estero Community Park.

Foster's Grille will open a franchise in mid-2007 at the Lighthouse Plaza at 728 Pine Island Road in Cape Coral.

Associates in Architecture has been chosen to design the regional corporate headquarters for Colonial Bank, to be located at the southeast corner of I-75 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers.

Physicians Regional Medical Center and Collier Regional Medical Center have become one system under the umbrella name Physicians Regional Healthcare System.

Basik Development is constructing The Naples Big Cypress Market Place. It will be located four miles east of Collier Boulevard on U.S. 41.

Naples Christian Academy has earned accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) through its Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA).

Island House Gallery has moved to 1100 Sixth Ave. S., in Naples.

Builder developer Taylor Woodrow has opened its new headquarters at the Corkscrew Palms corporate complex in Estero.

SunTrust Bank has opened its Pebblebrooke office, a new branch in Naples, at 15225 Collier Blvd.

Submit items for editorial consideration by e-mail to jillt@gulfshorebusiness.com or by mail to Jill Tyrer, 9051 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 202, Naples, FL 34108 at least eight weeks in advance.