Faces&Places

November 2005

Electrolux has changed its name to Aerus/Electrolux. Leonard Cotnoir, the owner of L. Noir Vacuum Enterprise Inc. d/b/a Aerus/Electrolux, announced the name change. He also announced the appointment of William Van Duyn as branch manager at the company’s South Burlington store in the Blue Mall at 150 Dorset St. Van Duyn has been with the company since 1996.

Alec Webb, president of Shelburne Farms, announced the appointment of Rosalyn Graham as director of community relations. Graham has had a long relationship with Shelburne Farms, handling public relations from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s, and for the last 14 years, producing the organization’s newsletter. Graham is an owner and former publisher of the Shelburne News and, for the last two and a half years, was editor of the Burlington Vermont Times. She continues to write freelance articles for Business People-Vermont.

Diane Ravenscroft, CEO and founder of Workplace Mastery Inc., announced the hiring of Christopher Brown as director of marketing. Brown has a background in hospitality, including manager-on-duty at The Inn at Essex.

Bariatrics Unlimited LLC announced the launching of its Web site, www.bariatricsontheweb.com. It features the company’s list of vendors with links to its Web sites and recent and past issues of the company’s newsletter. More features are planned.

Katherine Connors has joined Hampton Direct, an importing and distribution firm in Williston, as product development and marketing coordinator. She was with Yankee magazine.

Ken Wade, a longtime professor at Champlain College, was taught on Champlain’s satellite campus in Mumbai, India, this summer.

Sentinel Advisors Co. announced that Daniel E. Gass Jr., CFA, has assumed management responsibilities for the Sentinel High Yield Bond Fund. Before joining National Life/Sentinel in 1999, Gass was with the UNUM Corp. The company announced that Andrew Ebersole was named vice president and senior high yield analyst. Ebersole was with KDP Investment Advisors. Sentinel Administrative Services Co. hired John Birch as chief operating officer. Birch was head of transfer agency for State Street Bank’s Luxembourg office.

Saffire Mortgage Inc. in South Burlington hired Andi Virtanen to work as mortgage loan processor and marketing assistant. She was at Full Stride Hockey.

Ellen Gallagher Kane joined the Committee on Temporary Shelter as development director. She comes from Chicago, where she served in the Teachers for Chicago inner-city education program.

Vermont Teddy Bear Co. announced several additions to its staff. Andrew Franke is a graphic designer; Alvin Gover is a skilled maintenance worker in the facilities department; Stacy Haines is an inventory data processor; Jay Keller is a print stylist in product development; Bill Cronin is senior software engineer in the IT department; Sarah Badger is public relations associate; Darlene Eichen is on the Shelburne production team; Leatha Boulanger is on the Newport production team; Jon Shenton is assistant art director.

SoVerNet announced two additions to its business field sales team. Jay Bellows was an account manager at Knowledge Wave Training in South Burlington. Don Williams was director of technology-based solutions at a Texas firm.

The Vermont Historical Society in Montpelier and Barre has hired Kate Paine as director of marketing and community relations. She was with National Life and owns Mansfield Media Partners in Montpelier. Jay Graham was hired as facilities manager. He owned a landscape construction company in Massachusetts and worked at Vermont College and Norwich University. Suzanne Briggs will serve as the Museum Store assistant at the Pavilion. Her background is in retail sales and public relations.

Dr. Melinda Micheletto has joined the faculty of St. Michael’s College as assistant professor of business administration. She was a lecturer last year in the business school at the University of Vermont. Dr. Tim Whiteford has joined the college’s education department as an associate professor. He will teach math methods courses. Dr. Michael J. Bosia, a lecturer last year at the college, was named assistant professor of political science. Dr. Anthony Richardson was appointed assistant professor of psychology; Burlington resident Dr. Brian G. Kyte was named assistant professor of biochemistry and will teach organic chemistry in the fall and spring. Joining the faculty as assistant professor of psychology is Dr. Ari Phillip Kirshenbaum, a postdoctoral researcher at UVM from 2002 to 2004. Dr. Kristin E. Juel, a French literature medievalist from Indiana University, was named assistant professor of modern languages. Dr. Alicia S. Jaramillo has joined the faculty as assistant professor of philosophy.

Gallagher, Flynn & Co. announced that Mark Renkert has joined the company as an adviser in executive search for the human resource consulting practice. He was a senior-management recruiter in Boston and New York. Richard Warner was hired as a business valuation/litigation support specialist. The Certified Valuation Analyst was managing director of his own practice in Chicago.

Johnson State College named Elizabeth A. Smith registrar. Smith was assistant dean of academic services at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Ill.

Bill Drew was named partner at Kelliher Samets Volk. Drew joined the marketing group in 1997 as a copywriter and was promoted to creative director in 2002.

SE Group announced the opening of an office in Truckee, Calif. The firm provides environmental and site planning and landscape architecture services to resort and land developers around the world. The Burlington office will continue to seek opportunities in the East. Mark Kane leads the office, and Mark Hamelin is director of design for the land-planning practice.

Jamie Johnson Fitzgerald joined the intellectual property practice group at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC. She will practice in the firm’s Burlington office. Fitzgerald was a partner in a Connecticut firm.

Rob Michalak, longtime host of local productions on Vermont Public Television, has joined the VPT staff full time as production manager, responsible for the statewide network’s local productions. He has co-owned an independent production company for the last six years; before that, he was PR czar for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc.

Laura Allen, D.O., joined Barre Internal Medicine. The Michigan native was a part-time physician for Michigan Hospitalist Inc. before coming to Vermont.

NRG Systems Inc. in Hinesburg has added four members to its team. Sheila Dodd is assistant controller. She was accounting manager at Fletcher Allen Health Care. Kevin Francis was named supply chain manager. He was with Competitive Computing. Thomas Lattanzio joined the accounting team at the company. Emeric Rochford is an electronics technician. He was with Wilcox & Barton environmental services firm in Moretown.

Jager Di Paola Kemp Design announced the following appointments to its staff. Tessa Vande Griek was named print production manager. She was print specialist/customer service representative at Villanti & Sons Printing in Milton. Roberta Horrocks is a project manager. She was a receptionist at Bruegger’s Enterprises in Burlington. Mike Carter, a designer, is a recent graduate of Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Alberta.

Rachel Johnson, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Science at the University of Vermont, announced the promotion of Thomas McFadden, an expert in genomics, lactation and mammary physiology, to chairman of the animal science department. McFadden, an associate professor, had been interim chairman since May.

Tom Martello was promoted to quality manager at VEMAS Corp. in Middlebury. Loan Mayer was hired as engineering manager. The company specializes in electronic contract manufacturing.

Michael Wojcik, the owner of Close to Home, a provider of bath and kitchen fixtures, door and builders’ hardware and cabinet knobs, announced the shop’s move from its Shelburne village location to 1364 Marshall Ave. in Williston, the former home of Best Tile. The phone number is 861-3200. www.closetohomevt.com.

Jo Ann T. Beanland has joined Citizens Bank N.A. as a member of its commercial banking group in Rutland. Beanland is assistant vice president and works with businesses in the greater Rutland area. She has 20 years’ experience with banks in Vermont.

TD Banknorth announced the following staff changes and additions. Diane M. Smith was promoted to vice president, Vermont/New York regional sales manager. Smith is in the St. Albans office. Robert F. Landry was named vice president and senior portfolio manager of TD Banknorth Wealth Management Group in Woodstock. Landry was with an insurance company in Rhode Island. Mark J. Sturgeon has joined the TD Banknorth Mortgage Group as a mortgage loan officer. He is based in St. Albans. Scott Nichols was hired as a small business lender. He was with Citizens Bank in Essex Junction and Winooski. Daniel Bellmore was appointed business development and sales manager for Woodstock and Quechee. He has been with the bank since 2000. Jane Doherty was named community relations specialist. Based in Burlington, she provides statewide services in public relations, special events, employee volunteerism, and coordinates charitable foundation programs.