Applause column for June 1

APPOINTMENT
Potter heads board of directors
Hardin County Commissioner Gerald Potter has been unanimously elected president of the board of directors of the County Employee Benefit Consortium of Ohio. Potter has been involved with this county health benefit pool since its inception, and has served as secretary and vice president in the past. The benefits consortium, begun in 2004 by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, now has 18 counties as part of its 8,800 employee members, and almost 24,000 family members.

PROMOTIONS
Nagel named program head
Cindy Nagel, a clinical educator, has been named Trauma Services Program manager for St. Rita's Medical Center. In her new position, Nagel ensures the delivery of comprehensive trauma care by focusing on the achievement of outcomes within effective time frames and with appropriate use of resources.
According to a news release, this involvement begins with pre-hospital care and extends through to reintegration into society. This is accomplished through close contact with all aspects of care including personnel, procedures and equipment.

Recker has new role at St. Rita's
Robb Recker has been named clinical practice director of the Emergency Department at St. Rita's Medical Center. In his new role he will be responsible for managing the overall clinical operations and clinical practices occurring within the department.
Recker's previous position was education coordinator for the Emergency Department, where he was involved in directing the education and process improvement systems.

NEW HIRES
Mazzarelli joins Rhodes State
Rhodes State College recently hired Judi Mazzarelli as director of Career Services. Mazzarelli, a Lima native, brings with her vast experience in the field.
She most recently served for nine years as director of Career Development & Alumni Relations at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., where she oversaw a program that served more than 5,000 graduates per year and had a 98 percent job placement rate. Prior to that, she was director of Career Planning at Nasson Institute in Pawtucket, R.I. for six years.

Klopfenstein to head center
Dr. Tim Klopfenstein, of Wapakoneta, was recently hired as Rhodes State's director of the Advanced Materials Commercialization Center.
Klopfenstein joins the college after a successful and distinguished 19-year career at MetoKote Corp. He has a strong background in industrial coating systems and has brokered successful commercial ventures in the United States and abroad. Klopfenstein's office will be located at the AMCC, which is at American Trim's Grand Avenue facility.

AWARDS
Harriman earns special award
Mount Vernon Nazarene University has awarded Jim Harriman the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2007-2008. Harriman is a professor of accounting and finance at the local campus, and he also teaches at the Marion, Polaris, and Sharonville campuses. His concentration is in the adult and graduate studies business division. For this award, students nominate faculty, and a committee then selects the recipient.

Kroeger cited by State Farm
Lori C. Kroeger has received the Legion of Honor and Bronze Tablet awards from State Farm. According to a news release, the awards are given to those insurance agents who align their agencies with the long-term growth of all State Farm product lines. Kroeger has been a State Farm agent for nine years, with an office in Lima.

Crow named ‘New Professional'
Apollo Adult Education's Amy Crow has been recognized by the Ohio Association of Customized Training Specialists as this year's "New Professional."
The organization is comprised of training specialists from across the state of Ohio. Each year the award goes to a group member who considers training for business and industry an important part of their job.
Crow, current OACTS president, is the customized office skills training manager at Apollo. She lives in Wapakoneta.

College honors its employees
Rhodes State College employees were honored during its annual Employee Recognition Banquet in May. Among those honored were these long-time employees: Terri Metzger, of Ottoville; Stephen Reese, of Ada; Dennis Spragg, of Lima, and Nancy Wyche, of Ada, all with 25 years of service; and Brad Bibler, of Lima; Jenny Roy, of Lima, and Kenneth Clemens, of Lima, with 30 years of service.
Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award went to Sean Lause, of Bluffton, while Jenny Meyer of Anna received the Outstanding Support Staff Award Teresa Iiames, of Lima, earned the Professional/Administrative Leadership Award.

CERTIFICATION
Vein Care Center gets accreditation
Vein Care Center/Progressive Vein Care, located at The Medical Park in Lima, has been accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL).
The local center is one of a select number of vascular laboratories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to meet or exceed the standards of the ICAVL for noninvasive vascular testing. Founded in 2004 by Dr. Praveen K. Malhotra, the center has offices in Lima, Kenton, Bellefontaine, Celina and Findlay.

Doctor earns recertification
Dr. Todd E. Ignarski has received his Board Recertification in Family Medicine from the Ohio Board of Family Medicine. His medical practice is at 750 W. High St. Suite 390, in Lima.

CONFERENCE
Allen attends planning seminar
Theresa Allen, trustee for Blanchard Township in Hancock County and chairman of the Blanchard Township Protectors of Everyone's American Rural Life Style, (PEARLS), has attended the third of a four-part training session on comprehensive planning.
The training, sponsored by the Ohio Townships Association, was held at the group's state offices in Blacklick. The session focused on writing, updating, and using comprehensive plans in conjunction with zoning and economic development.

Haselman goes to financial forum
Stanley Haselman of Ottawa, a representative of Modern Woodmen of America, has completed a five-day educational program at Modern Woodmen's home office in Rock Island, Ill. The program focused on comprehensive financial services for families and small businesses. Participants also studied the impact of social security benefits and inflation on a client's financial plan. They also learned the products and processes necessary to incorporate mutual funds and variable products when evaluating financial needs.

Bowersock takes special training
Seth Bowersock, a caseworker for Allen County Children Services, recently attended a week-long forensic interview training session at The Childhood Trust, a joint effort of Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University of Cincinnati. The program educates professionals who interview children about suspected child abuse and family violence.
Bowersock is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, and has worked for more than two years at Children's Services.

Garver completes sales seminar
Angie Garver of The Powell Company was recently awarded a certificate of achievement for having successfully completed a seminar for the sales professional, conducted in Maumee by the Spartan Chemical Co. The Powell Company is an authorized distributor of Spartan's line of specialty maintenance products.

OTHER
H.A. Dorsten awarded local contracts
H.A. Dorsten, general contractor from Minster, has been awarded contracts for construction projects around Ohio. All will be completed in 2008 or 2009.
Among the projects are The Children's Medical Center of Dayton office building in Vandalia; a 54,000-square-foot addition to The Heart Institute of North West Ohio in Lima; a 12-patient room addition to Hawthorn Glen Skilled Nursing Facility in Monroe; a 23,000-square-foot addition to Celina Medical Center; a 12-patient room addition to Greenbriar Skilled Nursing Facility in Eaton; and an 11,000 square-foot addition for a skilled nursing facility in Springfield.

ELSEWHERE
Faulkner named top teacher
Shawn Faulkner has been awarded the 2008 Teacher of the Year Award by the Campbell County (Kentucky) Rotary Club. The honor is based on excellence in teaching and service to the community.
Faulkner is the son of Don and Heidi Faulkner of Lima, and is currently serving as an assistant professor of middle grades education at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Ky. Prior to working there, Faulkner taught six years for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and 10 years at Temple Christian School in Lima.

Boraten claims special award
Bernard Boraten has been selected a winner of the 2008 Public Administrator of the Year by the Greater Cincinnati chapter of the American Society of Public Administration. He is village manager at Amberley, where he has worked for 30 years.
The award is presented to someone who has achieved excellence and demonstrated commitment to the ethics and standards of the profession of public service in his career as well as through active participation and leadership in professional and service organizations.
He is the son of Henry and Vera Boraten of Lima, and is a graduate of Bath High School.

How to submit
Applause items
The Applause section celebrates accomplishments of businesses and business people in the Lima region. This includes promotions, special training, awards and other achievements. As space permits, we will also report a significant business anniversary. In this case, please provide the day of opening, key changes in location, ownership and function. Any business or business organization is welcome to submit an item for Applause. To submit an item, send to:
Newsroom/Applause
The Lima News
3515 Elida Road
Lima, OH 45807
Items may also be e-mailed to info@limanews.com. Please include the word "Applause" in the subject line. All items must include the phone number of the person submitting the item.