The Garner Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists for the third annual Summit Awards Honoring the Best in Business. The Summit Awards will be presented Sept. 27 at the Chamber's Annual Meeting and Banquet at the Grand Marquise Ballroom, with Triangle Business Journal's Cecily Durrett serving as emcee of the awards presentation. Following the initial nominations phase, judging was conducted by an out-of-state panel of business leaders. Nineteen finalists have been named for the seven awards. First Citizens Bank Exceptional Customer Service Award Alco Custom ...

Foundation for Second Chances (http://ffscinc.org) is hosting Casino Night, a "Boardwalk Empire" style event to raise funds and awareness for the youth it serves. Casino Night won't be a gamble, but an investment into the lives of today's at-risk youth. With many service-based nonprofits closing their doors, Foundation for Second Chances is on a mission to maintain its youth programs and to continue to invest in the lives of Los Angeles' underrepresented. Casino Night takes place on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at the 3100 Rooftop- 3100 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, ...

Medical alert provider Rescue Alert of California begins a movement today to make a difference in the lives of senior citizens. They will raise awareness about the important questions facing seniors and caregivers, through their "Tip Jar for Seniors". Medical alert provider Rescue Alert of California announces the launch of a new initiative today to start a social movement about answering senior questions while, at the same time, giving back to a deserving senior charity.The goal of the "Tip Jar for Seniors" is to connect seniors and caregivers ...

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme will host its Seventh Annual "Day for Kids" family event 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Martin V. Smith Youth Center, 1900 West 5th Street, Oxnard. The day celebrates children as the future of our society and encourages families to spend quality time together. There is no cost to attend. Last year, 2,500 people attended the Club's event, which engages the community, local businesses and service agencies as they host booths and provide resources for youth and their families. "Day for Kids" ...

Talk Fusion, a rapidly growing global video communication solution company, today announced that Founder & CEO Bob Reina donated $75,000 to Humane Society of Tampa Bay [HSTB] Executive Director Sherry Silk and The Albano Family to be used for naming the feral cat patio at the newly-opened Animal Health Center in honor of the late Wendy Albano. This spectacular surprise to the family members took place at the ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration September 6, 2012, in Tampa, Florida. Reina, a Humane Society board member and supporter, contributed $1 million ...

Occidental Vacation Club (OVC), a division of Occidental Hotels and Resorts (Madrid), is praising its Founders Club members as the backbone of its success. "We have special appreciation of our more than 1500 Founders Club Members," said Luis Namnum, President of Occidental Vacation Club. "These are the people who have trusted us to take care of their vacations for more than a decade. They keep coming back to the Caribbean to relax and enjoy that special easy-going hospitality OVC is known for. These are the members who tell their friends and family about ...

Wine Country Stores (www.winecountrystores.com), a successful liquor store chain in New Jersey, has become the exclusive vendor for Women of the Vine Wines. The stores have been stocking the wine for months, but have recently become the only liquor stores in New Jersey where it's available for purchase. Women of the Vine Wine was founded by Deborah Brenner, author of the book Women of the Vine, a Wine Spectator Magazine's Best New Book of the Year in 2007. The company, which is operated and run by women, partnered with Farm Aid in 2011, as well as receiving the Grower ...

Cooking with wine is almost as easy as drinking it thanks to a Waukesha, Wisconsin company called Wine Seasonings. The founder of Wine Seasonings came up with the idea of "just add wine" dips, marinades, soups, bread mixes and more. Wine Seasonings gift boxes ship nationwide from Wisconsinmade.com, an online gourmet food and gift store. "Wine seasonings are an appealing concept because they are easy to prepare yet sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party or a wine tasting," says Wisconsinmade.com owner Linda Remeschatis, "The dips and marinades ...

Today CDE Collision Damage Experts opens its newest location in Addison IL., in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. With operations in Illinois and Indiana, the Chicago-based Auto Body Repair Company continues to grow with its seventh location. Chuck Freiberg, president and CEO of CDE Collision Damage Experts, is very excited about their new facility in Addison. "With our increased focus on expansion, the opportunity to acquire the Addison facility was necessary footprint to continue our growth. This location moves us west of the city, expanding our overall market. ...

Hudson Management Services (HMS) announces it has named Dave Milonski as Managing Director of HMS Market Solutions. HMS Market Solutions focuses on customer satisfaction and other types of marketing research to assist HMS clients in improving the customer experience and growing market share. Milonski has been associated with Hudson Management Services since 2003 and has consulted with over 100 companies since 1981. He has successfully worked with business people at all levels from assembly line workers and clerks, to presidents and CEOs. Milonski's experience over ...

Sassy Scrubs, a manufacturer of custom made nursing uniforms scrubs and online retailer, based in the United States, reports a seven percent increase in their second quarter sales due to the design and release of their new Sweetheart Color Rave Scrub Tops. This unique scrub top design offers yet another variation to their custom made medical scrubs made just for women. Joining their Mock Wrap scrub top, this newest shirt offering presents specific feminine styling. "Our patrons have definitely responded to this style and choose pretty, flattering prints with coordinating ...

Escape Velocity Systems (EVS), a Boulder, Colorado based ERP software innovation group announced today that beta testing has begun for the new 500R2 system, developed for Sage 500 ERP software. "The 500R2 project is all about improving user experience with ERP software. A great experience with ERP requires screens to be as personal to the user and their needs as their smartphone. The experience I have on my smartphone is different than anyone else because of the apps I've downloaded. Now, organizations can create a personalized experience with their ERP from 500R2 ...

BRCA1/2 gene mutations, widely associated with breast and ovarian cancer risks in women, are, in principle, lethal to human embryos, according to new research conducted by three teams of researchers from the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) in New York City, the Medical University Vienna in Vienna, Austria, and the Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria. BRCA1/2-positive embryos will only survive when also carrying a specific FMR1 gene genotype. In a paper just published in the prestigious online medical journal PLoS ONE1, the researchers examined the distribution ...

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, president of bbr marketing in Atlanta, Georgia, has been selected as one of Accounting Today's 2012 Top 100 Most Influential People. This list identifies and shines a spotlight on those who most influence the accounting industry. Some of those honored in this year's list include Jeff Pawlow, CEO of iShade, Gale Crosley, President of Crosley + Company, Mary Shapiro, SEC Chair, President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "To say I'm excited about this honor is an understatement," says Bonnie. "Of course ...

In the article titled, "The Untapped Value of Asset Management", Dieter writes, "We can think of an organisation as needing three things to function - money, people and assets. Untapped value existing in money and people has been given much attention over the years. Oddly, assets have not, until now, received this same consideration." Dieter's approach to realising value benefits starts by recognising three disciplines of asset management: asset portfolio management, asset assurance management and asset performance management, each with a corresponding ...

Fantasy Baseball Crackerjacks has announced a partnership with the The Dear Mr. Fantasy baseball podcast in an effort to provide fantasy baseball information across a variety of media platforms. With fantasy sports growing in popularity annually, there has been an increasing demand for more information on the topic. Fantasy sports now account for approximately $4 billion in annual economic impact across the sports industry. Fantasy Baseball Crackerjacks began in October 2011 and features multiple writers all providing unique insights into baseball from a fantasy ...

After winning a Gold in the 2011 Magellan Awards, Expedia CruiseShipCenters has done it again. For the 2012 Magellan Awards, Travel Weekly has awarded the cruise specialists a Silver for their customer loyalty magazine Dream Voyages in the "Direct Mail" category and a Gold for their National Conference in the "Training Program" category. With entries from across the US and around the world, the Magellan Awards is the premier awards program honoring the best in the travel industry. The customer loyalty magazine Dream Voyages is an integral part of ...

Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège are on the move again. After recently performing at Club de Madrid's gala dinner honoring former President Bill Clinton with the Democratic Leadership Award; the competitive selection of their animated short film Love Rain Down (a cut from their latest highly successful CD, AFropolitan) for an April screening at the prestigious Palm Beach International Film Festival; launching a national commercial & public radio broadcast campaign; and reaching over 50,000 downloads for their Million Download Campaign for 2012 (available at http://www.derrickashong.com), ...

On September 29-30, 2012, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC)'s Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, located at 4 East First Street, Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, invites families to "hike their own hike" on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) for the 2nd Annual Family Hiking Day. This event is free and open to the public. Held on National Public Lands Day, Family Hiking Day is an initiative developed by the ATC to introduce families to the A.T. and the benefits that come from spending time outdoors. Hiking on the A.T. is a good source of physical exercise, one that ...

For the fourth year, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP and Fifth Third Bank will co-sponsor an ArtPrize venue in the heart of downtown and will again proudly sponsor the official ArtPrize mobile app. Warner Norcross and Fifth Third are hosting 24 artists in this year's competition. Ten artists are local to Michigan, 11 artists are from around the country and three are international artists from Japan and Quebec. Artwork will include sculptures, photographs, mixed media, painting, fiber and other media. The 111 Lyon Street NW location is perfectly centered in the downtown ...

Dickies, a leading workwear manufacturer in the European workwear market since 1922, has adopted INVISTA's CORDURA(R) Classic fabric in their Grafter Duo-Tone trousers. First adopted in their Eisenhower collection, Dickies has continued to develop new collections integrating durable, versatile and reliable CORDURA(R) fabrics to help provide long-lasting performance and enduring appeal. The following Dickies products feature CORDURA(R) brand fabrics: Eisenhower Multi-Pocket trousers: Designed for functional practicality, the multi-pocket design means, "there's ...

Bruce Clarke, president and CEO of CAI (http://www.capital.org), a human resource management firm that helps organizations maximize employee engagement while minimizing employer liability, announced that the company is expanding its offerings of peer learning groups for local business professionals. CAI is currently recruiting for two programs, one for chief financial officers (CFOs) and one for HR professionals. Both groups will meet for 10 separate sessions throughout a 12-month period at CAI's Raleigh office, located at 2900 Highwoods Blvd. The peer learning groups will ...

Monica Smiley, publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women magazine (http://www.enterprisingwomen.com), has named Clien Wintzen and Kittie Watson as members of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board. Clien Wintzen cofounded RC, a concept and design company, after graduating college in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where she studied art direction. Due to her fresh outlook on business and art, RC's work gained great traction and appeared in several publications. At the sudden passing of her father in 2008, Wintzen left RC to take over her father's two companies, Ex'tent and Ex'pression ...

EIM (Excellence In Motivation) has been named to the 2012 "CMI 25" list, the annual directory of the largest and most influential full-service meeting and incentive travel management companies focused on the corporate meetings and events industry. The 6th annual list, compiled by Penton Media's Corporate Meetings & Incentives magazine, has become an essential resource for meeting managers and procurement professionals researching information on these key business partners. "The $145 billion corporate meetings and events industry relies on independent ...

Catalyst West Palm Beach will present Preserving the Scene Volume 3, taking place at the South American Mission on Friday, September 21st, 2012, and featuring an international funk band, 3 DJS, a Graffiti Exhibition, a Breakdance (Breakin') workshop, Hip Hop vendors, and a 3 VS 3 Breakin' competition. Established in 2001, Catalyst Hip Hop is a true Christ-centered organization that exists for the purpose of unifying and bringing peace to the Florida Hip Hop culture. Catalyst West Palm Beach, a branch of Catalyst Hip Hop, is proud to bring Preserving the Scene Volume ...