Personnel
-- Wojan Window and Door Corp. hired Patrick Bubin as its new marketing director. Bubin has more than 15 years of marketing and communications management experience, and recently worked for Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. Karol Smith has been promoted to purchasing agent. She was previously a team leader and supervisor in the Charlevoix manufacturing plant.
-- Becky Roush joined Grand Traverse Physical Therapy. She has nearly 20 years of clinical experience and treats a variety of pelvic floor conditions.
-- Two new hires joined the staff at Priority Solutions International in Traverse City. Darryl Johnson was hired as a senior contract administrator. He operated a private law practice in Suttons Bay for nearly 20 years, and also served as a director of business services for LeTourneau University in Texas. Roger Ehnis is a new client services administrator for the company, following a 20-year career with Walt Disney Co. in Orlando.
-- Pracilla Venhuizen is the new branch manager of Credit Union ONE's Traverse City branch. She previously spent 11 years with Steelcase Employee's Credit Union in Grand Rapids where she was a vice president of operations and network services.
-- Countrywide Home Loans hired Julie Courtade as a staff member at its Traverse City office. She has more than 20 years experience in the mortgage industry and can be contacted at (231) 941-5767 or via e-mail at julie courtade@countrywide.com.
New business
-- Allison Beers has opened Events North in Traverse City, an event management agency specializing in corporate and social events. Contact Beers at Allison@EventsNorth.com or call (231) 883-2708. A Web site, EventsNorth.com, is coming soon.
-- The Tali Bistro & Bar is open at 411 Main St. in Frankfort under executive chef Derrick Gage. The telephone number is (231) 352-5252. Owners Va Chong and Bobbiesee Ku also own the Fusion Restaurant in Frankfort.
Recognition
-- The Michigan Society of Medical Assistants presented Cheryl Bouschor with The American Association of Medical Assistants' "Excel Award" for publishing the The Michigan Medical Assistant Journal. The award recognizes the top state society newsletters and editors, and it's the second consecutive year she and her committee earned the award.
-- Play It Again Sports in Traverse City recently earned "Gold Standard" recognition for customer satisfaction, store operations and product quality standards by franchisor Winmark Corporation of Minneapolis.
-- BtoB Magazine again honored Oneupweb CEO Lisa Wehr in its "Who's Who 2008" listing recognizing top business people in marketing. It's the fifth consecutive year Wehr's been recognized in the search marketing category.
Associations
-- Northwest Chapter of Medical Assistants elected several new board members. Christie Johnson, a clinical medical assistant at West Front Primary Care, was elected president. Tracie Hardy was named president-elect and works at Robert Portenga DDS as a financial/insurance/scheduling coordinator. Marcia Karpinski, who works at West Front Primary Care as a medical assistant and billing specialist, is the corresponding secretary, while Cheryl Bouschor was named treasurer. She is employed at Pulmonary and Critical Care of Northwest Michigan, P.C. as an insurance billing specialist. Mistie Atkins was elected recording secretary and is employed at Munson Family Practice Clinic as a medical assistant.
-- Tracie Hardy was elected vice president of the Michigan Society of Medical Assistants. It's her third executive board position in the society, having served as vice speaker of the house (2007-08) and speaker of the house at this year's convention.
Certification
-- Christopher Strickland of Fawcett Dopke Agency successfully completed state requirements to become a licensed surplus lines producer.
Publications
-- Skip Natzmer, co-owner of Courtyard Fine Art gallery at 914 E. Eighth St. in Traverse City, wrote an article titled "Framing Matters" to be published in the August edition of Antiques and Collecting, a national magazine based in Chicago. He's also written in ArtSpace Magazine and the Michigan Bar Journal.
