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Posted on Thu, Sep 16, 2010 : 5:12 a.m.

People & Achievements in the greater Ann Arbor area, including Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn and Fifth Third Bank

By AnnArbor.com Staff

Damato Don (2010).jpg

Don D'Amato

The following is a list of achievements by businesses and individuals in the Ann Arbor area:

• Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP recently announced the addition of six new attorneys, all of whom are former summer associates of the firm. Among the new attorneys is Don D'Amato, who joined Honigman’s Intellectual Property Practice Group in its Corporate and Securities Department, splitting his time between the firm’s Lansing and Ann Arbor offices.

826michigan, an Ann Arbor nonprofit dedicated to helping students improve their creative, expository writing, math and science skills, announced Sept. 9 that it received a $100,000 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation. The grant has allowed the organization to hire a new full-time staff member to run its afterschool tutoring program which takes place at its Ann Arbor site as well as at Ypsilanti Middle School. The new staff member, Program Coordinator Catherine Calabro, will also oversee 826michigan’s evening creative writing workshops and other activities.

• Fifth Third Bank recently named Donald Precour senior vice president of mortgage sales at Fifth Third Bank Eastern Michigan. Precour replaces Anthony Weekly, who took a position in Fifth Third’s Atlanta affiliate as affiliate division head of the mortgage division. In related news from Fifth Third Bank, Dolores Sturdivant has been named affiliate CRA manager, community development. In this new role, Sturdivant is responsible for developing new customer relationships and facilitating the Community Reinvestment Act donations and grant programming. Prior to the appointment, Sturdivant was in the Public Funds division.

• Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, a national law firm with an office in Ann Arbor, recently announced that attorneys Steven L. Oberholtzer and Eric J. Sosenko have been recognized by their peers as leading lawyers in their field by The Best Lawyers in America for 2011. Oberholtzer is the managing partner of the Ann Arbor office and has served on the firm’s board of directors. Sosenko is a shareholder in the firm, serves on the Council for the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is a resident of Green Oak Township.

• The Saline Area Chamber of Commerce has chosen its Business Enterprise Award winners for 2010. This year the award in the "21 or more employees" category goes to Liebherr Saline consisting of Liebherr-Aerospace Saline Inc. and Liebherr Gear Technology & Automation Systems Inc. The award recipient in the smaller category of "20 or fewer employees" is Hartman Insurance Agency Inc.. The Business Enterprise Awards recognize established, successful firms that have exhibited exemplary business practices and have an excellent reputation for service to the community. Honorees are selected from nominations by residents of the Saline area. The two businesses will be honored at an awards ceremony Oct. 21. At that time, recognition will also be given to Kim Rhoades, original founder and current managing member of Rhoades Doehrer & Associates PLLC, for his professional lifetime achievements.

• Eden Foods, based in Clinton, Mich., recently promoted of Jonathan A. Solomon to vice president of Eden Foods Inc. Eden Foods was originally founded in Ann Arbor in the late 1960s, later moving its headquarters to Clinton. The company's Edensoy soy milk product is manufactured in Saline at American Soy.

Chelsea State Bank will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of its Dexter Banking Center Sept. 27 through Oct. 2. Chelsea State Bank is a financial institution with offices in Chelsea and Dexter which was established more than 100 years ago. The bank opened its third full-service banking center at 7101 Dexter-Ann Arbor Road in Dexter 10 years ago. To celebrate the anniversary, refreshments will be served in the lobby during business hours all week, with a special Family Celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 2. Free activities are planned for the entire family including face painting, a moon walk and music by the Dexter High School orchestra.

• On Sept. 13, A123 Systems held a grand opening for its battery plant in Livonia. Congressman John D. Dingell, A123 CEO David Vieau, Senator Carl Levin, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Congressman Sander Levin, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu all participated in the grand opening ceremony, and President Barack Obama made a surprise call into the event to hail the opening and talk about the new advanced battery industry in Michigan. The plant opening was made possible by a $249 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act advanced battery grant A123 Systems received last August, an award the company matched dollar-for-dollar with private capital. A123 Systems has already hired 250 workers for the Livonia plant, and, overall, A123 expects to employ 3,000 workers at the Livonia plant and a second Michigan plant that will open next year in Romulus. A123 Systems is based in Massachusetts, with an Advanced Research & Government Solutions Group based in Ann Arbor.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit recently announced the opening of a new donation center in Ann Arbor on the campus of Briarwood Mall. The donation center will accept gently used clothing and household items seven days a week. The highest quality items will be sold at Goodwill’s new flagship retail store location, scheduled to open this fall in Canton. Proceeds from the store support Goodwill employment education and training programs. Located outside Sears on the north side of Briarwood Mall, near the intersection of Eisenhower Parkway and State Street, the Goodwill donation center will accept items from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

• Ann Arbor-based Adeona Pharmaceuticals Inc. was a presenter at the 12th Annual Rodman and Renshaw Healthcare Conference Sept. 12 to 15 at The New York Palace Hotel. Adeona's CEOr James S. Kuo provided an update on the Company's clinical trials. A webcast of Adeona's presentation can be accessed at http://www.wsw.com/webcast/rrshq18/aen/.

JAC Products, located in Saline, received high-tech, five-year MEGA tax credits Sept. 14 to fund expansion in the region. JAC Products, which also has a location in Shelby Township, was approved for MEGA tax credits totaling $572, 970 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the State of Michigan. JAC Products is a manufacturer of functional exterior automotive trim. The tax credits will support an expansion of JAC Products’ current Saline facility by more than 30,000 square feet. Over the next five years, the company is projected to add 87 full-time employees to its staff.

• E-mail items for People, Achievements and Paparazzi to business@annarbor.com . Sign up for the weekly Business Review email newsletter here.

Comments

Morris Thorpe

Thu, Sep 16, 2010 : 6:52 a.m.

Congrats to Big Donnie D! No time to celebrate, though. The next goal is already in sight!