Susan Fenters Lerch

From new hires and promotions to industry awards, here's a roundup of achievements by businesses and individuals in the greater Ann Arbor area:

• Hospice of Michigan recently announced that Susan Fenters Lerch has been hired as corporate director of development and will be responsible for all aspects of fundraising for Hospice of Michigan statewide. Hospice of Michigan serves 56 counties in the state, and Lerch’s role will be to build on the successful relationships established in each of the communities HOM serves. Lerch joins Hospice of Michigan from the World AIDS Day Detroit organization where she worked as a consultant for the inaugural World AIDS Day Detroit last December. Lerch served as president and CEO for the Autism Alliance of Michigan, and was president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan from 1997 to 2010.

• Ann Arbor-based Edwards Brothers Malloy supported the first ever American version of World Book Night, an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books, by donating printing services. On April 23 thousands of volunteers went into their communities to promote books and reading by giving out half a million free paperbacks. Edwards Brothers Malloy donated prepress services, printing and binding for 35,000 copies of “Friday Night Lights” by H.G. Bissinger. World Book Night was introduced in 2011 in the United Kingdom and Ireland to bring attention to books for adult readers and was launched in the United States this year. Formed in 2012 by the merger of Edwards Brothers Inc. and Malloy Inc., Edwards Brothers Malloy is the sixth largest book and journal manufacturer in the United States.

• FTS Technologies, a surface treatment company based in Whitmore Lake, Mich., received the General Motors Environmental Excellence Award for introducing an energy-efficient technology that lets paint stick to plastic vehicle parts without using traditional chemical adhesion systems.

• A total of nine Michigan companies, including one in Ann Arbor, recently received investments from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, totaling more than $2 million. The Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund supports a start-up's commercialization efforts. Based in Ann Arbor, Blaze Medical Devices is developing spectral analysis for red blood cells. The Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund is an equity fund that invests in technology-based companies to support business formation and acceleration. Ann Arbor SPARK serves as the Fund's administrator.

• Saline-area resident Diane Mukkala, the head of school at Daycroft Montessori School of Ann Arbor, received a 2012 Community Service Award from the Michigan Recreation and Park Association. The award recognizes individuals, groups and organizations that support parks and recreation in Michigan. The Saline Parks and Recreation Department recommended Mukkala for the award for her support as an individual and Daycroft staff's support of Saline's Movies in the Park series, as well as sponsorship of Pee Wee Soccer and Mighty Mite T-ball programs.

• Synthetic Biologics Inc., a biotechnology company developing synthetic DNA-based therapeutics and innovative medicines for serious illnesses, recently announced that Dr. Michael Kaleko joined the company as scientific director. Kaleko has worked in the field of gene therapy since its inception in the mid-1980s and co-founded Advanced Vision Therapies Inc. to develop treatments for eye diseases. He has published 62 peer-reviewed articles, filed more than 30 patent applications and received the Novartis Pharma Research and Development Business Excellence Award for his work in the field of diabetes.

• The board of directors for the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan, headquartered in Ypsilanti, recently elected new officers. Calvin DeKuiper of Ludington is the new board president; Amy Denton of Howell was elected first vice president; Jennifer Wakefield of Clinton was elected to the position of second vice president; Terry Reuer of Ann Arbor is the new board secretary; and Peter Deininger of Ann Arbor was elected treasurer.

• Marianne Taylor has joined the team of realtors at the Ann Arbor real estate brokerage of Prudential Snyder & Company Realtors.

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