From new hires and promotions to industry awards, read on to learn about achievements by businesses and individuals in the greater Ann Arbor area:

• Family law attorney Elizabeth A. Solomon has joined the Ann Arbor-based law firm Nichols, Sacks, Slank, Sendelbach & Buiteweg P.C. A University of Michigan undergraduate, Solomon received her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. The law firm's focus is on mediation and other non-adversarial methods to help divorcing couples settle their disputes without going to court.

• SRT Solutions senior consultant Dennis Burton was recently awarded Most Valuable Professional in Azure by Microsoft. Burton’s MVP designation from Microsoft recognizes his leadership in the technical community, and specifically in cloud computing. Azure is Microsoft’s Cloud Services platform, and this is the first year that Microsoft has named Azure MVPs. SRT Solutions is based in Ann Arbor.

• A $500 check was recently presented by Kroger to Community Service Award winner Crystal Fenrich of Milan, who serves as Nature’s Market champion for the Kroger in Milan. As the award recipient, Fenrich was able to select nonprofit organizations to receive the money. She chose to present $300 to the Milan Boy Scouts and $200 to the Milan Girl Scouts. Members of the Milan scouting program and Kroger associates recently gathered for a presentation ceremony at the Milan Kroger store, with Fenrich presented the checks and a plague signed by Kroger Chief Executive Officer David Dillon. Rick Going, president of The Kroger Co. of Michigan, bestowed the checks and plaque.

• Judy O’Neill, a partner in the Detroit office of Foley & Lardner LLP and an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School, was accepted as a member of Leadership Detroit Class XXXIII. Leadership Detroit is a year-long community program established to enhance leadership skills and create awareness of key regional issues among senior-level executives in southeast Michigan. In addition to her professional accomplishments, O’Neill regularly volunteers her time on a pro bono basis to local organizations, including the Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School. O’Neill was among only 69 individuals selected to participate in Leadership Detroit Class XXXIII.

• Associate Broker Marygrace Liparoto and her team from Ann Arbor RE/MAX Platinum, have joined the Ann Arbor-based real estate firm Charles Reinhart Co. The Marygrace Liparoto Group team consists of Liparoto, Buyers Agent Rebecca Widmark, Client Care and Team Manager Caressa Widmayer , Marketing and Technology team member Amanda Pardo and Michael Zanger. In related news from Charles Reinhart, Ren Snyder has been promoted to sales manager of the Saline office.

• Don Welch, president and CEO of Ann Arbor-based Merit Network, recently played an important role on the State of Michigan's Cyber Leadership Team. Welch participated in the Cyber Strategic Planning Task Force, a group of individuals from Michigan's IT community who were selected to contribute to new State policy on cybersecurity. On Oct. 7, Welch joined Governor Snyder and a select group of panelists at the 2011 Michigan Cyber Summit to help present the new cybersecurity policy. The event, held at the Marriott Eagle Crest Hotel and Convention Center in Ypsilanti, brought together experts to address a variety of cyber security issues affecting business, education, information technology, economic development, law enforcement and personal use.

• Accounting and business advisory firm Plante Moran, recently announced that CPA Kevin Flattery has been named office managing partner for the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He replaces CPA Michael Swartz, who had served in that role since 2004. Swartz will now lead Plante Moran’s Governmental Accounting Professionals practice team and will continue to be based in the Ann Arbor office.

• Larry Freed, president and CEO of Ann Arbor-based ForeSee, has published a new book, "Managing Forward: How to Move from Measuring the Past to Managing the Future." The book explores new research connecting the customer experience to future financial success across all industries, with a focus on digital marketing and web-based initiatives.

• On Saturday, Oct. 22 from 2-5 p.m., City Pets Veterinary Clinic will host an open house to celebrate the grand opening of the clinic. The public is invited to meet Dr. Stacey Weinrick, Dr. Gretchen Hui and staff, enjoy free food and refreshments, take a tour of the clinic, and enter a raffle drawing to win a free exam for your pet. Pets are welcome, and those dressed up in Halloween costumes could win a prize. City Pets Veterinary Clinic is located at 1723 Plymouth Road, in the Courtyard Shops.

• OpenTable Inc., a provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners, recently announced the Diners' Choice Awards for the top 50 restaurants with the most notable wine lists in the United States. The list of winners is derived from more than 10 million reviews for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Among the elite top 50 was Vinology in Ann Arbor, one of only two restaurants in Michigan that made the list.

• Community Records L3C will host a grand opening, including a costume party, crafts by FLY Chidren's Art Center, treats from Beezy's Cafe, bobbing for apples and an interactive electro/acoustic jam station from 1-4 p.m. on Oct. 29. The free event will showcase upcoming classes offered by the new music center, and Community Records instructors will be giving short class demos at the event. Community Records new music center is located at 120 N. Huron St. in Ypsilanti, upstairs from St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

• All metro Detroit Applebee’s, including the locations in the greater Ann Arbor area, will again thank veterans and troops by inviting them to their neighborhood Applebee’s for a free meal on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11. For more information, vets should call their local Applebee’s or visit www.applebees.com.

• Two health leaders from the University of Michigan have been elected to the Institute of Medicine, the nation's most prestigious body for professionals in health and medicine. Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, U-M's executive vice president for medical affairs and CEO of the U-M Health System, and Dr. Roderick Little, a biostatistician at the U-M School of Public Health who also serves as an associate director of the federal Census Bureau, are among the 65 members elected to IOM this year.

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