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

• The trustees of Cleary University recently awarded William M. (Bill) Broucek an honorary doctoral degree in business administration at the June graduation ceremony, where he also delivered the keynote speech. Broucek is the chairman and CEO of Ann Arbor State Bank, which opened in January of 2009. Co-founded by Mr. Broucek, Ann Arbor State Bank became profitable within the first year. Broucek’s career also includes 10 years as the president and founder of Bank of Ann Arbor, as well as the founder of Ann Arbor Trust Co. Bank. Broucek is the only person in the state of Michigan to have started three banks.

• Ray Blush, president and owner of OI Partners-Hugh Anderson Associates in Ann Arbor, has been elected to the board of directors of OI Partners, a career transition and talent management company.

• After serving two years as president and COO for NSK Americas Inc. Brian Lindsay has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer and a vice president of NSK Ltd. Current CEO, Masahide Matsubara, will be promoted to senior vice president and deputy head of the Industrial Machinery Business Division at the Japan headquarters. Operating in the Americas, NSK Corp. is a member of the NSK Ltd. group and is headquartered in Ann Arbor.

• The Charles Reinhart Co., based in Ann Arbor, recently announced that 10 real estate agents completed the Graduate, Realtor Institute class and received their GRI designation. Agents earning the nationally recognized GRI designation include: Jason Boggs, Tammi Ebenhoeh, Ann LaCivita, Maris Laporter, Kathryn Linderman, Kari Newman, Lisa Stelter, Deb Stern, Rick Taylor and Melissa Van Dam. A minimum of 90 hours of coursework covering subjects that include contract law, professional standards, sales and marketing, finance and risk reduction is required in order to earn a GRI designation.

• Ann Arbor-based Beal Inc. recently announced a number of new hires: John Morse, estimator; Jason Cooper, estimator/project manager; Jeff DeClercq, project manager; and Don Clayton, environmental manager.

• Personal assistance and concierge services company The Betty Brigade, which moved into new offices in January, celebrated that move with an open house on Monday, June 27. Sharon McRill founded the company as "My Gal Friday" after being laid off in 2003 and later renamed the company. The Betty Bridgade's new office is located at 2008 Hogback Road, Suite 2, Ann Arbor.

• The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation recently received reconfirmation of its compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. The official notification comes from the Council on Foundations, a national professional association based in Washington, D.C. The standards program requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grant making and administration. The standards program was designed to establish legal, ethical and effective operational practices for community foundations.

• DesignHub Inc. of Saline has designed and developed the new website for Ann Arbor Tower Plaza Condominium: www.towerplaza.com. The 26-story residential property - Ann Arbor’s tallest building - is on East William Street, one block from the University of Michigan’s central campus. Visitors to the new website learn students and their parents may purchase or rent units in Tower Plaza. the site includes listings for available units, a password-protected "clubhouse" area for residents and a page for brokers.

• The Arbor Hospice Foundation’s recent fundraising gala, “Savour the Journey: A celebration of the things we love about life,” raised more than $148,000 to support Arbor Hospice pediatric hospice care and grief support services for children, adolescents and adults.

• Affinia Group Inc., a global automotive replacement parts company, to locate a new east coast distribution center in northeastern Pennsylvania. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Affinia will locate its east coast distribution center in a leased 289,000-square-foot building in in East Union Township. The new distribution center is expected to create at least 150 jobs over the next 12 months.

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