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

• Arbor Hospice Vice President of Human Resources Anathea Collar was named the 2011 HR Executive of the Year for small- to mid-size nonprofits by the American Society of Employers. She was recently honored at the organization’s 2011 annual summit at the Detroit Athletic Club. The ASE honors employees who have become outstanding human resource executives in their organizations, industries and state. The winners are selected by a committee of ASE board members, past award recipients and human resource executives. Collar is a resident of Ann Arbor.

• Thomson-Shore, a book manufacturer based in Dexter specializing in short- to medium-run digital and offset book printing, binding and publishing services, recently expanded its team with the addition of Debbie Sayers as its director of sales. In this new role, Sayers is charged with developing the company’s strategic sales initiatives to grow current markets and new territories. Sayers was most recently the vice president of CM Books, a division of Cushing-Malloy in Ann Arbor.

• David Lutton, Marsha Volchoff and Megan Crosbie, with Ann Arbor-based Charles Reinhart Co. Realtors, returned from The Active Enterprise Network Annual Conference, held Oct. 5-7 in Denver, with an award in hand. The three-day conference is an opportunity to explore major trends in the real estate industry and discover new ways to implement the latest technology into current business practices. During the conference, Reinhart received an award for Best Brokerage Adaption of Technology.

• On July 25, Michael Pettigrew was recognized for successfully completing his Certified Public Finance Administrator credential by the Association of Public Treasurers' of the United States and Canada. Pettigrew, who is deputy treasurer for the city of Ann Arbor, is a resident of Milan.

• Eastern Michigan University's College of Business is an “outstanding” business school, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features Eastern in the new 2012 edition of its book, "The Best 294 Business Schools." EMU's College of Business has received this recognition for eight consecutive years. The Princeton Review compiled the lists based on its surveys of 19,000 students attending the 294 business schools in the book, as well as on school-reported data. The entire list is at http://www.PrincetonReview.com.

• Community Records L3C will host a grand opening for its new music center from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. Community Records is a social mission organization that focuses on building community by bringing together diverse populations to create change through music, including creativity workshops for children. Short class demos will be offered during the event, and attending in costume is encouraged for the Halloween-themed event. The organization's new music center is located at 120 N. Huron St., upstairs from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Ypsilanti. The grand opening is free and open to the public.

• A new agreement between the University of Michigan Health System and Great Lakes Health Information Exchange, signed Oct. 17, will make it possible to securely exchange health information with UMHS affiliated medical practices. The agreement gives UMHS physicians real-time access to health and demographic information for non-UMHS patients in the GLHIE network of providers.

• Two employees of Plante Moran recently had a business book published by Momentum Books. "Succession Transition: A Roadmap for Seamless Transitions" was written by CPA and former managing partner Bill Hermann and current Plante Moran managing partner Gordon Krater, CPA. The pair wrote the book with the help of with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sheryl James. Hermann served as the firm’s managing partner from 2001 to 2009, and Krater is in the third year of a four year term. Hermann is a long-time Ann Arbor resident and helped found the public accounting firm's Ann Arbor office.

• Ann Arbor-based Arbor Networks recently announced that it plans to add 20 jobs at its location in Ann Arbor. As part of its expansion, the IT technology security company was awarded a tax abatement to support property improvements and new equipment at its Ann Arbor facility.

• Ann Arbor-based Edward Surovell Realtors recently announced that Kristen Stout and Wendy Mead have joined the Ann Arbor office as sales associates.

• Darlene Zimmer has joined Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel as sales manager of the company's Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti office. Zimmer comes to CBWM from Real Estate One in Novi, Michigan. She has 12 years of experience as a Realtor, with nearly $60 million in residential sales transactions. She is a resident of Northville.

• Now through Nov. 24, donations of non-perishable can food items can be dropped off at any of the 34 Art Van Furniture locations throughout Michigan, including the Art Van location on East Eisenhower Parkway and the Pure Sleep store on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor. The donations will then be turned over to the nonprofit Gleaners Community Food Bank. The food drive is a partnership between Art Van and WXYZ-TV.

• The School of Information at the University of Michigan is heading a cooperative effort by four major universities to create better methods for data-sharing among scientists and researchers in the new and growing field of sustainability. The National Science Foundation awarded a two-year, $2 million grant to the School of Information, with $8 million anticipated over the course of the project. This grant will enable the School of Information and its partners at Indiana University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop a system whereby sustainability scientists can manage and share their data.

• Southfield-based Collins, Einhorn, Farrell & Ulanoff, P.C. recently announced that Ann Arbor resident and attorney Trent B. Collier has joined the firm’s appellate practice group. Collier’s practice focuses on federal and state appeals, primarily in defending medical and legal malpractice actions, insurance claims, and general commercial lawsuits.

• TV GUIDE Magazine has selected Aysling Digital Media Solutions to integrate and support WoodWing's Enterprise 7 content management solution as part of TV GUIDE Magazine's digital publishing workflow. Aysling is a digital publishing solutions firm headquartered in Ann Arbor.

• Investment Solution Services will host its grand opening at 1310 South Main St. Suite 13, in Ann Arbor from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27. Managing Partner, Wealth Advisor and Certified Retirement Counselor Alina Verdiyan is a resident of Ann Arbor.

• On Oct. 20, selected University of Michigan graduate students in Business, Public Policy, and Social Work convened with executive directors, board members, and other leaders of nonprofit organizations for the launch of the Nonprofit and Public Management Center’s Board Fellowship Program. After a highly-competitive process, NPM’s Board Fellows are placed on nonprofit governing boards for the academic year, where they participate as non-voting board members and lead high-level strategic projects. The Fellowship is designed to create a cadre of professionals ready to take on future board roles and become active civic and community leaders. This year, 35 students have been matched with 22 organizations across Southeast Michigan. The organizations and students matched with those nonprofits are: Alternative for Girls: Kate Fletcher and Justin Tooley; Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation: Anne Snider and Sylvia Oh; Ann Arbor SPARK: Patrick Huang and Emeka Ajene; Common Ground: Taylor Smith; Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan: Sunil Narayan; Food System Economic Partnership: Sheryl Sukolsky and Katherine Chen; Friends of CASA: Alexandra Citrin and Kate Dempsey; Girls on the Run of Southeastern Michigan: Courtney Schroeder and Katherine Valle; HIV/AIDS Resource Center: Yasmin Mazloomdoost; Interfaith Hospitality Network at Alpha House: David Zeman and Thomas Schuelke; Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County: Jennifer Krane and Anne Zerbe; Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor: Jess Alper and Molly Dehrey; Neighborhood Service Organization: Jamuna Kesavan and Daniel Kelly; Nonprofit Enterprise at Work: Jeff Kessner; Orchards Children's Services: Nellie Tsai; Plymouth Historical Society: Kimberly Foley; Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor: Vladimir Moshinsky and Ana Madriz; Salvation Army-Eastern Michigan Division: Jennifer Hsieh and Stacey Gates; Salvation Army-Washtenaw County Advisory Board: Tina Lam and Maharshi Vaishnav; Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy: Kimberly Littlefield; Summers-Knoll School: Tamara Chao; University of Michigan Credit Union: Kevin Wong. Additionally, several of last year’s fellows had their board terms extended for 2011-12. They were Emily Rinner with Common Ground, Karen Spangler with Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, Nick Lewis with Summers-Knoll School and Renee Tetrick with Washtenaw Area Council for Children.

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