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Posted on Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 5:15 a.m.

People & achievements in the greater Ann Arbor area, including Comerica and Humantech

By AnnArbor.com Staff

BECKERMAN-scott-2013.jpg

J. Scott Beckerman

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

• Comerica Bank announced that J. Scott Beckerman has been named senior vice president and chief sustainability officer. He replaces the retiring Rick Plewa. Beckerman is based in Ann Arbor.

• The Ann Arbor-based ergonomics consulting firm Humantech recently recognized consultants and ergonomics engineers Jennie Gober and Michael Hoonhorst for receiving their credentials as Certified Professional Ergonomists. Certification requires a bachelor's degree and academic coursework covering core competencies; three years of full-time professional practice in human factors, ergonomics and/or user experience; and a passing score on the CPE written examination.

Suburban Chevrolet Cadillac of Ann Arbor recently announced the local dealership had donated a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 2500 Extended Cab pickup truck to Forgotten Harvest, based in Oak Park. The Silverado will be initially used by Forgotten Harvest to aid in the distribution of food and other relief supplies to the victims of the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma. Forgotten Harvest, established in 1990, currently works with more than 260 area agencies to help relieve hunger by rescuing surplus, prepared and perishable food and donating it to emergency food providers.

Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload carrier based in Ann Arbor, marks its 30-year anniversary this year. Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. In related news, Con-way Inc. announced recently that six outstanding employees have been named recipients of the CEO Constellation Award, the highest honor bestowed by the company to recognize exemplary employees. The six 2013 winners were chosen from 24 employees who were named President's Award winners for 2012. Con-way’s 2013 CEO Constellation Award winners are: Billy Cartright, senior director of operations, Con-way Truckload, in Joplin, Mo.; Richard Jinks, driver sales representative, Con-way Freight, Fremont, Ind.; Ron Simmons, director of operations, Boston region, Con-way Freight, Shrewsbury, Mass.; Brittany Denham, supervisor of operations, Menlo Worldwide Logistics, Brownstown, Mich.; Dale Knox, driver sales representative, Con-way Freight, Erie, Penn.; and Nancy Kramarczyk, senior supervisor of transportation/GMCCA, Menlo Worldwide Logistics, Grand Blanc.

Truven Health Analytics, headquartered in Ann Arbor, in June announced that Baptist Memorial Health Care has selected Truven's Clinical Decision Support Micromedex Solutions product to integrate clinical referential and patient education resources into Baptist Memorial's Epic Electronic Health Record systems in its hospitals throughout Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.

First Steps-Ann Arbor in June received a $1,000 grant from the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor. First Steps-Ann Arbor is an Ann Arbor Public School program available to pre-school children. The grant enables First Steps to purchase special equipment for classrooms that will highlight early literacy and language development.

• In related news from the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor, the annual presentation of $1,000 college scholarships and "camper-ships" from the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor and the Ray and Eleanor Cross Foundation occurred recently at the club's weekly luncheon at the Kiwanis Activities Center. More than $30,000 in total scholarship stipends was awarded to students in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. The late Ray Cross was a four-decade member of the KCAA.

• Ann Arbor-based Tecumseh Products Co, a manufacturer of compressors and related products, announced June 21 that it has expanded its board of directors from five to seven directors and that Douglas M. Suliman, Jr. and Gary L. Cowger have been named to its board of directors to fill the newly created vacancies effective June 19.

• Quick Printing magazine, a print and graphics industry publication, has named Allegra Print Mail Marketing of Saline to its annual top 100 list of quick and small commercial printers from across North America. Quick Printing ranked the businesses based on maintenance of high operational standards and on sales volumes. Allegra was ranked 82 in 2012 and 68 in 2011.

• The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences hosted the French Lightweight Vehicle Partnership Delegation at its Ann Arbor headquarters June 19. The purpose of the meeting was to present the outcomes of NCMS’ highly successful Lightweight for Automotive Materials Program to representatives from ten companies from France doing work in the same field, in return, NCMS and its members learned about the advances these companies were making throughout Europe and discussed collaboration opportunities. LAMP is a Department of Energy funded Program which spanned 5 years, included 9 collaborative projects with 32 participants and one-to-one industry cost-share.

• With support from Ann Arbor SPARK and the City of Ypsilanti, American Broach & Machine Co. is expanding its operations. The cutting tool and broaching machine manufacturer will expand its current location to a new, additional 42,880-square-foot Ypsilanti facility, where the company intends to invest more than $5 million and add 30 jobs over the next three years.

• Leadership A2Y, the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber’s leadership program, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this fall. The leadership programs from both the former Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Chambers of Commerce combined in 2010 to create Leadership A2Y - a regional program whose mission is to provide a foundation for the development of a sustainable and vital region. The nine-month curriculum provides participants with an appreciation for the complex issues facing the community. The program also provides individuals with an opportunity to explore and enhance their own leadership skills and develop a broad network of relationships. Leadership A2Y is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 year, and program application deadline is Sept. 20. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. For more information about the program and the application process, visit www.a2ychamber.org or contact Julie Kedroske at 734-214-0109.

• Six postdoctoral scholars have been selected to join the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program at the University of Michigan this fall. All fellows will be mentored by designated faculty members in their home academic units during their two-year appointment. The scholars are: Susan Csiszar, U-M School of Public Health; Carina Gronlund U-M School of Public Health; Lianne Lefsrud, U-M's Erb Institute and School of Natural Resources and Environment; Sai Liang, School of Natural Resources and Environment; Daniel Molzahn, College of Engineering; and Ethan Schoolman, School of Natural Resources and Environments. In addition to conducting their sustainability-related research, the postdoctoral fellows will participate in the program's co-curricular activities, such as skills-building workshops and seminars. They also will serve as mentors to the doctoral, master's and professional degree fellows.

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