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

• Paul Maxwell was promoted to the position of associate in the Ann Arbor office of architecture firm Lord, Aeck & Sargent. Maxwell is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Association for Project Managers and the American Council of Engineering Companies - Michigan, of which he is a past director.

• JP Sales Co. Inc., a business development, management and strategic planning firm based in Ann Arbor, appointed Sean W. Doolan as account manager—energy specialist. In this new position, Doolan will be responsible for developing the overall strategy for the company’s energy industry initiative.

• Ann Arbor SPARK and the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the Ypsilanti Area CVB, are leading a new $1 million Pure Michigan advertising campaign that promotes the region nationally. The pilot program will market Washtenaw County by highlighting key tourism and economic development assets. The multimedia campaign is supported by $500,000 from MEDC’s Pure Michigan initiative and more than $400,000 from the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau's marketing fund. It will include national television advertising, articles on the Pure Michigan website, and a promotional video on the Ann Arbor SPARK website. Ann Arbor SPARK, and its partners will organize a press tour of the region for journalists from around the country.

• The Women’s Council of Washtenaw County recently announced the selection of its 25th ATHENA Award recipient in Washtenaw County: Danielle Plunkett, executive director for Girls on the Run of Southeastern Michigan. Women's Council officials said Plunkett was chosen because she has achieved excellence in her business profession and has assisted many women in their attainment of professional goals and leadership skills. The local ATHENA Award will be presented to Danielle on March 22. Additionally, as the local 2012 ATHENA Award recipient, Danielle Plunkett will be to joining the thousands of ATHENA Award Recipients worldwide along with other business owners and professionals at the annual ATHENA International Leadership Summit in Chicago, held April 26 and 27.

• Pittsfield Charter Township was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United State and Canada for the township's Fiscal Year 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

• Ann Arbor Mortgage, a mortgage broker based in Ann Arbor, recently announced the addition of Christina Slade as senior loan officer. In related news, Ann the company held its annual awards lunch in February. Pete Stegler, senior loan officer, was presented with the Highest Producer Award. Throughout his career, Stegler has closed loans in excess of $120,000,000 and has won numerous sales production awards over the course of his career.

• DTE Energy recently announced plans to install an additional 450,000 advanced electric meters and gas modules by the end of 2013, including 120,000 in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. More than 1 million DTE Energy customers will have the technology by the end of 2013. The technology provides the backbone for DTE Energy’s “smart circuit” infrastructure, which will provide detailed information about customer energy usage, recognize power outages without customer input and allow electric customers to communicate with the company.

• The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum recently unveiled ‘Engineers on a Roll’ in its preschool gallery. The exhibit was funded by a $100,000 donation from the Ann Arbor-based Toyota Technical Center, whose engineering team collaborated with the museum on the exhibit’s design. ‘Engineers on a Roll’ is a combined engineering lab, playscape and climber designed for preschoolers to have direct hands-on engineering experiences with the basic concepts of engineering, science and math.

• Dunrie Greiling, general manager of Ann Arbor-based Pure Visibility Inc., has become a member of Vistage Michigan, an organization for chief executives. Vistage Michigan provides business leaders with access to new business perspectives, strategies and actionable items.

• Ann Arbor-based branding and marketing firm re:group has added several new members its team. Lisa DiFalco joins the business development team as new business director. Asia Griffin will serve as account executive. Emily Doyle has been added to the media team as media planner/buyer. In related news, Detroit-based DTE Energy has selected re:group as its agency of record.

• Domino's Pizza, headquartered in Ann Arbor, announced Feb. 27 that, effective March 19, Kevin Vasconi will join its leadership team as executive vice president and chief information officer, succeeding Christopher McGlothlin.

• ToxServices LLC, a toxicology and sustainability consulting firm headquartered in Washington D.C., recently announced the opening of a new office in Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor office will be managed by Ann Marie Gebhart, vice president and general manager of ToxServices.

• Ann Arbor-based SRT Solutions recently added John D. Lucas to its team as its creative director. In this new role, Lucas will oversee user experience and design that supports SRT Solutions’ multi-device and multi-platform software development.

• The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library has received a gift from the Meijer Foundation of $1 million to endow the position of Principal Archivist for Bentley's Michigan Historical Collections. The Bentley houses both the U-M Archives and the Michigan Historical Collections. Comprised of donated materials from more than 12,000 individuals and organizations, the collections include items ranging from the Civil War diaries of Union soldiers to the papers of CBS correspondent Mike Wallace.

• Ann Arbor-based Adeona Pharmaceuticals Inc., a developer of synthetic DNA-based therapeutics and innovative disease-modifying medicines for serious illnesses, announced Feb. 16 that it will change its corporate name to Synthetic Biologics, Inc.

• Paul Davis Restoration of Ann Arbor recently welcomed Michelle Milliken as marketing representative. Milliken will be responsible for sharing Paul Davis Restoration's emergency mitigation, restoration and remodeling services with insurance agents, adjusters and property owners. She will also be responsible for implementing promotional campaigns, marketing presentations and professional seminars and workshops.

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