Gary Katz

The San Diego Chapter of National Association of Industrial and Office Properties named Gary Katz of Westcore Properties president for 2007. Katz succeeds Mike Binkle of Shamrock Development.

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Dennis Hacker

Dennis Hacker, an industrial/office broker with CB Richard Ellis, and Steven Van Loan, project director at Sundt Construction, recently became accredited by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

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Dr. Richard Blumenthal joined Francis Parker School as Head of School. Blumenthal has led several educational institutions, most recently the Chinese International School in Hong Kong.

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Mike Stephenson joined Johnson & Jennings General Contracting as project manager. He has worked in the construction industry since 1977, most recently at Peterbuilt Construction.

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Ed Estes, Jr. was named office manager at RE/MAX United’s Vista office. He has more than 30 years of real estate sales experience.

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Project Design Consultants promoted Patricia Trauth to v.p. of PDC’s Landscape Architecture, GIS and Physical Planning Groups. Prior to joining PDC, she was the campus landscape architect for SDSU.

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Qualcomm appointed Roy Hoffinger as v.p. and legal counsel. Hoffinger has more than 24 years of legal experience with major corporations such as AT&T and Qwest Communications. He most recently practiced at Holme, Roberts & Owen in Denver.

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Jason Foster was named public affairs manager at the San Diego County Water Authority. He was director of media relations at SDSU for five years.

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Paul Schroeder, principal of Architects|Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, was appointed 2007 president of the American Institute of Architects, San Diego chapter.

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Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. named Joan Scharff executive director of brand and menu strategy. Scharff joined Garden Fresh in 1990 as a marketing manager. She most recently served as the company’s executive director of marketing.

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Aimee Friend joined Hershey Technologies as marketing manager. She has more than six years of corporate marketing experience.

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Eric Mosolgo joined RBF Consulting as an associate and director of storm water management. He brings more than 11 years of engineering experience in design, analysis and project management.

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Enterprise Rent-A-Car promoted Vincent Froio to area manager. Most recently a branch manager, he began his career with Enterprise more than five years ago as a management trainee.

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Precision Measurement Engineering, Inc. added Kristin Head as communications coordinator and Ryan Reschan as manufacturing assistant. Head previously worked for a local advertising agency. Both are recent graduates of UCSD.

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Mayer Roofing, Inc. promoted Bernice Reyes and Laura Caballero to the newly created position of assistant v.p. Previously, Reyes was director of project finances, while Caballero was director of insurance.

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Ken Murphy joined Graham Downes Architecture as director of interior design, while Steven Hoard returned to the firm as a project manager. Murphy, who previously owned his own design firm in Las Vegas, brings more then 28 years of experience. Hoard was Graham Downes’ first employee in 1994. Prior to returning to the firm, he worked as a project manager with Public Architecture.

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Ambit Biosciences appointed Kerry Kelly v.p. and general counsel, Edward Shin senior director of corporate development, Dr. Robert Armstrong senior director of pharmacology and Dr. Mark Holladay senior director of chemistry. Additionally, Ambit promoted Dr. Daniel Treiber to director of molecular biology and technology development, and named Dr. Brian J. Druker and Dr. Gordon B. Mills to its new clinical oncology advisory board.

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Gerry Seelman joined Psomas as the new group leader of transportation and public works. Previously, Seelman was corporate v.p. with DMJM.

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John Oskam joined Johnson & Jennings General Contracting as project superintendent. Oskam brings more than 20 years of experience, having formerly served as a superintendent for Warner Contractors in Glendale and HBC Contractors in Los Angeles.

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Norman DesRosiers, a tribal gaming commissioner for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, was appointed to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), marking the first time a tribal gaming commissioner has been appointed to the NIGC. DesRosiers has served as commissioner and chief administrator for the Viejas Tribal Government Gaming Commission since 1998.

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Fresh Start Surgical Gifts appointed Francesca Supple to its board. Supple is a senior adult immunization representative for Merck & Co., Inc.

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School law attorney Steven E. Lake joined Best Best & Krieger as of counsel. He has an extensive background in the development of special education materials and seminars.

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Geogrid Retaining Wall Systems, Inc. created a new estimating department and named Forrest Armentrout v.p. of estimating. He joined Geogrid in 1985 as one of its first sales representatives.

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BeneTrac appointed Jeannie Criddle regional sales director for East Bay and Central Valley. She has more than a decade of experience in technology sales and development .

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Ed Schwartz was named Brecht BMW’s car sales manager. Schwartz joined Brecht in 1994, working the last five years as a sales adviser, lease and portfolio manager and finance manager.

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SZPR Inc. added Kevin Dinino and Tisha Doré as account supervisors. Previously, Dinino was manager of media and external relations for TD Ameritrade in New York. Doré brings more than 12 years of public relations experience.

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Electra Bicycle Co. added Elayne Fowler as director of marketing. She has more than 20 years of experience in brand management, marketing and advertising, most recently as v.p. of marketing for Jetsetjoe.com, an online travel search engine company in La Jolla.

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Erin Bilz and Alan Nations joined Architects|Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker. Bilz, a senior project manager and designer, most recently served as senior interior project manager and designer for Carrier Johnson. Nations, a project architect, previously owned and operated Bluestone Property Inspections in San Diego.

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The San Diego Welcome Back Center added Lorena Quiroz as an educational case manager and program assistant and Amaliya Blyumin as an education al case manager and career counselor. Quiroz was previously a business services coordinator for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, while Blyumin was an outreach counselor at Grossmont College.

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Chassis Plans added Jack Davis as v.p. of sales. He previously was director of global marketing and v.p. of worldwide sales and marketing at I-Bus/Phoenix.

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BPA Architecture Planning Interiors added Milos Makaric and Shannon Fu. Makaric will use his experience as a registered architect in Europe to focus on the San Diego commercial office market. Fu has been a member of internationally acclaimed design teams, earning earned six grand prize awards for her professional contributions.