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TMay 9, 2013 – The Technical College of the Lowcountry Commencement will be held at 6 p.m., Friday, May 10 at the All Weather Training Facility on Parris Island. This year’s event will honor more than 330 graduates and will also mark the second year the College will present its prestigious Presidential Medallion award.

Fred S. Washington, of Beaufort, has been selected as this year’s recipient.

“Mr. Washington has been a tireless champion for education in our community,” TCL President Dr. Thomas Leitzel said. “It is fitting that he receive the TCL Presidential Medallion for his hard work and support for public education at all levels.”

TCL Area Commission Chairman General Arthur E. Brown Jr. agrees. “Fred is dedicated to his community, and his passion shows when you engage with him on the value of an educated community.  We have benefited from his outstanding leadership,” he said.

About Washington:
A Beaufort native and the youngest of seven children, Washington was born on Parris Island in 1946. He attended Beaufort County public schools and is a 1964 graduate of Robert Smalls High School. He received a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. He began his career by serving as a residence life director at Boston University. Later, he returned to Beaufort and worked for Beaufort-Jasper Comprehensive Health and then for Beaufort County Schools. Washington went on to serve as the Director of the Beaufort County Department of Social Services for more than 27 years. He was elected to Beaufort City Council from July 1979 to July 1993. Washington also served on the TCL Area Commission for 15 years. In 2006, he was elected to the Beaufort County School Board, where he served as chairman from 2006 through 2012. In addition, Washington has provided leadership to countless other community organizations including the Beaufort Joint Planning Commission; Lowcountry Council of Governments Board; Beaufort County United Way Allocation Committee; SC Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations; Boys and Girls Club Board; Beaufort Marine Institute Board; Beaufort Housing Authority Board; BC First Steps Partnership Board; and chair of the Beaufort Fund Advisory Committee of the Coastal Community Foundation. He is married to Barbara and has three daughters and three grandchildren.

About the Presidential Medallion
Recognized as the top award given to a community citizen by the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the Presidential Medallion recognizes a distinguished citizen and community leader who exhibits enthusiasm, integrity and perseverance beyond the ordinary to help build a better and stronger community. Nominees for this award are individuals who have acted in the best interests of their community through outstanding service and the creation of a positive environment through civic leadership in the generous giving of time and personal sacrifice. As a community of scholars and practitioners, TCL has chosen this occasion to focus deserved attention upon worthy candidates to publicly recognize them and their exemplary achievements, character, integrity, and sacrifice that result in building a better community. The awarding of the Presidential Medallion recognizes individuals who support and bring distinction to the College in profound ways. The Presidential Medallion symbolizes the authority vested in the president by the TCL Area Commission to operate and represent the College as its chief executive officer.

NEWS - People in the News

Attorney Gary E. McClanahan recently joined the Health Care Practice Group at HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick. 

McClanahan has extensive experience in general regulatory and corporate healthcare law. He concentrates his practice on billing and reimbursement, federal and state regulatory compliance in the areas of fraud and abuse, self-referral, HIPAA/HITECH and Affordable Care Act compliance. He was selected as a Best Lawyers in America in Health Care for six consecutive years and is licensed to practice law in Georgia and North Carolina.

McClanahan joins HunterMaclean after working as a healthcare attorney for several Atlanta-area firms including Alston & Bird and King & Spalding. He previously served as general counsel for Egleston Children’s Hospital at Emory University in Atlanta. He is a sought-after speaker and author with extensive knowledge of regulations affecting health care providers.

McClanahan earned a J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, in 1984. He also earned a master’s in business administration from Harvard University’s Graduate School of business administration 1980 and a B.S. with honors from Auburn University in 1978.

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The Coastal Bank, a locally owned and operated community bank headquartered in Savannah, Ga., recently promoted Chap Bennett to executive vice president of commercial real estate and specialty lending. In his new position, Bennett will lead the bank’s mortgage company and construction lending department in addition to its structured finance services.  

Bennett has worked with The Coastal Bank for more than 12 years and most recently served as the manager of special assets, where he oversaw the management of all non-performing assets and maintained efforts to minimize risk and preserve capital. Due to his exceptional work in this position, The Coastal Bank has significantly reduced its number of non-performing assets. Prior to his position as manager of special assets, he also served as the senior credit officer at The Coastal Bank.

With a strong commitment to Effingham County, Bennett currently serves as the vice chairman of the board of directors for the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority is a past president of the Effingham Chamber of Commerce and a past board member at Effingham Hospital.  He is a member of Springfield United Methodist Church and resides in Rincon with his wife, Bobbi Jo, and their three children.

Bennett also was appointed by the lieutenat governor in 2009 to serve on the Council of Regional Commissions and was the past division chair of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia.

Originally from Thomson, Ga., Bennett earned a finance degree from Georgia Southern University and graduated with honors from the University of Georgia’s School of Banking.

The Coastal Bank also recently promoted banking industry veteran Dave Mandel to manager of special assets. In his new position, Mandel will oversee the management of all non-performing loans, manage liquidation of bank-owned property and develop timely resolutions to minimize risk and preserve capital.

Mandel joined The Coastal Bank in 2006 as a lending officer and most recently served as a vice president of the Special Assets Team, where he enjoyed tremendous success in problem loan resolution.

Before transitioning into the Special Assets Division, he also served the Commercial Real Estate Department where his responsibilities included the underwriting and production of new loan relationships, solicitation of new deposit opportunities and management of a loan portfolio in excess of $50 million. He began his banking career as a credit analyst and junior lending officer in New York.

Originally from Long Island, N.Y., Mandel earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Loyola College in Baltimore, Md., in May 2000. He graduated from the ABA Stonier National Graduate School of Banking in June 2010 and currently resides in Savannah.

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Jesse Fenton, a senior management major from Morrow, Ga., received the President’s Second Mile Award Saturday at the 182nd Commencement at Savannah State University (SSU).  The award recognizes stellar student leadership on campus and in the Savannah community.

A graduate of Morrow High School, Fenton has taken an active role with the Student Government Association (SGA) since his arrival on campus.  He has served as SGA executive vice president; executive chief justice; director of Fiscal Affairs for the sophomore class; and director of Public Outreach for the freshman class.  A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Fenton is also a past president of the College of Business Administration Student Advisory Council.  He is currently a member of the Society for the Advancement of Management and the Collegiate 100, an auxiliary organization of the 100 Black Men of Savannah, and serves as an ambassador for the National Urban League’s Black Executive Exchange Program.

Within the Savannah community, Fenton has worked with America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia and the Savannah Tree Foundation.  He spent his spring break doing community service in Harlem, N.Y., and has also served with the Philabundance Food Bank in Philadelphia.  After graduation, Fenton will join the staff of Microsoft Corp. in Seattle as a U.S. Health and Life Sciences Corporate Account Manager.

NEWS - People in the News

Attorney Rebecca L. Sczepanski recently joined HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick, as of counsel with the firm’s ERISA and Employee Benefits Practice Group.

An accomplished attorney and C.P.A., Sczepanski brings extensive experience advising for-profit and non-profit clients on ERISA and employee benefits issues including qualified plans, welfare plans, investment policy statements and fiduciary responsibilities, IRS submissions and Department of Labor audits and investigations. 

Before joining HunterMaclean, Sczepanski served as senior counsel at the law firm of Ice Miller, LLP in Indianapolis, Ind. and as general counsel for Employee Health Insurance Management, Inc. in Southfield, Mich.

She earned a J.D., cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit in 1996, with distinction as a member of the Order of the Coif. She also completed a B.B.A. in accounting and general business, magna cum laude, at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Mich. in 1987.

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Stage Front Presentation Systems is honored to announce chief operating officer,  TJ Baggett as a recipient of the 2013 Randy Vaughan Business & Leadership Award. The award was presented at the National Systems Contractors Association’s (NSCA) Annual Conference held Feb. 21-23, in Phoenix, AZ.  NSCA chose Baggett based on her work experience and proven track record in the commercial electronic systems industry as well as the glowing letters of recommendation from her superior and direct reports.

Bringing her business expertise to Stage Front, Baggett has been able to apply the same determination and focus to help Stage Front become a leader in the high-tech AV-IT integration industry.  With keen planning and strategic execution, Baggett has effectively helped Stage Front expand in new directions.  Through her involvement in the research and development of the inVision technology initiative, Stage Front has been able to partner with the right strategic partners to provide technology solutions in the healthcare market.

As expressed by her peers at Stage Front, Baggett is a dedicated team player.  Her leadership style has earned her respect from employees.  She has effectively created an environment of confidence for her vision and goals during a time of organizational change within the company, as well as the constantly changing industry needs and advancements.  Baggett manages this with daily constructive, open communication with staff at all levels of the company, generating buy-in from the front-line employees to vice presidents. Baggett has helped develop a staff that enjoys challenging work and who are actively involved in decisions that impact not only their daily lives in the workplace but also the overall operation of the company.

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Vanessa Welter, APR has joined the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce & Visitor and Convention Bureau as director of marketing.

Welter brings more than 15 years of experience in guiding member/partner led destination marketing organizations and building successful brands in the tourism, hospitality and financial services industries.

Welter most recently served as vice president, earned media, with BVK Marketing Communications in Milwaukee, WI, where she managed high profile companies and destinations including the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism.

Prior to her stint with BVK, Welter served as the director of communications for the state of Florida's marketing bureau, Visit Florida and as director of public relations, marketing communications and film office with the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitor Bureau.

She holds a bachelor of arts in mass communications from the University of Wisconsin and a masters degree in advertising and public relations from Marquette University.

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April 26, 2013 –  Thomas & Hutton, a leading professional engineering and consulting firm, has officially announced that Samuel G. McCachern, P.E., has been elected president of Thomas & Hutton. Board chairman John G. Lientz made the announcement at the company’s board meeting earlier this week.

“Sam will provide the leadership and guidance to help Thomas & Hutton grow strategically,” said Mitchell Bohannon, who has served as president and CEO of Thomas & Hutton since 2008 and will continue to serve as CEO. “His unwavering loyalty, impressive commitment to excellence, strong work ethic and powerful connection to the community make him uniquely qualified to take Thomas & Hutton to an even higher level of success.”

McCachern originally joined the company in 1985, shortly after graduating from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Over the past 28 years, he has served as principal and project manager on a number of Thomas & Hutton projects including Haig Point and Melrose on Daufuskie Island, S.C. and Sun City Hilton Head and Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, S.C. Before being named president, he served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Thomas & Hutton. 

In addition to project and client service, much of McCachern’s experience at Thomas & Hutton centers on the business aspects of consulting engineering including new business development, human resources, recruiting, training, risk management and real estate matters.

McCachern is a registered engineer in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and a LEED-accredited professional.  He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Urban Land Institute, National Society of Professional Land Surveyors and American Council of Engineering Companies.

McCachern is a member of Isle of Hope United Methodist Church and a dedicated community leader. He served as the 2012 campaign chair for the United Way of the Coastal Empire and currently serves on the boards of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of the Coastal Empire and Savannah Christian Preparatory School. He also is a member of the Savannah Economic Development Authority advisory board, past president of Rotary Club of Savannah and a Leadership Savannah graduate.

“It is truly an honor to be named president of this exceptional company,” said McCachern. “I look forward to expanding Thomas & Hutton’s reach in all of our key markets.”

ABOUT THOMAS & HUTTON:
Thomas & Hutton is a privately held, professional services company providing engineering, surveying, planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and consulting services to public and private clients.  The company has been designing award-winning projects and building strong client relationships for 65 years. Thomas & Hutton has more than 150 employees at locations in Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Brunswick, Ga.; and Wilmington, N.C. For more information, please visit www.thomasandhutton.com.

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April 23, 2013 – The Savannah College of Art and Design will honor Francisco Costa, the women’s creative director of Calvin Klein Collection, at the university’s annual fashion show at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 18, at Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St., Savannah.  

SCAD president and cofounder Paula Wallace and Vogue contributing editor and SCAD trustee André Leon Talley will present Costa with Talley’s namesake lifetime achievement award.

To complement the honor, the SCAD Museum of Art will host an exhibit of Costa’s work focusing on his Spring 2013 collection, opening May 18, at 601 Turner Blvd.

“Francisco Costa’s work at Calvin Klein Collection is elegant and utterly timeless. It is an honor for SCAD to recognize this icon of American fashion with the 2013 André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award,” Wallace said.

“I am deeply honored to receive this year’s lifetime achievement award from SCAD and my long-time friend, André,” said Costa. “To be recognized for my work by SCAD, which does so much to cultivate new design talent and connecting the fashion industry with Savannah, makes this acknowledgement especially meaningful to me.”

Francisco Costa assumed the role of women’s creative director of Calvin Klein Collection after working directly with Calvin Klein and other top fashion houses including Gucci, Balmain Couture and Oscar de la Renta. His first collection for the house in this role debuted for Spring 2004. 

Since then, Costa has received critical acclaim and numerous awards for his work. In 2006 and again in 2008, the Council of Fashion Designers of America named Costa Womenswear Designer of the Year. In May 2008, he was awarded the Mortimer C. Ritter Award given by the FIT Alumni Association to an alumnus who graduated from the school and has excelled in art and design. In April 2009, Costa was honored by Parsons The New School for Design at the school's 61st Annual Fashion Benefit. Later that year, the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York presented Costa its 2009 Fashion Design Award, which is given to those who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in design. At the 2012 Accessories Council Excellence Awards Gala, Costa accepted the Designer of the Year Award on behalf of Calvin Klein Collection.

Costa arrived in New York City from his native Brazil in the early 1990s with aspirations of designing for a large fashion house. In 1993, he began a five-year collaboration with Oscar de la Renta that included work on the designer’s signature collection, as well as Pierre Balmain haute couture. He was recruited by Tom Ford in 1998 to join the Gucci design studio, and was the senior eveningwear designer there, before joining Calvin Klein’s studio in early 2002.

Currently serving on the board of the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, Costa has worked with a number of international organizations dedicated to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS around the world. He was honored by amfAR: The Foundation for AIDS Research, and received the Award of Inspiration at the 2011 amfAR Inspiration Gala in Brazil.

Costa is the latest in a long line of fashion icons who have received the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award, including Manolo Blahnik, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, John Galliano, Isabel and Ruben Toledo and, most recently, Ralph Rucci.

Graduating SCAD fashion students submit their work to a juried competition for critique by top fashion industry professionals. Outstanding students are then invited to present their collections at the annual SCAD Fashion Show, which has become one of the premier student fashion shows in the country.

Collections will be presented at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 1, and can purchased at savannahboxoffice.com, in person at 216 E. Broughton St., or by phone at 912-525-5050. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $10 with SCAD ID for the 4 p.m. showing, and $50 for the general public and $25 with SCAD ID for the 8 p.m. presentation. Tickets are limited.

NEWS - People in the News

Oglethorpe Mall, a popular Savannah shopping center owned and managed by General Growth Properties, Inc., recently hired Aaron D. Young

as operations manager. He brings 16 years of experience in the construction and maintenance industry to his new position at Oglethorpe Mall.

As operations manager, Young is responsible for daily mall operations, managing contracted services, budgeting, administering and facilitating capital projects and planning, coordinating tenant construction, budget execution and planning, emergency planning and building systems operation. He reports directly to Oglethorpe Mall general manager, Paul Baker.

Before joining Oglethorpe Mall, Young served as a project manager with Harper and Sons, Inc. in Easton, Md. and as a department head with Home Depot in Atlanta.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Young is a long-time Habitat for Humanity volunteer. Over the years he has volunteered to manage numerous home-building projects and served as the construction supervisor with Cobb County Habitat for Humanity in Smyrna, Ga.

“I’m honored to join the dynamic team at Oglethorpe Mall and look forward to getting involved with the Savannah community,” Young said.

Oglethorpe Mall is located at 7804 Abercorn St. Anchor department stores include Macy’s, Belk, Sears and JCPenney. Mall hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon-6 p.m.

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Hancock Day School is excited to announce its new middle school director, Howard Crawford. Relocating from St. Johnsbury, Vt, Crawford brings over 40 years of educational and administrative experience to his new role at Hancock Day School.

Crawford began teaching at St. Johnsbury Academy in 1969. During his tenure, he taught multiple science classes, served as a special educator and held several administrative positions. Crawford’s administrative positions included special education administrator, director of the applied technologies center and dean of students. He also operated St. Johnsbury Academy’s Advanced Placement Institute, one of the largest and most revered summer programs of its kind in the country.

In Vermont’s political arena, Crawford voiced educational concerns as a state representative and later a government affairs consultant for St. Johnsbury Academy.

Crawford brings extensive knowledge to Hancock Day School as the school continues to grow its new middle school program. Hancock Day School recently started construction on a new middle school building and has consistently increased enrollment over the past five years.

 

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April 17, 2013 – Convenience Store News honored Greg Parker, the president and CEO of Parker’s, as the 2013 Top Tech Executive at the 2013 CIO/Tech Summit in Chicago on April 8.

“Greg Parker has distinguished himself as a technology leader and a trend-setter in our industry,” said Donald Longo, editor-in-chief at Convenience Store News. “He not only contributes to technology at Parker’s, but to the industry as a whole through his innovation and leadership.”

The Tech Executive Award is presented annually to a convenience store executive who demonstrates vision and leads the way for technology solutions that impact the industry as a whole.

“My biggest strength is finding solutions,” Parker told the audience in Chicago. “I'm not afraid to challenge people to push the boundaries of technology to find new and innovative solutions to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

Parker, a nationally-recognized convenience store leader, also participated in the CIO/Technology Roundtable Program on April 9, which included the presentation of the Convenience Store News annual C-store Industry Retail Tech Study. 

“Technology is key to succeeding in the 21st-century marketplace,” Parker explained. “It’s an important tool that encourages customer loyalty and, in turn, helps forge an emotional connection with consumers.”

Parker’s, which is headquartered in Savannah, Ga., incorporates cutting-edge technology like PriceAdvantage, Open Store and PeopleMatter into its store operations.

The company’s PumpPal loyalty program has saved customers more than $2.7 million since its inception in 2011. Parker’s is widely considered an industry leader for its Fueling the Community program, which gives back one cent of every gallon of gas sold on the first Wednesday of each month to public and private schools in every community where Parker’s does business.

Parker’s was recently ranked on Inc.'s elite list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. and selected as the Savannah Morning News Entrepreneur of the Year. The company operates successful convenience stores across Georgia and South Carolina and plans to open additional locations in Beaufort, Jasper, Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, Effingham and Bulloch counties.

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April 16, 2013 – SCAD Atlanta’s Kevin Elika (B.F.A. interior design student) was one of five award winners in Marriott International’s Great Room Design competition.

Marriott challenged students to create their own version of the “great room,” an invigorating, open space and comfortable environment in which guests can gather, work, eat and socialize.

Students were asked a series of questions and to describe their overall experience in a short sentence. Winners were selected based on the creativity, relevance, and feasibility of their idea and received a $200 prize.

Elika’s submission focused on creating an interior design concept that would transform based on changing seasons, using light, texture and shape to shift the environment akin to a chameleon’s ability to change its skin.

An international student from Indonesia, Elika says his hobbies help him to be a better designer.

“Researching and paying attention to people and whatever happens around me gives me a kind of awareness. It helps me to find a new perspective of thinking, which is good when trying to create an unpredictable design idea,” he said.

Marriott International Inc. is one of the most acclaimed brands in hospitality. As a way to adapt to the ever-changing needs of travelers, the hotel giant decided to recruit students to brainstorm innovative ideas for their new concept “the great room.” The competition was offered through MindSumo.com, a website that encourages students to find design solutions for big name organizations in exchange for cash prizes.