Movers and shakers for April 21, 2008

Awards

-- Michael Walker received Allstate’s Regional Champion’s award, the company’s symbol of outstanding achievement.

Allstate Insurance Company recognized Walker for high standards in customer satisfaction, customer retention and financial service sales.

The Allstate Corporation is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. In Virginia, Allstate has 1,180 employees and 332 agents.

New hires

-- Hank Shellenberger has joined the sales and marketing staff at River Technologies, where he will be responsible for co-coordinating all sales and marketing activities in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. Shellenberger, a graduate of Lynchburg College, previously served with Pearson Equipment Inc. His nuclear market experience was gained through his prior association representing the NORCLEAN brand.

River Technologies, located in Forest, distributes and services equipment to nuclear power plants as well as various radiological controlled environments.

-- Terry Wooldridge has joined Virginia A&E as an electrical engineer. Wooldridge has more than 20 years of experience providing project management and electrical design for industrial, commercial, correctional, educational, and healthcare facilities.

Virginia A&E, based in Forest, provides full architecture and engineering services to industrial, institutional, and commercial clients throughout Virginia.

-- Marie Martin has been selected by the board of United Way to serve as the new CEO and president of United Way of Central Virginia. Martin is a longtime resident of Lynchburg with past public relation, banking, and fundraising experience. She has served on local nonprofit boards including Amazement Square and the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra.

-- The Hilton Garden Inn, Lynchburg, currently under construction at 4025 Wards Road, has announced the following new hires:

Scott Farrar will serve as the food and beverage director, overseeing all aspects including the restaurant, bar, room service, banquets, and catering Farrar, who has nearly 13 years experience in the Food and Beverage industry, graduated from Longwood University with a B.S.B.A. in finance. He comes to Lynchburg after spending three years working for Professional Hospitality Resources in Virginia Beach, where he served as a restaurant manager for Catch31 at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, assistant food and beverage director at the Boardwalk Resort and Villas, and promoted to food and beverage director at the Boardwalk Resort and Villas.

Lauren May has joined as the catering and conference coordinator and will be responsible for overseeing all social events and corporate meetings held at the hotel. May, who holds a bachelor’s of business science degree with a concentration in hospitality and tourism management from James Madison University, brings both advertising and previous Hilton experience to her position. She previously served as media plan coordinator with Planet Central, LLC in Richmond, and as an executive concierge at Hilton located in the Walt Disney World Resort.

The Hilton Garden Inn, Lynchburg, slated to open in May, features 126 guest rooms and more than 4,000 square feet of exhibition space.

Professional designations

-- Cindy Matheson, of Prudential Realty Services in Lynchburg, has earned the EcoBroker Certified designation, having successfully completed a training program on the energy and environmental issues that affect real estate transactions. Matheson joins the movement of professionals pushing the real estate market toward energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthier design features in homes and buildings. Matheson is the first and only Realtor in the Lynchburg area to achieve the designation.

w Norma S. White, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and executive director of Couples & Kids, Central Virginia’s Counseling Center for Families, received her Registered Play Therapist credential through the Association for Play Therapy. The credential is conferred to licensed professional mental health practitioners to help consumers identify licensed mental health professionals with specialized training and experience in play therapy.