CHICORA - Spectrum Insurance Services bought the McCollough Insurance Agency on July 1.

Carol McCollough, who has owned and operated the Chicora insurance office since 1975, is retiring.

Two of her staff members, Linda Guntrum and Lori Plunkard, will continue to work in the Chicora office under the Spectrum name along with Spectrum founder and owner Lon McAllister and agent Cindy Toy.

Spectrum is owned by McAllister and John Williams. Between the two, they have 57 years in the insurance business and used the Independent Insurance Agency system to launch Spectrum in 1998.

The agency has offices in Butler and Mars, along with is new office in Chicora.

Apria Healthcare is celebrating its 10th anniversary in its Butler office with a food drive in partnership with The Lighthouse that will help several food pantries.Apria was created in 1995 with the merger of the national companies Abbey and Homedco. It serves the home health care industry, providing respiratory therapy, infusion therapy and medical equipment to home use.The company also provides clinical and administrative support services.For information about the Butler office anniversary or how to donate food for Apria's food drive, call 724-282-1611.

LYNDORA - Dr. Oscar Castro opened Butler Regional Endocrinology in Lyndora on July 5. He is moving to 111 Woody Drive from his current practice at the Butler office of Butler Medical Associates.Butler Regional Endocrinology, a specialty of Butler Medical Providers and operated by Butler Health System, will expand on a medical specialty, providing service for those with conditions related to glands and hormones, such as diabetes, thyroid, pituitary gland, osteoporosis, parathyroid, adrenal and others.Castro came to Butler from Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center in early 2004.He is board certified in endocrinology and internal medicine. He is a member of the American Diabetes Association, the American College on Clinical Endocrinology, the Endocrine Society and the American Thyroid Association.He lives in Butler with his wife, Marigold, and their son.

The Gateway Engineers, Gray-Warnick Butler Groupis expanding its operations to include structural engineering services and has hired <B>Wayne Jacobs</B> as project manager. The local group now has 27 employees.Jim Davison, owner of JADCO Manufacturing Co. in Harmony, has promoted <B> Sam Anderson</B> to be company president and<B>Carin Brown</B> to be office manager. Both Anderson and Brown live in Cranberry Township. JADCO is an abrasion steel service center.<B>Ira Gumberg</B> has been appointed to the University of Pittsburgh's board of trustees by Gov. Ed Rendell.He is president and chief executive officer of J.J. Gumberg Co., a national real estate investment and development company headquartered in Pittsburgh and owner of both the Clearview Mall in Center Township and the Cranberry Mall in Cranberry Township.<B>Thomas Campbell, Patrick Buzzard, James Henry</B> and <B>Joe Morter,</B> all of East Butler, have been rewarded for their good driving as part of the 2004 Marmon/Keystone Driver Safety Awareness Program. Campbell and Buzzard have received the award for the second consecutive year.Marmon/Keystone is a manufacturing company located in Butler.<B>Tom Muscatello</B> of Concord Township has received certification in dimension II digital selling skills from Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc.'s Chicago Regional Training Office. He is a digital sales specialist with Hagan Business Machines of Butler.

True Value Co. has named Mine Safety Appliances' MSA Safety Works as Supplier of the Year in the power tools and accessories category.