IN BRIEF
GIBSONIA — St. Barnabas has announced a new hire and a promotion.
• Joseph Papalia, former general manager of Fox Chapel Golf Club, has been named general manager of the St. Barnabas Communities, and is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of St. Barnabas Health System's independent retiree housing areas, known as The Village, The Woodlands, White Tail Ridge and The Washington Place at St. Barnabas.
He will oversee the staffing needs of each department in the Communities, work on facility and property management, lead the financial and budgetary needs, and meet with residents.
A certified club manager from the Club Managers Association of America, he has more than 30 years of experience in the private club and hospitality industry.
Papalia has a degree in business management from the Community College of Allegheny County. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Monroeville with their two children.
• James Turco has been promoted to senior vice president of St. Barnabas Health System.
A St. Barnabas employee for 15 years, Turco is responsible for all areas of accounting and legal functions for the health system. He also leads the security and human resources departments for St. Barnabas.
He is a certified public accountant and nursing home administrator, and earned a degree in business administration from West Virginia University. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Turco lives in Hempfield Township with his wife, Chris, and their son.
BUTLER TWP — Butler Memorial Hospital's laboratory has received accreditation by the American Association of Blood Banks.Accreditation is awarded after an on-site assessment by association assessors.<B>Shell leases Butler County acreage</B>Shell has leased more than 7,000 acres in Butler County for natural gas exploration and drilling.The leases were obtained through the Dick Landowners Group, a Marcellus Shale natural gas company with offices in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia.<B>Cranberry man to help restaurants</B>Larry Clark of Cranberry Township has been hired as a consultant in the Pittsburgh area for Destination Restaurant Consulting.It has about two dozen consultants throughout the United States and provides consulting services for restaurants.It works with them in such areas as server training, creating signature dishes or a menu revamp, marketing, and lower food costs.<B>Gas company asks for rate increase</B>JEFFERSON TWP — The Herman Riemer Gas Co., 134 Winfield Road, has asked the state Public Utility Commission for a base rate increase.The requested 77 percent increase would move the average residential customer's monthly bill from $61 per month to $108 per month, earning $405,200 for the company.The company says it needs the increase to “continue to provide safe and reliable service, maintain the integrity of existing capital,” and the opportunity to earn a fair rate.The company serves 643 customers in Butler County.<B>Bruin mine fix-up contract awarded</B>HARRISBURG — The state Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $2 million in abandoned mine remediation projects, including a project in Butler County.The nearly $300,000 Bruin project was awarded to Morgan's Excavating of Mount Union, Huntington County.The contract calls for Morgan's to reclaim 33.5 acres of abandoned mines just outside Bruin. The site consists of pits and steep highwalls that will be filled in, and heaps of dirt, rocks and vegetation that will be graded and stabilized.A drain will be installed to control water runoff from the site, and grass and plants will be added to stabilize the site. The work should be done by October.<B>Woman appointed to commission</B>Sharon Standish of Butler has been named to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women by Gov. Tom Corbett.She is the senior project manager, informatics, at Bayer Radiology and Interventional, formerly MEDRAD, Indianola.“She is absolutely dedicated to women's leadership and engagement for young women,” said Maria Montero, executive director of the commission. “I was impressed with her having the science, technology and math background and that she mentored girls and women.”Standish and 27 other volunteers are on the commission. They will mentor women in business and civic leadership.<B>PERSONNEL FILE</B>• <B>Bob Napoletan</B>, owner of Napoletan Photography in Butler, has earned the Certified Professional Photographer designation from the Professional Photographic Certification Commission.
