IN BRIEF
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Honda North has been named a recipient of the Honda President's Award for 2012.
It is one of only five Honda dealerships in Pennsylvania to earn the award for 2012. This is Honda North's fourth consecutive President's Award and its sixth since 2006.
The award is Honda's highest dealership honor and is presented annually to fewer than 15 percent of Honda dealerships across the country.
Jon Palmiero, co-owner of Honda North, said in a news release, “This is now our sixth award, and it is still a huge honor to be counted among the best Honda dealers in the nation.”
Howard Neff, co-owner, said in the release, “Customer satisfaction is a major criteria in the President's Award. So to have our job performance be recognized by our customers, that's the most rewarding part of it.”
Lowrie House gets wellness directorKathy Kummer, R.N., B.S.N., is the new wellness director at Lowrie House, a senior living community by Assisted Living Concepts.Kummer is responsible for managing residents' care along with supervising the daily clinical activities of the caregivers.Her career started at St. Margaret Hospital in Lawrenceville. She has worked at Butler Memorial Hospital, VA Butler Healthcare, Allegheny Valley Hospital, and VNA Home Care.She worked with Lowrie House from 1997 through 2007 before becoming a hospice nurse at Albert Gallatin, now known as Amedisys Home Health & Hospice, before coming back in February to Lowrie House, 100 Stirling Village Drive.She graduated from Allegheny Valley School of Nursing and has a 1980 Bachelor of Nursing degree from Slippery Rock University.
Irvine Weir to lead health boardMargaret Irvine Weir has been appointed chair of the Butler Health System Board of Trustees. She is the president of NexTier Bank.“Ms. Irvine Weir leads NexTier Bank, a top notch, community-based, independent organization that performs well in an intensely competitive industry. Butler Health System can be described in a similar way,” said Ken DeFurio, Butler Health System President & CEO.“She is invaluable to the BHS board of trustees as we face upcoming challenges related to health care reform.Irvine Weir has served on several community boards, including the Butler County Community College board of trustees for more than a decade, and is a board member of the Community Development Corporation of Butler County, the Regional Learning Alliance of Pittsburgh, and the Seneca Valley Foundation.She also has served on the Pittsburgh Branch of the Federal Reserve of Cleveland for four years and served a three-year term as the chair of EconomicsPennsylvania's President's Council.
BUTLER TWP — The Mikan Volkswagen dealership on New Castle Road recently was recognized by Volkswagen as a 25-year dealer of its vehicles.Owner Bob Mikan's father opened the business in Trafford, Pa., in 1924 as a repair shop, and it began to sell Pontiac cars in 1940.The business moved to Butler in 1969, and is run by David Mikan, the third generation of Mikans to lead the dealership.<B>NexTier Bank adds lending VP</B>Gary J. Norris, a 14-year veteran in the financial services industry, has joined NexTier Bank as a vice president, commercial lending. He is a CPA and 1994 MBA graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.“Gary brings a wealth of experience and a great combination of skills. As a CPA and MBA graduate, not only will Gary be a great addition to our team, but he will also be a terrific resource for our customers,” said Bob Bowell, chief lending officer at NexTier.In addition to his financial services experience, Norris has both audit and compliance experience. He is on the boards of Asset Incorporated and The Center for Spirituality in Twelve Step Recovery.<B>Westinghouse to provide nuke fuel</B>CRANBERRY TWP — Westinghouse Electric announced that it has been selected by Vattenfall Nuclear Fuels AB in Sweden to provide replacement fuel deliveries for the Forsmark 1 and Ringhals 3 nuclear power plants in 2015 and with an option for additional deliveries in 2016.Westinghouse will produce the fuel at its fabrication facility in Västerås, Sweden. Westinghouse has been one of the main suppliers of fuel to the Forsmark and Ringhals nuclear power plants since 1973.Westinghouse is based in Cranberry.<B>McGinnis sisters honored for work</B>PITTSBURGH — The owners of McGinnis Sisters Specialty Foods Stores were honored March 6 at the eighth annual Celebrate and Share Women of Achievement Awards Dinner at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.Noreen McGinnis Campbell of Harmony and her sisters Bonnie McGinnis Vello and Sharon McGinnis Young were three of 26 Western Pennsylvania women recognized for their business accomplishments and contributions to the community.McGinnis Sisters is a South Hills-based grocery store chain that buys from local producers and abides by sustainable practices. Its newest store opened in Adams Township in 2008.<B>2 teachers get national honors</B>Lisa Bauer of the Butler County Children's Center in Butler and Kiley Kline at the Tender Care Learning Center in Mars have been selected to receive the 2013 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's TYLENOL National Child Care Teacher Award.Both will receive an award of $1,000 on April 11 at a special ceremony at Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia.With their money, Bauer will implement her project, “Science Area Improvement” and Kline will implement her project, “Toddler Room Light Table.”There are 52 total National Child Care Teacher Award recipients for 2013.<B>2 firms named top manufacturers</B>PITTSBURGH — Catalyst Connection, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit economic development organization for small manufacturers, recently recognized two Butler County firms as industry leaders.Cygnus Manufacturing Co. in Clinton Township and MECCO Marking & Traceability in Cranberry Township were named two of the top 25 companies that set the bar for success in Western Pennsylvania.Catalyst announced the industry leaders Feb. 21 at its 25th anniversary celebration at the Heinz History Center.Cygnus is a precision manufacturer of products and components for medical devices, transportation, scientific instrumentation, energy, aerospace and defense applications.MECCO manufactures machines and systems used in direct part marking, laser marking, laser engraving and dot peen marking.<B>BOTTOM LINE</B>• Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Kozy Rest in Harrisville has been recognized with the Carroll Award, which is presented to the Jellystone Park Camp-Resort receiving the highest inspection score among the more than 75 campgrounds in the Jellystone system.• Butler Memorial Hospital is a recipient of the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. This distinction recognizes hospitals in the top 10 percent in the nation for excellence in patient safety. Those are hospitals that performed better than expected based on an analysis of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality patient safety indicators. Health Grades is in Denver.• Grove City Medical Center has received national recognition as one of the “Healthiest Companies in America.” The award is given by Interactive Health, a national provider of workplace wellness solutions. The Healthiest Companies in American award is granted to organizations that attained a companywide low health risk status while achieving high employee participation in their wellness program. It was one of 72 honorees in 2012.<B>PERSONNEL FILE</B>• Surgeon Dr. Armando Sciullo recently was recognized for his service to the Grove City Medical Center as chief of staff. Chief Executive Officer Robert C. Jackson, Jr. presented him with a plaque for his leadership from 2009-2012. The chief of staff is a liaison between the medical staff and the chief executive officer and executive team.
