Business Observer 03.17.11

+ SWAT member honored
During its March luncheon, Successful Women Aligning Together honored member Marie Avery as its successful woman of the month. The organization recognized Avery, of Avery-Ayers and Associates/ReMax Realty, for her experience, knowledge and expertise in the luxury home market, and her educational, political and community efforts.

+ HSSC names new board
The Humane Society of Sarasota County recently named five members to its board of directors: George Adley, senior mortgage loan officer at Fifth third Bank; Anne Chauvet, veterinary neurologist and neurosurgeon and owner of Critical Care and Veterinary Specialists of Sarasota; Andrea Daniels, e-learning consultant; John J. Raleigh, Jr., of Raleigh and Associates; and Nanette Swane Rosenberry, veterinarian and veterinary surgeon with Bay Road Animal Hospital.

Executive Director Deborah Robbins Millman was selected to receive a Bank of America scholarship toward a certificate in nonprofit management.

+ Rod Hartwick joins Xena Vallone Realty
A Sarasota realtor for eight years, Rod Hartwick has joined Xena Vallone Realty, Inc. He graduated from the Realtor Insitute and e-Pro and holds the At Home with Diversity certification.

The Michigan native was a veterinarian for 48 years — counting among his patients the thoroughbred racehorse, Secretariat. Also formerly a jockey and the owner of a horse-breeding farm, he will focus on equestrian estates and boating properties.

+ Chamber presents SCBB with Insignia Award
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce presented the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau — a full-service destination management organization that seeks to stabilize and stimulate the local economy, create jobs and enhance local tax revenues through the promotion of year-round tourism — with the Insignia Award for the month of March.

The award recognizes the achievement of quality customer service and commitment to the community.

+ Northern Trust appoints senior lender
A leading provider of personal financial services, North Trust recently announced the appointment of Rick Gomez, vice president, as senior lender of the Sarasota/Manatee region. Gomez, who joined Northern Trust in 2004, transferred from Northern Trust headquarters in Chicago in Jan. 2011 to assume his new role, in which he is responsible for the region’s lending and banking activities including business development, risk management and credit administration.

Contact Loren Mayo at [email protected].