Monty and Sara Preiser have become monthly contributors to Living Out East & On the Bay magazine. The Preisers live in Florida and Napa, Calif., where they publish a guide to wineries and restaurants for the Napa Valley. They have written for newspapers and magazines and served as judges for top wine competitions. Their own wines will be released this fall.
Vladimir Bourenine, a licensed Realtor since 2003, has joined Xena Vallone Realty. A native of Russia, raised in Moscow, Bourenine has a background in the import-export industry. He specializes in single-family homes and condominiums in Sarasota and Manatee counties, serving an international clientele.
First Bank’s Anne Lee made a presentation to 39 members of the Manatee PC Users group in May at Freedom Village in Bradenton.
Lee, First Bank’s retail president for Florida, talked about preventing identity theft and online banking.
Home builder Taylor Morrison has implemented strategic staff changes, promoting a new regional vice president and adding key personnel to meet rising consumer demand for quality-built new homes.
Cammie Longenécker has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for its West Florida division. She previously served as the sales manager of Taylor Morrison’s Tampa Bay and Sarasota regions. Tracy Briones has been promoted to assistant controller of the division. She began her career with Taylor Morrison as a staff accountant and was promoted within a year of joining the company. Katy Walker will serve as marketing manager of the West Florida division. Janell Hand is a new home sales associate at Avelar Creek in Riverview. Heather Collins has been named a new homes sales associate for Tampa Palms. Collins previously owned a successful interior design and staging company.
Kenneth Jarvis, CPA, completed 2010 QuickBooks certification to help local small businesses better manage their finances.
Douglas A. Cherry, partner in the Sarasota office of Douglas Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP participated in a panel discussion on the “Pitfalls and Opportunities of Social Media” at the American Advertising Federation-Suncoast’s first luncheon panel series in May. Experts discussed the perils and prospects of social media marketing. The panel also included Peter Taylor with the Sarasota Mental Health Care System and Amanda Eyer with AtLarge. Vicki Vega with The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce moderated. Cherry also was a featured speaker and co-presenter with Judge Robert B. Bennett, Jr. at the Legal Aid of Manasota CLE Program titled “What to do when you are Facing an Ethically Challenged Attorney.”
Susanne Hampton has joined The Soda Group at Keller Williams Realty-Sarasota Lakewood Ranch. Her specialty is closing difficult transactions. She had a 20-year real estate career in New York City, Redding, Conn., and Cleveland, Ohio.
Realtor Geri Kenyon was awarded emeritus CRS designation status which recognizes 20 consecutive years of exceptional service and membership in the Council of Residential Sales. She is a director of the Manatee Association of Realtors as well as multiple National Association of Realtors committees.
Audrey Beecher of SRQ Wealth Management has successfully completed the registered RPSM Professional Designation Program. Individuals must complete the comprehensive financial planning coursework sponsored by the college, pass a final exam, commit to the financial planning code of ethics, and complete an internship to gain work experience in the field.
Gerri Aaron has been appointed to the American Jewish Committee of West Coast F
lorida’s board of directors. Aaron is a philanthropist and social activist in the greater Sarasota community, as well as in Philadelphia and the New Jersey beach community where she spends part of the year. In recognition of Aaron’s lifetime of commitment to giving, she was recently honored with AJC’s 2011 Human Relations Award.
Dr. Stephen Graves and Dr. Elizabeth Larkin, faculty members in the College of Education at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, has written “Lessons from Erikson: A look at autonomy across the lifespan,” which has been downloaded 344 times, more than any other article in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships. The article has been cited 202 times, also more than any other article in the journal.
Graves and Larkin are professors of early childhood education at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.
Christy Kasper has joined Serendipity’s marketing team as membership and marketing director. Kasper has owned an estate and financial planning business and been the regional account manager for a medical facility.
Larry Morse has joined Raymond James Financial Services. He previously worked at A.G. Edwards, where he was assistant vice president of investments.
Renee Martone-Cecil, a financial adviser with Ameriprise Financial, has received high marks from her clients in the recent Ameriprise financial adviser client satisfaction survey. Martone-Cecil ranked in the top 5 percent of 2,693 participating advisers who scored 100 percent or higher based on overall client satisfaction and the frequency of proactive contact the client received from the advisor.
Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu was named interim dean of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. Cobanoglu is an internationally recognized researcher in hospitality information technology, the holder of 12 research awards, and the author of 36 refereed papers and six books.
Nicole L. Hamer, a Sarasota County Florida Farm Bureau agent, was awarded for being the No. 7 agent in her company.
The award was based on sales from different categories including automobile, homeowners and life insurance. She also received a National Multiline Sales Award from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, top membership acquisition for Florida Farm Bureau, a Leadership Award, and three separate awards for being top in life insurance sales in the state.
