David R. Rhode, managing partner of Vaco Raleigh, LLC (www.vaco.com), an executive placement and consulting firm, has announced that Vern McDonald, business development director in the firm’s information technology practice, who also serves as executive vice president of the RTP chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals, attended the AITP Members Summit held Jan. 22-23 in Chicago. Awards were presented for excellence in the field of Information Technology. McDonald accepted an award for Distinguished Information Science on behalf of Dr.

Mary Poole, executive director of Artspace (www.artspacenc.org), has announced that the visual art center will hold a project-oriented youth, teen and adult summer art program. The program, which takes place from June 14 through Aug. 14 for children and April 30 through Aug. 14 for adults, provides an opportunity for students to work directly with professional artists who teach new skills and individual expression.

Michael G. Carlton, president of Crescent State Bank (www.crescentstatebank.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Crescent Financial Corporation, (NASDAQ Global MarketSM), has announced that Mark Fenton has joined the bank as director of mortgage. With more than 20 years of experience as a senior level manager in the mortgage industry, Fenton will work to grow Crescent’s mortgage division by attracting new customers while continuing to serve the current clientele.

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Fuentek, LLC (www.fuentek.com) has announced that president Laura A. Schoppe has been selected to judge the NCFIRST Robotics Competition Regional Tournament. The event, which will be held at Dorton Arena in Raleigh April 1-3, will showcase the work of teams of high school students, who have six weeks to design and build a robot from a “kit of parts” provided by the competition. Each team is paired with professional mentors to guide them through the process.

CED, formerly the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (www.cednc.org), a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has announced a partnership with the Edward Lowe Foundation to bring a unique awards program, Companies to Watch, to North Carolina. North Carolina Companies to Watch recognizes second-stage companies that are innovative in thinking and demonstrate a high performance within their industry. CED will host the awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept.

Dean Ogan, owner of Rocky Top Hospitality (www.rockytophospitality.com), has announced that the Rocky Top restaurants raised a total of $2403.55 during the Triangle-wide Dine Out for Haiti relief fundraiser. All of the Rocky Top restaurants—Michael Dean’s, Bogart’s, Red Room, Hi5, Twisted Fork, and the Mash House—hosted the event on Sunday, Jan. 24, donating 10 percent of sales to support aid efforts in Haiti. Rocky Top partnered with several other locally owned and operated restaurants for this fund raiser.

Diane Kuehn, president and CEO of VisionPoint Marketing (www.visionpointmarketing.com), has announced that Ashlee Little has joined the firm as project manager. Little, who previously had interned with the firm, is responsible for overseeing projects, serving as a liaison for clients and managing workflow for client projects.

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“We are excited to have Ashlee join the VisionPoint Marketing team,” said Kuehn. “She brings a great enthusiasm and skill set to our organization.”

BodyLase Skin Spa (www.getbodylase.com) has announced the release of a podcast discussing eyelash extensions and what the process entails. In the podcast, Karen Albright, president of the medspa, details the eyelash extension process as well as the results it provides.

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“Eyelash enhancement has been growing in popularity over the last year,” said Albright. “BodyLase Skin Spa offers a painless eyelash extension process that provides instant results for those looking to highlight the eyes.”

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Don Mills, president of SIA Group (www.siagroup.net), a full-service insurance agency with seven offices throughout North Carolina, has announced that Todd Minchew has been appointed sales executive for the branch office in Wallace, N.C. Minchew’s responsibilities include prospecting and developing relationships with potential clientele as well as maintaining relationships with SIA’s current customer base.

(Use color to transform your personal style and well-being)

(Use color to transform your personal style and well-being)

Yadkin Riverkeeper® is proud to announce the opening of its new office located at 308 Patterson Ave. in Winston-Salem. To celebrate the new office opening, the Yadkin Riverkeeper, Dean Naujoks, will host a community open house and free wine tasting Tuesday Feb. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Krankies Coffee on E. 3rd St. There will be a membership sign-up booth with T-shirts and maps of the Yadkin River.

BodyLase Skin Spa (www.getbodylase.com) has announced the release of a podcast discussing ZERONA™, a noninvasive body slimming treatment. In the podcast, Karen Albright, president of the medspa, describes the process which utilizes the Erchonia® Laser Scanner to target and melt the fat under the skin in an effort to reshape the body and slim down target areas.

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“ZERONA™ is one of our newest treatments and it can achieve measurable results,” said Albright. “This podcast describes what someone can expect from this process and how it works.”

CED, formerly the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (www.cednc.org), a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has announced the sponsors for CED’s Biotech 2010 conference, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22 and Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the Raleigh Convention Center, located at 500 S. Salisbury St. The Biotech conference – now in its 19th year – serves as a premier life science event to network and learn about industry trends and opportunities in global health, personalized medicine, and the current funding environment.

Ken Atkins, executive director for Wake County Economic Development (www.raleigh-wake.org), has announced the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce’s EDGE4 steering committee. EDGE4 is a five-year economic development program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce to shape the future of business and expansion within the Wake County area. The program benefits Raleigh, Wake County and the Research Triangle region. It aims to raise $12 million for local business development and bring 50,000 jobs to the Triangle.

The EDGE4 steering committee includes:

Karen Albright, president of BodyLase Skin Spa (www.getbodylase.com), has announced that the spa was recognized with eight Best of Citysearch awards in the 2009 Raleigh Spa and Beauty contest. Nominated and voted by registered Citysearch users, the medspa won top honors in the Brazilian bikini wax, facial, laser hair removal, hair removal, skin care, spa, Swedish massage and waxing categories. This is the third consecutive year that BodyLase Skin Spa has been recognized in Best Of Citysearch.

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Vaco Raleigh, LLC (www.vaco.com), an executive placement and consulting firm, has announced that Crystal Suazo, CPA and partner at the firm, will provide networking and career advice to a group at Crossroads Fellowship Church in Raleigh. The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the church, located at 2721 Millbrook Road.

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tHE.DESIGN, a Raleigh-based original rock band, is rapidly growing its music footprint in 2010. A young band (formed in 2006) they have gone from covering artists such as No Doubt or Maroon 5 on a Thursday evening at a local Raleigh club to headlining venues up and down the East Coast.

PerkettPR, Inc., provider of exceptional public relations, interactive digital services and social marketing communications campaigns for B2B and B2C companies worldwide, today announced several new clients across multiple industries. The agency was also recently nominated as a “Best Tech PR” agency in TechCrunch’s annual “Crunchie Awards,” as one of six agencies at the “top of their field,” and continues to grow its national footprint, with a new presence in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Michael G. Carlton, president of Crescent State Bank (www.crescentstatebank.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Crescent Financial Corporation, (NASDAQ Global MarketSM), has announced that the bank will serve as a sponsor for Green Hope High School’s Wrestling Scramble. The 16-team annual wrestling invitational has been named The Crescent State Bank Scramble and will take place on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Green Hope High School in Cary.

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Diane Kuehn, president and CEO of VisionPoint Marketing (www.visionpointmarketing.com), has announced that the firm has been named the agency of record for US Fitness Products (www.usfitness.com), a Raleigh-based company providing commercial and home fitness equipment and consulting. VisionPoint Marketing recently completed a redesign of the US Fitness website, and will provide an integrated online marketing suite of services to the company, including search engine optimization, paid search advertising and email marketing.

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Dr. Robert Littlejohn, head of school at Trinity Academy of Raleigh (www.trinityacademy.com), a pre-K through 12 college preparatory school community located in North Raleigh, has announced that the school partnered with Raleigh Rescue Mission for a coat drive during the holidays. Trinity Academy of Raleigh collected enough coats to reach 10 percent of Raleigh Rescue Mission’s holiday goal, and exceeded their personal goal of collecting more than 400 gently-used or new winter coats.

Ken Atkins, executive director of Wake County Economic Development (www.raleigh-wake.org), has announced the release of the second video in its new testimonial series featuring a number of Triangle leaders offering first-hand accounts of why Wake County is a great place to live and work. The video features Ted Mosler, president and chief technical officer of Gilero, a full-service biomedical product development company specializing in high-volume disposables, such as drug and fluid delivery systems, and other medical devices constructed primarily of plastic and silicone materials.

Lloyd Jacobs, CEO of ClickCulture (www.clickculture.com), a Raleigh-based integrated marketing firm specializing in technology, has announced that the firm has signed an agreement with the Directors of Health Promotion and Education, a national association providing expertise and support on behalf of health promotion directors in state health departments. ClickCulture will design a new Web site called Shaping Policy for Health, which will feature a suite of products related to health policy and environmental change.

David Finch, president and CEO of ATCOM Business Telecom Solutions (www.atcombts.com), a communications solutions provider, has announced that the company will sponsor Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women’s (Triangle CREW) February meeting. Triangle CREW is a forum for networking and enhancing business opportunities among members within the Triangle region. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 4 at noon at the Women’s Club, located at 3300 Women’s Club Drive in Raleigh. Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Economics, will provide an economic update.

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Dean Ogan, owner of Rocky Top Hospitality (www.rockytophospitality.com), has announced that all Rocky Top Hospitality’s restaurants will participate in a Triangle-wide Dine Out for Haiti relief fundraiser. The Dine Out event will support aid efforts in Haiti, with restaurants across the Triangle donating proceeds to two relief agencies. All of the Rocky Top restaurants: Michael Dean’s, Bogart’s, Red Room, Hi5, Twisted Fork, and the Mash House will host the event on Sunday, Jan. 24 and donate 10% of all sales to support aid efforts in Haiti.

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Lou Jurkowski, CEO at BJAC, pa (www.bjac.com), an architectural firm offering professional services for specialized, complex institutional projects, has announced that Jim Briglia, an architect at the firm, will conduct a tour of the Tryon Palace N.C. History Education Center on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. in New Bern, N.C. as part of a walking tour for the 2010 N.C. Main Street Conference. The theme of the conference is “Downtown: The Key To Recovery.” BJAC leads the design and construction team that has been working on the N.C. History Education Center.

Nancy McFarlane, president of MedPro Rx, Inc. (www.medprorx.com), a provider of specialty pharmacy services to clients with chronic illnesses who need clotting factor, IVIg and other medication, has announced the release of a podcast detailing the 2010 “Education is Power” scholarship program. In the podcast, Kathy Robinette-Stoneberg, scholarship coordinator for the pharmacy, explains the history of the program and how students can apply. MedPro Rx’s “Education is Power” program is open to U.S.

Mary Poole, executive director of Artspace (www.artspacenc.org), has announced that the visual art center will offer classes as part of an educational program for year-round school track-outs. This program offers intensive-yet-fun, project-oriented classes for students in third through eighth grades. Courses will take place from Monday, Jan. 25 through Friday, Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Separate courses will be offered for third through fifth graders and sixth through eighth graders.

CED, formerly the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (www.cednc.org), a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has announced that it will host the final STREAK showcase of the program’s season Thursday, Jan. 28 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. STREAK is designed to assist early-stage, high-growth life sciences and technology companies in preparing for and reaching fundraising goals through the critique of pitch presentations by a seasoned panel of investors, entrepreneurs and marketing experts.