Compiled by Kelly Ryan
The Orange County Register ranked W.L. Butler Construction Inc. first in its Top Orange County Workplaces survey for companies with 50 to 149 employees. The Redwood City-based construction company has an office in Irvine with 103 employees. Rankings are determined by employee responses to statements about their workplace. Lexus of Westminster also made the list and has 140 employees in Westminster.
Irvine-based LPA Inc. received the Shirley Cooper Award and a Citation Award from the American Association of School Administra-tors. The awards were given in partnership with the American Institute of Architects and the Council of Educational Facility Planners. They recognize projects that exemplify outstanding design and educational purpose.
Toyota Material Handling USA Inc. in Irvine received the highest ranking of any manufacturer and was first in the Product Quality category in a customer satisfaction study by Modern Materials Handling.
The Disability Rights Legal Center presented Aliso Viejo-based Ossur Americas Inc. with the Charles D. Siegal President’s Award. The prosthetics manufacturer was honored for its contributions to people with mobility disabilities. Paralympic bronze medal winner April Holmes presented the award to Ossur Vice President of Prosthetics Tim McCarthy.
The American Planning Association gave the Orange County Great Park Comprehensive Master Plan the National Excellence Award for Innovation in Regional Planning. A team from the office of Ken Smith, Landscape Architect of New York created the design for the Great Park.
The International Trade-mark Association gave Catherine Holland the Volunteer Service Award. Holland is a partner in the Irvine office of Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP. Also, Knobbe Mar-tens attorneys Joseph Cianfrani, Don Mar-tens, Joseph Re and John Sganga were in-cluded in the Best Law-yers in America ranking.
John Parker received the Power-Packed Phil-anthropist Award from The Orange County Community Foundation. Parker has been involved in several charitable organizations, including Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Building Block Foundation Fund, City of Hope and the Surfrider Foundation. He is founding principal of Aliso Viejo’s Parker Properties LLC.
The Orange County Chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Association named State Assemblyman Jose Solorio Legislator of the Year. Solorio represents Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana. He received the award for working with the association to educate people about water conservation. Solorio spent two years on the Orange County Water District board before becoming a state legislator in 2006.
Cal State University, Fullerton, librarian Ronald Rodriguez was honored with the Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the Year Award. He has served as president of the national and Orange County chapters of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking.
Several companies and individuals took home awards at the BetterShelter Green Awards, hosted by Newport Beach affordable housing developer BetterShelter. Accepting awards were: Shaheen Sadeghi of The Camp, Rachel Hulan of Path Design, Rick D’Amato of LPA Inc., Nick Cocores of Thalia Street Surf Shop, Deanna Reposa of Simple Peace LLC, Tanya Fuqua of Avanti Cafe and James Pribram, a Laguna Beach environmental blogger.
The Newport Beach Environmental Nature Center’s new learning facility was awarded Platinum certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council. This is the highest designation available to buildings demonstrating energy efficiency and sustainability.
Tustin-based family law firm Hughes & Sullivan honored staff members Tamira Lopez, Ryan Williams, Kitty Piela and Stephanie Deckard at its appreciation awards luncheon. Lopez received the Moon Award for Outstanding Leadership. Williams received the Unsung Hero Award. Piela and Deckard were given the Words of Art Award.
Irvine’s Ignite Health, an advertising agency specializing in healthcare, received five awards from the Health Information Resource Center. Ignite was honored with the Most Innovative Web Site Award for its work on Centocor Inc.’s MyInnerState.com and also took home honors for its work on Advanced Medical Optics Inc.’s iLasik.
Several Orange County property managers received designations as certified community association managers: Russell Ridgeway of Professional Community Management Inc. in Laguna Woods, John Steeb of Woodbridge Village Association in Irvine and Abe Oyler, Jamie Bolduc and Shana Aaberg of Keystone Pacific Property Management Inc. in Irvine.
United Van Lines LLC, part of UniGroup Inc., recognized its O’Neil Moving Systems unit in Garden Grove by giving O’Neil the President’s Club Award and a Sales Achievement Award.
