Compiled by Purnima Mudnal
Tourism Council Recognizes Stephen Bone
Stephen K. Bone, president of Newport Beach-based real estate developer Robert Mayer Corp., is set to be honored with the Orange County Tourism Council’s Legacy Award at the Service Excellence Awards on April 3.
The award recognizes Bone’s contributions to tourism in the county for the past two decades.
Bone played a key figure in transforming Huntington Beach. He led a 50-acre waterfront development in the city anchored by the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort and the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa.
Bone also has worked to publicize Orange County and Huntington Beach. The city’s name now is recognized by 93% of travelers in the Southwest.
The Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce named Bone its 2005 Citizen of the Year. He was the founding co-chairman and chair of the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors’ Bureau and the Orange County Film Commission. He also worked as a director with the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and Huntington Beach Hospital, among other groups.
Newport Beach-based homebuilder John Laing Homes, part of WL Homes LLC, was named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine.
Lake Forest-based Sauna Warehouse Inc. was ranked No. 153 in the Inc. 500, a ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Sauna Warehouse achieved the ranking with three-year average annual sales growth of 687%, up from 481% in 2005, according to the company.
Lawrence B. de Graaf, emeritus professor of history and a founding faculty member at California State University, Fullerton, received the Miriam Mathews Ethnic History Award from the Los Angeles City Historical Society. The society recognized de Graaf for his books, articles and essays on Western and Los Angeles African-American history as well as his work with community groups. He lives in Placentia and is a specialist in OC history and the role of African Americans in the modern West.
Donald S. Castro, special assistant to Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon, was honored with the Civil Rights award from the California Association of Human Relations Organizations.
The Irvine Chamber of Commerce took home four awards at the Western Association of Chamber Executives’ annual awards for communications. The chamber’s newspaper, Business Connection, won first place among chambers of the same membership size. In addition, Business Connection was honored with the first Journalistic Excellence award by the association. It received honorable mention in the e-newsletter category and for its annual business plan in the marketing materials category.
Law & Politics magazine selected Irvine attorney James D. Daily, president of the Daily Law Group, as a Southern California Super Lawyer for his work in the area of elder abuse. In addition, Daily is a reserve sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department-Harbor Patrol, and serves as treasurer for Congressman Ed Royce.
Employment screening company Accurate Background Inc. in Lake Forest was recognized by Workforce Management magazine as one of the top employment screening companies in the nation. The ranking is by the number of employee screenings in the past year.
KB Home’s Orange County division became the first builder in OC to receive the National Housing Quality certification from the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. KB Home’s local division participated in field and office training to implement the quality program, including working with trade contractors and maintaining improvement efforts required by NHQ programs.
Susan Montoya, vice president and corporate community reinvestment act officer at First Bank in Huntington Beach, received the Get Checking Recognition of Excellence Award for her leadership and dedication to the bank’s program. Montoya also lives in Huntington Beach.
Frances Kay Krausman and Carole Shelby received the Cal State Fullerton College of Education Titan Education Excellence Award for their compassion, high academic performance in classrooms and inspiring their students to do better. Krausman retired as an elementary school teacher from the Fullerton School District. Shelby teaches English at El Modena High School in Orange.
