Compiled by Kelly Ryan
The Orange County Transportation Authority took home 10 awards for work in public relations and marketing at this year’s Protos awards by the Orange County Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Echo Media Group won three awards. Other local firms receiving awards were: Bock Communications Inc., Global Results Communications, Westbound Communications Inc., Idea Hall, Brower Miller & Cole and Porter Novelli.
Fortune Magazine named Toyota Industries Corp. to its top 50 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. The company is a leading supplier of lift trucks and its Irvine-based subsidiary, Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. Inc., is the No.1 selling lift truck supplier in the U.S.
Michael Hajeck was honored with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the technology category. Hajeck is chief executive of SiliconSystems Inc. in Aliso Viejo. The award recognizes business leaders who demonstrate innovation and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
KTGY Group Inc. in Irvine took home 14 high honors at the Gold Nugget Awards. Some of the winning projects are: The Club at Central Park West in Irvine, Central Park West in Irvine and Whole Foods Market in Pasadena. The Gold Nugget Awards honor achievements in architectural design and land use planning.
Brian Kinder, an attorney at Santa Ana-based Hart King & Coldren, was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star by California Super Lawyers magazine. Kinder is an associate and a member of the firm’s intellectual property department.
Christopher Boman was named a Southern California Super Lawyer Rising Star by Law & Politics magazine. This is the fourth consecutive year Boman has made the list. He is a partner at the Irvine office of Fisher & Phillips LLP.
Warren Nelson was named to the Labor Relations Institute’s annual listing of Top 100 Labor Attorneys in the U.S. Nelson is a partner in the Irvine office of Fisher & Phillips and also was named to the institute’s list in 2006. The list is chosen from 8,600 labor lawyers and is based on their experience in labor law and their win records.
Latham & Watkins LLP was ranked first in the Northern and Southern California region in Vault’s Top 100 U.S. Law Firms ranking. The magazine’s ranking is based on a survey of more than 18,000 associates at 165 law firms across the nation. The firm also was ranked in Vault’s list of Best 20 Firms to Work For.
John Martin was inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame. Martin is founder and principal of Costa Mesa-based Martin & Associates LLC. He worked for the Irvine Company in the 1970s and oversaw design on the Woodbridge Estates.
SkillCraft Body Shop Inc. in Huntington Beach received the Outstanding Performance Award from the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club of Southern California. The shop was honored for its Immediate Repair Program. Founder Ray Galvin accepted the award.
Comerica Inc. honored several members of its Costa Mesa office with the Chairman’s Outstanding Achievement Award,Kurt Muir, Julie Stannard, Elise Walker, Gary Baughman and Mark Claman.
Financial adviser Anouchka Balog was ranked in a nationwide survey of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisers in Barron’s magazine. She has worked for 15 years at Citigroup Inc.’s Smith Barney and is in its Laguna Niguel office.
The Fullerton Chamber of Commerce named Bill McGarvey an Honorary Lifetime Member. McGarvey was president of the chamber in 1963 and helped establish several scholarship funds.
Thomas Shaver and Georgi Mercado were honored with the William H. Spurgeon III Award for their contributions to medicine. Shaver spent 26 years at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo and was involved in the development of Mission Regional Trauma Center. Mercado is Mission Hospital trauma office manager and injury prevention coordinator.
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. took home the Best Overall Annual Report at the Orange County Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute Annual Report Competition.
