Compiled by Roberta Boginis
Michael A. Mussallem, chief executive of Irvine’s Edwards Lifesciences Corp., was named Director of the Year by the Forum for Corporate Directors.
Aliso Viejo-based Shea Properties, the commercial arm of Walnut-based J.F. Shea Co., was awarded the 2004 National Multifamily Customer Service Award for Excellence by CEL & Associates Inc., a real estate consulting firm in Los Angeles. This was the third year in a row that the company has won the award.
The Center for Real Estate at the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business honored Gerson Bakar with its 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award. Bakar, owner and chairman at Gerson Bakar & Associates, was recognized as one of Orange County’s first builders and a pioneer in apartment and condominium building.
Michael Alurac, salesman at Sir Speedy Printing in Anaheim, was recognized as the 2004 Platinum Level Top Performer. The award was one of only 28 given from about 300 applications.
Sinan Kanatsiz, chairman and chief executive of Kanatsiz Communications Inc. in San Clemente, was the youngest person honored with the Hall of Fame Award from the trustees of Santa Ana College. It is the highest honor given by the college. Kanatsiz, a Santa Ana College graduate, is a founder of Generation NeXt, chairman of the Internet Marketing Association and a member of the New Majority.
The National Association of Homebuilders honored Irvine-based McLarand, Vasquez, Emsiek & Partners Inc. with three Pillars Awards. The architecture, planning and interior design company won the national awards for excellence in apartment and condo design, development, marketing and management. Irvine-based architecture company, KTGY Group Inc., won for Best Student Housing Apartment Community.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Orange County named Vanguard University president Murray Dempster the 2005 Educator of the Year for his education work within the Hispanic community.
Hall & Foreman Inc. was ranked No. 21 among the top 25 fastest-growing companies in the nation by weekly newsletter The Zweig Letter. Hall & Foreman is an engineering, land planning, surveying and landscape architecture firm in Irvine.
Managing Intellectual Property magazine’s survey named Irvine-based Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP as the leading intellectual property firm in the Western U. S.
Nick Yocca of Newport Beach-based Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth received the Special 2005 Lifetime Contribution Award from the Forum for Corporate Directors. He was recognized for his 40-plus years as a corporate lawyer.
The California Redevelopment Association gave its Award of Excellence to the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency for its Cantada Square redevelopment project.
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics’ Garden Grove plant received a North American safety award for its commitment to workplace safety and performance in 2004 from parent company Saint-Gobain Corp. in Valley Forge, Pa., part of France’s Compagnie de Saint-Gobain.
Orange-based Castle Rock Roofing was named by Firestone Building Products Co. as the 2005 Master Contractor. The company was recognized for its dedication to quality roofing installations.
Tucker Watkins, senior financial adviser at Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Irvine was named a member of the company’s Diamond Ring Club. He is in the top tier of Ameriprise’s field force and has demonstrated high levels of leadership during his 13 years there.
Brian Paul Dougherty, partner at Dougherty and Dougherty Architects LLP in Costa Mesa, was appointed as chair of the National Ethics Council of the American Institute of Architects. Previous to the appointment, Dougherty served as a council member for five years. Before that, he served in various leadership positions with the group.
Jane V. Hall received California State University, Fullerton’s Faculty Leadership in Collegial Governance Award, which recognizes faculty members who have made contributions to the mission of the California State University system. Hall is a nationally recognized expert on environmental economics, former university outstanding professor and campus leader.
