PEOPLE
ARCHITECTURE
Donald J. Meeks was named chief executive of the architect and land-planning firm of Kaufman Meeks+Partners, which is changing its name to Meeks+Partners. Kevin R. Newman will remain president and managing partner in Newport Beach. Presidents Som Petchsrisom and Jon A. Prejean will lead the firm’s Houston office.
BANKING
Christine Diemer Iger joined the board of Sunwest Bank. She is a partner in the Orange County office of Manatt, Phelp & Phillips LLP. She also is chairperson of the Orange County Business Council and is on the board of the Building Industry Association.
CONSULTING
Stephen J. Saporito was appointed to the board of Millennium Corporate Solutions in Irvine. Saporito is the company’s director of business development and has been with Millennium since 2000. He is responsible for new business, working with the company’s vendors and managing technology. Melanie Morais was hired as a senior consultant and vice president at Millennium and will focus on property and casualty client needs.
DEVELOPMENT
J.L. Hare Associates of Santa Ana, an entitlement and permit management company specializing in residential, commercial and industrial developments, hired John Tandy as project manager. Tandy previously managed entitlements at William Lyon Homes Inc. and Hon Development Co. His responsibilities include obtaining approvals and clearances for residential and commercial projects.
DISTRIBUTION
Bryan Carter was named state manager, special events, at the West Coast division of Future Brands LLC of Irvine, a wine and spirits distributor. Carter will be responsible for developing strategic promotions in California by partnering with community and cause-related marketing events.
ENVIRONMENT
La Habra resident Michael Eaves was named president of the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, an advocate of natural gas vehicles. Eaves has been involved with the natural gas vehicle industry for 15 years with Southern California Gas Co., where has been natural gas vehicle program manager since 1997.
MARKETING
Mike Slone was appointed senior graphics designer at The Peterson Group, a marketing agency in Newport Beach. He will be responsible for creating marketing programs including client collateral material and multimedia projects.
The OCT Group in Foothill Ranch hired Denise Mitchell as an account executive in the On-Target Direct division, responsible for managing new and existing automotive accounts in California and Arizona. A resident of Aliso Viejo, Mitchell graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in advertising.
PUBLISHING
Primedia Business Real Estate Group appointed Neil Dant sales manager for National Real Estate Investor and Shopping Center World magazines. He will be responsible for implementing integrated sales and marketing initiatives throughout the West Coast. He will be based in Irvine.
REAL ESTATE
Lisa Pereira was hired as manager of sales operations for D.R. Horton Inc.’s Western Pacific Housing. She will be responsible for managing sales. She previously worked at Ashbrook Communities and Hearthside Homes.
John Laing Homes of Newport Beach named Joseph Richter and R. Gordon Craig as project managers for its south division. Before joining Laing, Richter was president of Hanover Development LLC. Craig was vice president of Taylor Woodrow.
Option One Mortgage Corp. in Irvine appointed Mark Trentmann manager of wholesale strategy. He will be responsible for researching, managing and communicating strategy for wholesale originations. Also Marta Rivera will become Option One’s manager of its wholesale customer database. She will design and implement a new customer relationship management system for the company.
First Team Real Estate added Carol Berry as senior broker associate and mentor to its Newport Beach office. Berry will serve as mentor, assisting recently hired sales associates and teaching them to use company tools and resources. Berry has been involved the real estate industry for 26 years.
Joe Ehret was named senior adviser at Irvine-based Sperry Van Ness real estate. He will be charged with managing the company’s accelerating marketing efforts in the Southwest region, including the coordination of auctions and sealed bids.
RESTAURANT
Santa Ana resident James Woodfork was named executive chef at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Costa Mesa. Woodfork will be responsible for managing food preparation staff and working with Maggiano’s team chefs and partners from around the country, overseeing food costs and inventory control.
