MILESTONES

Issue of Dec. 28

HUMAN RESOURCES
   Global career management firm Lee Hecht Harrison has appointed Princeton resident Grace Polhemus job market consultant for the central New Jersey region. Ms. Polhemus will have overall responsibility for helping clients in the midst of career transition connect with the best and most appropriate career opportunities. She will be working from the firm’s office in Lawrence.
TECHNOLOGY
   Princeton-based Dorin Comaniciu was one of five Siemens’ employees worldwide to be selected as the company’s inventor of the year. Dr. Comaniciu has been responsible for 62 U.S. patents in the last five years, mainly in the field of software object detection, tracking and recognition for medical, security and automotive applications. Dr. Comaniciu received the award at the Siemens Forum recently held in Munich, Germany.
GOOD DEEDS
   Staff from all levels of Hamilton-based Mercadien Group contributed time, energy and financial resources by donating hundreds of toys and being an official Toys for Tots drop off site.
   "Mercadien not only invited our clients to participate, but our staff contributed money and Angela Salzano, head of office services, volunteered to purchase a variety of toys," said Kim Kelly, marketing coordinator. This is the fourth year that the firm’s employees participated in and assisted this campaign working with the U.S. Marine Corps to brighten the holidays for millions of needy children.
BUSINESS ADVOCATES
   Gerald T. Keenan has been appointed to the Board of Directors of NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust. The mission of NJEIT is to assist in achieving a cleaner and healthier environment by providing low-cost financing for the construction of environmental infrastructure projects that enhance and protect ground and surface water resources.
   Currently executive vice president of the New Jersey Alliance for Action, a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide coalition of business, labor, professional, academic and government organizations, Mr. Keenan’s strength has shown in building and guiding these coalitions toward common goals. He joined the alliance as assistant vice president in 1997 and quickly climbed the executive ladder.
   Mr. Keenan is a board member of the New Jersey Transit Joint Business Alliance and of the Committee for a Smart New Jersey. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he lives in East Windsor with his wife, Virginia, and three children.
NONPROFIT
   Child Care Connection, a nonprofit child care resource and referral agency, has elected longtime Princeton resident Marjorie Smith as president. She has served on the board since 2002.
   Prior to becoming a nonprofit consultant, she was the executive director of the YWCA of Princeton where she founded the Y’s Multicultural Nursery School, which serves non-native English-speaking children in Princeton. Ms. Smith currently teaches a certificate course in nonprofit management at Mercer County Community College, and she developed and chairs the "Community Works" conference, held each year at Princeton University for nonprofit board, staff and volunteers.
   Child Care Connection Inc. is a not-for-profit organization serving central New Jersey, offering child care referrals, applications for child care subsidy programs and training to child care providers, as well as adult care referral services. Visit www.childcareconnection-nj.org for more information.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
   Hopewell Valley Community Bank has announced the appointment of Bruce E. Turner as vice president of HVC Funding Group, the bank’s new loan brokering division. Mr. Turner is a familiar face in the area’s lending market with his 17 year’s experience as a mortgage broker with Princeton Mortgage Co. of Pennington.
   HVC Funding Group is located in the new County Line office opened at the intersection of Routes 31 and 518 in Hopewell Township. Along with the recently opened loan production office in Cranbury, HVCB strives to provide a friendly, personalized banking experience for consumers and small business owners.
   Mr. Turner resides in Pennington with his wife, Lauren, and children, Scott and Chelsea.

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   Amper, Politziner & Mattia has announced the following promotions to manager in the Princeton office: David O’Connor and Douglas Tapp in the tax department, and Michael Rodrigues in the audit and accounting department.
   Amper, Politziner & Mattia is a regional certified public accounting and consulting firm serving the business community for more than 35 years.
ARCHITECTURE
   KSS Architects, based in Princeton, has been awarded the Smart Growth Award in Urban Design for the West Campus redevelopment plan for New Jersey City University in Jersey City. The award, given by the AIA-NJ and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, represents the "smart growth" approach to land-use planning that targets the state’s resources and funding in ways that enhance the quality of life for New Jerseyans. Smart Growth principles include mixed-use development, walkable town centers and neighborhoods, mass transit and preserved green space.
   KSS Architects is a full-service architectural design firm with offices in Princeton and Philadelphia, specializing in designing projects for educational and institutional clients.
HOSPITALITY
   The Hyatt Regency Princeton recently appointed Anthony M. Perrotti as its new executive chef. Mr. Perrotti has been with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts since 1982. His specialties include Italian, New England and many regional American dishes.
HEALTH & MEDICINE
   Plainsboro-based Cytogen Corp. has announced that Michael J. Manyak has joined the biopharmaceutical company as vice president of medical affairs.
   Dr. Manyak, who holds 11 scientific patents, had been chairman of the department of urology and a professor of urology, microbiology and tropical medicine at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. At Cytogen, he will be the company’s chief liaison with the medical community and will oversee human drug testing and other functions. Dr. Manyak has been an adviser to Cytogen for a decade and has served as a consultant to or scientific advisory board member of more than 25 biomedical technology and pharmaceutical companies.
OUTSOURCE
   Princeton eCom Corp., a leading provider of electronic payment and billing solutions, appointed Ron Averett, the company’s president and chief operating officer, to the board of directors. In a career that includes more than 20 years of senior management experience in banking and financial services, Mr. Averett has been with the firm since 1999 and is currently responsible for day-to-day operations. Under his direction the firm has focused on operational excellence and outstanding customer service enabling the firm to expand and achieve greater success in the marketplace.
   Since 1984, Princeton eCom has delivered integrated payment solutions driving growth in the electronic bill payment industry. It offers fully integrated end-to-end payment solutions for both banks and billers and is a leader in the payments industry. Princeton e-Com is located in Plainsboro.