15 Newsmakers (9/19/03)

Accounting
Kathleen Hargreaves, CPA, a shareholder with Sarasota's Kerkering, Barberio & Co. PA recently published "Physician Asset Protection Planning: A New Urgency" in CPA Today, a Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants magazine. The article outlined the health care malpractice insurance crisis in Florida.

Construction
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Jack Cox, president of Halfacre Construction Co. Inc., and Joan Brown, a Sarasota pool contractor, to a four-year term on the state's Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Financial
Timothy Holliday joined Comerica Private Banking's Sarasota office as vice president of private lending. Holliday was most recently vice president with Wachovia Bank's Sarasota office.

Government
State Rep. Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa, is traveling through Sept. 26 with a group of eight as a delegate to the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan during a political study program sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders. The ACYPL is a bipartisan non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.

Christopher Lukowiak is Palmetto's new public works director. Lukowiak was previously solid waste operations manager for Hernando County. He replaces Michael Hickey, who was fired as the top public works official last month. In addition, Lukowiak spent about 17 years working for the city of Newark, N.J. Lukowiak is married to Tanya Lukowiak, executive director of Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency.

Legal
Attorney Scott LaPorta has joined the Sarasota-based law firm of Abel, Band, Russell, Collier, Pitchford and Gordon Chartered's litigation and dispute resolution practice group. Previously, LaPorta was an assistant public defender in Tallahassee.

Organizations
Tim Laney, Florida president and Southeastern commercial banking executive for Bank of America, has been appointed to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art's board of directors in Sarasota.

Real Estate
Laurin Frondito-Weir has joined Keller Williams St. Pete Realty Market Center.

Maryann Casey and Rick Hughes have been named the residential sales team for The Plaza at Five Points, a mixed-use high-rise development in downtown Sarasota. Prior to joining The Plaza at Five Points, Casey was a sales consultant at Arvida Realty Services in Ft. Lauderdale. Hughes is an ethics instructor for the Sarasota Association of Realtors and a real estate contracts trainer. He is a former branch manager for Sarasota-based Michael Saunders & Co.

Robert Corina has been promoted to vice president and chief financial officer for Collier Enterprises, Naples. Corina joined Collier Enterprises in 1993 as a tax accountant. He has served as vice president of tax and director of finance for the company's agribusiness division. Prior to joining Collier, Corina worked for Coopers & Lybrand. He is a member of the 2003-2004 class of Leadership Collier.

Dolores Seymour, director of corporate services at Colliers Arnold, has been named one of the top women in commercial real estate by Florida Real Estate, a trade publication. Seymour joined Colliers Arnold in 1989. She specializes in the sales and leasing of flex office and industrial properties, and land and investment sales.

Robert Brillon has joined Michael Seery & Associates to head the Sarasota real estate firm's new property management division. Brillon was previously general manger for the 200,000-square-foot Sarasota Main Plaza, 1991 Main St. He also previously ran his own real estate brokerage firm in New York, which was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield.

Keith Grove has been named land development manager for Tampa-based LandMar Group LLC. Prior to joining LandMar, Grove served as development manager for Westfield Homes in Tampa.

Patricia Emmett has joined Sarasota-based Prudential Palms Realty as manager for the University Walk office. Prior to joining Prudential Palms Realty, Emmett was manager for two Coldwell Banker offices.

Other
Timothy Del Vescovo has joined the Sarasota office of Brighton Commercial Furnishings LLC as an account executive. Prior to joining Brighton, Del Vescovo founded and operated one of Washington, D.C.'s largest digital service bureaus, DPI. While running DPI and as an independent consultant, he provided CAD support and troubleshooting services for design and engineering firms nationwide.