Awards/Honors

Sara Davis Buss, director at Houston Harbaugh P.C., was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2006 by Law & Politics and Philadelphia Magazine.

Charles Laverty, business valuation appraiser, Strategic Valuation Group, achieved Accredited Senior Appraiser status with the American Society of Appraisers. Requirements include having five years or roughly 10,000 hours of appraisal experience.

Neighborhood Legal Services Association gave Maureen P. Kelly the first Dorothy Ann Richardson Award. Ms. Kelly a shareholder in the employment and labor services group at Downtown law firm Babst Calland Clements & Zomnir P.C. She was presented the award in recognition of her years of dedicated service to justice. The late Dorothy Ann Richardson, of Pittsburgh, was president of the NLSA board and a statewide leader as advocate for low-income people in the judicial system.

Bynums Marketing and Communications received the Award of Distinction from The Communicator Awards 2006. The award was given for the design of National City Bank's Annual Essay Contest poster. The design featured Olympic champion Roger Kingdom. The Award of Distinction is given for projects that exceed industry standards in design or communication skills. Robert Hunter, dealer president of Hunter Truck Sales & Service in Pittsburgh, was named the national Truck Dealer of the Year by the American Truck Dealers division of the National Automobiles Dealers Association and Heavy Duty Trucking magazine. The award covers all makes and franchises of trucks and represents the United States and Canada.

Courtesy Suzuki on Route 30 West in North Huntingdon today was awarded membership in the American Suzuki Motor Corp. 2005 President's Club, an elite group of 25 dealers from the company's 540-plus U.S. dealer network. Dealers qualify for this status based on annual sales or by garnering high J.D. Power & Associates scores in both Sales Satisfaction Index and Customer Satisfaction Index categories. Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania said senior vice president Susan Baker Shipley, director of cash management for Citizens' Mid-States Region and International Cash Management Group, was honored by the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business with a Distinguished Alumni Award. Recently, she was appointed to lead an effort in partnership with Citizens' parent company, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, aimed at developing cash management opportunities with foreign-based companies doing business in the region.

Michael D. McDowell, a lawyer, arbitrator and mediator, qualified for the designation Advanced Practitioner -- Workplace Mediation from the Association for Conflict Resolution, a national professional association of more than 6,000 members, including arbitrators, mediators and other dispute resolution professionals. Scott L. Deaton earned the professional title of Certified Financial Planner. He's a registered representative and financial planner for Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Goehring Rutter & Boehm said Howard J. Schulberg was named a 2006 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer. Mr. Schulberg is a partner in the litigation practice area of the firm, specializing in civil rights, municipal law and personal injury matters.

Erie Insurance Group said the Hallman Agency was a winner of the F.W. Hirt Quality Agency award, which Erie grants annually to the qualifying agency in each branch that best exemplifies quality attributes. The award is named in honor of retired Erie fchairman and CEO F. William Hirt. The Hallman Agency has been affiliated with Erie for the past 40 years.

The Healthcare Compliance Certification Board said Phylliss Graham, corporate director of compliance and special projects at Concordia Lutheran Ministries, has completed the Certified in Healthcare Compliance Examination, thus earning the "CHC" designation.

Gov. Ed Rendell and five Pennsylvania business journals recently announced the winners of the 11th Annual Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business award. Included on the list of award recipients is North Hills Business owner, Terri Sokoloff of Specialty Group.

Frederick N. Frank, CEO of Frank Bails Murcko Gubinsky & Gale P.C., was named one of Pittsburgh's top 50 lawyers in a survey conducted by Philadelphia Magazine and Law & Politics.

Fran Sehn, senior loss control consultant, Hilb Rogal & Hobbs, received his Associate in Risk Management designation.

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