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A radiant opening

Baton Rouge Radiology Group held its grand-opening celebration Aug. 16 for its new location on O’Neal Lane. This second location offers a variety of imaging capabilities, including an open MRI designed to avoid claustrophobia often associated with the procedure.

A little wind in the sails

Louisiana Economic Development has allocated $608,000 for the Small and Emerging Business Development program through local partners as part of its effort to help Louisiana small businesses become more competitive. Last year, the statewide program assisted more than 500 small and emerging businesses.

Take me to CortanaLand

The Mall at Cortana unveiled its new CortanaLand indoor play area Aug. 18. The Cajun-inspired playground features sights and sounds of South Louisiana. The grand-opening ceremony included children’s activities as well as a performance from Hollywood Hal and Rhinestone Al.

An eye for sound

Baton Rouge-based PreSonus, a FireWire recording system manufacturer, has released its first plug-in, EyeQ, which offers users the ability to fine-tune equalizer and volume adjustments for audio recordings. EyeQ will be included in upcoming PreSonus products.

AWARDS/HONORS

Cindy Bishop and Nial Patel, co-chairs of the South Louisiana Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar, received the 2007 Excellent Leadership Seminar Award at the HOBY Training Institute in Houston. Lisa Barnett, director of recruitment, was also honored with the 2007 Outstanding Recruitment Award.

Burrell J. Carter, chief judge of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, has been appointed to the American Bar Association Judicial Division Ethics and Professionalism Committee for 2007-08. The Ethics and Professionalism Committee examines issues of ethics and responsibility affecting the judiciary. Carter is currently serving his second tenure as chairman of the Conference of Court of Appeal Judges for Louisiana.

Caroline Alberstadt and Traci LaMoyne of LaMoyne Design Associates received the 2007 Award of Excellence for the Eden Park Branch Library from the International Interior Design Association Delta Regional Chapter. The new 14,000-square-foot facility is on Greenwell Springs Road.

Postlethwaite & Netterville was named one of the top 100 accounting firms in the United States by Inside Public Accounting magazine. With more than $26 million in net revenue, P&N was ranked the 94th largest firm in the nation and the only Louisiana-based firm to make the list.

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber received a Best in Show award from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives national Awards for Communication Excellence competition. BRAC’s submission, Revolution, received the award based on its outstanding communication effort. The movie is a documentary of BRAC’s development and the future of the regional economy.

LSU was named a 2007 Campus Technology Innovator for its free credit-monitoring program during the Campus Technology magazine’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. Campus Technology recognizes outstanding technology innovation on U.S. college campuses. This year, 13 winners were selected out of 338 submissions.

George Jenne, franchise owner of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen of Baton Rouge, recently received the $1 million benchmark award during DreamMaker’s 2007 national conference. The award is given to franchisees when they exceed $1 million in annual retail sales.

CERTIFICATIONS

The following professionals have received their Accredited Public Relations certification and have demonstrated broad knowledge, experience and professional judgment in the field: Michelle Clement, director of communications and public relations for the Louisiana Hospital Association; Les Landon, director of public relations for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers; Venessa Lewis, assistant director of communications for BREC; and Kristi Barnett Williams, communications director for BREC.

Renee Areng, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, has received the Certified Destination Management Executive designation, the highest educational achievement in the CVB industry. Paul Arrigo, BRAVCB president and CEO, is the only other employee at BRACVB to earn this designation.

Fred Hilton, agent for RBC Insurance in Baton Rouge, has earned a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow professional designation, which marks an agent’s long-term commitment to professionalism on behalf of clients, establishes the agent’s competence and business experience, marks a commitment to the American College and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Code of Ethics and fosters additional professional development.