FALL RIVER — BayCoast Bank announced that Kevin Fitzpatrick of Taunton has been hired as mortgage officer, responsible for originating residential loans, including working with first-time homebuyers, and handling residential investment properties. He concentrates on building loan relationships in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Prior to joining BayCoast Bank, Fitzpatrick held the position of residential loan originator at The Community Bank, now part of Eastern Bank, in Brockton. Fitzpatrick attended Merrimack College in North Andover, where he focused on business administration.
In the past, he was involved with the Brockton Housing Partnership, which is an alliance of local community lenders and affiliated non-profits with a focus on both workforce housing and financial literacy.
BOSTON — AT&T announced Brooke Thomson has been appointed regional vice president of external affairs for Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Ms. Thomson joins AT&T after six years in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, where she served as chief of the business, technology and economic development division. Prior to that, she worked as Legal counsel to the Massachusetts Legislature’s Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
Thomson’s duties will include legislative and regulatory affairs in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Thomson is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Mount Holyoke College. She resides in Sudbury with her husband David Schwalb, and daughter Caroline.
FALL RIVER — People, Incorporated announces the appointment of Adriana Okwara as a residential coordinator in the agency’s adult services division.
Okwara will be responsible for the overall functioning of assigned sites, formulating and implementing strategies consistent with principles of normalization, developing consumer training programs and supervising staff assigned to implement those programs.
Okwara previously worked for Work Community Independent (WCI) in Waltham as support coordinator in the residential program. She has two years experience managing residential homes and has worked with adults with developmental disabilities for more than five years. She also has a background in working with the deaf population and is fluent in American Sign Language. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work and is pursuing her master’s degree in non-profit management.
CUMBERLAND, RI, — At its leadership meeting held recently at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, R. I., the Howley Bread Group, LTD, based in Cumberland, recognized a number of its employees for excellence and leadership during the first quarter of 2013. The Howley Bread Group owns and operates 25 Panera Bread bakery-cafes in Greater Hartford/Eastern Connecticut, Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island markets.
The following received company-wide awards:
Beverly Ruzzo of Swansea was presented the “Associate of the Quarter” for making customer service a natural part of her work day and leading by example at the Seekonk, bakery-cafe. In addition, the Seekonk bakery was recognized as bakery-cafe of the quarter.
The following were named “associate of the quarter” for their respective cafes: Karen Dupont of Fall River, for the North Dartmouth bakery, and Ruzzo for the Seekonk bakery. Ruzzo was also one of several winners of a new company award, the “engagement” award, given to associates who demonstrated a sense of empowerment and a positive attitude about their job, colleagues and customers while putting their signature on their work each day.
Howley Bread Group, a Panera franchise, owns and operates 25 bakery-cafes throughout Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts and the Greater Hartford/Eastern Connecticut markets.
NEW BEDFORD — After 23 years, local SERVPRO franchises have a new owners. The two licenses covering most of the SouthCoast, SERVPRO of Dartmouth/New Bedford South and SERVPRO of New Bedford North/Middleborough, will respond to the community’s property damage emergencies, offering cleanup and restoration for events ranging from multimillion-dollar disasters to those suffered by individual businesses and homeowners.
Doug Glassman, the new owner of the two licenses, returned to the area that he was originally from to fulfill a life-long dream of being a business owner. Born and raised in Dartmouth, Glassman left the area after graduating from Dartmouth High School to pursue his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After, he worked for a Fortune 500 company in the Boston area focusing in business operations and logistics while obtaining his master’s degree in business management from Nichols College.
SERVPRO specializes in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair, and helping to remediate fire or water damage for both commercial and residential customers. In addition, residential and commercial customers can take advantage of SERVPRO’s variety of cleaning services including carpets, floors, on-site dry cleaning of draperies, furniture and upholstery and ductwork systems. For more information, contact Glassman at 508-999-2380. Or visit www.servpronewbedford.com.
The Maids International announced today that Matt Donnelly, owner of The Maids of New Bedford, Mass., a professional residential cleaning service, received the President’s Club Award for outstanding achievement in franchise sales and growth during the past year.
The awards were presented recently at The Maids Growth Summit in Las Vegas, Nev. The coveted award recognizes not only the owners, but also the entire staff, including managers and team members. Matt Donnelly was selected from more than 150 The Maids franchise owners throughout the United States and Canada.
“Our business continues to grow because we give families relief from their hectic schedules,” said Donnelly. “We are able to provide stressed and time-pressed families a hassle-free way to check at least one item off their to-do lists.”
The Maids of New Bedford serves the residents of Southeastern Massachusetts and the surrounding communities. For more information, call 978-276-1276 or visit www.maids.com
NEW BEDFORD, — Kevin A. Nery, president of The Nery Corporation, announces that Thomas P. Hannon has joined Coastal Business Brokers to assist sellers and buyers of businesses with ownership transfers, valuation and consulting.
Hannon has more than 25 years of business experience in the areas of creating, managing, acquiring and selling small to mid-size companies.
His experience includes: publishing, service businesses, trucking, distribution, internet, technology and brick and mortar retail.
Hannon is an avid baseball fan. He built a wiffle ball stadium in Amesbury, MA, which has been featured in national newscasts.
He is affiliated with the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the New England Business Brokers Association (NEBBA), the Business Brokers Association of New England (BBANE), Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Plymouth Rotary Club, Upper Cape Toastmasters, My Pinnacle Network, SABR.
Coastal Business Brokers, located in downtown New Bedford, provides professional services to sellers and buyers of small to mid-size companies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
To reach Hannon call 508-990-9800 or e-mail [email protected], www.coastalbizbrokers.com.
NEW BEDFORD — Attorney Dan Surprenant has been elected vice president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (MassNAELA), the largest chapter in the United States and the premier organization for elder law attorneys in Massachusetts.
Members of MassNAELA are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities in Massachusetts.
His involvement in MassNAELA allows him to remain current in elder law issues and to help his clients achieve their estate planning goals.