Positions Taken

Carolyn G. Keller, group vice president, Manatee County regional manager of retail services, SouthTrust Bank.

Gwen Kaplan, chief development officer; Lucy Nicandri, director of marketing and special events, The Florida Center for Child and Family Development.

Bob Cochrane, senior account supervisor; Shawn Babcock, network technician, Clarke Advertising & Public Relations. (2 photos)

Darlene Sparks, director of school advancement, New Gate School.

Leigh Morrow, CPA, audit supervisor, CPA Associates.

Roxanne Foley and Craig Wolverton, sales associates, RE/MAX Properties Webber Street office.

Mark Dickerson, director of operations, Cross Chiropractic and Cross Health.

Bob Nelson, builder; David Dudley, IT; Carol Briggs, executive assistant; Kari Nicosia, design coordinator, Neal communities.

Accolades

The Manatee Chamber of Commerce was named Florida Chamber of the Year by the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals.

New College of Florida was ranked the nation's No. 1 best bargain among public colleges and universities by Princeton Review.

Kellogg & Kimsey donated $6,250 to the Sarasota Family YMCA, the proceeds of its 8th annual golf tournament.

Smith Barney through the Citigroup Foundation has donated $5,000 to the Van Wezel Foundation, Inc. for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall's 2004-2005 Schooltime Performances.

Debbie Grondahl, sales associate, Century 21 Advantage, earned the designations of Century 21 VIP specialist and Graduated Realtor Institute (GRI).

Peter Crowley, president of RE/MAX Properties, graduated from REAL Trends Institute's Advanced Leadership Program.

Mark P. Barnebey of the law firm of Kirk Pinkerton was elected to the board of directors of the Great Outdoors Conservancy.

Sarasota County has been ranked second in the country by the Center for Digital Government for how it applies technology to deliver services to citizens.

Cary Carbonaro of LandMark Wealth Management earned the Certified Financial Planner certification.

Penny Hill of Chase Manhattan Mortgage is the only Florida loan officer to be named to the Mortgage Originator magazine Hall of Fame.

Gettel Toyota earned the 2003 Toyota Motor Sales President's Award.

The Crow's Nest Marina Restaurant was honored by Wine Spectator magazine with its Best of Award of Excellence.

Whitehall Quality Homes surpassed all company records by recording $105 million in sales for the last 12 months.

Mark J. Fleming, DDS, has been named vice president of the Academy of Computerized Dentistry of North America.

David DeSisto, service manager, Car Tune Up Car Care Center, has been certified as an Automobile Service Consultant by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

Clarke Advertising & Public Relations earned first place in the Fox River/Gilbert Paper outstanding design awards contest, corporate brochure category, for its client Kanaya.

Julie A. Horstkamp of the law firm of Kirk Pinkerton has become board certified in real estate law.

R. Scott Collins of the law firm of Williams, Parker, Harrison, Dietz & Getzen has become board certified in wills, trusts and estates.

Moving and Opening

Stephen A. Smith & Associates announces three new clients: Evolve Wellness Studio & Spa, Photo-Tech Inc. and Stratland Homes.

First Step of Sarasota, Inc. has opened its outpatient substance abuse treatment center at 12497 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1, North Port.

Suncoast Center for Independent Living broke ground on its headquarters building at 2989 Fruitville Road. (photos)

Sarasota Select Properties has opened its new real estate brokerage office at 1225 Fruitville Road.

Fidelity Homes has moved its corporate offices to 103 Woodlake Drive, Venice.

AmSouth Bank opened its new Sarasota branch at 1567 Main St.

Jewelry designer Chloe Lee has opened Chloe's Bead Shop at Ubiquity Gallery at 1102 12th St. W. in Bradenton's Village of the Arts.

Riverside Bank broke ground in its new branch at 717 E. Venice Ave., Venice.