Dr. Amanda Seay of Park West Dentistry recently attended the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's (AACD) 26th Annual Scientific Session, in Grapevine, Texas. The AACD is the world's largest international dental organization dedicated to advancing excellence in the art and science of cosmetic dentistry through responsible esthetics, of which Dr. Seay is a sustaining member and accreditation candidate.
"Contemporary cosmetic dentistry is a comprehensive approach to total oral health care that combines art and science to achieve optimal dental function, health and esthetics," said Dr. Amanda Seay. "The annual AACD scientific session is the world's premier venue to get the in-depth training necessary to stay up-to-date in cosmetic dentistry and ultimately provide the best care to patients in our community."
Dr. Seay also volunteers her cosmetic expertise to the AACD's "Give Back a Smile" Program for victims of domestic violence.
Visit http://www.aacd.com/about_the_academy.html to learn more on the AACD.
Ikon
Ikon Financial Group, an Isle of Palms and Mount Pleasant-based mortgage firm, has added Carol Turner as a mortgage specialist in their Beaufort office located at 16 Professional Village Circle.
Prior to joining Ikon, Turner worked at First Financial Services in Charleston, S.C., as a mortgage loan officer. With 28 years in the real estate and mortgage industry, she was the top mortgage loan producer from 1992-1998 at Regency Mortgage/Guaranty Bank in Atlanta, where she closed between $14-$19 million loans per year. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Turner holds a bachelor's degree from Converse College. She lives in Beaufort with her husband, Mark, and her two sons.
Ikon Financial Group is a mortgage firm focusing on home loans with an emphasis on high quality service and standards. They offer competitive pricing, the convenience of shopping for different loan products all in one place, seasoned staff and quick closing times. Additionally, a portion of company funds from each closing helps finance third-world micro-loans. Ikon Financial Group currently has seven offices across North and South Carolina. Visit www.ikonfg.com or call (843) 597-2234 for more information about the Beaufort office.
Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker United, Realtors Mt. Pleasant Broker-In-Charge Jay Law received a Masters in Business Administration from Charleston Southern University on May 8. Law began with Coldwell Banker in 2001, is a graduate of the University of South Carolina College of Journalism and Mass Communications and is a native of Moncks Corner.
William Means
T. Dylan Jones, a realtor with William Means Real Estate has been named one of Realtor Magazine's "30 Under 30." Jones and the other recipients represent rising young stars in the real estate industry and were selected from more than 700 applicants from across the United States. The magazine's editors made selections based on the candidates' leadership, innovation, and career success. Jones and the other honorees are featured in the June issue of Realtor Magazine.
Dylan Jones began his real estate career in 2004 as part of Mt. Pleasant's Hibben at Belle Hall where he served as the onsite sales agent. He successfully sold over 75 homes and helped develop and sell over 100 residential lots in the neighborhood. Dylan has continued his success at William Means Real Estate, where he was recently named a 2009 REALTOR<0x00AE> of Distinction and currently leads the William Means sales team in Hibben.
Jones is an active member of the Realtor community and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He received a B.S. in Business Administration and Finance from The College of Charleston.
Funke Joins First Citizens
First Citizens Bank today announced the hiring of Ryan Funke as vice president and retail sales manager at its Daniel Island branch, located at 126 Seven Farms Drive in Charleston.
As retail sales manager, Funke will be responsible for consumer and commercial lending. "My goal is to maintain and grow the high standard of customer service that First Citizens is known for and serve the complete banking needs of the Daniel Island community," said Funke.
Funke joins First Citizens from Carolina First Bank, where he spent three years as a branch manager. Prior to this position, he was a store manager for Wells Fargo Financial and was responsible for consumer loans and mortgages. A Citadel graduate, Funke is a native of Simpsonville, S.C.
Ryland Homes
The Charleston area division of Ryland Homes recently added two new staff members to their growing team.
Amanda Linney has been hired by Ryland Homes as a new Sales Assistant. Linney has an Associates degree from Forsyth Tech Community College, and most recently attended American Intercontinental University. She has 14 years experience in sales and retail management.
Joseph Kostelnik has also been hired as a Sales Assistant. Kostelnik has over 15 years of experience in New Home Sales in the Charleston market. He is a licensed broker, certified new home specialist and a member of the National Association of Realtors and Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. Joseph is a retired U.S. Naval Officer, and he is married to the former Theresa Pace of Charleston, S.C.
Ryland Homes has become a well-established name in the home building industry in the Lowcountry. Currently, it has six communities building in the Charleston area, with a My Style Design Center on Daniel Island for buyers to customize their home to fit their individual needs and likes.
With headquarters in Southern California, Ryland Homes is one of the nation's largest homebuilders with a leading mortgage-finance company. The Company currently operates in 28 markets across the country and has built more than 285,000 homes and financed more than 235,000 mortgages since its founding in 1967.<0x00A0>
New Library Director
Doug Henderson acknowledges a lifelong love for books and libraries, but the newly announced director of Charleston County Public Library said he's found a new love - Charleston.
Henderson, director of the Loudoun County Public Library in Leesburg, Va. since 1997, will be moving to Charleston this August to become executive director of the local library system, announced the Charleston County Public Library Board of Trustees Thursday.
Henderson, a veteran with 34 years of library service, said he could tell during his visits and interviews that Charleston County residents and the library's staff are proud of their libraries and value their importance in the community. He also found himself amazed by the overall beauty, diversity, culture and history of the area plus he felt a real sense of community and happiness from people he met in the area.
"I was looking for a place that had an interest in libraries and valued libraries. I see that in Charleston. I'm excited to come and am really looking forward to working with the staff," Henderson said, adding that he and his wife are empty nesters now that their two sons are in college, so this seemed like the perfect time to start a new adventure.
LoElla Smalls, member of the Charleston County Library Board of Trustees and the search committee, said the board felt Henderson was the right person to lead CCPL into the future. During the search process, the board kept staff involved by surveying them to get their input on a new director, setting up staff sessions with the final candidates and having candidates visit several of the Library's branches.
Henderson is filling a vacancy created in late 2008 by the death of CCPL's Executive Director Thomas Raines. Henderson will make $117,000 annually and has a two-year contract.
Since Raines' death, Cynthia Bledsoe has served as the library's acting director. Henderson noted that Bledsoe had done a great job during the interim and announced Friday that she will become deputy director. She's been at CCPL for 11 years and worked for libraries a total of 34 years.
"We are going to have a great transition," Henderson said. "Cynthia will be a great deputy director. We are on the same page."
While in Loudoun County, which has a similar population to Charleston County's, Henderson also received the American Library Association's Paul Howard Award for Courage, ALA's John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award twice and the Virginia Library Associations Intellectual Freedom Award.
Before moving to Loudoun County, he spent 21 years with the Las Vegas/Clark County Library District, eventually becoming assistant director. He received his master's degree in library science from Florida State University.
Library Board Chairman Jeanne T. Holladay said board members also were impressed with the donations and community support Henderson rallied for the Loudoun County Library. "We hope to see the same thing happen here. In tough economic times when government funds are being cut, it is more important than ever to cultivate partnerships and develop private donors who will support the library."
Holladay also said the board, and the entire county, owes an overwhelming debt of gratitude to Bledsoe.
"Cynthia has kept CCPL moving forward during a time of transition. Her dedication is apparent in the library's achievements in the past two years. Because of her and the excellent staff in all our branches, CCPL was rated as one of the best public libraries in the nation by Library Journal magazine, a recognition that came when the library faced extensive budget cuts and a double-digit increase in the demand for library services."
Henderson is a real advocate for early childhood education and believes in reaching out to new parents to let them know the importance of introducing children to books when they are babies. To improve children's services, he wants to develop or advance partnerships with area schools so the library can find ways to better serve the needs of area students.
"I really want kids in the library… Books were a part of how I was raised. They were always there," Henderson said, adding that he is a strong proponent of pre-literacy programs. He remembers going to the library and reading sports biographies as an elementary school student, and he wants children in Charleston to have the same opportunity to fall in love with reading.
In addition to focusing on childhood literacy, another area of interest is improving the library's collection by making sure it represents the diverse needs of area residents. He wants to improve community involvement and communication so he can learn what county residents really want and need from their library. One thing on his list is improving electronic, remote access for patrons, which also will help free up staff time to help patrons visiting the library.
Angela Gillis
Pam Hartley, Founder of Momentum Marketing, announced today that Angela Gillis has joined the Daniel Island-based marketing firm as Social Media Specialist. Angela Gillis recently graduated from Clemson University in May 2010 with a B.A. in Communication Studies.
Prior to graduating, Gillis spent a semester in Florence, Italy where she studied client relations and intercultural communication. In the spring of 2010, she assisted in the production of a short documentary promoting awareness for the Upstate Homeless Coalition. She also completed an internship with Clear Channel Radio in Charleston.
Gillis joined Momentum with a versatile background in public relations, as well as an innovative perspective to social media. She expressed her enthusiasm, stating, "My previous experience gave me the opportunity to wear many different hats and work with various types of people. I am excited to work with the Momentum team in building relationships with clients while providing them with the most effective marketing strategies. With this position I plan to continue the progress of the company's 'Connectionomics' approach."
Hartley fuses public relations and social media together to form the Connectionomics approach in order to grow her client's businesses. She expressed the importance of developing the social media department, stating, "The shift towards social media in the world of advertising is exciting. We've had a tremendous amount of success with our Connectionomics strategy and business is booming!"
As a result, Momentum had the opportunity to expand and further develop as a company.
"I am eager to see the innovative ideas about social media Angela Gillis will throw into motion here at Momentum," Hartley said.
Momentum Marketing is a full service advertising agency and marketing firm, representing a diverse range of clients in South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Illinois. With expertise in branding, web development, advertising, SEO, social media, public relations and marketing, Momentum delivers a vital collaborative edge in today's new media marketplace.
Au Pair
Trish Richardson of Mount Pleasant has been appointed Community Counselor for the Au Pair in America program. Au Pair in America is also new to the Charleston community.
As a Community Counselor, Trish will supervise the English-speaking international au pairs who are in the Charleston area, participating in the program by living with host families and assisting with their child care needs. Trish will also interview prospective host families, organize cultural and social functions, provide support to the families and counsel the au pairs who live in the area.
The nation's first and largest au pair program, Au Pair in America offers a customer driven matching process, extensive orientation program for au pairs and host families, several program options to meet the varied needs of American families and a Web community with a vast array of helpful information. Since 1986, Au Pair in America has placed more than 80,000 au pairs in 40 states. Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., Au Pair in America maintains offices in five countries and has a network of more than 600 employees worldwide.
For as low as $335 per week, families can host an au pair providing them with affordable child care as well as a rewarding cultural experience.
Regulated by the U.S. Department of State's Exchange Visitor Program, the au pair program gives 18- to 26-year-old foreign women the opportunity to live in the U.S. for up to two years as live-in child care providers. Each au pair is screened thoroughly by Au Pair in America staff and must have documented child care experience, and speak proficient English. Au Pair in America recruits candidates from more than 55 countries in Eastern and Western Europe, South Africa, the Americas, New Zealand, the Middle East and Asia.
Interested families can call (800) 928-7247, email Trish Richardson at trishaupair@yahoo.com or visit www.aupairinamerica.com.