Neighbors
The first Shopping Tourism Leader of the Year award was recently
presented to Werner Escher. As the executive director of domestic and
international markets at South Coast Plaza, Escher has molded his vision
of shopping tourism into a reality. By building important relationships
and alliances with various businesses, he has made South Coast Plaza a
frequent tourist destination. . . . The Newport Beach advertising agency,
Lawrence & Ponder Ideaworks, has named Bill Ruksiri media assistant.
Ruksiri will work on various accounts and projects for the agency and
brings with him a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cal State
Fullerton and prior experience as a media coordinator. . . . The
Certified Master Bench Jeweler designation has been awarded to Yvette K.
Eckman of Traditional Jewelers in Newport Beach. The award, which is the
fourth-highest award within the Jewelers of America Bench Jeweler
Certification Program was given to bench jeweler recipients based on
their talent, ability and proficiency. . . . Marion H. Halfacre,
president of Traditional Jewelers in Newport Beach, was recently elected
to the Jewelers of American Board of Directors. He was elected by more
than 10,000 members of the Jewelers of America nationwide. Currently,
Halfacre also serves as the president of the California Jewelers Assn.
and is an active participant in the jewelry industry and local business
community. . . . The Newport Beach-based Brower, Miller & Cole recently
welcomed Kimberly Almquist as an account executive. She will be
responsible for commercial real estate and retail clients. Almquist, a
Cal State Fullerton graduate, brings with her experience in strategic
public relations and marketing for various clients. . . . Douglas M.
Dukes from Costa Mesa made the dean’s list for the fall semester at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. Dukes is a junior majoring
in materials engineering. The dean’s list recognizes full-time students
who maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 to 4.0 and have no grades below
a C. Rensselaer was founded in 1824 and is the nation’s oldest
technological university. The school offers degrees in engineering, the
sciences, information technology, architecture, management, the
humanities and social sciences. . . . UC Irvine researcher William
Sirignano was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering for
his insights on how to make rocket engines and turbojet engines more
efficient. The academy advises the government on developing technologies
to battle bioterrorism. The 63-year-old becomes the third current member
of UC Irvine’s School of Engineering to be elected to the academy.
Sirignano came to UC Irvine in 1985. He has been the dean of the School
of Engineering and now is a full-time professor.
* NEIGHBORS spotlights achievements in the community. Please direct
noteworthy information to Bryce Alderton via fax at (949) 646-4170, or
send e-mail too7 bryce.alderton@latimes.comf7 .
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