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 .